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Today, Palm and Sprint held a joint webcast, or "webinar" in which some questions were answered, but many remained a mystery. There was a 20 minute presentation, followed by 20 minutes of Q&A. Although much of the presentation was a recap of the CES and subsequent material, we always welcome a good talk on webOS and the Palm Pre.

Below is a summary of what was revealed (if we missed anything, you can comment below):

Hosts: The webcast was hosted by David Owens, Director of Consumer Acquisition for Sprint; and Matt Crowley, Product Line Manager for Palm.

Release Date: No new details; still "the first half of 2009".

Sprint/Pricing Plans: Device price is still undisclosed, but several service plans on Sprint were discussed, as well as other Sprint-specific elements:

• Individuals: Choice of 450 minutes ($69.99), 900 minutes ($89.99) or unlimited plans ($99.99).
• Families: Choice of 1500 minutes ($129.99), 3000 minutes ($169.99) or unlimited plans ($189.99).
• Business customers: Ability to pool minutes together using an unlimited plan.
• For Sprint applications, most exisiting software would be available, including exclusive NFL and NASCAR apps, navigation, and music software would be generally the same but "done differently on the Pre".
• Sprint's "ReadyNow" is available at launch, offering personal training for new Pre owners, reducing return rate, allowing the consumer to get the most from their new smartphone, and promoting word-of-mouth about the network.

webOS Applications / App Store:

• In regards to the App Store, Matt Crowley didn't reveal many details, but confirmed that over-the-air installs would be supported at launch.
• Flash will be supported by the end of the year, reiterating the confirmation at MWC09.
• The Pre will support "casual gaming" like Sudoku and web-centric, but 3D gaming will not be featured in "webOS 1.0"

User Interface:

• The number of cards open would depend on memory, and how much memory each app is using. For example, large webpages would take up more than a contacts page.
• The status lights in the lower gesture area light up depending on touch; one on each side, and the button illuminates when pressed. It doesn't seem that they double as status indicators (i.e. new messages)

Hardware:

• As for 8GB integrated storage being the only option, Crowley mentioned it was a design decision, and a memory card would compromise the size of the unit.
• The Touchstone inductive charger would be available from Sprint at launch, although no prices were given.
• The standard charger will be supplied, and plugs directly into the microUSB port of the Pre

Other:

• Sprint will continue development for Windows Mobile, and there is space for both WM and webOS smartphones in their lineup.
• There are no plans to license webOS to third parties as yet.
• The name "Pre" is anticipatory, indicating looking ahead to the future. "It's a smart name because it's a smart device. It's thinking ahead of what you want it to do", stated Owens.

Source

Precentral has posted a transcript and slides from the webcast.

Mypre has posted a 10 minute video of the webcast with a demo of the Pre