Palm just released webOS 1.04, a new firmware update for the Pre that addresses a few security issues. So far, there's not a whole lot known about what the update does, except that it now makes installing homebrew applications a little more difficult.
Previously some people were able to load the unapproved software without jailbreaking their devices via email. Well that hole's been patched, which means that if you don't already have it on the phone, you can't put it on there now. (At least not via email. See below.**) Apps that have already been installed, however, will still continue to run.
In other Pre news, there's a new handset review making the rounds recently. You may be wondering why, with so many already published, would this one be so noteworthy? Well, it has more to do with the author and the conditions under which it's been tested.
There are no lab conditions here, not even a pimply-faced teen kvetching about a lack of social apps. This one comes from a PreCentral forum user named Michael Bunker (aka Salty Off-Grid), who has been using his phone off the grid to help him operate a 40-acre ranch in Central Texas. He powers the device with a solar array (and, on occasion, a small generator when necessary).
This is actually Salty's second review, which sums up his thoughts after having lived with the device for a couple of weeks. Overall, he gives the Pre a big thumb's up for helping him sell cows over the internet, keep a look-out for tornadoes, comparison shop for cheap gas, and watch the occasional TV show. His big complaint? Same as other Pre users: a small app catalog.
Check out his review/forum post, ?Off-Grid Living with the Palm Pre? here. 
[via Engadget Mobile and PreCentral]
[**UPDATE: A few commenters purport that installing homebrew
apps via USB still works. So the patch seems to be just for email
installation. Post edited to reflect that. Thanks to Jski1982 for the head's up!]
