The much anticipated eighth update to webOS was released yesterday. This update doesn’t bring any new applications but it does, as usual, bring a number of improvements and enhancements, most importantly being the lifting of the app download limit. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about this update, including some warnings for users of homebrew. So, before you run off to launch the Updates app, read on.
Overview
Palm has released webOS version 1.3.5. Pre and Pixi users on select carriers can now download the latest version of webOS by launching their Updates app. A quick note for those who dabble with patches and themes: remove them before attempting to install the update. This latest version of webOS uses a new patching process that keeps the size down by applying only the difference between the original files and the changed files. This new update is only 13 MB, compared with the ~60 MB downloads from the previous updates. In order to insure it works correctly, clear out any changes you’ve made to system files.
Another aspect of the update is that it will take some time to complete, so don’t be impatient and definitely don’t pull the battery during installation. The solution to the app install limit requires that apps must be migrated to the USB partition. This process takes place after the phone boots for the first time and can take a while to complete. This process will slow the phone down so be patient if the phone seems a bit sluggish at first. This is normal. You’ll be able to enjoy the speed enhancements as soon as it completes.
Homebrew Notice
As mentioned, be sure to uninstall all patches and themes before updating. For those who rely on Preware for patches, themes and homebrew apps, be sure to update the Package Manager Service and reboot before starting the over-the-air update of webOS. Also, once 1.3.5 has updated, be sure to use the ‘Update Feeds’ menu option to update to the 1.3.5 feeds.
If you have already updated to webOS 1.3.5 and Preware or the App Catalog has stopped working for you, use WebOS Quick Install to re-install the Package Manager Service from the WebOS-Internals (all) feed. Included with the latest version of Preware is an app called Emergency Migration Helper (EMH). This app will fix the problem. Please read this post and this one for more information. For those confused by the Aussie-ism, here’s a link to some information on dog’s breakfast.
This problem can also affect homebrew services applied with WebOS Quick Install as well. If you don’t use Preware and have installed services with WebOS Quick Install you may want to either uninstall all services or install Preware and use the EMH.
Update Information
Here are the update highlights:
- Downloaded apps can now take advantage of all of the phone’s storage capacity
- Better battery management in areas with poor coverage
- App Catalog has been improved, including background downloading of apps and one-touch updates of installed apps
- Improved speed in Calendar day view
- Pixi (and Pre) users can now download updates in areas without 3G coverage
You can read the details for Sprint customers: Pre and Pixi versions. The only difference we could spot between the Pre and Pixi updates was the following additional Pixi item:
This release includes improvements to help ensure consistent phone response to user actions, including times when the user is using multiple applications/features at the same time.
There are likely a number of under-the-hood and undocumented changes that occurred. We’ll try to update the post later with the new information. In the meantime, you can check out this PreCentral post.
OpenGL Appears
We were tipped off by Rod Whitby of WebOS Internals that within this OS update were the drivers necessary for OpenGL support. For those who don’t know, OpenGL is a cross-platform library for creating 2D and 3D graphics. The Palm Pre and Pixi smartphones include a GPU for hardware accelerated graphics. These drivers will allow certain applications to take advantage of that GPU. As you may remember, there was a leaked video of a Pre running Need for Speed. This article over at PreCentral points out that the video seems to be the genuine article. This should mean that developers will now be able to produce much more graphics-intense apps.
Update Issues
Some users have reported problems with the update hanging during the install. Please be aware that the update process does take a long time (30 minutes or more according to some). My own Pre got stuck for over an hour. To resolve the issue I rebooted the Pre using Orange-Sym-R. After restarting the install process was able to continue and complete. This should only be used as a last resort, though. Be certain the process is stuck and not just slow before attempting it. There’s a thread at PreCentral discussing webOS 1.3.5 update issues.
SDK
[Update] The official webOS 1.3.5 SDK has been released. Developers can now download the SDK and take advantage of the new features. One new feature available to developers is the ability to set the accelerometer to high-speed mode, hopefully allowing for smoothing control on games that use tilting for control.
Other links you may be interested in:
