Linux-based Palm OS II: not until 2008

After announcing [1] in April plans to introduce a Linux-based mobile OS prior to year's end, device maker Palm said in a recent conference call that the platform will now be delayed until sometime in 2008. "Products based on the new Linux-based platform that we're working on, that won't be until some time next year," said Palm CEO Ed Colligan last week, Brighthand reports.

Palm will continue to sell and develop devices based on its aging Garnet OS and Windows Mobile until the new operating system, usually cited as Palm OS II, is ready for release. In the wake of April's announcement, some onlookers questioned Palm's continued commitment to Windows Mobile, which runs on close to 50 percent of the Treo smartphones the company currently sells: "We see Windows Mobile particularly playing more strongly in the enterprise, medium businesses, and internationally, and our Palm OS products being more consumer-based," Colligan said.

When Palm OS II-based products finally do hit the market, their release will effectively bring to a close Palm's relationship with spin-off PalmSource's ACCESS Linux Platform--the two firms' sole remaining tie is their shared interest in the Garnet OS source code, for which Palm paid $44 million [2] for a perpetual license in 2006. Palm indicated it plans to integrate Garnet code into its next-gen OS to enable consumers to run existing applications over new devices.

For more on the Palm OS II delays:
-read this Brighthand article [3]

Related articles:
- Palm [4] warns Linux-based OS may be further delayed
- Palm [5] sells 25% of company