The next version of the Palm operating system for handhelds will be available to licensees at the end of the year, according to a PalmSource executive.
The company expects to make the debut of major OS releases every 12 months to 18 months after the first hardware ships, Albert Chu, PalmSource's vice president of business development, said in an interview with CNET News.com. Devices using the latest version, OS 6, likely won't be available until early to the middle of next year, he added.
"We released OS 5 in the summer of last year, and devices were not available until late last year," Chu said.
During a morning keynote speech at the company's developers conference in San Mateo, PalmSource CEO Dave Nagel outlined the software subsidiary's plans and talked up the new operating system.
"OS 6 is the evolutionary path to the future," Nagel said. The operating system was designed nearly from the ground up for wireless capabilities, with a focus on security for wireless data transfers, he added.
In related news, PalmSource said it is working with Research In Motion to make wireless data connectivity and secure e-mail available to Palm OS licensees. The companies did not release further details.
PalmSource also announced two new licensees for its operating system: Start-up Tapwave will use the Palm OS as the foundation for its Helix device to be released in late 2003, and New Zealand electronics company Aceeca will use the OS as the basis for its Meazura handheld.
