Palm OS 4.0, new handhelds due at CeBIT
Published: 09 Mar 2001 10:48 GMT
Handheld computer maker Palm will introduce its next operating system, Palm OS 4, at the CeBIT computer show in Hanover when it introduces two new models.
The new models of the Palm handheld computers will add a postage stamp-size expansion slot and are roughly the size of the current Palm V. As previously reported, the m500 series will come in both monochrome and colour screen models and use a lithium-polymer battery.
Palm's new models have been talked about for some time. The black-and-white Palm m500 is expected to sell for $399 (£271). The color m505 is anticipated to sell for $449 (£305) and uses a new reflective side-lit screen said to be an improvement on the display of the Palm IIIc.
Both models feature the new version 4.0 of the Palm operating system and come with 8MB of memory. Palm has been preparing third party developers for the new operating system, and on Wednesday posted new toolkits in the development seeding area of its developers Web site.
Internally, Palm's black-and-white version has been code-named Tornado and the colour-screen version dubbed Emerald City. The "Wizard of Oz"-inspired codenames stem from the movie's shift from black and white to colour when Dorothy arrives in Oz.
The battle for the low-end consumer has recently been heating up. On Tuesday, Palm introduced the £164 m105, a souped-up version of its entry-level m100. Days earlier, Handspring announced a rebate on its Visor Deluxe, bringing the price of that model to a similar level.
Palm and Handspring dominate the retail market, accounting for roughly 90 percent of January sales, according to PC data. However, that figure represents a slight uptick in market share for handhelds using Microsoft's Pocket PC when compared with December figures.
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