Palm Pre with Linux Web OS coming

Palm Pre, the first smartphone with Palm’s Web OS is set for launch. Palm’s Web OS, which was first premiered during this year’s CES in Las Vegas, is the first smartphone to have this Linux-based mobile operating system.

Photo: Palm Pre Linux Web OS UI

So far, the most popular mobile operating systems are Windows Mobile, Symbian OS and Google’s Android. While Android is still a newcomer (not many mobile phone manufacturers have started making Android phones) BlackBerry and Apple’s iPhone use their own proprietary operating systems. Many of the features of Palm’s Linux-based Web OS, are still unavailable, though Palm has given some screenshots and photos. Once the Palm Pre is out, we will give a complete review of the Linux experience on the mobile screen with the Web OS.

First, the Web OS on Palm Pre is built to work on a touchscreen based interface. The graphical user interface of the Palm Pre Linux Web OS includes a suite of several programs for information management.  XHTML, JavaScript, and CSS will be available on the Linux-based Web OS. Palm says that it designed the Web OS around these languages so that anyone with expertise in these languages should be able to work on, and develop the Web OS.

According to Palm, the Web OS combines the simplicity of a web browser with the power of a window-based interface. Palm says that the Palm Pre, which will debut the Linux Web OS, is designed with multi-tasking in mind. Evidently, the Pre will be able to launch and run several multimedia-heavy applications without straining the processor and the memory.We have a couple of screenshots of the Palm Pre Web OS here.

Photo: Palm Pre Linux smartphone

Palm says that it will be a breeze to switch between applications, just like the Alt-Tab command in a Windows screen. Palm has informed Linux mobile operating system developers that they will be able to develop fast and beautiful applications for the Palm Pre. The Web OS will have options to synchronise data between the Palm Pre and a computer, so that data can be constantly backed up and restored. The Pal Pre OS will also support corporate and personal email.

The Palm Pre will come with EVDO capability. The Pre will be launched in the US on Sprint’s mobile network. EVDO Rev-A on Sprint’s 3G network ensures highest-speed wireless data transfer. The Pre will also have a GPS chip, and related maps and software. The Palm Pre screen is touch-sensitive, and the sides of the phone also will be sensitive to gestures. However, apart from the touch-screen, the Palm Pre will also sport a sliding keypad. The Palm Pre will have 8GB of internal memory. Applications on the Palm pre will compile data from your GMail, Facebook accounts and your contacts list to present you a single comprehensive contact list. There is also an option on the Palm Pre Linux-powered Web OS to compile and present all your email in one inbox, so that you dont have to open multiple inboxes to check email.

Palm Pre’s Web OS also features a high-quality browser, which is bound to put the Opera Minis, the Blackberry browsers and the mini-Internet Explorers to shame. The only browser left standing after Palm’s new browser is likely to be the iPhone’s Safari browser. In the Web OS browser, the feeling is quite desktop-like, though there is no support for Flash. However, it can open several tabs, like flipping through a pack of cards. The applications on the Linux Web OS platform open and close unobtrusively. Once you “swipe” the application away, the app shuts down.

Web OS applications for the Palm Pre (and other future smartphones using the Linux Web OS) are easy to write using Mojo, a new application framework based on the HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript.

The Palm Pre may be launched at the upcoming Mobile World Congress, considering that it gives Palm and its smartphone instant publicity on a large scale, but it does not seem so imminent. A more likely date for the Palm Pre launch is mid-2009.