No Skype For Palm Pre Yet

Palm's Pre smartphone has received generally positive reviews since its June 6 launch, but one complaint is that its application store lags behind the competition. It's unclear how quickly developers will embrace the webOS platform, and the VoIP-calling company Skype said it will be taking a wait-and-see approach.

Skype has been trying to expand its presence beyond the desktop for years and has developed applications for Windows Mobile-, Android-, and Java-powered phones. The recently released version for the iPhone and iPod Touch rocketed up the most-downloaded list of the App Store as well.

"If someone has a cell phone, we want them to be able to use Skype on it," a Skype spokesperson told GigaOM. "As things are evolving quickly in this space, we will continue to keep our eye on Palm's Pre and webOS platform, which seems to be getting good traction in its first weekend. But we have nothing to announce at this time."

Palm's App Catalog is hoping to replicate the success Apple has had with its App Store, which has seen more than a billion downloads in less than a year. Palm may be facing a chicken-and-egg situation, though, as developers will flock to platforms with large audiences, but audiences like platforms with lots of applications.

To alleviate some of these problems, Palm has made it easy for content creators to make software for webOS using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other standard Web technologies. Palm said this means Web developers can quickly make programs for the Pre, even if they don't have experience in the mobile app space.

Smartphones and applications such as VoIP are low-cost and low-risk technologies that can boost the productivity of a mobile workforce. InformationWeek examined how enterprises can equip their road warriors without breaking the bank, and the report can be downloaded here (registration required).