Palm Programs to Get an OS 5 Checkup

Palm users worried whether their favorite applications will run on devices with the next version of the handheld's operating system may get some reassurance from an expanded compatibility program announced Monday.

PalmSource, the Palm spin-off that develops and markets the Palm operating system, says programs bearing the Palm Powered Compatible Solution logo will be certified compatible with Palm OS 5, the new version that's due out sometime this summer.

The logo program already exists, but guarantees compatibility only with the most recent version of the Palm OS--in this case, version 4.1. Once OS 5 comes out, vendors who haven't gone through additional testing for their legacy apps will have to take down the logo.

Existing Applications

"In the majority of cases, we think that the existing software will run just fine," says Michael Mace, chief competitive officer at PalmSource.

Because Palm 5 will run older apps by emulating the 4.1 OS, about 80 percent of apps that are certified for 4.1 should not have a problem, he says.

However, the Palm 4.1 certification program does not distinguish applications that are properly written for the Palm 4.1 application programming interface from those that weren't properly written. The programs that use hacks may run perfectly well on Palm 4.1, but run into trouble when they attempt to run in emulation mode in Palm 5.

Mace says the updated logo program should catch those apps, which would then lose their compatibility certification.

Independent Testing

A vendor can display the Palm Powered Compatible Solution logo only on an application that has been tested by Quality Partners, an independent quality-assurance testing company based in Pleasanton, California. To help developers prepare for the fee-based testing, Palm is offering a free, downloadable Readiness Kit that includes a Palm OS 5 simulator for Windows PCs.

If even a fraction of all Palm apps are submitted for compatibility testing, Quality Partners will have its work cut out. PalmGear, the leading online store for Palm applications, stocks some 13,000 programs, Mace says.

PalmSource is on track for a planned summer release of Palm OS 5, Mace says. But the upgraded OS won't begin appearing on PDAs and other devices until a couple of months after the official launch.

Announced earlier this year, Palm OS 5 will introduce several key enhancements that should make it more competitive with Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002, including support for more-powerful processors, improved security, and enhanced multimedia and communications features.