Palm has pushed many unique and innovative features with the Palm Pre and webOS, one of the most important being the wonderful over-the-air (OTA) update system that we’ve already seen in action with the 1.0.2 update (and may be seeing again soon). Engadget has found (via Justin in our forums!) an interesting support document on the Palm website: those OTA updates will be automatically downloaded and installed, whether you want it or not.
Essentially, the Pre checks daily for updates and will download the latest updates automatically in the background. Once the update has been pulled down, it will prompt you to install. You can push the installation off if you desire, but within seven days your Pre will forcibly install the update, giving you just a ten-minute warning. Every time you charge the Pre after downloading and not installing an update it will attempt to install the update, giving you a ten minute countdown you can stop. But you can only stop the timer three times; the fourth time you start charging, the Pre will give you a ten minute ultimatum and there’s no stopping it.
For as open as Palm has been about the Pre (once it was released, that is), this seems like a rather draconian policy. Obviously, Palm's aiming to keep all units out there up-to-date and this will provide a good user experience for the majority of users, but for those of us who like to have exacting control over our devices this could pose at least an issue of principle. Additionally, we have no idea what it might do to those that have hacked their Pre phones, if it’s anything like Apple’s iPhone software updates, it’ll undo (and possibly negate) whatever unauthorized modifications you may have made. Of course, as Engadget noted, it’s possible that one could hack the Pre to not force the updates onto you, but like most iPhone users, most Pre users likely aren’t going to be hacking their phones.
Comments
Hmmm...I don't really mind this; at least not until they break something with an update that I was forced to accept. :-)
If they are going to be updating it as often as they seem I dont see how they could behave otherwise. In a year there might be 6 or 8 different software revisions. How in the world do you support that without making everyone upgrade to the latest?
Tivo does a similar thing and I suspect it will play out the same as it does on tivo hardware- People into hacking will install a patch to stop updates if they want (give it time- someone will make one for the Pre I'm sure). People that dont know how to hack either A) dont care, B) don't even know what's going on and wont realize it or C) are likely the support headaches and should be updated automatically anyway.
Palm is forcing us to update like my heart forces me to live!
Good... good.
So, no one thinks that using an anti-nazi wartime poster to portray Palm as being overly controlling is in bad taste??
Unlike you and me, most people don't go looking for fights. *slaps with glove* Sir, I challenge you to a duel!
Lol
A game of fisticuffs it is! Seriously though that poster was for riling the Russians to defend their country from fascist invasion (its called "Mother Russia Calls! Kinda like the USA "Uncle Sam Wants You" poster)
Anyhoo, its not the manualness (is that even a word) of the update process but what Palm will do with such a power. So far they have been laizes faire on the whole subject with the exception of tethering (which was more of Sprint causing a stink) and I am optimistic about this platform's future.
The fact that we are seeing native Linux apps appear already is really promising. Maybe we will see ports of office (Open or Abi) firefox and flash waaay before the official apps arrive. Its wishful thinking, I know, but webOS really excites me: a solid Linux distro that has the mobile UI design through and through, can run native linux apps (and there is ALOOOOT of them) unlike some other robotic linux phone distros, and has a way to make software programming as easy as web design. Awesome job, Palm!
Who gives a **** if it is done in bad taste? Are you offended? It's just for effect.
Well, considering I actually have relatives that died in that war, yes.
I heard a Palin relative got knocked-up during that war.
One of the palm reps in the #webos-internals channel said this story was bogus. Don't know what to believe, but either way I'm not worried.
Bogus? This was all cited from the Palm support website: http://kb.palm.com/wps/portal/kb/na/pre/p100eww/sprint/solutions/article...
unrelated: MyPre.com website - preaccessories.com is offering 1350 mA SEIDIO Batteries made for the Palm Pre: http://www.preaccessories.com/seidio-innocell-1350-extended-battery/8A37...
It would be swell if you stopped spamming the comments. Thanks!
AWESOEM!!1 Oh, wait...
http://store.precentral.net/seidio-innocell-1350-extended-battery/8A37A5...
...and neither site has them before th 29th.
I know this will be an major issue for some people. However, for a casual user like me, I like the fact that I don't have to remember to keep checking for updates.
I am happy for this type of communication between me and my provider. This way I don't have to go actively seeking an update, or worrying about installing an update on my own (like flashing the BIOS).
I have been a long time supporter of OTA/Online active updating abilities in games, programs and now phones!
It's all fun and games until they brick your Pre like they did all those Treo 700ps...
I believe I read this in the pdf manual. I just hope they don't combat the ability to root the phone as I might do this some day.
As long as they don't push an update that is more buggy than a previous update (read this as beta condition but not considered beta) there should be no issues unless you are hacking the pre which it is possible an update could undo it depending on the amount of hacking and whats been hacked. Version consistency for support is logical though they may find that as things progress having the latest update may not be good. I can't help but think how the latest updates could effect some 3rd party software (I hate to think it could happen but as things get more complex and whatnot it is possible).
delete
never change my running system... unless I want it.
I don't like this. Maybe data is cheap in the States, but not necessarily the rest of the world. Automatically downloading over, say, a mobile phone network (hi speed or not), or certain wi-fi points with low data limits would be very expensive. In my case, there is only one wi-fi point that I would want to use to download system updates & would be very disappointed if Palm forced a download on the more expensive networks. I hope this is changed for the GSM version.
Is there no way of telling the Pre not to use data? Eg. Press the "Stop updating the calendar now please" button, or just don't use Google maps, etc?
"Of course, stopping the Pre from using data really kind of defeats the purpose behind getting a Pre."
no, it does not! it is just an additional option.
without this option it would be suicidal to use this phone in a foreign country. a vacation in a foreign country where the pre is using data all the time can cost you very easily more than the vacation itself.
Airplane mode.
but in airplane mode the normal phone mode is also disabled. so that is not a solution.
Personally, I prefer this concept. I want an up-to-date device and can live with the occasional large download & reboot to apply just like many of us do each month with Windows systems. I also anticipate frequent updates for the first few months and then a slowing down as features are added & bugs are fixed. I imagine by the end of the year updates will be less than monthly, maybe quarterly.
That said, this may prove a thorn in Palm's side when they go for enterprise accounts. Applying software updates to business systems generally needs to have a change management record associated with it. Not to mention that there are additional documentation & testing requirements before updates can be deployed in most regulated industries like finance and healthcare.
My guess is that palm, developing in Linux and WebKit (WebOS), already have a very effective Change management system in place.
I'd like to get those upgrade details at the same time, so I'd know what has changed, or why something doesn't behave the way it used to.
I'm sure this would be included as standard, but I've leanred to never assume anything
Not a user friendly move IMO. All I want is a modern Palm that works, but this kind of nonsense will get me to consider alternatives more readily. Android anyone?
I prefer automatic updates. One of the annoying things about the early Treos was using them and finding out an update for a bug had been out for months.
automatic updates are not the only solution for this. I like the "windows way" better. you can say, that you want automatic updates or that you just get informed and asked whether you like to download and install the updates. so you don't miss an update but you are not forced to update.
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