PalmSource Debuts Linux Platform for Handhelds

LinuxInsider.com reports that Access subsidiary PalmSource announced the Access Linux Platform (ALP) that "will bring full compatibility to devices with a Linux core." An "ALP Software Developer Kit is scheduled for release to licensees by the end of 2006."

According to the article, "ALP is based on the Linux 2.6.12 kernel and contains several application programming interfaces (APIs) linked together by a graphic interface called MAX. MAX is designed to support the concurrent operation of multiple applications and tasks. MAX is designed to deliver a navigation model for both one- and two-handed user interface schemes and can support five-way navigation and two dedicated keys, as well as touch-screen and stylus input mechanisms."

The article cites data from Informa that predicts the "mobile Linux market is expected to grow from shipments of 3.5 million in 2005 to 28.1 million by 2010." It also cites a recent report from TDG Research that predicts Windows & Linux will displace Symbian as leaders in the mobile OS wars.

Rob Enderle at the Enderle Group said, "By the end of the decade, it's going to be Microsoft and Linux on the mobile phone. On the Linux side, it's probably going to come down to one major player that will be the most visible on the platform. That's not necessarily PalmSource. When PalmSource was highly differentiated they had problems. Now it is going to be harder for them to differentiate from other players in the Linux space."