Palm: “We want to marry you Google Voice”. Google: “….uhhhh. How about a lunch date”.

With all of the publicity surrounding Apple, the iPhone, Google, and the rejection of the Google Voice app from the App Store, one can understand why other platforms such as Android and BlackBerry are tooting their horns happily crying out regarding their support for the Apple shunned service. Naturally, those who are trying to catch up to the success that has rained down on Apple and the iPhone (pretty much everyone), have begun talking up the fact that Google Voice will work flawlessly on their platforms. Palm, being the fact they needs some major boosts in the popularity and monetary departments are joining in and announcing that they plan on having full and deep Google Voice integration on the Pre and future devices. The only catch….? Google isn’t even working on a full fledged Pre version of Google Voice at this point and time.

*Ouch* Pouring some salt on those wounds, Google has claimed that they are only planning on pushing a web based version of Google Voice services to the Pre at all — giving users the same experience as iPhone users and not quite the “deep integration” that Palm has stated they seek.

The big problem with web apps is that they don’t offer nearly as deep the support and integration as a full fledged, on-device app. Further complicating matters for poor Palm is the fact that Google Voice doesn’t have an API currently available meaning Google would have to physically build Google Voice down deep into the Pre’s OS — something Palm isn’t fond of based on how the current SDK and smattering of apps are developed and designed.

So what does it all mean? Simply that for the time being, Palm Pre users are going to have to make do with shallow, web based Google Voice service. That is until Palm either loosens some restrictions on the developer side or Google pushes out a dedicated API for Google Voice, both of which aren’t about to happen in any sort of quick manner.

*sad face

Source: TechCrunch, Image Source