What you need to know…

Palm WebOS is a Linux-based operating system developed Palm, Inc for their new range of smartphones. The system was introduced to the public at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 8^th 2008. WebOS is Palm’s direct replacement for Palm OS and is expected to become Palm’s single operating system on their phones (their newest phones use Windows 6.1) from the middle of 2009. The mobile system was built from the ground up, and specifically designed to be connected to the web.

WebOS was designed under the premise that a mobile customer requires all his/her information to be mobile as well. As Palm puts it WebOS is “the first mobile platform to automatically bring your information from the many places it resides – on your phone, at your work or on the web – into one simple, integrated view.”

- Palm Synergy is the primary feature on WebOS that will allow for the integration of every aspect of one’s mobile life. Synergy provides one application that truly syncs all calendars, messages, and contacts:

· Contacts: Synergy provide a single view from which you can access contact form a variety of sources including Outlook, Gmail and Facebook

· Messages: Synergy combines IM and text messages so that one running thread can be seen for each individual contact

· Calendars: Synergy layers calendars so that they can be viewed individually or simultaneously

- Applications are designed to run simultaneously and to be connected online at all times and to be always active. WebOS will allow you to flip from one to the other via the card system

- The multi-touch interface is designed to be the simplest UI available, allowing users to flip through applications like a deck of cards, alternating as necessary, and simply discarding them once finished

- Universal search allows the user to search the entire device as well as the web

- Unobtrusive notifications, representing a departure from most Mobile operating systems, will alert you to new events in a subtle, intuitive way using a scrolling notification bar

The WebOS developer environment will be known as Mojo and the SDK will include sample code, documentation, and tools for building applications for the OS. The SDK is currently in private pre-release and later this year will be available as a free download from Palm.