New Sharp ALP (PalmOS compatible) device coming

Bob Russell · 10-04-2007, 01:14 PM

Michael Brown at Palm Addicts is reporting that "Emblaze Mobile, Sharp, and ACCESS ... are developing a device which will 'revolutionize mobile communication'. Emblaze claims they've been working on the device design for the past five years, and that Sharp will provide the hardware and ACCESS the software."

With the software coming from ACCESS (the former PalmSource), and hardware from Sharp (past maker of the Zaurus line of devices with nice keyboards and screens).

Michael also points out that this has a lot of potential in the near future because the ALP operating system is done, Sharp has proven its hardware abilities, and Emblaze has both the experience of producing a multimedia feature phone for youngsters (the Emblaze Touch 7) and the 5 years of work on this design.

The road seems tougher for Palm every day, but brighter for PalmOS users and developers at the same time.

Note: The associated picture is not the new device. It's a previous Zaurus non-phone model.

nathany · 10-04-2007, 02:57 PM

I read the article, and was surprised that Palm Inc. isn't licensing from ACCESS. Is that really the case? Makes no sense to me.

But as an end-user, having a modern device that can still run my good ol' Palm apps is my concern. I think I rather go with what PalmSource, now ACCESS is writing. Assuming the Emblaze device is running that.

NatCh · 10-04-2007, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nathany

I read the article, and was surprised that Palm Inc. isn't licensing from ACCESS. Is that really the case?

My Trēo 680 says "Powered by ACCESS" on the boot splash screen, for whatever that implies. I also seem to remember reading that Palm had reacquired control of the OS, but perhaps I misremember ....

Bob Russell · 10-05-2007, 08:08 AM

Let me try a free flow, free association exercise on this topic. It's been a while since I thought about these things much, so I might have some of the facts messed up a bit.

If I remember right, Palm acquired a period of rights to use PalmOS from Access. Then they acquired permanent rights to use Garnet (PalmOS version 5... Cobalt was version 6, and it never saw the light of day in a product). That's why "Powered by ACCESS" shows up, I suppose.

But the race is on for a PalmOS compatible OS that runs on Linux. ACCESS is the old PalmSource that was originally split off from Palm to divide the HW from the OS. They certainly have a lot of experience with PalmOS. However, one needs to realize that over the years, especially with the acquisition, ACCESS/PalmSource has probably lost a lot of the important people and talent and knowledge. On the other hand, even writing a failed OS can have tremendous value going forward.

My concern about ACCESS is that they are probably after the feature phone mass consumer market, rather than the hardcore high powered handheld computer wanted by the business user or geek. (Like me.) But Sharp seems to have a history of doing more of a handheld computer type of device, so that might work out well.

Palm doesn't license from ACCESS anymore because they felt it was critical that they have complete control over the OS. It allows themselves to both differentiate their phones, and also to determine what areas development resources are focused on. Not to mention that they won't be at the mercy of another company's licensing terms or business plan. Until they adopted Windows Mobile, they were completely dependent on ACCESS for a while, and I don't think they were comfortable with that.

paulkbiba · 10-05-2007, 10:51 AM

Bob: Yes, your memory is exactly correct! No facts messed up. The unfortunate thing is that Palm has announced that its new OS will be available at the end of 2008, and this may be too long to wait in the current fast-moving market.

I have checked the Emblaze press release and there is nothing in it that mentions Palm compatibility. You can find the press release at: http://www.emblaze.com/press/viewPR.asp?348

Here is the full text:

Emblaze’s subsidiary, Emblaze Mobile LTD. (EM), announces today an agreement with Japanese giants Sharp Corporation (Sharp) and ACCESS CO. LTD. (ACCESS) to develop a new generation of mobile devices that aims to revolutionize mobile communication.

The device is a result of over five years of design by Emblaze Mobile in cooperation with some of the best Israeli high-tech companies and it utilizes some of the most advanced technologies in the mobile and computing arena.

Emblaze Mobile has joined forces with the Japanese Sharp and ACCESS to execute on the hardware and software implementation achieving the highest possible quality in development and manufacturing. Sharp is currently the leading mobile device developer and manufacturer in Japan with unrivaled quality of production while ACCESS is a leading embedded software provider globally.

The device will be first unveiled during 2008.

Guy Bernstein, Chief Executive Officer of Emblaze, said: “The device represents one of the most ambitious projects in the high-tech mobile industry. This landmark agreement with Sharp and ACCESS represents a significant progress in joining forces with some of the strongest mobile players in the world.”

Bob Russell · 10-05-2007, 04:09 PM

Very good point, Paul. I think there is still a good chance that the compatibility layer in ACCESS ALP will bring a reasonable level of PalmOS support. But you're right -- nothing to back that up yet. However, if they can make it support PalmOS enough to make porting existing apps easy, they will sure gain a fast and vast library of software. I hope they do that.

