Palm Pre Will Get its SDK Sometime This Summer

The release on the market of Palm Pre smartphone came without a software development kit and the date of its availability is still unknown. The problem is that the developers have presented applications, but didn’t get information from Palm on where the SDK is going, since they need to know what they have access to on the phone, such as database and GPS capabilities, as Charles Taylor (of Southern California Palm preMongers user group) stated in an interview on SDK issue. Without the kit, he has used HTML 5-compliant browser and early draft of a book on Palm Pre’s Web OS in order to become familiar with the device.

Previously the SDK was available to only a selected group of developers, but later to a broader set of partners where Taylor didn’t have room anymore, and still is not getting any word on when the SDK is going to be available. Taylor is developing an application for Pre in order to use GPS and track parking spaces in LA area.

The company said that the Palm Mojo SDK is brand new, it can be plugged in to the Eclipse platform and also accessible with a simple text editor; a developer who is used to Web development can get them productive in a matter of days.

The company said that the platform Palm web OS will suit mobile app development, even though there is Pandora (the maker of the Pandora Internet radio service used on the Apple iPhone), that has had the Pre SDK since December. Tom Conrad, the CTO at Pandora, declared that Palm Pre is a great phone, since it incorporates data sources from around the Web with web OS, enabling the users to move smoothly between applications.

After the SDK became accessible, Palm has limited its availability, even if the device (Palm Pre)has been already released on the market starting with June 6. The company said that they aim to spread the SDK’s availability later this summer. Chuq Von Rospach, the company’s developer community manager, stated in an article posted on the Palm Developer Network Blog, that the company is anxious to open wider access, but the software and the developer services to support the SDK are not ready yet.

The availability of SDK will be made in three stages that include immediate acceleration growth (from hundreds to thousands of developers) of the early-access program, publish more content outside the latter program and launch confidentiality rules. The company encourages the users to explore other public web OS resources that include the Rough Cuts edition, till they have access to SDK. They strive to build an easy-to-use system for Mojo SDK, and an ecosystem that will be a benefit both foe developers, end users and Palm. The company admits that any popular platform will be experimented by the developers in an unofficial way, but Pam believes that its formal offerings will give the best experience for the web OS developers and users as well.

Last week, Palm has released the 1.0.3 version of webOS, which is present in the Pre, featuring changes to apps such as synchronization abilities for the Google calendar and a faster synchronization for changes made to Google contacts on the phone. Eventually Palm Pre will get its SDK sometime this summer, that is when everybody involved in this matter will be ready to release it.