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Final Palm OS 5 sent to Handspring
PalmSource (the OS subsidiary of Palm) has shipped the final version of Palm OS 5 to Handspring. Sony and Palm has commited to shipping Palm OS 5 powered PDA's before the years end, however, if we will see Palm OS 5 in PDAs from Handspring is still unknown.
Palm OS 5 will bring the flexibility, innovation and ease of use of Palm OS to a new generation of mobile devices through powerful ARM-compliant processors.
Handspring can now choose from a full range of processors, starting with the ARM 7 CPU and scaling to the highest-performance ARM chips from Intel, Motorola and Texas Instruments, effectively broadening the market. In addition, the operating system will deliver an enhanced user interface that enables increased personalization, security, multimedia and wireless networking, as well as compatibility with existing Palm OS software programs. Palm OS 5 offers licensees and developers greater market opportunities, enabling them to create new classes of devices and software.
"Palm OS 5 is a major milestone for PalmSource, and we're happy to be delivering the final version ahead of schedule," said David Nagel, president and chief executive officer at PalmSource. "We're executing quickly and effectively, and giving our licensees and developers what they need to bring innovative, cutting-edge solutions to the market."
"Our goal is to introduce the industry's best ARM-based handheld this fall," said Todd Bradley, president and chief operating officer, Solutions Group, Palm, Inc. "With the power of Palm OS 5, Palm handhelds can deliver a richer multimedia and wireless experience while preserving the size, weight and battery life users count on."
"We are very excited by the impending release of Palm OS 5," said Masanobu Yoshida, president, Handheld Computer Company, Sony Corporation. "We are certain that this will lead us to new dimensions of user experiences that our CLIE products can provide, and it is a great step forward for Palm OS overall. We will continue to contribute to the Palm Economy with this powerful Palm OS 5, working together with PalmSource, Inc. and the Palm OS developer community. Together we will make the CLIE world a wonderful entertainment platform."
Handspring has not issued any information as to when we can expect ARM Palm OS 5 powered Handspring devices.
Palm OS 5 offers enterprises software investment protection through software compatibility and provides robust security enhancements, support for wireless standards and increased performance via ARM-compliant processors. Palm OS 5 maintains a small, efficient footprint and the heralded ease of use of previous versions to provide low TCO for future products.
Developers can continue to use the same tools they know and like from previous versions of Palm OS, decreasing their time to market and increasing the resulting competitive advantages.
With Palm OS 5, compatible software will see a performance benefit and in addition, developers can enrich their software to take advantage of new multimedia, wireless and security features. The power of ARM processors will aid developers in expanding software capabilities.
The Palm OS platform is the leading platform for handheld devices and smart phones, offering long battery life and modest hardware requirements. Even with the security, multimedia and wireless enhancements to Palm OS 5, the operating system continues to have a small footprint.
The following are new features in Palm OS 5:
Enhanced user interface - Icons and fonts have been enhanced to support high-resolution displays and to provide greater readability. The user interface can now be personalized with color themes.
Enhanced security - Palm OS 5 offers strong data-encryption services and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) services for more secure email, web browsing and online transactions.
Multimedia - Higher-fidelity sound and support for high-density screens translate into richer multimedia experiences on Palm OS 5 devices.
Wireless - In addition to current support for WAN and Bluetooth, Palm OS 5 supports 802.11b for connections to wireless Local Area Networks.
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