Palm lets loose new details at the Web 2.0 Expo about its developer program for the new Palm WebOS platform. The Mojo SDK will be provided to a set of interested application developers that apply for access at the Palm Developer Network Website.
At the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco
on April1, Palm let loose new details of its developer program for the new Palm
WebOS platform.
In a keynote address, Palm's senior vice president of Application Software
and Services, Michael Abbott, said Palm is expanding its early access program
for the Palm Mojo SDK (software development kit) and discussed the company's
plans for integrating cloud services into the new platform. Palm also April 1
announced an application from MotionApps that will allow legacy Palm OS
applications to run on WebOS devices.
The Mojo SDK, previously available only to a select group of partners, will
be provided to a broader set of interested developers that apply for access to
the program at the Palm Developer Network Website.
Access to the program initially will be limited as the tools and systems
continue to be refined and improved, with general availability scheduled for
later in 2009.
"Developers are an incredibly important part of the WebOS ecosystem,
and we're eager to get the SDK into their hands," Abbott said in a
statement. "Now that the SDK will be available to a broader base of
developers, we think the enthusiasm for WebOS will only grow and accelerate.
We're very excited to work with developers to make this unique development
environment even better."
In an interview with eWEEK, Paul Cousineau, director of product management
for Palm WebOS, said with Mojo, developers have the ability to integrate their
applications into core WebOS functionality, such as linked contacts, layered
calendars, multitasking, notifications and GPS
capabilities. WebOS applications run natively on the device. They don't depend
on any server connection to run and can cache data locally. Providing
developers with the freedom to integrate unique WebOS functionality and
services into their applications paves the way for a rich catalog of innovative
offerings for WebOS users, Cousineau said.
Cousineau described Palm WebOS as a new kind of mobile platform that uses
standard Web technologies such as HTML, JavaScript and CSS
to enable a much broader developer community to more easily create
applications. The ability to customize WebOS applications will appeal to
developers and ultimately benefit consumers with a unique and differentiated
user experience, he said.
"WebOS makes mobile application development incredibly easy-we were
able to get a version of Pandora running in no time," Pandora CTO
Tom Conrad said in a statement. "And because WebOS has true multitasking
capabilities, Pandora runs elegantly in the background while you're using other
applications. The unobtrusive notification bar lets you know what's currently
playing, and allows you to pause and play without having to go back into the
application. It's an incredibly powerful and flexible platform."
"The WebOS functionality and integration opportunities provide a richer
experience for moviegoers on the go," said Ted Hong, chief marketing
officer for Fandango, also in a statement. "With Fandango's WebOS
application, you can watch trailers and buy tickets, pick your show time, which
is automatically added to your calendar, then get directions to the theater and
easily forward the show time to friends or family. You can even create a
reminder to let you know when a specific movie is opening so that you can buy
tickets in advance on Fandango. The WebOS technology helps further our goal of
making the moviegoing experience as convenient as possible."
Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.
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