Life in the (not-so) old dog yet.
HP has taken the wrappers off version 2.0 of the webOS software developed by its recently-acquired Palm subsidiary.
The first device to run the new software will be the Palm Pre 2, a follow-up to Palm's Pre smartphone, which goes on sale this week in France.
Key features in webOS 2.0 include support for the Flash 10.1 beta; 'true' multi-tasking; aggregation of data from Facebook, Google, Microsoft Exchange, LinkedIn and Yahoo; an 'Exhibition' mode for running apps designed to be used when the smartphone is in its charging dock; and a 'Just Type' feature that lets users start typing before opening a new email, message, status update or search app.
Messaging and browsing have been beefed up, Skype will be preloaded on webOS 2.0 handsets sold with Verizon in the US, and Palm's App Catalog app store has been revamped too.
"We’ve made tremendous strides since the platform launched, and now we’re taking our biggest leap forward with powerful new features that make it easier to get more things done with your webOS device," says Jon Rubinstein, SVP and general manager of the Palm business unit.
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Meanwhile, the Palm Pre 2 will sport a one-gigahertz processor, a five-megapixel camera, a glass screen and a slimmer look. It still has a touchscreen plus slide-out keyboard.
In a surprise move, HP will start selling the handset in France this Friday through operator SFR, before releasing it in the US (through Verizon) and Canada in the coming months.
It seems existing Pre owners will also get webOS 2.0 as an over-the-air update, although HP isn't giving a firm date as yet.
