 With the release of Palm's latest smartphone approaching fast, it's no surprise that competitors including Apple, Microsoft, and Google, have taken notice. Rumors of new Pre-like features and functionality for each platform have recently surfaced; below are a few of these proposed features:
iPhone 3.0 to get push notification, background applications?
With the Apple WWDC coming just days after the Pre's release, Apple may be getting serious about allowing background applications, TechCrunch reports. Dan Frommer of Silicon Alley Insider and John Gruber of Daring Fireball suggest that Apple is attempting to allow background support for third-party apps. While there's no assurance that this functionality will be announced at WWDC, this is an indication that they are listening to the community's desire for background apps, which the Pre has already received widespread praise for.
Potential downsides to adding limited multitasking to the iPhone would be reduced battery life and processing power, reduced stability, and possibly only allowing select apps to run in the background. However, with the possibility of new, more powerful hardware being announced (enthusiasts are already predicting possible new features of the next iPhone), and an upcoming push notification system for iPhone 3.0, this could neutralize many of the supposed advantages of the Pre and webOS. To see how the current iPhone stacks up against the Pre, check out these articles. More info on WM and Android after the break.
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The hotly anticipated Palm Pre, to be released June 6th, may be still be more than a couple weeks off, but that hasn't stopped Palm from taking an early victory lap. Sprint's sponsorship of NASCAR put the webOS handset in the driver's seat earlier this week, reports Precentral, with a huge Pre sitting on top of Tony Stewart's car in victory lane. And although the Pre was plastic, an overjoyed Stewart sure wasn't. The jumbo screens were also fashioned to look like giant Pre phones, the stage complete with cheering fans, eager reporters and fireworks.
If this doesn't draw lots of attention to Palm's new smartphone, I'm not sure what will. Other recent marketing from Sprint came in the form of podcasts and TV commercials.
   
Also spotted was an IndyCar (above right, driven by Raphael Matos) sponsored by Palm, although the Pre logo slapped onto the engine hump was more low-key than the Nascar blowout. For more on Sprint's Nascar partnership, head over to the official site.
webOS continues to leave positive impressions
"Palm Pre is pretty impressive", states Laura Sydell of NPR (National Public Radio). Recently, NPR visited Palm headquarters and Sydell walked away impressed with the new webOS platform. "The key to the success of this device will be the software...being able to keep three windows open simultaneously is a really nice feature", she states in regards to the much-touted multitasking capabilities of webOS. However, "as pretty as the Pre happens to be it isn't likely to have the sex appeal of the iPhone.".
"We think Palm Pre is an absolutely spectacular device", states Joe Kennedy, CEO of Pandora when asked about where the device ranks among smartphones. "We were not very impressed with the first Android phone", he notes during an interview, and considers the Palm Pre a "very strong" device. He also implies during his talk that the Pre ranks right along with the iPhone and Blackberry devices. Pandora is one of the Palm Pre launch partners.
"(has) the 'holy ****, that's cool' factor of the iPhone" reads an article in the June issue of Maxim. For the guys out there, Precentral found that the latest issue devotes an entire page to the new webOS device, right alongside the usual beautiful women, including Moon Bloodgood, Megan Fox, and Katie Cassidy. And they were blown away by webOS; "It's OS seamlessly merges all your digital calendars and contacts, personal and corporate exchange e-mail, even Facebook...and has the ability to run more than one application at a time. Man, the future is awesome."
 It's been less than a week since Chapter 6 was released, and now Chapter 7, Application Services, is out to satisfy your webOS development needs. Below is a short summary of what to expect from the latest chapter:
"Services extend the framework with access to the core applications, hardware enabled features and cloud services. In this chapter, the application services were described, including all Core applications, the Synergy applications and the Media players. Application services are mostly accessed through the Application Manager, a general command and resource handling service. System and Cloud services will be covered in the next chapter.
The service architecture is accessed through Mojo.Service.Request(), which accepts a service name and a method name to route the request; service requests are always asynchronous operations."
Topics covered:
- Using Services
- Core Application Services
- Palm Synergy Services
- Viewers & Players
- Other Applications
Visit the official site for more info, or to purchase the book and keep up with the latest chapters. Thanks to shutton in the forums for the heads up!
Earlier, the Palm Pre was spotted running a YouTube app, and numerous screenshots from the webOS SDK emulator leaked out. Today, there is more good news for Pre enthusiasts, with Precentral spotting new icons for Documents to Go and Adobe Reader in the recent Palm Pre Podcast video. Other icons include a "Sprint" app (possibly for account management), Nascar, YouTube, and Sprint TV.
