The Palm Pre is out today, and along with it comes a whole new smartphone platform for developers to beaver away on. But what Palm Pre apps are out there, ready and waiting to go already? If you’ve picked up a Palm Pre already, we’ve got the essential webOS apps to stash onboard.
You’ll find the majority of them available in the Palm App Catalog, but we’ve ventured slightly further afield to bring you the best of homebrew too, so whatever you’ve snatched up a Palm Pre for, be it work or play, we’ve got you covered.
TubeApp
Any Londoners picking up a Palm Pre on launch day will want to scoop this one up immediately. One of the region-specific Palm Pre apps we were promised back in July, it gives you live details on all the tube lines, which ones are delayed, and which ones are closed (hint: nearly all of them at the weekend).
Mobank
With Mobank, you no longer need to stop by an ATM to check your bank balance. This UK Palm Pre app will also list your recent withdrawals at most major banks too, so you’ll know if crafty crooks have been carrying out ID fraud on any of your cash or credit cards.
Yell
Any self-respecting smartphone needs a listings look-up application, and luckily there’s a dedicated Palm Pre app for that already. Need to find a type of business nearby? Just type it it in and, boom, the Palm Pre app will pull up your options.
Tetris ManiaEA’s prepping a Tetris Mania Palm Pre app right now, but to whet your appetite, you can play a time-limited demo of the cascading coloured blocks classic right now. It’s already one of the most addictive Palm Pre games out there, and some Tetris is better than no Tetris, right?
AP News
We might be waiting on a BBC News app for the Palm Pre for a while, but the Associated Press has its own webOS app up and running already, promising news alerts scrolling right into the Palm Pre’s notification bar, and there are galleries and videos for all the top stories too.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn, the social network for suits, will eventually be integrated into the Palm Pre’s Synergy feature, but in the meantime the business card swapping execs among you will want to grab this native Palm Pre app to tide you over. Not only can you search through your own connections, but it’ll pull in results from across all of LinkedIn as you type too.
Connect4
Connect4? Online multiplayer? On the Palm Pre? We’ve found our new procrastination platform of choice. Move over Scrabulous, this Palm Pre game has everything you need to while away your next bus or train journey.
And the best Palm Pre homebrew apps
You’ll need to be prepared to go off the beaten track slightly with these, but the risks for app addicts are well worth the effort if you can get them up and running (here’s how).
fileCoaster
You’ll need to get your Palm Pre into dev mode to install this, but once you’ve got it running, you’ll be able to quick install any homebrew Palm Pre apps you like. It’s a must have Palm Pre app for those who like to dabble in the digital wilderness.
drPodder
The Palm Pre app for pulling in podcasts is still in beta so you can expect glitches galore, but drPodder will automatically grab all your favourite podcasts for you, shoveling them from the web to the Pre’s memory no matter where you are, and with artwork included. Essential.
Music Player (Remix)
This Palm Pre app looks like a Smash Hits album cover from the late 90s, but it also fixes a niggling flaw in webOS: the ability to skip to precise points in a song. Very handy to have, especially if you’re into audio books.