10-04-2007, 01:14 PM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	New Sharp ALP (PalmOS compatible) device coming Michael Brown at Palm Addicts is reporting that "Emblaze Mobile, Sharp, and ACCESS ... are developing a device which will 'revolutionize mobile communication'. Emblaze claims they've been working on the device design for the past five years, and that Sharp will provide the hardware and ACCESS the software." With the software coming from ACCESS (the former PalmSource), and hardware from Sharp (past maker of the Zaurus line of devices with nice keyboards and screens). Michael also points out that this has a lot of potential in the near future because the ALP operating system is done, Sharp has proven its hardware abilities, and Emblaze has both the experience of producing a multimedia feature phone for youngsters (the Emblaze Touch 7) and the 5 years of work on this design. The road seems tougher for Palm every day, but brighter for PalmOS users and developers at the same time. Note: The associated picture is not the new device. It's a previous Zaurus non-phone model.

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10-04-2007, 02:57 PM	#2
nathany Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 108 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Canada Device: Kobo h2o	I read the article, and was surprised that Palm Inc. isn't licensing from ACCESS. Is that really the case? Makes no sense to me. But as an end-user, having a modern device that can still run my good ol' Palm apps is my concern. I think I rather go with what PalmSource, now ACCESS is writing. Assuming the Emblaze device is running that.

10-05-2007, 08:08 AM	#4
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Let me try a free flow, free association exercise on this topic. It's been a while since I thought about these things much, so I might have some of the facts messed up a bit. If I remember right, Palm acquired a period of rights to use PalmOS from Access. Then they acquired permanent rights to use Garnet (PalmOS version 5... Cobalt was version 6, and it never saw the light of day in a product). That's why "Powered by ACCESS" shows up, I suppose. But the race is on for a PalmOS compatible OS that runs on Linux. ACCESS is the old PalmSource that was originally split off from Palm to divide the HW from the OS. They certainly have a lot of experience with PalmOS. However, one needs to realize that over the years, especially with the acquisition, ACCESS/PalmSource has probably lost a lot of the important people and talent and knowledge. On the other hand, even writing a failed OS can have tremendous value going forward. My concern about ACCESS is that they are probably after the feature phone mass consumer market, rather than the hardcore high powered handheld computer wanted by the business user or geek. (Like me.) But Sharp seems to have a history of doing more of a handheld computer type of device, so that might work out well. Palm doesn't license from ACCESS anymore because they felt it was critical that they have complete control over the OS. It allows themselves to both differentiate their phones, and also to determine what areas development resources are focused on. Not to mention that they won't be at the mercy of another company's licensing terms or business plan. Until they adopted Windows Mobile, they were completely dependent on ACCESS for a while, and I don't think they were comfortable with that.

10-05-2007, 10:51 AM	#5
paulkbiba Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 45 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: United States Device: Nokia e61i, iPhone	Bob: Yes, your memory is exactly correct! No facts messed up. The unfortunate thing is that Palm has announced that its new OS will be available at the end of 2008, and this may be too long to wait in the current fast-moving market. I have checked the Emblaze press release and there is nothing in it that mentions Palm compatibility. You can find the press release at: http://www.emblaze.com/press/viewPR.asp?348 Here is the full text: Emblaze’s subsidiary, Emblaze Mobile LTD. (EM), announces today an agreement with Japanese giants Sharp Corporation (Sharp) and ACCESS CO. LTD. (ACCESS) to develop a new generation of mobile devices that aims to revolutionize mobile communication. The device is a result of over five years of design by Emblaze Mobile in cooperation with some of the best Israeli high-tech companies and it utilizes some of the most advanced technologies in the mobile and computing arena. Emblaze Mobile has joined forces with the Japanese Sharp and ACCESS to execute on the hardware and software implementation achieving the highest possible quality in development and manufacturing. Sharp is currently the leading mobile device developer and manufacturer in Japan with unrivaled quality of production while ACCESS is a leading embedded software provider globally. The device will be first unveiled during 2008. Guy Bernstein, Chief Executive Officer of Emblaze, said: “The device represents one of the most ambitious projects in the high-tech mobile industry. This landmark agreement with Sharp and ACCESS represents a significant progress in joining forces with some of the strongest mobile players in the world.”

10-05-2007, 04:09 PM	#6
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Very good point, Paul. I think there is still a good chance that the compatibility layer in ACCESS ALP will bring a reasonable level of PalmOS support. But you're right -- nothing to back that up yet. However, if they can make it support PalmOS enough to make porting existing apps easy, they will sure gain a fast and vast library of software. I hope they do that.

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