PalmSource talks about the future of the Palm OS, ALP and more...

Somehow, a rumor started a couple of weeks ago about the resurrection of Cobalt/ Palm OS v6.1.

As usual, it started a chain reaction of wild speculation.
As usual, no one bothered to check with the source (in this case, PalmSource).

PalmSource was good enough to answer a series of written questions for Palm Addict's readers (that means you), and I thank them for that.
Clearly, the Palm OS is not coming back, but there will be a Garnet layer on ALP, which will allow "properly written applications" to run. There are also hints that traces of Palm's DNA may provide a bit of Zen once ALP comes to town. But, you should make that decision for yourself.

True Believers, I offer an interview with Maureen O’Connell, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, PalmSource, Inc., an ACCESS Company:

· Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed by Palm Addict. Our request was prompted by a recent flurry of posts along the Palm-blog community, stating that a new version of Palm OS (COBALT) v6.1 had been released. Is this actually a new release of Cobalt?

I’m not sure where this flurry of posts is coming from. Palm OS® Cobalt 6.1 was released in September 2004. We haven’t released a new version of Palm OS Cobalt. Our current development efforts are focused on the ACCESS Linux Platform (ALP), announced at the 3GSM World Congress in February 2006.
ALP is being designed to be an integrated, open and flexible commercial-grade Linux-based platform tailored for smartphones and mobile devices.

A number of ACCESS and PalmSource technologies are being incorporated into ALP, including:
· ACCESS NetFront™ browser - a proven success with over 200 million deployments in 721 commercial products for more than 30 handset and 90 Internet device manufacturers worldwide
· PalmSource messaging and telephony middleware - a highly modular and scalable implementation
· PalmSource mobile applications including PIMs, multimedia, messaging, PalmSource HotSync® and Palm Desktop -includes the recognized ease-of-use that users expect

· How many hardware manufacturers are currently using Cobalt in their devices? Can you tell me who they are?

The Palm Powered™ products available on the market today are all using Palm OS® Garnet.

· Has Palm, Inc. currently licensed Cobalt for any of its devices?

We don’t disclose this information.

· On July 6th, 2005, PalmSource entered into an agreement with LG Electronics. LG issued a series of statements related to devices that would run on the Palm OS. Here, in July of 2006, have any of those devices been released to-market? If not, what is the current status of the agreement with LG?

LG is a licensee. We don’t disclose our licensees’ product plans or roadmaps.

· The Palm Community views Cobalt as a huge mis-step for PalmSource and the Palm OS. Its lack of adoption by the mobile device manufacturers allowed PocketPC to overtake Palm...especially in the important enterprise market; and, was a major part of most tech reviewers labeling the Palm OS as: "...tired," "...antiquated," "...venerable," etc. How does PalmSource view the Cobalt initiative; and, why do you think it has such a poor reception?

Our development efforts today are focused on the ACCESS Linux Platform. Based on Linux, ALP is being designed to provide handset manufacturers with faster time-to-market while supporting the goal of operators to offer revenue-generating services, applications and content. We believe that ALP combines best-in-class open source Linux components with proven mobile technologies developed by PalmSource and ACCESS.

In addition, ALP will feature MAX, an innovative application framework designed by ACCESS and PalmSource to deliver an intuitive, easy-to-use user experience and user interface for smartphones and mobile devices. MAX is being designed to seamlessly support the concurrent operation of multiple applications and tasks. It is also expected to provide easy access to background tasks. Designed to deliver a predictable and intuitive navigation model for both one- and two-handed user interface schemes, the MAX framework will offer the flexibility to support five-way navigation and two dedicated keys, as well as touch-screen and stylus input mechanisms.

By combining ACCESS' robust NetFront browser platform, its extensive business relationships with over 30 handset vendors with PalmSource's advanced operating system, application portfolio, renown user interface and worldwide developer community, we believe that ALP will provide the mobile market with a comprehensive, flexible and integrated commercial-grade Linux based solution.

· ACCESS seems focused on making ALP its mobile OS of-choice. The Common Wisdom is that ALP means the imminent demise of the Palm OS (Garnet and Cobalt). What is the projected (remaining) life cycle of the Palm OS?

We continue to honor and support our licensee contracts. Our current development efforts are focused primarily on ALP. One of the great features of ALP is the GHost (Garnet Host) Compatibility Layer. With GHost, all properly written Palm OS® 68K-based applications are expected to run on ALP-based smartphones and mobile devices.

· Will PalmSource/ACCESS provide support to existing Palm OS users after the OS is discontinued, or will that be the responsibility of the hardware manufacturers?

We continue to honor and support all our licensee contracts. Remember that we license Palm OS—we support our customers—the licensees. It is our customers who develop, build and distribute the end product and provide end-user support for their devices.

· Do you have any hardware manufacturers releasing ALP-powered devices before the end of 2006? What about in 2007? If so, who are they?

As a matter of corporate policy, we don’t disclose our licensees’ product roadmaps or plans. So I can’t comment.

· Is Palm, Inc. working with you on the development of ALP?

Working together, and leveraging the technical expertise of both companies, PalmSource and ACCESS are developing ALP. As part of our development efforts we are involved in a number of mobile Linux standards groups including the Open Source Developers Lab (OSDL), the Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum and CE Linux Forum. In addition, we talk to world’s largest operators, developers and of course our licensees to understand what they are looking for in a next-generation Linux-based platform for smartphones and mobile devices. Their input is invaluable, and we take it very seriously as we move forward in the development of ALP.

· How much (if any) Zen of Palm (look/feel, familiar apps, etc.) will be incorporated into ALP?

