In a comprehensive review, PreCentral has examined every aspect of the new software, noting updates to core apps like the Web browser, email client, maps and others. Most notably, HP has ditched Google Maps in this version, and is now using Microsoft's Bing Maps instead.

• Launcher: An arrow/home button on the bottom right brings up a new tabbed launcher with tabs labeled "All" and "Favorites."
• Rearranging apps: press and hold now launches an "edit mode" where apps can be moved, deleted, or removed from a customized launcher page. Press "done" to complete the process.
• Just Type: webOS's universal search feature is now tabbed, like the launcher, and muted gray in appearance. Recent searches and the virtual keyboard appear when you tap the search bar.
• Virtual Keyboard: Text Predication has been added, not just to help you complete words (as with Text Assist introduced in webOS 2.0), but to predict what word you'll type next.
• Notifications: Notifications are now at the top of the screen, next to the device menu. If you receive more than one notification from the same app, you can swipe through them and drill down into the message you're interested in. This doesn't delete or mark as "read" the other notifications you swiped through while doing so.
• Browser: Now called "Browser" not "Web," the new browser has removed the grid of bookmark icons and replaced it with a Bookmarks/History button that slides out a panel with Bookmarks, History and Downloads buttons at the top. A bar at the bottom shows the progress of a loading webpage and disappears when the loading is complete. The navigation bar does not disappear as you scroll down on a webpage.
• Calendar: Now redesigned, the app shows your current calendar in the middle of the screen, with buttons for creating events, switching views, etc. at the bottom. Buttons at the top let you switch to other calendars. The design is new, but everything else here works the same as before.
• Contacts: No changes here besides slight tweaks to the lettering style.
• Email: Similar to email on the iPad, the folder list disappears in Portrait view, but is present in Landscape view. Buttons at the bottom lets you compose, refresh and now, mass edit (meaning select multiple messages at once to add flags, delete, move, etc.)
• Exhibition: The screen saver-like mode is now bigger, and more stretched out. Time, Agenda and Photo options are available, but only Time was functioning. Both an analog and flip clock are offered.
• Maps: The biggest update to webOS 3.0 is a switch from Google Maps to Bing. The new interface offers a search bar at the top, which also provides access to recent searches and favorites, a Directions mode, Suggested Searches (when it doesn't understand your query), and more. You can drag and drop pins, turn on or off GPS, and switch between road, aerial and Bird's Eye (3D) views.
• Memos: Cork pad and push pins are gone and memos are larger. You now press "edit" to move notes around, instead of press and hold.
• Messaging: Now two-paned, but functionality remains essentially the same.
• Music: The app has been overhauled, offering a two-paned view, with songs on the right and sort/filtering options on the left, plus a cover flow-like view of music, and a notification area mini-player with access to controls.
• Photos & Videos: The two apps are now one, and integrate device pictures with those from Facebook. Album, filmstrip and fullscreen views are available. Facebook comments are shown, too.

In September, HP pushed a beta of the webOS SDK (software development kit) to developers, allowing them to experiment with all the new features of the updated operating system. These features included a multi-tasking user interface improvement called "stacks" (for stacking open screens like a deck of cards), the introduction of "Just Type" quick actions for common tasks like Facebook status updates, adding items to a list or starting an email, an improved Universal Search feature which extends phone-based searches to the Web, a screensaver-like "Exhibition" mode customizable through apps and various under-the-hood improvements including HTML5 support, PDK plugins and more.

Today's reveal of webOS 2.0 doesn't add much to the earlier list, but does make note of the fact that Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta will be supported, an important distinction between mobile operating systems today. Ever since Apple banned Flash from its mobile devices, competitors are quick to point out the inclusion of Flash as a feature they offer which the iPhone doesn't.

