Palm webOS SDK 1.4.5 Build 465 Now Available

Following the starting of the roll-out of webOS 1.4.5 on Palm Pre and Palm Pixi smartphones out there, Sunnyvale-based mobile phone maker Palm has released a new version of the Palm webOS SDK, namely version 1.4.5 Build 465. According to the company, one of the most important feature of its webOS Software Development Kit is the fact that it includes the PDK installer, which was released earlier this year.

Some of the main entries in the release notes of Palm webOS SDK 1.4.5 Build 465 include:
- The webOS PDK public beta has ended, and the PDK has been integrated with the SDK.
- To upgrade from any previous SDK or PDK release, you must first manually uninstall the previous SDK/PDK.
- webOS 1.4.5 contains the necessary features to support full-scale distribution of apps built with the webOS PDK.
- webOS 1.4.5 supports PDK apps for Pixi and Pixi Plus devices.

Developers should first uninstall the SDK and PDK on their computers, and proceed to the installation of the new tools only afterwards. As soon as the new SDK was made available for download, Palm announced that developers of applications for its webOS platform are now allowed to submit PDK applications to the App Catalog. On the other hand, it should be notes that webOS 1.4.5 does not include support for the distribution of “hybrid” apps (HTML/JS/CSS apps incorporating PDK-based plug-ins).

Given the fact that the PDK has been integrated with the webOS SDK, the two will be upgraded and together. However, the handset vendor notes that the Windows installers of these tools haven't yet been combined, and they come separately. When it comes to the Mac version, the PDK was included as an optional component. The complete release notes on the new development tools are available on Palm's developer website here.

As for the building of PDK applications for Pixi and Pixi Plus devices, here's what the company notes:
- Since there are some differences in OpenGL functionality supported between the Pre and Pixi, you should always test apps using OpenGL on both devices before submission.
- Due to hardware and driver differences, the performance of PDK apps on Pixi devices is generally not as good as on Pre devices. Some higher-end titles may not be suitable for Pixi.

Download Palm webOS SDK 1.4.5 Build 465 for Windows
Download Palm webOS SDK 1.4.5 Build 465 for Mac