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Press Release
Palm OS Subsidiary to Preview Palm OS 5 Beta: The Foundation for the Next Generation of Mobile Devices SAN JOSE, Calif., PalmSource Conference and Expo, Feb. 5
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In a move to dramatically broaden the market for
handhelds and smart phones, PalmSource, Inc., the Palm OS(R) subsidiary of
Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM), today previewed the Palm OS 5 beta and announced
that final delivery of the new operating system to Palm OS licensees is
scheduled for early summer. Palm OS 5 will be the foundation to build a new
class of devices that will help make mobile computing ubiquitous. Palm OS 5 will bring the flexibility, innovation and ease of use of the
Palm OS to powerful ARM-compliant processors. Licensees can 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. In
addition, the operating system will deliver enhanced performance, data
security, multimedia and wireless networking, as well as compatibility with
existing Palm OS software programs. "We are accelerating the pace of innovation. By supporting an open,
flexible software base, licensees have the freedom to innovate and create
differentiated products targeted at a variety of markets," said PalmSource,
Inc. Chief Products Officer Steve Sakoman. "Our compatibility strategy enables
developers to target upcoming Palm OS 5 devices as well as the over 20 million
existing Palm Powered(TM) devices." With eight times more software programs than any other handheld platform,
the Palm OS subsidiary is working closely with developers to ensure that
current software programs will run on Palm OS 5. Software programs supporting
application programming interfaces (APIs) based on Palm OS 4.0 and above
should be compatible and run faster on Palm OS 5. The Palm OS 5 Compatibility
CD with a preliminary version of Palm OS 5, tools, and 20 compatible software
programs is being distributed to developers at the PalmSource(R) conference.
Developers attending the conference can test their applications on pre-release
hardware from Intel, Motorola and Texas Instruments.
Palm OS 5 in the Enterprise With Palm OS 5, enterprise customers can deploy a broad range of Palm
Powered devices while supporting a single operating system and set of
applications. In addition, the software compatibility with previous versions
of Palm OS protects corporate investments while reducing support costs. And
Palm OS 5 offers important enterprise functions, such as extended information
security through the recently announced relationship with security leader RSA
Security. "Mobile devices are now being used to access corporate networks, and
therefore need even greater security," said Scott Schnell, senior vice
president, sales, marketing and corporate development at RSA Security. "Palm
OS 5 provides robust security and offers greater flexibility so enterprise
customers have the confidence that personal information, business-critical
data and other transactions remain secure."
Key Improvements in Palm OS Even with the enhancements to Palm OS 5, the operating system continues to
have a small footprint. The benefits of the efficiency of the operating system
translate to the same long battery life and modest hardware requirements that
the Palm OS is known for.
<![CDATA[ -- Enhanced security -- To keep sensitive data private, Palm OS 5 offers
strong 128-bit systemwide data-encryption services based on the
de facto standard RC4 encryption algorithm from RSA Security. In
addition, end-to-end security is provided through Secure Socket Layer
(SSL) services for email, web browsing and online transactions.
-- Multimedia -- The ability to record sound and play CD-quality digital
audio brings higher fidelity sound to mobile devices. Support for
high-density screens (up to 320 x 320 pixels) doubles screen
resolution, and new selectable color themes will let users customize
devices.
-- Wireless -- In addition to current support for WAN and Bluetooth, Palm
OS 5 supports 802.11b for connections to wireless Local Area Networks.
Availability
]]> An early seeding program for developers is underway with downloads
available at ( http://www.palmos.com ). The final version of the operating
system is scheduled for release to licensees in early summer.
About PalmSource, Inc. PalmSource, Inc., the Palm OS(R) subsidiary of Palm, Inc., provides the
most successful operating system for mobile devices in history. It is the
foundation for most of the handheld devices sold worldwide. Palm Powered(TM)
devices include those made by Acer; HandEra; Handspring; Kyocera; Palm, Inc.;
Samsung; Sony; Symbol Technologies; and, in the future, AlphaSmart and Garmin.
Currently, there are more than 13,000 applications available for Palm Powered
devices, exclusive of in-house software programs developed by enterprise
organizations.
About Palm, Inc. Palm, Inc. is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet
solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers, according to IDC
(December 2000). Based on the Palm OS(R) platform, Palm's handheld solutions
allow people to carry and access their most critical information wherever they
go. Palm(TM) handhelds address the needs of individuals, enterprises and
educational institutions by offering the foundation for thousands of
application solutions. Palm stock is traded on the Nasdaq national market
under the symbol PALM. More information is available at http://www.palm.com .
NOTE: Palm OS and PalmSource are registered trademarks and Palm and Palm
Powered are trademarks of Palm, Inc. Other brands may be trademarks of their
respective owners.
SOURCE Palm, Inc.
Web site: http: //www.palm.com
CONTACT: Siobhan Flanigan of A&R Partners, +1-650-762-2859, or sflanigan@arpartners.com, for Palm, Inc.
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