Palm's webOS smartphone platform introduced some compelling innovations when it was first released in 2009. The next major version of the operating system, which is currently under development, brings some noteworthy feature improvements and new capabilities for developers.

The first beta release of the webOS 2.0 SDK, which was made available this morning, offers developers an early look at some of the new functionality. The new feature lineup includes substantial enhancements to webOS multitasking and support for deeper extensibility in several key components of the platform.

When Apple gave its highly publicized explanation of the iPhone 4 antenna issues to the press back in July, CEO Steve Jobs said that Apple would give all iPhone 4 users a free case as an interim solution while the company researched the problem further. An executive with Mexican mobile carrier Telcel has now claimed that after September 30, Apple will release revised iPhone 4 hardware that does not exhibit the same signal attenuation flaw.

While announcing the launch of the iPhone 4 in Mexico, Telcel's Director of Value Added Services, Marco Quatorze, told CanalMX that initial units would exhibit the same antenna problems as those released so far in the US. He also said that Apple would be providing free cases to all iPhone 4 buyers who request one from its website.

However, Quatorze also said that after September 30—the date Jobs promised an update on the antenna issue and the date that the free case program expires—Apple will begin supplying revised iPhone 4 devices that "do not have the reception malfunction."

MacRumors notes that it is unusual for a carrier executive to have such advance knowledge of Apple's plans, or to be allowed to share it if he did. However, Quatorze also said that Telcel will have a number of options for early buyers to upgrade to the revised hardware without having to extend the usual two-year contract. Apple did not to respond to our request for clarification at the time of publication.

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The D-pad on the existing 360 controllers is, to put it mildly, utter garbage. If you want to play any games relying on precise movements, such as fighting games, buying a third-party controller is a requirement. Microsoft hopes it has this problem licked, however, and is releasing a controller with a new, updated D-pad on November 9. The catch? You won't be able to buy the controller alone; you'll need to grab the Play and Charge Kit to get it, and the final cost will be $64.99. 

As we continue to push forward into a digital world, the role of traditional forms of media are constantly changing. E-books are challenging the printed word, while board games are being reimagined on electronic platforms like the iPad. But few creators have taken as imaginative an approach to these ideas as Les Editions Volumiques. The French publishing house has developed numerous interesting creations, ranging from a paper video game to a board game which uses your phone as the playing piece.

Ars spoke with Bertrand Duplat and Etienne Mineur, the duo behind Les Editions Volumiques, to learn a little bit more about what they're attempting to do.

Google says that it plans to keep the site for Google Wave online "at least" through the end of 2010, and existing users will be able to export their waves before the whole thing turns into a pumpkin. The news comes as a relief to the small group of users who actually utilized Wave during its short lifespan; those who want Wave to live on will be disappointed by Google's determination to shut off the service.

Google introduced Wave in May of 2009 as a way for users to collaborate using a plethora of media capabilities. Some users were cautiously optimistic—the concept was certainly a unique one and it had some potential to change how we communicate online. Others felt that the implementation was half-baked, the UI was complex and ugly, and most users simply couldn't figure out what it was. There were lots of reasons not to use it, and Google finally pulled the plug on the project in early August.

Immediately following the announcement that Wave was no more, some passionate fans started putting together online petitions to beg Google to keep the project around. Unfortunately for those people, Google isn't giving in, but the company is throwing them a bone by letting them export their waves through the end of the year.

Google Wave team member Lars Rasmussen wrote that the team is still "working on plans," which may include extending Wave's technology into other products or open sourcing more of the code. But in the meantime, "We're grateful to all the people who have been using Wave and the partners and developers who have built on and improved the technology with us," Rasmussen wrote.

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Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is an odd duck. The $5 Xbox Live Arcade release gives you a feel for the full version of Dead Rising 2, but with its own cut scenes, voice acting, story, and setting, it's far from a demo, taking place between the events of Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2, and it does a good job of showing you what has happened to the world after the first game.

The zombies are still running wild, the military has little control, and your daughter has been bitten by one of the infected. There is hope, but she has to be given a drug called Zombrex every 12 hours... and time is running out.