Web OS 2009 Competition | Palm Pre Just the Beginning for WebOS

There has rarely been as much anticipation of a single smartphone as there has been about the Palm Pre since it made its grand entrance at January's CES in Las Vegas. Still, if things go as Palm plans, the real news is more about their new WebOS than it is about the Pre device specifically. Palm sees the Pre as just the beginning of a WebOS based ecosystem, which is essentially corporate speak for saying we plan to make a bunch of different phones based on WebOS.

If history is an indicator, that's a good tactic for Palm to pursue given that the company was king of the PDA hill when they made both the hardware and the software.

We're all for the optimistic outlook, but the essential task at hand is getting the Pre launched successfully. Palm and Sprint, the devices exclusive U.S. distributor, have been frustratingly slow to release details, particularly those regarding pricing and a debut date. As we wait for product information, Palm's dismal financial position is being given ever more attention. The company reported a net loss of $98 million for its fiscal third quarter on revenues of $90.6 million. That revenue figure is down from $312 million in the same quarter a year ago. Smartphone revenue was off by 72 percent.

Palm Chief Financial Officer Doug Jeffries noted that "With these financial figures it's easy to forget the progress we've made." Nonetheless his tone was upbeat about the successful launch of the Pre on the Sprint network. The company's CEO Edward Colligan sounded the same chord, saying that "I have never had more confidence in Palm's ability to bring a new product to market on time and at scale."

Key to successful introduction of the Pre and WebOS is Palm's relationship with Sprint. Both companies have a lot riding on the smartphone and CFO Jeffries said they had been working "more collaboratively" with the wireless provider. Palm is also working hard with software developers to have applications ready at launch having released its MOJO Software Development Kit to select developers.

For breaking Pre news as well as the rest in technology news, stay tuned to our Tech Blog. And the best in side-by-side smartphone evaluations are available at our Smartphones Review site.