Another notable feature, is the Synergy, the technology which merges Facebook, Google, Yahoo, LinkedIn and Exchange contacts into one universal contact list. Now that feature has been extended so third-party developers can actually build on top of Synergy, offering plugins for the OS's built-in Messaging, Contacts and Calendar applications. A clever example of Synergy's potential can be seen with Facebook's webOS 2.0 app, which supports Facebook IM via Synergy in the Messaging application.

WebOS 2.0 also includes Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite, which allows for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint viewing and integration with Google Docs and Dropbox. For office workers, that's a nice value-add since normally Quickoffice is a paid application. IPsec and Cisco's AnyConnect mobile optimized VPN along with support for Exchange email round out the corporate user-targeted features.

Oui, Oui - Pre 2 Launches in France

Oddly, HP has decided to launch the Pre 2 Friday in France from SFR. And it won't become available to U.S. or Canadian users until months later. However, since it will arrive on Verizon Wireless when it reaches North America, Pre 2 users can take advantage of the Verizon/Skype partnership to make Skype-to-Skype calls using the new device. Developers will also be able to buy an unlocked UMTS version of Pre 2 in the U.S, notes HP.

And yes, original Pre owners, HP says that "some" of the new webOS 2.0 features will arrive as over-the-air software updates. Unfortunately, HP doesn't specify which ones.

Can webOS Stage a Comeback?

There was never a question (in our minds, at least) that the original webOS was a good mobile operating system, and webOS 2.0 looks like a worthy update to its predecessor. But Palm Pre's hardware wasn't great, especially when compared with the top-of-the-line iPhone. Plus, Palm's paltry App Catalog showed how few developers had spent time building native apps for the new OS. In February, for example, it included just 1,452 apps, according to analytics firm Distimo. As of late September, webOS reached the 5,000 app mark (note to Distimo: update your website). Considerable growth, but so far behind Apple's App Store (now at 300,000 apps!), it seems like a drop in the bucket.

Still, times have changed since the first Palm Pre's reveal. Consumers have found comfort in a number of iPhone alternatives, most notably Android, which sometimes even arrives on feature phone-grade hardware. Economic pressure also may influence buying decisions, too. If Pre 2 can get its pricing right (also unknown at this time), it may find a niche as an affordable alternative - prettier than Android, cheaper than iPhone. But that's just a guess - what do you think?

The survey was performed last week by RBC Capital and ChangeWave Research and first reported on by Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune. While 99% of iPhone owners surveyed said they were satisfied and 82% said they were "very satisfied" - those numbers were 87% and 45% respectively for the Pre.

There's lots of reasons to consider a phone other than an iPhone, but if you were hoping that a Pre wouldn't suffer from the battery life issues Apple's phones do - this survey says you're out of luck. So far Palm hasn't been in the news for a heavy-handed app policy like Apple has, but the control Apple exercises over the software you can run on your own phone is pretty maddening.

Meanwhile, at least one study last week argued that more and more developers are building apps for Android handsets. Palm Pre developer events are going on all around the world, though, so expect to see more apps for that platform quickly.

Happy customers and more app developers on other platforms is great news. Effective competition is one factor that could contribute to Apple's getting over itself and of course to mobile innovation in general.

From the announcement:

"We have been politely cautioned by Palm that any discussion of tethering during the Sprint exclusivity period (and perhaps beyond--we don't know yet) will probably cause Sprint to complain to Palm, and if that happened then Palm would be forced to react against the people running the IRC channel and this wiki. We want to retain a good relationship with Palm, hence we are not allowing discussion of tethering on the IRC channel, or in this wiki. Note that Sprint does not have a plan available for use with the Pre which allows tethering under the Terms Of Service. Once there is a version of the Pre available for a carrier that does allow tethering, or an unlocked GSM version, then we may be able to change this policy."

As Bill Ray points out in good coverage at the Register, developers grow frustrated when the hardware they've purchased can't be tinkered with to their hearts' content. Users certainly lose out when that's the case. Fortunately almost any control over hardware can be broken - but what do you do when the hardware vendor cracks down on conversation about open use of the technology around the web?

