Palm emerged in the 1990s as one of the innovative champions of mobile computing. The company practically defined the handheld computer form-factor and contributed many technical concepts and user interface paradigms that are still found in some of the most popular mobile devices. The Palm of today may be a mere shadow of its former glory, but the company could be poised for a surprising comeback.
Palm’s newest creation, the Pre smartphone, has the potential to restore the once-mighty gadget maker’s reputation as a leader in innovation. The device’s unique operating system, called webOS, allows third-party developers to use Web technologies—such as HTML and JavaScript—to create native applications that can integrate tightly with the platform. This lowers the barriers to entry for software development and provides an elegant portability glide path for bringing Web applications and Adobe AIR programs to the Pre.
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