Jon Rubinstein, Palm’s Chairman and CEO, took the stage in Las Vegas to recount where Palm’s been and tell us where Palm’s going.  Click on the video to watch the entire 50 minute presentation.

The follow are the key points:

Hot Apps Bonus Program

Katie Mitic, Palm’s SVP of Product Marketing, announced $1 million in prizes to be awarded to top webOS developers.  The prizes are open to both free and paid apps developed using Palm’s existing Mojo SDK.  The prizes are tiered as follows:  $100,000 each to the top downloaded free and paid app, $10,000 each to the developers of the next two most downloaded free and paid apps and $1000 each to the developers of the next 200 most downloaded free and paid apps.  The download period will be between February 1, 2010, and May 31, 2010.  Drop by the newly relaunched Developer Center to get started developing your app today.

3D Gaming Comes to the Palm Pre

The announcement that got the most reaction was the release of 3D accelerated games, made available by Palm’s new Plugin Development Kit (or PDK).  Joining Palm onstage to make the announcement was Travis Boatman, VP Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile, who introduced some of their new titles.  In all, twelve PDK titles are available in the App Catalog, including the much hyped Need For Speed Undercover, The Sims 3, X-Plane 9 and Tetris.  You can see a video review of Gameloft’s Ashpalt 5 on WebOS Roundup.

More important than the release of these twelve games, though, was the PDK itself.   The PDK allows for development of applications that work with webOS but that are developed with C and C++ — in other words, native applications.  One of the criticisms from some developers is that Palm’s Mojo SDK, based on HTML, CSS and JavaScript, is too slow for some types of applications.  The PDK, and the fact that Palm has been testing this with some partners possibly since the release of webOS, indicates that Palm was well aware of this and has a solution.

While we’re excited about the release of the PDK we’re not sure that the capabilities of the Canvas element have been fully realized by game developers.  As Frank Zammetti pointed out, there is a tremendous potential for applications developed with existing Web standards.  Particularly as we see technologies such as WebGL get included in webOS.  Further, battery draw from games that tap the GPU will likely be big issue.

The PDK is scheduled for release in March on the Palm Pre and a later date for the Pixi.  In case you missed the significance of the statement, the 3D games available today in the App Catalog are only available for the Pre, not the Pixi.  Those missing 80 pixels could be very significant indeed.

Video Recording, Editing and Sharing

Those of you who’ve been following the homebrew announcements knew that video recording is possible on existing webOS devices.  It was only a matter of time before Palm incorporated the feature into the OS.  Palm demonstrated their upcoming video recording functionality at CES.  What they also demonstrated was the integrated video editing and sharing capability.  With a few clicks, Paul Cousineau, Director of Product Marketing at Palm, edited a video he shot live at the event then uploaded it to You Tube.  After it was uploaded, he used another feature to share the video with his Facebook feed.

Many have criticized Palm for not having the feature available before now.  Hopefully, this very slick implementation will go a long way towards smoothing any ruffled feathers.  What’s more important is that this feature will be included with webOS 1.4, another free update available to all webOS devices sometime in February.  Although it wasn’t discussed, we hope that audio recording will also be included in 1.4.

Flash 10.1

It was confirmed that Flash 10.1 will be available soon.  According to Paul Cousineau Flash 10.1 will be available for download from the App Catalog.  This feature will open up the Web even further for webOS devices.  Some have pointed out that the recently announced SlingPlayer, being Flash-based, will work on webOS, allowing you to watch and control your TV on your Pre or Pixi.

The Pre Plus and Pixi Plus

Palm also showed off the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus smartphones at CES.  The Pre Plus sports double the memory and storage (512 MB RAM, 16 GB Flash) of the original Pre and sheds the center button.  The Pixi Plus adds WiFi and more storage and memory.  Both devices will ship with Touchstone compatible backs.  These two phones will be Verizon exclusives (see below).  No doubt the increased memory and storage will be important for applications developed with the PDK, as many users have noted that the 3D apps sometimes fail to launch with the dreaded ‘too many cards open’ message.

Another Verizon exclusive will be the ability to use the Pre Plus or Pixi Plus as a MiFi hotspot, allowing up to five devices to share the 3G connection.  All you’ll need to get your laptop online is the app and a webOS device on Verizon.  What was not disclosed is how much the data plan for that will cost.

New Networks

Palm announced two new network partners at CES:  SFR in France and Verizon Wireless in the US.  As mentioned above, Verizon will be getting an exclusive on the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus (at least in the US).  Verizon currently has about double the subscriber base of Sprint in the US so this opens up a huge market for Palm and app developers.  What remains to be seen is how Verizon will promote the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus.  If they are half as successful as they were with their Droid Does campaign then the more consumer-focused webOS devices will sell very well.

