Palm's Pre, widely touted as the first handset capable of taking on the iPhone, is a hugely impressive gadget.

With its slick interface and slide out keyboard, it has managed to outdo the iPhone on many fronts (not least by having a decent camera). However, when it finally arrives, its success it likely to depend on one thing - how good the extra software you can download to it is.

Apple has done an amazing job of creating hundreds of bedroom firms knocking out interesting and innovative iPhone applications users can download to their phone. For instance, iPhone now controls my hifi (through the Sonos app), helps me round the tube network (with the London Tube app) and even lets me programme my Sky TV box.

For Palm to compete, it has to have something similar. Yet it is remaining worryingly tight lipped about the details.

Palm bosses says they are working on an app store, but at a briefing this morning refused to give any more details. As developers have not yet received the software kits they need to start writing, it seems like a decent, well stocked store could still be several months away.

Of course, for the UK where we aren't getting the handset until (probably) November anyway, this might not matter. By the time Palm and O2 launch the Pre here, there could be a whole stack of amazing apps available to download.

One thing is clear - for the Pre to take on the iPhone, it absolutely has to have a raft of innovative and interesting third party applications available. Otherwise, the iPhone's dominance will trundle on unhindered.