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}

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.

Pre Re-Reconfirmed for Verizon

Those of you waiting for ‘the VZ’ to jump on to the Pre bandwagon won’t have too much longer to wait.  In a recent Tweet Verizon said they’ll have it ‘early next year’.  The more networks the Pre (and Pixi) make it to, the better.  We’ve even heard of unlocked GSM versions of the Pre making their way across the pond.  Hopefully Verizon has set aside a good ad budget for the Pre launch on their network.  Hopefully they can do something similar to the ad they aired for the Motorola Droid.

Palm Makes Finding Apps Easier

For those of you wishing you could browse the App Catalog from the comfort of your desktop, Palm has (sorta) granted your wish.  Palm set up a webOS Mobile Applications page where you can see some screenshots and brief descriptions of some apps in the App Catalog.  Currently, it’s running a couple weeks behind the App Catalog, as evidenced by the fact that Match ‘Em hasn’t shown up in the list yet.  If you can’t wait a few weeks to see the new apps then head over to Twitter and follow @PalmNewApps, an account at least partially set up in response to our prompting.  Palm has indicated this account will alert us to new and updated apps appearing in the App Catalog.

webOS 101 Launches

This last weekend we launched webOS 101, a collaborative webOS development site.  This site aims to help share knowledge about programming for webOS.  The site will feature tutorials and documentation that can be added to by anyone.  We welcome your ideas and contributions!  If you have experience working with Wiki’s we certainly can use your help in organizing the growing amount of information on webOS and the Mojo SDK.

News Roundup

Last week we discussed a couple of books for the Palm Pre.  Now, Made Simple Learning has released Palm Pre Made Simple.  If you’d like to pick it up you can even find a coupon at PreCentral.  Also, last week we mentioned that the Palm Pre would be getting its official launch in the UK.  Apparently things went off without a hitch.  Our favorite phone also made an appearance in USA Today in an article on social networking on smartphones.  Finally, we’re interested in what you have to say.  Would you like to get your voice hear on Pre 101?  We’re looking for guest authors and contributors.  Drop us a note below!

Photo by {eclaire}.

Palm Releases webOS 1.1.0 OS Update

The big news for the week was the new operating system released by Palm, which we covered in this article.  Apparently, there were many undocumented features in 1.1.0.  One of the big features, re-enabling iTunes syncing, was not well-received by everyone.

Sprint Selling Palm Pre Online And Via Telesales

Sprint now selling Palm Pre online and via Telesales.  To order online, jump to this Sprint Web page.  Due to constrained supply the Pre wasn’t available through those channels when it was launched.

Verizon To Begin Selling The Pre In 2010

According to CNET, Verizon confirms that they will begin selling the Palm Pre on their network in early 2010.  This should make those stuck in Verizon contracts happy.

Best Buy Makes Some Palm Pre Owners Happy

Best Buy accidentally marked down the Palm Pre to $99 with two-year contract in their stores.  Once the error was realized  it was quickly fixed.  We’ve heard that many people were able to take advantage of the offer while it was available.

Two New Apps Appear In The App Catalog

Palm approved two new apps for the App Catalog:  OpenTable and Fliq Bookmarks.  OpenTable, which works with the restaurant reservations site by the same name, can locate nearby restaurants with open seating, make reservations and set up calendar entries for your reservations.  Fliq Bookmarks, by Mark/Space, integrates with their The Missing Sync product to allow you to sync your Safari bookmarks to the Pre.  Here’s hoping they add Firefox syncing, too.

Sprint CEO Calls Palm Pre Launch A Success

Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, said the launch of the Palm Pre was one of the smoothest and best executed, despite early supply problems.  This despite Sprint’s second quarter numbers.  According to this NASDAQ post, we should see a continuing expansion of the Palm Pre into third-party sales channels.

Wednesday Wrap-Up

Many more interesting things happened over the course of the week that don’t quite deserve their own section.  An over-the-air homebrew installer was released (see our Homebrew post), Palm plans to open a Pre Experience Center in an LA mall and Bell Canada’s exclusivity deal is rumored to be six months.  If you run across any Palm Pre news, add it to the comments section below, drop us an e-mail or send us a tweet on Twitter.