Small webOS Update Brings iTunes Syncing Back to the Palm Pre

Another skirmish happened today in a back-and-forth fight between Palm and Apple -- Palm released webOS 1.2.1 today, which brings support for iTunes synchronization back to the Palm Pre.

At its launch, the Pre allowed users to transfer music and video to and from their PC or Mac with Apple's iTunes. Palm made a fairly big deal of this, and it was the primary method for transferring multimedia files onto this device.

As the maker of a rival smartphone that also syncs with iTunes, Apple soon modified its desktop software to block access by Palm's device. However, Palm quickly issued an update to re-enable it, and then Apple blocked it again.

The pattern continues, as the major feature in webOS 1.2.1 is support for syncing with iTunes 9.0.1, the latest version.

There are also a few other tweaks and bug fixes, which are detailed on Palm's website.

Earlier this week, Palm released webOS 1.2 for the Palm Pre, a more significant update. When it didn't include iTunes syncing, many thought the fight between the two companies might be over, especially after the industry group in charge of the USB standard -- used for iTunes synchronization -- ruled in favor of Apple.

An Over-the-Air Update
This update is being pushed out to Palm Pre users now, who will be notified by their phone when the update arrives.

Unlike with older Palm OS updates from this company, installing webOS 1.2.1 does not involve erasing everything on the smartphone. 

Source: Palm