Palm seemed to be stepping down for quite some time, especially after Apple released the iPhone. While other competitors tried to jump on the touch-train (Nokia with the S-60, RIM with the Storm), Palm did not show any signs of innovation. But now, things have changed – with its Palm Pre and the brand new WebOS, it seems like Palm is ready to kick it again.

Palm has taken a great deal of risk by chosing to completely rebuild its operating system. As a result, WebOS is said NOT to be compatible with the old PalmOS. Not very gratifying for third party developers, but Palm reassured, that reprogramming applications für WebOS should be very easy.
As for the Palm Pre, it relies (of course) on Apples touchscreen idea – but carries it even a little further. It is not only as smooth as on the iPhone, but also supports special gestures, that the user will have to learn first. According to Palm, the effort is worth it, as you can easily operate the phone with just one hand. Example: Sliding with your finger from left to right in the browser goes back one step in the browser history. Keeping your finger on the screen for a moment will open a menu with the programs you use the most.

Kicking it with Sinergy
While rebuilding the operation system, Palm has emphasized on centralizing information and data. The new systems name is Sinergy and it is responsible for serving other applications with data. The idea behind it is that you will have to store information only once. Sinergy then makes sure the information is available everywhere you might need it – in Outlook, Gmail, your Google calendar or any other sources.

Sinergy is also responsible for bundling your text and instant messages. The idea behind it is probably to dismantle the limits between each communication method. Target: The user communicates using different channels without having to switch deliberately.

Multitasking at its best
We all know that there is no portable device out there, that actually supports a WORKING version of multitaskig. Apple even prevents other applications from running in the background. Not the Palm Pre and PalmOS: It seems to be the first device, that actually manages to run several applications at the same time AND give the user appropriate access. You can switch to a special card mode, where you see a small overview on all running programms, where you can easily chose, where to continue your work. It gets better: These preview versions are not just icons, they actually work. The media player for example shows when it changes to a new track. Of course you can change the applications order or close one by simply sliding it out of the desktop.

Buy software online
It was pretty predictable: WebOS also supports its own webshop for digital distribution of software – just like Googles Android or the Apple Store. It is namend App Catalogue. Other than Apples AppStore, Catalogue is not going to make any regulations for third party publishers, but they will probably make sure the software runs well without causing any problems.

Conclusion
Palm has been working on WebOS for over two years and the effort was defenetely worth it. For the first time, we see software and hardware, that is not only up to Apples iPhone, but delivers some more flexibility. I am sure, that with this software as a base, Palms future is pretty bright. I am looking forward to seeing some more phones supporting WebOS and, of course, checking out the phone in a test by myself.