Announced at CES 2009, webOS is Palm's next generation mobile operating system. The user experience has been designed around multitasking, finger based touchscreen control and the simplicity of a web browser. The included application suite is web-based and tightly integrated with popular web services including Facebook and Google. The new OS is based on Linux and it does not have pre-loaded support for legacy Palm OS software, while the web browser is based on WebKit.

Third party developers are able to create applications for webOS using the Mojo SDK (software development kit), based on HTML, CSS and Javascript web development standards — meaning web developers can write applications for webOS without having to learn any new languages.

Notable functions and user interface elements include flick scrolling through lists, gesture support, a "deck of cards" window and application management metaphor, consolidated instant messaging from multiple services, urgent message pop-up notification, a dockable control area, and the Synergy sync system that automatically manages your contacts from multiple sources merely by logging in to Facebook, Google, and/or Outlook.

The first phone to run webOS was the Palm Pre. Head on over to the Product Details page for a hands-on video of the Palm Pre and webOS in action.

On December 28th, 2009, Sprint announced that it was rolling out webOS 1.3.5 on the Pre. The update made bug fixes and performance improvements, but most importantly it removed the app installation limit; previously there was a limit on how many applications you could install on the device. The update also improves battery life.