Providing a great User Experience and User Interface are very important to us. It is a strong part of our heritage and a significant part of what makes Palm OS so great. We aren’t ignoring any of this.
As part of the development of ALP, we are also developing MAX, an innovative application framework designed to deliver an intuitive, easy-to-use User Experience and User Interface for smartphones and mobile devices. MAX is being designed to seamlessly support the concurrent operation of multiple applications and tasks. It will also provide easy access to background tasks. Designed to deliver a predictable and intuitive navigation model for both one- and two-handed user interface schemes, the MAX framework offers the flexibility to support five-way navigation and two dedicated keys, as well as touch-screen and stylus input mechanisms.

ALP is also being designed to enable customization through its support of the existing Palm Powered™ Economy, the J2ME developer community and the open source community. This flexibility in choosing application models and user experiences will enable handset manufacturers and operators to customize their offerings.

· Will there be different 'flavors' of ALP for smartphones (cell phones with limited web/email ability), and for converged devices (Treo, etc.)?

The ACCESS Linux Platform, or ALP, is a fully integrated, open, flexible and commercial grade Linux-based platform designed for smartphones and mobile devices. ALP combines best-in-class open source Linux components with proven mobile technologies from the portfolios of PalmSource and ACCESS. The ACCESS Linux Platform represents a common platform with extensions to serve each of these distinct device classes (smartphones and mobile devices).
It is being developed as a complete platform for smart mobile devices, encompassing:
- A reference kernel implementation
- A flexible and extensible set of modular frameworks and middleware components (e.g. Telephony, Multimedia, Messaging, Graphics, etc)
- A complete suite of mobile applications (e.g. Dialer, PIM, Media Player, Email, Messaging, Browser, sync, etc.)
- Elegant, easy-to-use User Interface and User Experience
- A comprehensive set of development tools and support infrastructure

We define smartphones as devices that are positioned primarily as voice-centric telephony devices using an open OS as “smartphones.” They use a numeric keypad as their primary input mechanism as they are designed primarily for one-handed usage. Examples of smartphone platforms include the Nokia Series 60 on the Symbian platform, and the Windows Mobile Smartphone edition platform.

We refer to data-centric telephony devices using an open OS as “wireless handhelds.” These devices are distinct from traditional PDA or handheld devices in their support of telephony capabilities. They typically have a stylus and touch-screen as their primary input mechanism, as they are primarily designed for support two-handed usage. Examples of wireless handheld platforms include the UIQ on the Symbian platform and the Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone edition platform.

· Symbian has (by far) the largest chunk of the international mobile-OS market-share. Do you intend to compete directly with them, or forge your own niche and identity in the marketplace?

The market for smartphones and wireless handheld devices has experienced explosive growth in the past few years. We at ACCESS/PalmSource firmly believe in continued growth as mobile operators deploy advanced networks and mobile services that require the performance and sophistication of smartphones and wireless handheld devices. And we believe ALP will be the most complete mobile Linux platform for smartphones and mobile devices, with an easy-to-use User Interface, flexibility to support licensee innovation, and compatibility with standards in the wireless and PC worlds.

In addition, we believe ALP will offer many compelling benefits for both mobile handset manufacturers and mobile operators, including:

Business flexibility
Greater flexibility to support hardware innovation
Greater ability to customize and differentiate
Access to a vibrant developer community
Greater control on key technology components, which reduces time to market

· My understanding is that part of your agreement with Palm, Inc. is that ACCESS has to give up using the Palm name in any of its divisions/products. Is this correct? If so, what will PalmSource be renamed, and when will that happen?

PalmSource sold its interest in the Palm Trademark Holding Company to Palm, Inc., in May 2005. Over the course of the next 4 years, PalmSource, a wholly owned subsidiary of ACCESS Co., Ltd., retains rights to use the PalmSource name and certain related Palm trademarks for itself and its licensees.
As you know, we were acquired by ACCESS Co., Ltd., last November (2005). We have actively been integrating the two companies since the acquisition. For example, today we have one global sales team that represents both ACCESS and PalmSource product offerings. In addition, you may have noticed that we now refer to ourselves as PalmSource, Inc., an ACCESS Company. We expect that over time we will simply be known as ACCESS. We haven’t disclosed the timing for this.

· Finally, there is a lot of sadness and nostalgia amongst the Palm user-community at what seems to be the sunset of the beloved Palm OS. What would PalmSource like to say to its customer base...both about the Palm OS, and what the future holds for both of you?

We value all the members of the Palm OS community and share their enthusiasm for Palm OS-based devices. That’s why we’re so excited about the future and ALP. ALP embraces the Palm OS advantage—the flexibility, power and ease-of-use and combines it with best-in-class open source Linux components and the proven mobile technologies and expertise from PalmSource and ACCESS. With ALP, we’re developing a next generation mobile platform that we believe will provide the market with a comprehensive, flexible and integrated commercial-grade Linux based solution. We expect this new platform will inspire the development of innovative and exciting new products that carry on the Palm OS tradition of being powerful, flexible and easy-to-use while providing the capabilities to take advantage of all that today’s 3G networks offer.

And we’re not leaving the great innovations and heritage of Palm OS behind—we are including GHost as part of ALP. This Palm OS compatibility layer will enable properly written 68K-based Palm OS applications to run on ALP-based devices. We are also including MAX, an innovative application framework designed to deliver an intuitive, easy-to-use user experience and user interface for smartphones and mobile devices. MAX is being designed to deliver a predictable and intuitive navigation model for both one- and two-handed user interface schemes. The MAX framework offers the flexibility to support five-way navigation and two dedicated keys, as well as touch-screen and stylus input mechanisms.
We are excited about our future and the innovations we believe ALP will help enable in the smartphone and mobile device market.