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Verizon’s Pre 2 Gets webOS 2.1 Update
Good news Verizon Pre 2 owners because it looks like the webOS 2.1 update has just dropped for you guys, and along with the update, you guys can expect support for Exhibition, Voice Dial, Bluetooth keyboards, text message backups among other things. However the bad news is that the update is being pushed out sporadically, so just hit the Updates app to check whether your turn has arrived, if not, don’t despair because it will come soon.
Check out the full list of features after the break.
Exhibition
- Exhibition gives you access to special applications that optimize use of the smartphone while it is placed on an HP Touchstone charging dock. The apps include Time (clock app), Photos (photo slide show), and Agenda (agenda view).
- Exhibition turns on automatically when you place your smartphone on a Touchstone charging dock. When the smartphone is not on a charging dock, you can manually turn on Exhibition from the Launcher.
Voice Dial
- You can dial contacts using your voice by launching the Voice Dial application. Voice dialing can also be initiated by pressing and holding the volume button at any time, or by tapping and holding on the Phone dial pad.
Feature changes to existing applications
Backup
- Information backed up to your Palm profile now includes call history entries, text messages, and instant messages. Note that multimedia messages are not backed up.
Bluetooth
- This release offers support for Bluetooth keyboards.
- If you download a music file that you received as an email attachment, the file name appears correctly after downloading.
- Email messages containing multiple replies appear with the replies correctly separated and formatted.
- This release fixes an issue where email message body text in POP email accounts was not being downloaded to the smartphone.
Messaging
- If you restore a Palm profile that includes one or more messaging accounts, the status icon showing your availability in Messaging appears correctly.
Photos
- Thumbnail images appear correctly for images in the Wallpapers album.
Tasks
- If you search for a task or a task list by typing the name, the search term can begin with a symbol.
Security
- This release addresses a number of security issues with HP webOS software.
It looks like the folks over at Verizon have stepped up to the plate by offering a brand new tablet for the masses which will follow up from their 2013 offering, which was the 7” Ellipsis. This time around, the tablet on offering would be known as the Ellipsis 10, and based on the name alone, it is rather obvious that this is a 10” device.
It will run on Android 5.1 Lollipop however, so forget about Marshmallow at the moment. It will also be accompanied by the likes of 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, where it sports a 5MP camera at the back, with a 2MP front-facing shooter, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, “angular firing stereo speakers”, 16GB of internal memory, 4G LTE connectivity and a beefy 9,100 mAh battery. It will retail for $199.99 a pop with a new two-year contract, or you can pick it up or $299.99 all-in. [Press Release]
Now here is a handset from the folks over at ZTE which intends to provide a sense of continuity, although this time around you will not be able to pick up the Zmax 2 from T-Mobile, as ZTE has decided on AT&T to be their US partner and mobile carrier for their latest phone. In fact, this device falls under the mid-range segment of things, where it will just cost $149.99 unlocked, now how about that for affordability?
That kind of pricing would see you end up with a 5.5” 720p touchscreen display, an 8MP camera with LED flash at the back, a 2MP front-facing shooter, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable memory, a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 4G LTE connectivity, Dolby Digital Plus Audio, and a 3,000 mAh removable battery, and Android 5.1 Lollipop as the mobile operating system of choice. [Press Release]
Patience is a virtue, or so it seems. If you have been rocking with T-Mobile all this while, and are in possession of the HTC One M9, then you would be pleased to know that this particular handset is starting to receive the Android 5.1 Lollipop update. Better late than never, especially when you take into consideration how the unlocked HTC One M9, its developer edition, and the AT&T model has already picked up this update.
The update will come in the form of build 2.7.531.6 via Over The Air (OTA), and it will be a rather hefty 833MB download, which means you would be better off connected to a fast Wi-Fi network to get the job done as opposed to relying on your data. If you haven’t yet received Android 5.1 Lollipop, just head on to the About > Software updates menu from time to time until you pick up the download prompt.