It certainly seems like a recipe for ill will between Palm and developers, but Google's Android team made a similar move when it pulled all tethering apps from the Android store this spring at partner T-Mobile's behest.

Mobile developer Jason Grigsby argues that it's not just about big bad carriers and revenue. "Carriers have a delicate balancing act between the desire for more data and services revenue and the fact that their networks can't handle huge increases in data usage," he told us. "Everything is a compromise in this space."

We're more sympathetic with consumers demanding more data and developers seeking to create wondrous new innovation on top of that increased flow of data and hardware than we are sympathetic with carriers struggling to fill and monetize that demand. We understand that telcoms have made huge investments already that they must recoup, but it sure seems like they have invested too little and are making too much money off of service that few consumers are satisfied with. Imagine if the electricity companies in this country were hated as much as the telcom carriers. They aren't, so we suspect it doesn't have to be this way.

Now the app joins a handful of others (really, just a handful) on the new Palm Pre. But before you go and download this one, there's something you need to consider about LikeMe: their reviews may be compromised.

LikeMe on Pre

It's a shame, to be sure, that the quality of this app's content still remains under question as they launch their latest offering on the Pre, a device that certainly needs as many apps as it can get. The LikeMe app even has some great features that take advantage of exclusive Pre functionality, like the ability to send recommendations via MMS straight from the app to friends in your phone's contact list.

The webOS application also uses Pre's GPS service to identify nearby places that have been recommended by your friends and people like you. You can use the GPS feature to share your location with friends, too, turning LikeMe into a combo of a Yelp-like service and a mobile social network of sorts.

Six Months Later, the Questionable "Reviews" Remain

Unfortunately, the accusations about the reviews (or perhaps we should call them "ads") comprise the integrity of the site and make us question the quality of its content. Although we're sure nearly all review sites that rely on user ratings have some outside manipulation going on thanks to business owners who want to counter negative reviews, in this case the manipulation is more of an inside job. And the reviews that were called out in January as being suspect are still on the site today, so obviously the company either thinks they've done nothing wrong or they don't think anyone will know.

Given the small number of apps available for Pre, LikeMe has an opportunity to gain a foothold there due to a lack of competition. Perhaps that's really why they decided to launch exclusively on the Pre - not because of "its ability to multitask and unique points of integration," as their press release says.

But at this point, we think maybe Pre users would be better off opting for the mobile Yelp site instead.

UPDATE: Response from LikeMe:

"Here's the deal...in the beginning we used friends and family to start populating the community. That included VVM personnel and some people from the ad side.

While it's great to see a mobile device include out-of-box functionality for contact import from webmail and social networking sites, there's still a major problem with this type of syncing: no filters. You see, most people don't want their entire contact list from any online resource dumped into their phone. The reason is simple - we just don't phone all our online friends.

Think about who you've friended on Facebook. Unless you've been extremely selective, I can guarantee you that you have more than a small handful of what can only be called casual, online acquaintances. Maybe they're people you know from around the 'net or maybe they're those old high school friends who wanted to catch up. Either way, what they're not is people who you need on speed dial.

Now think about who's in your Gmail address book. If you've been with Gmail since the beta days (oh wait, they're still in beta...ok...the private beta days), your address book there is probably over-crowded with hundreds if not thousands of random email addresses belonging to people you don't know, bots, and auto-responders. Hardly the kind of data you'd want in your phone.

And yet, on the Pre, all this data is being dumped into your device without any sort of advanced filtering going on. That would almost be OK if the phone also offered some sort of "favoriting" or filtering mechanism after the data is loaded so you could see different views of your contacts, but instead, they're just all there. Instead of a simple, compact list where it's easy to find your actual contacts, you have no choice but to start typing to find someone by name. There's simply too much data for scrolling to be worthwhile.

All-or-Nothing is Good for Nothing. Why Can't We Sync Lists?

