Last June was very important for the mobile industry, as the iPhone's App Store went live and caused a sensation. Since then the global economy has collapsed and Apple's competitors have had 12 months to try and catch up - and they've been doing a pretty good job.

Chief among them is Palm, which is set to make a comeback with its Pre device - expected to launch around June 6th in the US. Apple is suspected to be prepared to try and steal the Pre's launch thunder with talk of software and hardware updates at the WWDC, but even Palm is playing down the essential importance of its comeback handset.

"The Pre isn’t a bet-the-company device", Palm spokesperson Lynn Fox tells the New York Times, insisting instead that this is the first "...in a long line of devices".

Indeed this is quite an important aspect of Palm's potential recovery. The real star of the show isn't the Pre, but the WebOS system that powers it. Apple is already fighting to add background applications to the iPhone (not expected to be ready for the WWDC speeches), which the WebOS is essentially built upon.

There's no news yet as to the Pre's UK release date, but June is going to be a big month in the mobile world, so details could be just around the corner.