Posted by: Christopher Meinck
on Jan 8, 2009
While it was not available today, Palm executives confirmed there will be an App Store on the Palm Pre. With all the secrecy surrounding the announcement today, developers will be anxious to get their hands on the webOS SDK. Given the unbridled success of the App Store on Apple's iPhone, this seems like a no-brainer. No release date has been set for the App Store launch, but one would presume it would be ready when the Palm Pre is released in the first half of 2009.
Posted by: Christopher Meinck
on Jan 8, 2009
Palm has confirmed they will release an SDK for webOS. Application development is done using HTML and CSS. According to Palm, developers will find it "easy to create apps". Developers created a Twitter app in less than 3 days. The company has partnered with a few long-time Palm OS developers in effort to get their apps on the Palm Pre.
Palm has not built-in backward compatibility for Palm OS applications. The company has no plans to do so, but instead will rely on a third party developer. StyleTap was able to port Palm OS apps on the iPhone, so they are most likely the developer who will look to create an emulation app for webOS and the Pre. The company never released their Palm OS emulation for iPhone, but rather showed it as a "proof of concept". Anyone from StyleTap want to comment? Plenty of Palm OS owners looking to make the jump to webOS will be looking to keep their old apps.
Posted by: Christopher Meinck
on Jan 8, 2009
There has been plenty of news streaming out of Vegas regarding the new Palm webOS and the Palm Pre. During extensive demo time this afternoon, the operating system looks very stable. There are a number of issues regarding the webOS and Palm Pre that are still works in progress. Palm provided a deluge of information today, but there are still a few details that will not be answered until we get closer to launch. Palm would not comment either way regarding:
- Flash support
- Mac support
- YouTube streaming video
With Jon Rubenstein coming over from Apple, I'd be surprised if in this day and age they didn't support the Mac platform. At last check, the Mac OS has reached 10% of the market and that's a market that craves the latest technology. Of course, most of those are probably iPhone owners. If Palm hopes to convert them to the Palm Pre, they need to build in syncing support for Address Book and iCal. Additionally, the Palm OS that webOS replaces has always been Mac friendly. If you used a Treo and had a Mac, you most likely used a Palm OS Treo to avoid dealing with third party syncing apps.
Posted by: Christopher Meinck
on Jan 8, 2009
According to Engadget, Palm has gone on record saying there will be a GSM model of the Palm Pre. The GSM 3G Palm Pre will be available in "other regions", so this most likely means regions where Sprint does not offer service. Given Palm's relationship with Vodafone, it's a safe bet they will be the first outside of Sprint to see the Palm Pre.
