“The combination of Palm OS with Access’ software products is expected to give Access one of the broadest lines of mobile software in the industry,” the Japanese company said in a statement.
The deal appeared to receive the blessing of Palm Inc.(PALM.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , PalmSource’s biggest customer and the maker of the Treo combination phone and digital organizer. Palm and PalmSource were one company until 2003 when they split in hopes of unlocking each company’s individual value.
“Palm’s … expertise, combined with Access’ leading software development capabilities, will allow us to continue to deliver great products,” Ed Colligan, Palm’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Access is currently a software technology partner and we look forward to continuing our strong working relationship to advance the Palm OS platform.”
With the acquisition, Access will also gain Linux development resources for mobile devices in the United States, France and China.
Should we follow Steve Gibson’s lead and get a few Tungstens to put in the freezer?
One of the highest priorites for embedded OS is stability. No one wants their DVD player to hang 3/4 of the way through a movie, or their car to need a reset to shift gears. Anyone who has dealt with both CE and Windows knows which is more stable.
The only way to get 6 sigma reliability is testing and field experience. If this increases the knowlege base and stability on Palm OS a notch, that is a good thing.
Sounds like a winner to me. When I bought my first Palm about five years ago, I bought it for the personal sheduling and portable address book apps. I thought it also might be useful for email. (It NEVER was)
The only add-on I purchased was a database. Now that is the MAIN app I use! I had no idea how handy it is to have a portable database. I use it ALL THE TIME. For example, I loose track of what movies I’ve seen or own. The same with books. So, now I can refer to my Palm before I buy or rent a video.
This only works because I can have my Palm with me. It would never work if I had to boot up a computer everytime I wanted to take a note.
So, I think Access and Palm could be a killer combo.