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Chapter 4 of Palm webOS - Dialogs and Menus - has been released!  Looks like the new info is coming fast and furious now as the rumored May 17th date draws closer!  This section covers:

Dialogs
Menus
Commander Chain
Summary

We're putting together an article covering all the wholesome goodness...grab the RSS feed or follow us on Twitter to keep up with the latest news!

Thanks to shutton from the forums for the heads up.

Rounding out our suite of webOS programming resources we've just posted a list of Mojo UI widgets that will be available for use in your applications! As Palm is still finalizing the Mojo toolkit the list is still subject to change, but there are a few examples you can look at and implement in your applications now. Along with our webOS Mojo API reference and list of the built-in Mojo CSS styles, you can get started on your webOS application even if you haven't been accepted into the Mojo SDK early access program.

Note: With the recent release of chapter 3 of Palm webOS there are a few updates to the API reference and CSS style list that will be posted over the next couple days.

If you've been staring at your inbox the past week waiting for that email from Palm saying you've been accepted into the SDK early access program, don't despair.  Palm and CTO Mitch Allen have released chapter 3 of Palm webOS by O'Reilly, with lots of great new material about Mojo widgets that you can incorporate into your applications now.  We'll have a summary up soon!

A few questions regarding webOS and the Classic emulator were answered today, as well as some new information regarding the Touchstone dock.

webOS games a priority

Since webOS was announced, questions have arisen as to whether gaming would take a back seat to other apps. We previously discussed the possibility that Flash could boost gaming on the Pre, and Palm already stated in their webcast that webOS would support casual and web-centric games at launch.  However like the iPhone, games can only be as good as the developers who create them, so support is key to having good games at launch. Precentral notes that in a comment by Palm Developer Community Manager, Chuq Von Rospach, he states games are high on the priority list for developers. And the lowest priority? Fart apps.

Games are definitely NOT last on the list of priorities. They’re actually fairly high on the list; they’re also a very popular option for people submitting applications, which makes our life tough choosing — which is a good thing. Lowest thing on the priority list? Probably applications that emit noises that represent various bodily functions. But that’s just my opinion...

So if you plan on developing games for webOS, you should have a good support base from Palm. Meanwhile, if you're looking to create the next best thing to iFart, you may not get full backing from Palm just yet.

Touchstone to be a product line

Although Palm has been withholding specific details of launch date and pricing so far (although rumors predict a mid-May launch), occasionally details slip through the cracks. During a 43-minute demo of the Pre at CTIA, a Palm marketing manager describes the Touchstone dock:

"The Touchstone is the name of a entire line of products. This is the first Touchstone product in that family. This is the charging dock."

So there you have it. Prethinking speculates that if indeed true, inductive technology could be used in peripherals such as speakers, a USB dock, and Pre-to-Pre transfers simply by placing the device against the respective peripherals. Sounds cool; an update will be posted if more details arise.

MotionApps Classic Q&A

Last week, Palm confirmed emulation of Palm OS software on the Pre using MotionApps Classic, due out at launch. A full video walkthrough has since been posted, although many questions arose as to the level of functionality that would be available with emulation. PalmWebOS noted that on a blog post on the company website, MotionApps recently posted a detailed Q&A about Classic that should answer most, if not all of your questions.

The full Q&A is posted after the break; also check out the official website for more info.

If you've been accepted to the Palm webOS SDK early access program, or even if you've only just applied, we want to hear from you!  Tell us what type of application you're building (unless it's top-secret, of course :), how Palm notified you that you had been accepted, what it's like inside Palm's developer portal, and anything else you are allowed to discuss! (We haven't seen the NDA so we don't know what's covered, but please review it before you post anything.)

Here's the forum thread...webOS junkies anxiously await your post!

Here's some news tidbits for today to keep you on top of all the latest for webOS and the Palm Pre:

webOS book for Preorder

For eager developers waiting for the revised print edition of the Palm webOS book (currently Rough Cuts), now may be a good time to secure a copy. Amazon is now taking preorders for Palm webOS, written by Palm CTO Mitch Allen. The book is an official guide to building native applications for Palm webOS, offering a complete webOS tutorial using established web development standards including HTML, CSS and JavaScript. If you can't wait, start by reading our summary of Palm webOS chapter 1 and chapter 2 of the Rough Cuts edition.

Mobile App Stores

Gizmodo has written an article on the current state of all the competing Mobile App stores, complete with an informative chart. It's hard to believe its been less than a year since the iPhone App Store was launched. Surprisingly, most stores have an uncannily similar feature set for both users and developers. Palm's store is still in development so most features are TBD; other articles discussing Palm's webOS App Catalog can be found here and here.

webOS to support Google Sync

CompanionLink announced on Friday that the Palm Pre would offer standalone MS Outlook two-way sync at launch. The program allows for syncing of Palm Desktop, Outlook, and other PIM data from desktop to handset. The sync is handled from Outlook to Google, and Google to the Pre, allowing users to benefit from syncing contacts, calendar and tasks to Google as well as the Pre. Another useful app expected to launch with the Pre is MotionApps Classic, a Palm OS emulator for webOS.

More footage of the Pre has been posted from this week's events. First, Palm has been busy on the floor of the CTIA conference, with many reporters receiving a hands-on look at third-party apps including Fandango, Pandora, SprintTV, Nascar, Google Maps and the Classic Palm OS emulator app. Videos have already been posted by Palm Infocenter and MobileCrunch, among others. Precentral also received a detailed walkthrough of the apps (see below), which also shows off the beautiful, high-contrast screen of the Pre. 

The second video is footage from the recent Web 2.0 Expo, in which Michael Abbott of Palm explains how webOS will "change the way users and developers think about mobile web experiences". If you haven't heard already, Palm's Mojo SDK early access program was recently announced at the expo.

 

Yesterday it was confirmed webOS will support Palm OS emulation via the 3rd party Classic app (made by MotionApps). A video of the emulator has been posted by Precentral from the floor of CTIA, Las Vegas. All the hardkeys are now represented by soft keys, including the 5-way navigator, home key, and other buttons. The default interface and apps (including a popular medical app) look to be running quickly and smoothly.

"Really everything you had working on a Palm device is working on a Pre," Palm states in another video by PhoneScoop. Apps can be installed simply by dragging the .prc files to the "Classic" directory on the Pre while in mass storage mode, and a compatibility mode will assist with online connectivity, although there won't be tethered Hotsync functionality.

Looking good so far; Palm OS developers and device owners alike can breath a sigh of relief now that their programs may get a second wind on the Pre.