This is a strong indicator that the Pre will support Office 2007 docs (as noted by a Sprint insider) and have native PDF viewing, which the iPhone still lacks. In addition to the physical keyboard, could business functionality encourage mobile professionals to swap their iPhone for a Pre? Guess we will have to wait and see. What other apps would you like to see on the Pre?
New Mojo SDK screenshots have also surfaced via the Palm webOS Blog, including what the device will look like in Airplane Mode, as well as screenshots of the emulator loading screen and an unexpected kernel panic. Pictures after the break.
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Can't wait for the Pre to arrive, but want to give your iPhone or Blackberry Storm a makeover? Below are a couple ways on how to do just that. Although the cards functionality found in the discontinued TealOS skin for Palm OS devices was not reproduced, could Palm still take an issue with these kinds of webOS imitators?
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 It's been a little over a week since Chapter 5 was released, and now Chapter 6, Data, is out for your webOS development pleasure. Below is a short summary of what to expect from the latest chapter:
"Dynamic data is an important part of any Palm webOS application to keep the user connected and in touch, while local data is critical for offline access and a responsive user experience. In this chapter, we've covered both topics, showing you how to use the Depot and Cookie objects, along with Prototype's Ajax functions and the HTML 5 Database APIs to provide what you need. Managing your data in an efficient way is as fundamental to a great user experience as the powerful UI functions."
Topics covered:
- Using Cookies
- Working with the Depot
- HTML 5 Storage
- AJAX
Head over to the official site here. Thanks to shutton in the forums for the heads up!
To help keep you on top of all the Pre and webOS happenings this past week, below are a few snippets from industry news from around the web. Check back for more news tomorrow!
 Developers continue to praise webOS experience
Palm Infocenter notes that developers have a general consensus that Palm webOS is a compelling, developer-friendly mobile platform. It also touches on the continued growth of PreDevCamp, the upcoming worldwide webOS developer event now spanning more than 70 cities. The multitasking and synergy features are praised, as well as legacy support for Palm OS apps.
Palm Goon has another take on the issue, giving reasons why developers will be the key to the success of the platform. This is further proof that webOS continues to energize developers.
 Pre to support Office 2007 docs, picture messaging, multiple IM; Handmark stock tracking app
There is more good news in regards to Palm Pre capabilities. The latest FAQ from a Sprint insider (see previous FAQ) reports that the Pre will be compatible with Office 2007 documents, giving it a one-up in the business world. It will also support multiple IM sessions and MMS. Video recording is still not expected, but may be added with a firmware update in the future.
In addition, Handmark announced their webOS Express Stocks app, reports PreThinking, which keeps you up-to-date with personalized stock information and financial news.
Best Buy to carry Palm Pre
The Best Buy website recently posted a banner ad for the Palm Pre, notes Engadget. Although the banner doesn't link to anything currently, it is fairly indicative that Best Buy will be carrying the new webOS handset at or near launch.
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Before you start writing code, it's always a good idea to create a wireframe that lays out the basic scenes and stages within the application. (Click here for few wireframing examples.) This can be done with basic rectangles and text in PowerPoint, but forum poster shutton has a better idea. He created a wireframe with elements that mimic the look of the Mojo UI, including buttons in various sizes:
Check out this forum thread to download the .svg file. By resizing and moving elements around and adding new elements and text in a program like Illustrator, you can quickly mock up how your application will look and get a much better picture of how a user will interact with it. You'll also be better able to spot any potentially awkward interactions in the UI you may not have previously noticed.
If anyone is feeling creative, it would be great to build on this file by adding shapes representing other Mojo UI widgets (e.g. radio buttons, sliders, toggle buttons, etc.) and create a complete shape library for rapid wireframing of webOS applications. After all...what better way to spend your time while waiting to get into the Mojo early access program?
This article is the first of many daily development-related webOS articles. Grab the RSS feed to stay in the know!
Less than a week since Chapter 4 was released, Chapter 5, Advanced Widgets, is now available online. It covers the following topics:
- Indicators
- Scroller
- Pickers
- Advanced Lists
- Viewers
We've fallen a bit behind in our coverage of the new chapters (due to work, life, and all that "other" stuff) but we'll be back on track before you can say "I have a Palm Pre" (truthfully, anyway :).
If you have some spare time, why not help us out?
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webOS News and Rumors
