Palm Updates webOS, Releases SDK

Palm has unveiled the next generation of its mobile OS platform--webOS 2.0--and made the SDK available via the SDK Early Access Program.

A release date for webOS 2.0 wasn't detailed in the announcement, but the blog posting did say it would be out "later this year."

Palm called webOS 2.0 "the biggest webOS update yet" and touted a host of new features. Among them are:

  • Stacks, a card metaphor for mobile device multi-tasking. Stacks groups related cards, which Palm said reduces clutter and makes it easier to move between tasks.
  • Just Type, a search engine that's been expanded with a new feature called Quick Actions. Palm said that Just Type allows users to "Start an e-mail, create a message, update your status, search your favorite Web sites--all without having to launch an app." Just Type, explained Palm, enables searching with an app and is developer-customizable to further enhance its capabilities.
  • Exhibition, for docked devices. Exhibition is for phones sitting on Palm's Touchstone Charging Dock. The app could be anything--an alarm clock, slideshow, news or sports trackers, etc. An app using Exhibition will launch automatically when placed on the dock.

The question is how many developers will be interested in the webOS update. Palm's smartphone devices are a blip on the radar, in terms of market share, despite being highly regarded by customers and reviewers.

That may change, however, following the acquisition by HP earlier this year. The new parent company is likely to sink a lot more money into marketing and advertising than Palm, as well as more development funding.

In addition, webOS will probably be the underlying OS for an upcoming HP tablet. HP announced in its Q3 2010 earnings call that there will be a "webOS-based product in early 2011." Although specifics were not mentioned, HP has been talking for some time about the potential it sees in the tablet market, and the success of Apple's iPad has verified that potential. 

About the Author

Keith Ward is the editor in chief of Virtualization & Cloud Review. Follow him on Twitter @VirtReviewKeith.

Featured

  • robot typing on a computer

    Microsoft Unveils 'Computer Use' Automation in Copilot Studio

    Microsoft has announced a new AI-powered feature called "computer use" for its Copilot Studio platform that allows agents to directly interact with Web sites and desktop applications using simulated mouse clicks, menu selections and text inputs.

  • AI microchip under cybersecurity attack, surrounded by symbols of threats like a skull, spider, lock, and warning shield

    Report Finds Agentic AI Protocol Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

    A new report from Backslash Security has identified significant security vulnerabilities in the Model Context Protocol (MCP), technology introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 to facilitate communication between AI agents and external tools.

  • educators seated at a table with a laptop and tablet, against a backdrop of muted geometric shapes

    HMH Forms Educator Council to Inform AI Tool Development

    Adaptive learning company HMH has established an AI Educator Council that brings together teachers, instructional coaches and leaders from school district across the country to help shape its AI solutions.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Introduces Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.