SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PalmSource, Inc., provider of the world's leading operating system for handhelds and smart phones and a subsidiary of Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM), has begun shipping the final version of Palm OS(R) 5 to licensees and developers. The release of Palm OS 5 ushers in a new era of Palm Powered(TM) computing by enabling developers and licensees to accelerate the introduction of innovative mobile products while maintaining compatibility with today's Palm OS based software and Palm Powered hardware(1).

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. Licensees 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(TM) 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."

The Enterprise Standard

Palm OS is the preferred handheld platform for government organizations and corporations worldwide, commanding more than 50 percent share of handhelds sold to enterprises worldwide, compared to 32 percent for Pocket PC(2). Palm OS has achieved the leading position in enterprise because it offers the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO), delivering a 41 percent annual cost savings as compared to the Pocket PC platform(3), while also supporting the largest base of mobile software worldwide.

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.

Palm OS 5 Gives Developers the Same Efficiency and Tools

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. Now via the PalmSource Compatibility Program, developers can qualify their software for Palm OS 5 and receive permission to use the Palm Powered Compatible logo (more information is available at www.palmos.com/dev/programs/palmpowered/). This logo assures customers that the software runs well on current 68K products and future ARM-compliant products.

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.

About Palm OS 5

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:

Information about PalmSource, Inc., the Palm OS(R) subsidiary of Palm, Inc., is available at http://www.palmsource.com . Information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com/aboutpalm .

NOTE: Palm OS is a registered trademark 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: Judi Palmer of A&R Partners, +1-650-762-2812, or jpalmer@arpartners.com, for Palm, Inc.