W hile those waiting for Apple to deliver a PDA device continue to hold their breath, most everyone else has selected a Palm device that suits them and moved on.
Palm, in many ways, is like Apple; both companies deliver both hardware and software, both use innovation to keep them fresh in the minds of consumers, and both have a love/hate relationship with Microsoft. The similarities donit end there, but now thereis something strikingly similar about what these companies offer as OSes; Palm has begun shipping itis first multitasking OS, Palm OS 6.0. This is big news for the PDA market, of which Palm commands a hefty 83%.
An article from eWeek and a press release for Palm offers some intriguing details. First, the press release from PalmSource:
PalmSource, Inc., has shipped Palm OS 6, the next major release of its operating system, to its licensees.
PalmSource has fulfilled its commitment to deliver the next major release of the Palm OS before the end of 2003. Palm OS 6, shipped December 29, 2003, combines the flexibility, simplicity and ease of use that we believe are the hallmark of todayis versions of Palm OS with the emergent operating system requirements that meet the demands anticipated for tomorrowis smart mobile devices. These requirements include modularity, multi-tasking, memory protection, robust security and state-of-the-art multimedia capabilities. Palm OS 6 enables the development of a new class of Palm Powered mobile products and strengthens PalmSourceis position in the wireless and telephony markets. Palm OS 6 now joins PalmSourceis growing family of product offerings.
And now, an excerpt from the eWeek News article, PalmSource Ships Palm OS 6.0:
Palm OS 6 will be part of PalmSourceis Mobile Business Architecture (MBA), code-named Sahara.
The Sahara framework will support AES and RC4 on the encryption side and signed code and passwords on the authentication side, PalmSource chief executive David Nagel said at the Cebit America trade show in New York last year. Sahara will also include better device management and messaging tools than are currently found in the Palm OS, he said.
Stop by PalmSource and eWeek to read the full articles.