MacRumors.com

Palm today announced that it has released the Mojo Software Development Kit to all interested developers, opening the door for a broader offering of applications for the Palm App Catalog.

The initial response to Palm webOS apps -- from both developers and customers -- has been enthusiastic. Even in its initial beta stage, over 1.8 million apps have been downloaded from the beta App Catalog since Palm Pre was released less than six weeks ago. Thousands of developers have participated in the Mojo SDK early access program since it began in early April. New applications are in the pipeline for the Palm App Catalog, and the App Catalog submission process will be opened to all developers beginning this fall.

Expanding on the early access program begun in April, Palm is now providing all interested developers with the tools necessary to create their own applications for Palm's webOS, which is currently offered only on the Palm Pre but will be expanded to additional smartphones in the future.

The Palm Pre has been seen as a the major competitor to the iPhone, though with a previously restricted SDK, the number of apps found in the Palm Pre's version of the app store has been very limited.