Palm opens up for new apps, but we still motivation a launching appointment

Palm pulled off 1 of the most high impact launches since the first iPhone in Jan, when it unveiled its Pre smartphone and the new WebOS software system chopine to go with it. Since then, it has put option pretty much every foot legal injury. It has now gone for three months without any clues about the 2 things most citizenry need to know about a new earphone — when tin I get it, and how much volition it cost? And while it spins out the wait time for its new star, it has managed to alienate its existing base, so that sales of old PalmOS devices rich person fallen off a cliff, and one of the industry’s most loyal user/developer communities is losing faith.

While this workweek’s big CTIA Wireless appearance in the US didn’t spring us any more information about when the Pre will launching — or, in Europe, with which carrier — Palm did try to placate its existing user pedestal by announcing an copycat that will enable old Palm applications to run on the new phone. Previously, it had seemed likely this would have to be done through a third party add-on. Called Classic, the emulator was developed with MotionApps and will be available in the new software system memory that will be opened along with the Pre launch.

Palm also opened up its software developers kit for WebOS, Mojo SDK, to developers, which should give the worldly concern a clearer idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the Linux-based software platform. There volition be no charge to download the SDK, and developers volition not have to union any sort of Palm developer connection.

Programmers will be able to manipulation kernel WebOS functions like linked contacts, layered calendars, multitasking, notifications and GPS capabilities to enhance their applications, support popular features like ‘pushing’ alerts for email and social networking and localization awareness. WebOS applications tin tally natively on the device and memory cache information locally, so they volition not motivation to connect to a host as BlackBerry does, which should shuffle development relatively simple, especially as the architecture relies on standardized vane languages like HTML, JavaScript and CSS.

However, Palm also wants the Pre to appeal to the growth band of users of services ‘in the swarm’, such as data back-up or RSS feeds that ar updated over the internet, with the information held on huge remote control servers like Google’s. Palm followed a similar recent relocation from Apple in announcing a publish/subscribe overhaul that supports these messages and updates. Called the ‘Mojo Messaging Robert William Service’, it "exchanges information over the internet so when new information is available, it is published to the swarm and all interested parties who are subscribers are notified that new selective information is available. This volition allow developers to pushing live content to their applications or services."