Finding USB drag 'n' drop a bit of a... well, drag? The solution may be at hand: Mark/Space this weekend released the Mac version (and a Windows beta) of their new webOS desktop media sync software, cutely entitled GoGadget. The application works to simplify the process of getting your desktop-bound multimedia files onto your webOS device - be it Pre or Pixi - by providing a one-stop shop for syncing iTunes & Windows Media Player music playlists, converting & copying video files and ringtones, importing and exporting photos, and keeping a document folder(s) in sync.

Unfortunately, it still requires tethering your handset to your PC via the USB cable. (First developer to give your correspondent a way to sync files over Wi-Fi gets a free plug on PIC!) But it still looks to be a reasonably simple media sync solution for the not-quite-tech-savvy. The application costs USD $19.95, and a free 7-day trial of the Mac version is available (as is a 14-day trial of the Windows beta, which unfortunately didn't work for me). You can check out Mark/Space's site for more details.

Judging from the way my "webOS" Twitter search has just exploded in a rapturous orgy of adulation and delight, I can assume only one thing: webOS 1.3.1 is now out and about for your Sprint-only Sprint & Bell downloading pleasure.

Checking "Updates" on my own GSM Pre is yielding no love as of yet, but it's only a matter of time. A public service announcement for all homebrewers: remember to remove all your homebrew patches before updating - a task best accomplished, in your correspondent's humble opinion, by using the Emergency Patch Recovery service available via Preware. Update: Full changelog is now after the break...

This one just landed in PalmInfocenter's inbox: Palm are putting out a final call for submissions to their App Catalog Early Access Program, in order to help with "final scalability testing" before the process opens up to the general public in December.

Palm are dangling a number of tasty-looking carrots for interested developers here, including:

• An assigned account manger to expedite feedback for any technical or program issues and manage your application through the review process
• We will waive all program and application fees. Only requirement is a $5 fee to verify your PayPal account, currently used for payments to developers.
• Maximize your application's visibility and be considered for inclusion in Palm's marketing activities.

Interested developers should hit up Palm's e-commerce beta application page, or send an email to catalog.ecommerce.beta@palm.com. The full email is reposted after the break.

Palm Inc. today announced that the Palm Pre is scheduled to be available on Nov. 27 in Mexico on the Telcel network. Telcel will be offering the HSDPA/GSM/UMTS version of the Pre and it will not have a microSD slot as previously rumored.

"With the introduction of Palm Pre with Telcel in Mexico, we're expanding the Palm webOS footprint into Latin America for the first time," said Dave Whalen, senior vice president, Global Sales, Palm, Inc. "We're steadily increasing momentum for Palm webOS as we continue to roll out products with new carriers and countries."

Joe Hewitt's the man behind the native Facebook app for the iPhone, which has sat atop the App Store download charts for what seems like forever. Today came the announcement that he's quitting the project, and TechCrunch reports that it's squarely down to Apple's draconian App Store policies:

My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple's policies. I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer.

Joe goes on to say that he intends to get back to his roots as a web developer. It was that last part that caught your correspondent's attention, because if there's one mobile platform that's truly gunning for web developers, it's Palm's webOS. PIC reached out to pick his brain on the topic...

What do the Palm Pixi, motion sickness and singing munchikins all have in common? They're all featured in Palm's latest ad campaign, which spotlights their new $99 smartphone set to debut this coming Sunday. A noticeably more energetic effort than the universally-reviled Pre ads, the upbeat 30-second spot crams in all the selling points: messaging, multitouch, multimedia, the accelerometer, social networking, the "Artist Series" swappable back covers, you name it.

The ad premieres on Monday 16th. Video's after the break.

An eagle-eyed PreCentral tipster has made an interesting (albeit unsurprising) discovery today: if you click on a Flash link or navigate to Adobe's Get Flash webpage in the webOS browser, you're greeted with the screenshot you see on the right there.

So, that's Flash for webOS confirmed in the first half of 2010. Now we can all be annoyed by intrusive blinking advertisements on the go, too! ...yay?

If you're a GSM Palm Pre owner down in the dumps over being stuck with the slightly geriatric webOS 1.1.3, it's your lucky day, punk. PalmInfocenter has good news...

We did already suspect as much, but it's nice to have confirmation: O2 UK have officially told us that webOS 1.3 will be unleashed on the GSM Palm Pre by the "end of November", bringing us to proper parity with our North American (and North North American) brethren. And not a moment too soon!

Wow, that was fast. wIRC, the excellent little homebrew webOS IRC client that we reported on last week, is now in beta and available for one and all to take for a test drive.

Version 0.0.3 of the app and accompanying background service are available from Preware, and you'll be able to find a boatload more information about where the app is currently at on the WebOS Internals wiki. Dive in!

Palm's Touchstone is undoubtedly one of the coolest accessories to hit the smartphone market in a long time. It looks great, serves as an excellent replacement for the old-school sync cradle and is a genuinely unique idea (so long as you don't count electric toothbrushes...). All of that said, it's no good at all if you wind up with a faulty unit, as some unfortunate online commenters seem to have discovered... including your correspondent.

Yes, I now have the dubious honour of being one of the lucky handful to suffer from the "DingDong" bug (as it's affectionately known). It seems that with some Touchstones, the magnetic coil which charges the Pre is not properly aligned, due to shoddy manufacturing. I say "shoddy" because as an investigator at Nexave.de has uncovered (German translation), the inner coils (one for charging, one for communicating with the phone) are held in place with nothing but glue - a recipe for manufacturing errors.

Unboxing videos: the Internet's great tease to technology lovers. WireFly are our tormentors today, and they've got a brand-spankin' new Sprint Palm Pixi to undress. At 8:16 long, it seems like a bit of overkill for an unboxing video, but hey! Why not go all-out, says us.

No new footage of the Facebook app or Yahoo messenger integration (yet) unfortunately, but we'll be watching WireFly closely. In the meantime... feast your eyes! We've embedded the video after the break.