PalmSource hands out Web browser
Published: 18 Sep 2002 07:04 BST
PalmSource, a subsidiary of Palm, has begun shipping a Web browser to licensees of its operating system, in an effort to distinguish itself from Palm's mostly hardware history.
The company made the announcement late on Monday in a news release posted to its Web site. The company had previously said in late June that it was working with Access Systems America on a browser that would become the basis for Palm OS 5 Web Browser. At the time, PalmSource also said that it was working with several companies to make Java support and a virtual private networking client available for its new Palm OS 5.
The company is hoping to attract the growing number of companies creating devices that can access the Internet wirelessly. The consumer response for wireless devices has been tepid, but with next-generation networks becoming available, the market could prove to be lucrative for manufacturers.
Palm OS licensee Handspring has its own Blazer browser, and Sony Electronics' Clie line of handhelds has not been focused on adding wireless connectivity. The hardware side of the house does have the i705 line that could use the browser.
"Our new proxyless browser takes advantage of the performance of the ARM processor," said Steve Sakoman, PalmSource's chief product officer.
PalmSource's OS 5 is the culmination of the group's effort to switch over to the ARM processing technology to provide a performance boost to future devices as they compete against handhelds running Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 OS. Devices running the new OS are expected in the fall.
PalmSource is in the process of being spun out of Palm as a separate company, a process that should be completed by the end of the year.
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