The smart phone market is getting ever more crowded with new platforms, but since Android is becoming so dominant I thought I would compare WebOS to Android to show that it stacks up fairly well still. I try and answer any questions someone might have that is considering a WebOS device or Android device.

Bloomberg is reporting that Palm is looking for a buyer.  Not long after CEO Jon Rubinstein said Palm had a plan to get them in the black Palm has apparently decided that being bought by a different company would be part of this plan.  The company has secured Goldman Sachs and Qatalyst Partners to find a buyer with HTC and Lenovo already expressing interest.  There have been rumors of Palm being bought out by the likes of Apple or even Google in recent news to secure their patents for portable devices.  So far Palm has refused to comment on the matter.

[via Bloomberg]

I’ve received a lot of questions about the WebOS 1.4 update. I try and answer some of those questions for you.

On a bit more positive note for Palm this week than last, they have officially announced the availability of the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus on AT&T.  There is no official release date as of now, but we do know that both devices will be making their way to AT&T in the coming months.  The devices are identical to those on Verizon’s network only with GSM capability.

AT&T and Palm have a history of smartphone leadership, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone for us,” said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. “With Palm webOS phones coming to AT&T, Palm can help most anyone in the United States stay connected so they never miss a thing.

[via PreCentral]

Palm released its public beta of the new Plugin Developer Kit or PDK which allows better support and access to the hardware capabilities of the WebOS phones.  The PDK allows the use of C and C++ along with the normal Java and HTML that the previous SDK allowed.  With the PDK we have since seen games such as Need For Speed, Monopoly and Tetris from large developers, but the average programmer will now be able to develop quality applications such as those on the iPhone.  See the full press release below:

Palm webOS PDK Public Beta Now Available

Palm Demonstrates New Games at Game Developers Conference

March 09, 2010 09:00 AM Eastern Time
Game Developers Conference 2010

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Game Developers Conference (GDC) – Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today announced that a public beta version of the Palm® webOS™ Plug-in Development Kit (PDK) is now available at the Palm Developer Center (developer.palm.com). Palm is demonstrating new games from early PDK developers in its booth at GDC (No. 2016).

The PDK complements the Palm webOS Software Development Kit (SDK), letting developers use C and C++ alongside the web technologies that power the SDK and mix them seamlessly within a single app. The PDK enables new functionality, including immersive 3D graphics, and gives developers who have built games for other platforms an easy way to bring their titles to the webOS platform. Developers can download the beta PDK and start developing today, but distribution of games built with the beta PDK will require functionality provided in an upcoming Palm webOS update.

“Palm webOS is the go-to platform for great games on two of the three leading carrier networks,” said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, Product Marketing, Palm, Inc. “We have both the developer tools and the hardware necessary for a world-class gaming experience, and an impressive portfolio of webOS game titles from top-notch developers to show for it.”

At CES in January, Palm introduced 12 games built by four leading developers with early access to the PDK:

* “Asphalt 5″ (Gameloft)
* “Brain Challenge®” (Gameloft)
* “Glyder 2″ (Glu Mobile)
* “Let’s Golf!” (Gameloft)
* “MONOPOLY” (EA Mobile™)
* “Need for Speed™ Undercover” (EA Mobile)
* “SCRABBLE” (EA Mobile)
* “Sudoku” (EA Mobile)
* “Tetris®” (EA Mobile)
* “The Oregon Trail” (Gameloft)
* “The Sims™ 3″ (EA Mobile)
* “X-Plane” (Laminar Research)

Since then, more than 20 exciting webOS titles have been launched by these early-access developers:

* “Apollo” (Laminar Research)
* “Assassin’s Creed™ – Altair’s Chronicles” (Gameloft)
* “Brothers In Arms®: Hour of Heroes” (Gameloft)
* “Castle of Magic” (Gameloft)
* “Deer Hunter 3D” (Glu Mobile)
* “Dungeon Hunter” (Gameloft)
* “Earthworm Jim” (Gameloft)
* “Gangstar: West Coast Hustle” (Gameloft)
* “Giant Fighting Robots” (Laminar Research)
* “Guitar Hero 5 Mobile” (Glu Mobile)
* “Hero of Sparta” (Gameloft)
* “Real Soccer 2010″ (Gameloft)
* “Real Tennis” (Gameloft)
* “World Series of Poker: Hold’em Legend” (Glu Mobile)
* “X-Plane Airliner” (Laminar Research)
* “X-Plane Carrier” (Laminar Research)
* “X-Plane Extreme” (Laminar Research)
* “X-Plane Glider” (Laminar Research)
* “X-Plane Helicopter” (Laminar Research)
* “X-Plane Racing” (Laminar Research)
* “X-Plane Space Shuttle” (Laminar Research)

“The Palm webOS PDK is extremely powerful and far-reaching, as evidenced by the number of titles we’ve been able to bring to the webOS platform in a very short time,” said Baudouin Corman, vice president of publishing, Americas, Gameloft. “It’s quite difficult to make a great phone that’s also an outstanding gaming platform; Palm has been successful delivering both.”

More information about the beta PDK is available at the Palm Developer Center (developer.palm.com). More information about games for Palm webOS is available at www.palm.com/applications.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. creates intuitive and powerful mobile experiences that enable consumers and businesses to connect to their information in more useful and usable ways. The company’s groundbreaking Palm® webOS™ platform, designed exclusively for mobile application, introduces true multitasking and Palm Synergy™, which brings your information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view of your life.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels, and at the Palm online store (www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at www.palm.com.

Palm, Synergy, and webOS are trademarks of Palm, Inc. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

[Palm Developer Center]

UPDATE: It took one night, but the update for the Palm Pre Plus is now available as well. Get it now if you have Verizon.

WebOS 1.4 includes the following:

Fixes

• Time Zone bug Fix
• Network time sync bug fix to reflect accuratenetwork time
• BT car-kit transition to device corrected
• No EV-Icon bug fixed (random)
• Random browser formatting bug fixed
• Fixed bug that incorrectly displayed Sprint when actually was Digital Roaming

Enhancements

• Phonebook Transfer
• Supports Video Capture Capability
• Performance enhancement within phone and calendar

Apps

Calendar

• Dial phone # from within a meeting event
• Allow custom Alerts sounds for Calendar event and reminders
• Added AM – PM detail within Calendar events

Email

• Embedded phone $ or email address (embedded inemail) can be easily added to Contacts app
• New email sort options  (date, Sender, Subject)
• Return to inbox view after send – email

Messaging

• Ability to forward SMS to email
• Ability to dial phone # from SMS chat session (No need to open contact any longer
• Press and hold on a phone # to get more options( Call, SMS)

Universal Search now includes EAS (outlook Exchange) GAL corporate address look up.

Application Launcher – Easier user interface providing usermore feedback during an application launch

Pre Button in gesture area blinks when notification pending

Added Adobe Flash 10 Beta – Palm Pre only

Supports Flash 10 Beta – download available in Palm AppCatalog

 Palm has finally made the Pre Plus and Pixi PLus available on their site for order.  Palm may now have a serious shot at gaining market share in the United States as those faithful to Verizon now have their choice of two excellent WebOS devices.  So far I have been very impressed by these devices when running on Verizon as compared to Sprint.  Be sure to get yours and get the Pixi Plus free when you buy a Pre Plus.

[Verizon]