Mobile Technology

Palm Pré plays nicely with iTunes

(THE REGISTER) - More details of the Palm Pré’s functionality have emerged at the D:All Things Digital conference in San Diego, including iTunes integration and a Twitter client, not to mention promises of a GSM version suitable for an 2009 European launch.

The fact that the device still isn’t on the shelves didn’t stop Palm’s Jon Rubinstein demonstrating the application store and explaining how the Pre will, literally, replace an iPod when it comes to working with iTunes before going on to explain how universal search feature now considers Twitter to be a legitimate part of the universe.

The Pré will only pull DRM-free iTunes content out of iTunes - it tells the desktop application that it’s an iPod that doesn’t support DRM. So CDs you’ve ripped yourself and iTunes Plus content is fine, not to mention all those bit-torrented tunes imported into Apple’s media player.

Quite how Apple will react is unknown - defending its monopoly is dodgy ground, but some breach of patent or copyright (on the protocol) could yet emerge. Or else the boys in Cupertino could just play dirty and make their protocol a moving target to stop the Pre in its tracks; or perhaps they won’t care.

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