Mobile Minute: Palm's 2010 plans for webOS

In case you're wondering why your RSS reader has gone into overdrive, it just so happens to be Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week -- and that means that all the mobile companies bar one (Apple!) are announcing their new devices and software. Today's turn is underdog Palm, who've been outlining their plans for the webOS platform.

[Images courtesy of our brethren at Engadget]

3D Games

If you're looking to build games, Palm's Plug-ons that allow C and C++ additions to be included within applications looks to be the tool for you. Today's demo saw Electronic Arts demo The Sims and Need for Speed running on the Pre, as well as developers Gameloft and Laminar Research announce Pre titles. Available from the Palm site to US customers only for now, there's also Monopoly, Alphalt 5: Elite Racing, Let's Golf, Glyder and X-Plane available -- and as the Pre does support multi-tasking, the games will allow you to reply to text messages without closing the game (each simply pauses whilst you reply to an SMS). You'll need to be running webOS 1.3.5 as they're running on the new OpenGL ES support the update brings.

Video Recording

On top of the gaming goodness, Palm has also announced that video recording will be available as part of the webOS 1.4 update next month for all Pixi and Pre devices. It's long-overdue, but the update will also include built-in YouTube and Facebook uploading -- and will be available to all existing users regardless of the webOS device you're using.

Developers, Developers, Developers

After a number of months in beta, Palm's developer program is now open to everyone. If you've not already checked out the super-slick browser-based Ares IDE, you can now give the tool a go. The HTML and Javascript-based Mojo SDK means that anyone with a background in web development can turn their hand to application development.

Flash for the Pre

Whilst the iPhone continues to go without Flash -- to the equal chagrin and delight of some users -- Palm are bringing Flash Player 10.1 Beta to the Pre (sorry Pixi owners, you're out in the cold on this one) with the webOS 1.4 update next month. It's particularly interesting as this isn't Flash Mobile -- oh no, this is the full Flash plugin you're used to on the desktop. First impressions seem to be that the performance isn't out-of-this-world, however until it's in our hands we'll save judgment.

Mobile Hotspot

If you've ever wanted to share your phone's data connection, the only real options have been to tether via Bluetooth or USB. There's an application for rooted Android devices that turns your phone into a hotspot, which is rather neat. Today, however, Palm announced an official application that (subject to the relevant data plan from your carrier) allows you to turn your device into a mobile hotspot. You'll probably need to pack a spare battery pack to make the most of it, however!

Tags: Games, mobileminute, Palm, Palm Pixi, Palm Pre, PalmPixi, PalmPre, webOS