Analysis

It seemed that Palm’s announcements were targeted very strongly towards developers.  Palm realizes that in order to compete with Apple and Android its important to have apps.  The opening of the developer program, the freeing of the app distribution process, the Hot Apps program and the PDK all point to the fact that Palm is deadly serious about expanding its App Catalog.  Palm is actively courting developers and is making it clear that they embrace openness, even giving a ’shout out’ to the homebrew community at CES.  This is very exciting news and this strategy will very likely bear fruit.

What a strikingly different out-of-box experience awaits those users whose first webOS device runs webOS 1.4 as compared to those of us who started with the first release of webOS.  Certainly the underlying OS that we all love hasn’t drastically changed but the power, features and available apps have grown tremendously.  Kudos to Palm for the customer focus and rapid updates.  This is clearly one area where Palm outshines Apple and Android.  Many Android devices are stuck on older versions of the OS and are unlikely to ever see updates and Apple’s releases are slow in coming.

Prior to CES we predicted a number of things.  We got most of them right.  We missed on seeing a non-Palm branded webOS devices and we didn’t have any clue about the Hot Apps program.  However, what was most important about CES is that Palm has again generated buzz.  They showed that Palm was not to be ignored in the smartphone wars of 2010.  They reinforced that they are committed to extending the functionality of their devices through more updates to the OS.  They showed they’re committed to reaching more end users.  We think 2010 will be a great year for Palm and a great year for webOS users.

Other Reviews of Palm at CES

All Things Digital agrees that Palm has shaken things up once again.  Slashdot has some coverage of the Hot Apps Program.  Ars Technica ha a writeup about CES.  PC Magazine has a hands-on with the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus.  About Palm Pre has some interesting thoughts on Palm’s developer strategy that mirror our own.  And, of course, PreCentral has a lot of articles about CES.

CC Photo by {eclaire}

This week could be a very important week for Palm: Las Vegas is hosting CES, the consumer electronics show. Palm has scheduled presentations for tomorrow. Already some news is coming in and we’ll cover that today.  We’ll follow that with news of Palm’s quick update to webOS.  Next, we’ll cover the fantastic work the WebOS Internals folks have been doing on native apps. Then, we’ll dabble in some prognostication about what this year holds for Palm. Finally, we’ll close with our regular roundup. Climb aboard!

Loving Las Vegas

The tech world is a abuzz with rumors and reports from this year’s CES.  Palm has scheduled an announcement for tomorrow (the 7th).  Already, some are speculating on what Palm will announce.  Some news has already been released though:  AT&T announced that they will have two webOS devices deployed in the first half of this year.  This is very welcome news for those waiting for a GSM webOS device.  We have our own predictions of what Palm will discuss:  Their tremendous strides since June (nine updates!), games taking advantage of the GPU, Flash, updated Pre and Pixi specs, video and audio recording, Ares and the developer program.  Many suspect Palm has something special to reveal.  We’ll go out on a limb here with our wild prediction:  Palm will unveil a webOS device running on non-Palm hardware.   We’ll certainly be updating you with news from CES as it comes out on Twitter.

webOS 1.3.5.1

Palm quietly released another update to webOS to fix a problem some users were experiencing with calendar events and Exchange.  The Sprint release notes are pretty bare.  At the same time, Bell users also received their update to 1.3.5.1, so they’re now able to experiment with our next subject:

WebOS Internals Releases Native SDL Apps

One of the big finds in webOS 1.3.5 was the inclusion of the OpenGL and SDL libraries.  What these mean to you is that developers have now created native (non-JavaScript) applications for webOS devices.  The first game that was ported to webOS was Doom.  This was quickly followed by Quake.  Then TetriCrisis, Supertux,  and Classic Invaders.  All of these games, installable with Preware, are launchable from an icon, just like regular webOS apps.  They vary a good bit on how usable they are though.  Coming next according to WebOS Internals is ScummVM, the game engine on which many classic adventure games run.  If you’re interested in helping port applications to the Pre, drop by the WebOS Internals IRC chat.

Palm Predictions for 2010

Bloggers enjoys making predictions for the coming year and we’re no exception.  In our opinion, 2010 will be the year to make or break Palm.  Certainly a lot of the predictions will be validated tomorrow.  Palm is in a tricky spot with several tough smartphone competitors vying for users.  While Palm raised the bar last year we’ve already seen other companies begin to mimic the best features of webOS.  At the same time, webOS is lacking some features that other phones have.  Google’s Android operating system is one key competitor to keep an eye on.  However, with Google having released their own hardware it could be that some of their current partners will be less enthusiastic about Android.

