14 DAY TRIAL // Sunnyvale-based mobile phone maker Palm, soon to be integrated into HP's global business, is set to release a new version of its webOS mobile platform within the following few weeks. The company sent out email alerts to developers, announcing the close availability of an SDK release candidate, which would offer them the possibility to start testing their software solutions for compatibility with the new OS flavor.
“The next version of webOS is coming soon. You will receive an email alert in early May announcing the availability of an SDK release candidate. Please be prepared to begin testing your apps right away. Because the scope of the changes in this update is limited, we won't be going through a full SDK beta cycle,” Palm states in the aforementioned email alert.
Since there won't be a full SDK beta cycle, developers will have about one week at their disposal to report various bugs they find in webOS before it goes out to wireless operators. Following the delivery of the platform to carriers, application builders will have another 2-3 weeks to take care of app-level bugs before the software solution arrives on end-user devices.
Another interesting point in this announcement regards the previously announced PDK, suggesting that Palm is also set to ramp up the development of applications based on this solution. “It is especially important to test PDK apps against this release candidate. Developers of non-PDK apps should also test their apps to catch any unanticipated issues,” the email reads.
As the handset vendor suggests, the software won't come as a major firmware update for webOS-based mobile phones. As for when it might arrive, a fast calculation shows that end of May - early June is the most likely time frame for the move. More info on what Palm readies with the solution should emerge soon, so stay tuned for additional details on the matter.