Keen to overcome the uncertainty about its longterm future in the smartphone space following its purchase by HP, Palm halved the price of all apps on its US store.

Developers still receive the same amount of cash for each app sold however, with Palm paying the difference.

And the promotion has gone so well, the company is now extending it for another two weeks.

Sale boost

"We have been thrilled by the response to our Summer Half Off sale in the App Catalog," says Chuq Von Rospach on the Palm Developer Center Blog.

"We've seen significant increases in downloads of both paid and free apps, and many first-time purchasers are sampling what you've created for webOS.

"We're so happy with the response that we've decided to extend the sale for an additional two weeks. Not only will this give customers more time to explore the catalog and get great deals on your apps, it will give you more time to generate sales and revenue."

Certainly good for both webOS users and developers in the short term, it doesn't overcome the need for Palm and HP to provide clear direction about their strategy for the platform in the future however.

[source: Palm Developer Center Blog]