For all you Pre users out there, here is some  good news on the WebOS application development front.  Palm has just made its WebOS Software Development Kit Beta available to all, hopefully starting the latest craze in application development for the blossoming smartphone OS.  While Palm won’t be taking official application submissions until the fall, this is the first step in the kind of App store that Pre owners are hoping will enable the new operating system to show its full and true colors.

UPDATE: Here is some further information from Palm about the release of their WebOS SDK:  http://blog.palm.com/palm/2009/07/mojo-sdk-available-to-all-.html.

Anyone care to comment on the type of applications that should be near the top of the list?

[via Engadget]

It’s definitely an exciting time to be a smartphone user!  First the Palm Pre and the iPhone 3GS and now a brand new Android device from HTC.  It will initially be available in Europe next month, later to follow in Asia and North America.

Here is the official press release from HTC.  The Hero will feature a new UI that HTC dubs “Sense” which looks great and somewhat Pre-like.  Engadget Mobile has a good write-up that discusses the phone itself as well as the Sense UI, including pictures and some enlightening videos.

Here are some of the specs:

• Qualcom 7200A 528 MHz Processor
• 512 MB ROM, 288 MB RAM
• 4.41 x 2.21 x 0.57 inches, 4.76 ounces
• 3.2 inch TFT screen, 320×480 HVGA resolution
• 5.0 megapixel camera with autofocus
• Internal GPS, G-sensor and digital compass
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Anti-fingerprint screen coating and outer Teflon coating

I thought that the Teflon coating seemed like an interesting change that may go a long way towards getting away from the typical smudge-prone phones that I have seen from many smartphones in the past.  The Hero is also the second phone, after the iPhone 3GS, to tout an anti-fingerprint screen coating, a potentially good industry trend to nurture.  I do like the use of widgets in the phone’s new UI, much better, in my opinion, than a home page that is simply a list of applications.

One thing that definitely intrigued me was the brief blurb that mentioned porting Sense back over to Windows Mobile on HTC products in the future.  It seems to be a major step forward over TouchFlo 3D which is currently on my TouchPro and I’d love to see it come over to WM.  I’ll anxiously watch this phone as well as future releases from HTC!

Recent news items show that Verizon Wireless may be shedding some skin and start being a little more friendly towards us smartphone users.

As reported on SlashGear, the Palm Pre may be coming to Verizon in January of next year. This potentially exciting news is in addition to a recent picture of a Verizon branded HTC Touch Pro 2, andVerizon’s long promised act of finally unlocking the GPS for the original HTC Touch Pro. They may even release an iPhone next year as well (or so we hope)!

Does all this mean a shinier, brighter new Verizon is finally emerging?

It was bound to happen sooner rather than later.  Now that the public has its hands on the new Palm Pre, let the criticisms fly!

For this particular issue discussed on Gearlog, some users have reported a ‘heat distortion’ at the bottoms of their otherwise beautiful Pre screenery.    We’ll have to let things like this develop to see if there are any real systemic design flaws or manufacturing issues before passing specific judgment.

I can remember a whole flurry of net chatter when the Verizon Touch Pro was released, people who were convinced that their devices were critically wounded from the slight bump on the front bottom panel.  One of the other ‘defects’ that I have encountered ended up being simply part of the design of the default background picture.

Time will tell which of the initial complaints will ultimately hold water.  Of the many reviews that have surfaced, hardware quality does appear to be somewhat of a sticking point.  Stay tuned for further developments.