First, as mentioned above, Palm will be providing its users with a number of enhancements, starting tomorrow and continuing throughout the year.  It’s already clear that Flash will be arriving shortly.  It’s almost a lock that native games (and possibly other applications) will be appearing soon in the App Catalog.  Expect to see the much needed video and voice recording apps soon, possibly in a 2.0 release of webOS.  Voice dialing should appear.  The App Catalog itself will expand with paid apps appearing in Europe (as was already announced) and other countries.  Enhanced versions of the Pre and Pixi will be released.  Palm will release its phones to more and more networks, including AT&T and Verizon (and likely T-Mobile as well) in the US.  Also expect to see 4G support.

What remains to be seen is how successful the launch of these phones will be on these other carriers.  It’s safe to say that Palm and Sprint’s post-release marketing of the Pre has been lackluster, particularly when compared with Verizon’s Droid Does campaign.  If the other carriers put some marketing muscle and promotions behind webOS we’ll see more developers and more apps.  If Palm fails to generate good buzz tomorrow, things may not be as rosy for webOS.  It’s tough to ignore how critical public perception of webOS and its devices will be to the future of Palm.

Our wild prediction for 2010 is the release of a non-Palm-branded smartphone running webOS.  Our money is on HTC, though other manufacturers leery of Android may be interested, too.  Some may argue that Palm does not want to lose control of the customer experience and it’s clear that Apple was successful with this gambit.  However, webOS has the internals to work on a broad range of devices and it’s tough to see how Palm can appeal to every market without additional devices they’re unlikely to be able to support internally at this time.  Palm needs market share to encourage developers and consumers alike.  Add to that a strong hardware partner might be able to open up markets Palm is currently not targeting (e.g. Australia, the Pacific Rim (China may be getting the Pre later this year).  If this doesn’t come to pass, and even if it does, we expect to see a new form factor Palm device announced towards the end of this year.

We don’t predict that Palm will be for sale during 2010, unless market share continues to decline.  As to market share, we expect Palm to make modest gains.  Palm does not need to unseat Apple and can carve out a very successful niche in the smartphone market.  The real wildcard is Android.  Despite having an arguably less appealing and less open operating system than webOS they have the backing of Google and several of the major handset manufacturers.  However, the fragmentation of Android, particularly with Google’s own branded hardware, could be its own undoing, something that Palm will have be careful of if it does license out webOS.   A path Palm might consider is to open source webOS, a move that would definitely shake things up in the industry.

Roundup

Since 2009 has drawn to a close a number of sites have weighed in with their ‘best apps of 2009.’  To check out what others think, go to PreCentral for their take or head over to Totally Palmed for Dan’s favorite apps and favorite games.  Speaking of ‘best of’ lists, Palm and the Pre landed on quite a few of them and Jon Rubinstein, Palm’s CEO, was named one of the geeks of the year by Fast Company.  Engadget has confirmation that a pink Palm Pixi is coming out.  Those crazy Engadget folks also brought us word of a new Palm Pre knockoff: the Cool K07.  To keep up-to-date on all the latest webOS happenings be sure to follow us on Twitter.  And, let your friends know about us!

[Updated to clarify locations with no planned webOS device presence, added 4G support to predictions]

CC Photo by {eclaire}

Welcome again to another Wednesday News Roundup. This week didn’t bring us too many blockbuster stories but we have some rumors and reports to catch up on. Without further ado, let’s get started.

More Verizon News

Despite some misleading reports in the past it seems that Verizon versions of the Palm Pre and Pixi will be coming, perhaps in January.  PhoneArena tips us to some Verizon employee training on Palm and webOS.  The training ends on January 4th, which we’re hoping will be around the release date.  Earlier in the week, Engadget found the FCC filing for the Verizon Palm Pixi.  What we find notable is the Verizon version of the Pixi appears to sport 802.11 b/g WiFi, something that should make the Pixi even more appealing on Verizon.  Having webOS devices on the nation’s largest carrier will be a huge boost for Palm.

Palm to Present at CES

It was nearly a year ago when Palm first announced webOS and the Palm Pre.  The event they announced at was CES (the consumer electronics tradeshow).  Now, we have word that Palm will again be presenting at CES.  What surprises will Palm have in store for us this time?  It would be difficult for them shake up the technology world as much as their announcement last year did, particularly with expectations so high now.  While we would love to see a next generation device from Palm the timing this close to the release of the Pixi makes that seem unlikely.  What we might see, though, is support for Flash, the GPU and video recording.  We may also see an official launch of Ares, Palm’s new Web-based development environment for webOS.

News Roundup

If the Verizon news isn’t the sort to get you excited, we heard a rumor from our friends at PreCentral that an AT&T branded Pixi was spotted in California.  If you follow us on twitter (@Pre101) you probably already know that the Palm Pre was one of the top ten trending topics for technology in 2009.  PreCentral also alerts us to an analyst who thinks that webOS is gaining more traction than Android in Europe.  Hopefully our European friends will be getting a Christmas present of some paid apps soon.  Have something else to share?  Let us know in the comments.