This problem isn't limited to the Pre alone. Android pulls in all your Gmail contacts and some of the contact apps for iPhone which sync with Facebook like MyPhone+ for Facebook (iTunes URL) just dump your friend list data in its entirety, too.

This is a shame, especially considering that both Google and Facebook as well as many other webmail services offer ways to create contact lists or, as they're called in Facebook "friend lists." But why isn't there a program that lets you pick and choose which lists come into your phone? Why is it all-or-nothing?

Call, Email, or Text...What about Tweet, Wall Post, and Share?

But too much of a good thing isn't the only problem with contact management programs today. There's also the fact that they only let you communicate in traditional ways: call, text message, or email. Why don't contact managers offer features that let you send a tweet to your friend? Or post something to their Facebook wall? These new types of public communication are just as important as the old ones.

Phone calls and texts are great for private, personal chats. Emails are better for sharing info - especially attachments - and communicating with business colleagues who don't need to be bothered with small talk. But Twitter and Facebook let you share something with a friend...and also with a network. On Twitter, that's a more public type of sharing (if it's an "@" reply, that is) and on Facebook, it's somewhat public, but with a closer network of friends.

Then there's the issue of multimedia sharing. Why can't I post a video recorded with my phone to YouTube at the same time I send it to my friend's phone, or do the same for a photo and post it to flickr, MMS, or another device?

The closest application we've seen to offer this sort of functionality is Asurion's social address book, which debuted at DEMO 09. Unfortunately though, the app is limited to Android phones and is still in private beta.

Developers: Enough with the Twitter Apps, Build this Instead

With all the growth taking place in social networking sites over the past few years, the ability to incorporate the social element more deeply into our phone's contact list is an area that is crying out - perhaps even screaming - for innovation. But instead of building something useful like this, so many of today's developers seem too content to create yet another Twitter application,or even clones of ones that already exist!

Why isn't someone working on an address book application that will blow Palm Pre's "Synergy" out-of-the-water? We want to see something that makes the Pre look behind the times. We want to see something powerful and, oh, while you're at it...cross-platform too. (Cough, iPhone first please, cough). If someone out there is building this app, please let us know. We'd be the first to sing its praises.

Image credit Palm Pre: forum member retroremakes

Free Updates, Just Like the iPhone

With subscription accounting, a company can use the revenue generated from the subscription service and spread it across the life of the service while revenue generated from the device is accounted for immediately. This allows a company to present a gradual increase in revenue as more devices are sold. The revenue generated from the subscription service can then be used for other things, and in Palm's case, those other things will be ongoing R&D efforts leading to improvements to the phone.

For Pre owners, this means they, like iPhone and iPhone 3G owners, can expect to receive free software updates for as long as they have the phone under contract. (This is also why iPod Touch owners have to pay for their updates.) In other words, whatever the Pre looks like upon launch, it's only going to get better.

Not Just One Handset: More WebOS Phones Coming

Another interesting note from these new documents is the fact that, when referring to these promised updates, Palm didn't just say they were for the Pre. Instead, the documents state that the free updates will be for "customers of its webOS products, including the recently announced Palm Pre."

That statement points towards Palm's intentions to build an entire product line built on the webOS - something that was basically confirmed Thursday when, on a conference call with analysts, Palm Chief Executive Edward Colligan promised that a road map of smartphones and an entire application ecosystem was in the company's future.

This is where Palm differs from Apple. Apple built one software base and installed it on one handset, albeit one that has seen hardware upgrades over time (i.e. iPhone to iPhone 3G). Palm, however, is envisioning a software product line that can extend itself across a variety of handsets. For customers, this means more choice when it comes to handsets. And for Palm, they hope this ecosystem will return the company to financial stability - just like they had back when Treos ruled.

If Palm fumbles in any way, it could be the end for their company. Let's hope that's not the case. Anticipation for the Pre is high - all Palm has to do is deliver.