The Power Of Palm (Tungsten T5)

Details[edit]

The Tungsten series was introduced in October 2002, created as a "prosumer" line priced at $199 to $300 to compete with the popular Sony Clie and Windows Mobile PDAs. The first device in the line is the Tungsten T, making it the first Palm PDA to be labeled with a letter rather than a number and to run Palm OS 5.

All of the Tungsten PDAs have a few attributes in common:

• 65,536 color LCD touch screen with a minimum 320 x 320 pixel resolution
• metal or metal-toned enclosure
• available flip cover to protect the screen
• Secure Digital (SD) card slot with SDIO for memory cards and accessories
• no built-in camera

All models except the Tungsten C, W, and E have built-in Bluetooth wireless capabilities, while the Tungsten C and TX feature built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. Furthermore, by using the optional Palm Wi-Fi Secure_Digital#SDIO_cards Card accessory, the T3, T5, and E2 can also gain Wi-Fi connectivity.^[1][2]

With the exception of the Tungsten W, all Tungsten PDAs run Palm OS 5 "Garnet" on an ARM processor and have non-user-replaceable lithium-ion batteries. Some users replaced battery packs with third-party units.^{[citation needed]} The T3, for example, shipped with a 900 mAh capacity battery but third-party 1100 mAh or 1150 mAh LI-poly batteries of the same physical dimensions were available.^{[citation needed]} Tungsten models used a five-way navigator pad, in the shape of a rounded rectangle, circle, or oval and had four buttons for built-in applications.

The Palm Universal Connector is used by the Tungsten T, Tungsten T2, Tungsten T3, Tungsten C, Tungsten W, for cradles and accessories, while the Tungsten E uses a mini-USB connection; the Tungsten T5, Tungsten E2 and TX used an Athena Connector also known as the Palm Multi-Connector.

All Tungsten handhelds come bundled with Dataviz's Documents To Go office suite and some version of Kinoma Player, with the exception of the Tungsten W.

Models[edit]

Tungsten E[edit]

Palm's Tungsten E was the cheapest of the Tungsten series, and as such, has been one of the most successful.^{[citation needed]} It has 32 megabytes of memory, a Texas Instruments OMAP (ARM) 126 MHz processor, a 2 1/8 x 2 1/8 inch (54 x 54 mm) transreflective TFTscreen, and ran Palm OS 5.2.1. It is 4.5 by 3.1 by 0.5 in (114 by 79 by 13 mm), and weighs 4.6 ounces (130 g).

It had a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack and a speaker in back and used a mini USB connector not supported by most dock accessories. At introduction, it was US$199.

The Tungsten E, released in October 2003, was intended to replace the aging Palm m515, one of the last holdouts from Palm's old product line.^{[citation needed]} The Tungsten E, though, did not include a vibrating alarm and indicator light like the Palm m500 series had.

Since it was released at the same time as the Tungsten T3, the Tungsten E included the T3's newer PIM apps and the enhanced "agenda view" for quick viewing of to-do items and upcoming calendar items. The Tungsten E's design influenced the Tungsten T series' subsequent devices, the Tungsten T5 and the TX.^{[citation needed]}

It was superseded in April 2005, when palmOne released the Tungsten E2.

Tungsten E2[edit]

Tungsten E2

The Tungsten E2, introduced on April 13, 2005, replaced the similarly named Tungsten E, had 32 MB of memory (29.7 available), a 200 MHz Intel XScale processor, 320x320 Transflective TFT color display, and ran Palm OS Garnet v5.4.7. It is 114 by 79 by 15 millimeters (4.5 by 3.1 by 0.59 in) and weighs 133 grams (4.7 oz). It had a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack, a longer-lasting battery than the Tungsten E, had Bluetooth capability, and a single speaker on the back.

Much like the Tungsten T5 and Treo 650, it used non-volatile flash memory, this time in the form of Non-Volatile File System, meaning that the data would be preserved even if the battery ran out. It used standard SD memory cards and was also compatible with the Palm Wi-Fi Card (sold separately). It used a standard Athena Connector port supported only by some then-newer accessories.

When it was released, its retail price was US$249. In October 2005, the price was reduced to US$199.

Unlike other models, the Find function was limited to only the first eight matches, and the calculator incorrectly found percentages at half their actual value, though this was fixed in units shipping after April 2006.^{[citation needed]}

The Tungsten E2 had the ability to use WiFi, but only as an add-on SDIO card made by PalmOne (now TCL Corporation). Palm's WiFi card was manufactured by SyChip. Encryption is restricted to WEP, and did not offer WPA or WPA2.

