Palm Pre's 'secret' keyboard revealed

Palm Pre gets an on-screen keyboard
Palm Pre gets an on-screen keyboard

Users of the Palm Pre will be happy to learn that they no longer have to slide out the keyboard to type stuff in - there's a secret virtual keyboard.

The team at webOS Internals has modified a pop up menu (accessed when pressing the 'sym' key) to now include letters and symbols and an animation of a puppy playing with a leaf... OK, one of those was possibly made up.)

However, this isn't a complete re-skin, more unlocking the secrets of the Pre. The team says: "The Palm Pre already COMES with an on-screen keyboard. It works in portrait and landscape, in all apps, in all fields. This on screen keyboard provides a path to produce a fully functional on screen keyboard for the Pre."

Earlier than A

This is a pre-alpha build though, so it could contain more bugs than an ant farm after mating season, but hey, we wouldn't get all the fun stuff if we didn't have those prepared to break their prized possessions all for the sake of being able to write things via a screen.

It also seems like the team is looking at integrating some predictive text-style auto correction in future builds, much like that seen on the HTC and Apple iPhone range.

Check out the site yourself if you fancy a crack at modding your Pre, but if you don't have one in the UK, it seems like you won't have that long to wait thankfully.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grew with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.

Latest in Phones
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
A fresh Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge leak hints at a 2K display and a titanium frame
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in Paris in front of the Louvre pyramid
I switched to a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 five months ago and I haven’t looked back – here are five things you need to know before buying a foldable phone
iPhone 16 Pro Desert Titanium in hand
I think the rumored iPhone 17 Pro redesign looks great – but is it Apple enough?
Android 16 logo on a phone
Here's how Android 16 will upgrade the screen unlocking process on your Pixel
Apple iPhone 16 Review
New iPhone 17 report lends weight to rumors of major display and camera upgrades, and a pricey Apple foldable
Apple iPhone 16 Review
The latest iPhone 18 leak hints at a major chipset upgrade for all four models
Latest in News
Zendesk Relate 2025
Zendesk Relate 2025 - everything you need to know as the event unfolds
Disney Plus logo with popcorn
You can finally tell Disney+ to stop bugging you about that terrible Marvel show you regret starting
Google Gemini AI
Gemini can now see your screen and judge your tabs
Girl wearing Meta Quest 3 headset interacting with a jungle playset
Latest Meta Quest 3 software beta teases a major design overhaul and VR screen sharing – and I need these updates now
Philips Hue
Philips Hue might be working on a video doorbell, and according to a new report, we just got our first look at it
Microsoft
"Another pair of eyes" - Microsoft launches all-new Security Copilot Agents to give security teams the upper hand