Palm isn't sitting back and just letting Microsoft take market share from it. We take a sneak peek at the features that you can expect to see in Palm OS 5.
When PalmSource, Palm's operating system unit, previewed the Palm OS version 5 at the PalmSource conference in San Jose earlier this year, participants got a chance to see a test version of Palm's next-generation OS in action. Touted by the handheld manufacturer as the "foundation for the future of mobile computing", the brand new OS is expected to provide future Palm-powered devices the capabilities and features needed in a wireless, multimedia environment.
Although Palm licensees are probably now already working on new products using a beta version of the new OS, the general consumer will probably not know too much of what OS 5 is all about. In a nutshell, OS 5 will provide support for more powerful ARM-based processors, greater security, multimedia capabilities, and wireless connectivity. All these features will make a Palm-based device more powerful and, hopefully, more attractive to enterprises which are looking for a secured, feature-rich handheld.
According to various reports, the final version of Palm OS 5 is expected to be ready in the second half of this year. Devices running the new OS will be available after that. However, do keep in mind that OS 5 can be customized to suit any Palm licensees. This means that while OS 5 supports, for example, 320 x 320-pixel screens, licensees don't have to create that if they want to stick with a 160 x 160-pixel screen. Hence, devices running OS 5 may or may not be similar, depending on how licensees design their devices.
While we don't know the specifics of the new OS, PalmSource has revealed a number of features that makes the OS radically different from the current OS 4. Here, we give you a preview of some of the features embedded in the new OS, and compare these to those currently on OS 4. Do note that since Palm OS 5 is still a product in development, details are subject to changes.
| Features | Palm OS 4 | Palm OS 5 |
| Processor support | As a 16-bit OS, it supports the Motorola 68000 series chips. Currently, all Palm devices are powered by a Dragonball processor. | Will support ARM-based processors from companies like Motorola, Intel, and Texas Instruments. This means that processing power of 32-bit OS 5 handhelds can run up to 10 times faster than current devices. |
| Program execution | In OS 4, you can only run one task or program at a time. For example, when you switch from Date Book to Memo Pad, the OS closes one app and starts the other. | OS 5 supports multithreading. This means multiple tasks can be running at the same time. |
| Backward compatibility | Software for older versions, if written properly, will be able to run on OS 4 devices. | To protect investment in older software, OS 5 supports the Application Programming Interface (API) of OS 4. So the new OS should be able to run software that is fully compliant with OS 4. |
| Security | Basic security available include locking the device and hiding records. However, there's no support for stronger 128-bit encryption except through third-party solutions. | OS 5 will have robust security options and offer a system-wide 128-bit encryption, including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) services for secure Internet transactions, as a standard feature. A new authorization and authentication manager also allows various methods of restricting access and identification via biometric verfication (voice, fingerprints or handwriting) and smart cards. |
| Wireless support | OS 4 has drivers and APIs that support wireless connectivity via Bluetooth, GSM, CDMA, and 2.5G/3G networks. | OS 5 extends the native support to include 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless networks. |
| Graphics user interface (GUI) | Screen resolution of 160 x 160 pixels is standard for OS 4. Sony, however, was able to tweak the OS such that it supports 320 x 320 pixels on the CLIEs. User interface is consistant with previous versions of the Palm OS. | High-resolution 320 x 320-pixel screens are supported. Enhancements to fonts, icons, graphics and other user interface elements will be made to take advantage of this feature. The OS is also now "theme-able" and different color themes are included. |
| Multimedia | Weak support for audio and video files. | Video and audio capabilities improved with a new set of APIs that developers can harness to deliver multimedia apps and solutions. |
| Web browsing | No built-in Web browser. However, third-party solutions are available. | PalmSource will provide a new, standards-compliant browser for OS 5. |
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