The maximum size SD card supported on the Tungsten E2 was 1 GB due to a software limitation. In order to read larger SD and SDHC cards an upgraded driver is required.^[3] The previous model (Tungsten E) had been reported to be capable of using 2 GB SD cards.^[4]

Tungsten T[edit]

Tungsten T (with sliding section extended)

The first Tungsten, the Tungsten T, introduced in November 2002 and known during development as the M550, was the first model to use Palm OS 5. The Tungsten T was designed by Palm engineers based in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

It had: 

• 16 megabytes of memory,
• Texas Instruments OMAP (ARM) 144 MHz processor,
• built-in microphone for voice memos,
• dedicated voice memo button,
• vibrating alarms,
• standard 3.5 mm headphone jack,
• one front-facing speaker,
• indicator light,
• Palm OS 5.0

It is 4.0 inches (100 mm) tall, 4.8 inches (120 mm) tall with the slider extended, by 3.0 inches (76 mm) wide by 0.6 inches (15 mm) thick, and weighs 5.6 ounces (160 g).

Its design set itself apart from other PDAs by having a sliding lower portion; the bottom third of the casing could be slid up and down to cover or reveal the touch-sensitive Graffiti writing area. At introduction, it was US$499.^{[citation needed]}

Many of the features in the Tungsten T were Palm firsts. It was the first Palm PDA to use a version of Palm OS 5 and an ARM processor, which meant that it had the software and processing power for high-quality real-time video playback and MP3 playback.

It was also the first Palm PDA with a: 

• 320 × 320 resolution screen
• Bluetooth wireless communications radio built-in
• microphone with a dedicated voice memo button
• front-facing speaker instead of rear-facing
• telescoping stylus
• reset hole large enough to be pressed by the included stylus' tip instead of a pin as with previous Palm PDAs

The slider feature was unique. When open, the Tungsten T looked like a normal slate-shaped PDA, but the bottom portion, with the five-way controller and four buttons, could slide shut, covering up the Graffiti writing area. This made it the smallest Palm PDA in height. The Tungsten T was the last Palm PDA to use the original Graffiti Version 1 handwriting recognition software. Because of a lawsuit by Xerox Corporation Palm Inc. was forced to discontinue Graffiti 1 and later Palm PDAs used Graffiti Version 2. The revised software required two separate strokes for entry of some letters of the alphabet, such as the letters "t" and "k". Most all of the other letters required strokes different from those used in Graffiti 1.

Palm's reasoning behind the slider was that users spent more time viewing data rather than entering it.^{[citation needed]} Thus, they chose to hide the data entry medium while not in use to make a more compact device.

The slider caused two problems with the Tungsten T. One drawback was that the Tungsten T was known for its digitizer becoming miscalibrated after about one year of use and requiring further recalibration.^{[citation needed]} A software patch issued by Palm helped with this problem. Another problem was that the ribbon cable between the mainboard and the digitizer connectors that tended to become loose over time, requiring disassembly to reconnect the ribbon cable for further use.^{[citation needed]}

The Tungsten T was succeeded by the Tungsten T2.

Tungsten T2[edit]

The Tungsten T2, introduced in July 2003 for US$399, was simply a minor update to the Tungsten T, and had exactly the same form factor. (Save for the label and the T|T2's slightly lighter case color, they are superficially identical.) The memory was increased to 32 megabytes, the screen was replaced with a superior (backlight) TFT LCD of the same size and resolution, Palm OS upgraded to 5.2.1, Graffiti replaced with Graffiti2. Since it is much like the Tungsten T model, PalmOne did not sell this model in some markets, such as mainland China or Brazil.

The Tungsten T2 was discontinued in April 2004, having been succeeded by the Tungsten T3.

Tungsten T3[edit]

Tungsten T3

The Tungsten T3 was the third T-Class Tungsten device, released in October 2003. It had 64 MB of memory (with 52 MB usable), a 400 MHz Intel PXA261 processor, a new 3.7" 320x480 transflective TFT LCD touch-screen, and ran Palm OS version 5.2.1. It was the last product designed by the Palm engineers in Arlington Heights.^{[citation needed]}

The T3 included Active Input Technology with Virtual Graffiti 2, a Virtual keyboard, and the typical Tungsten line slider. Along with many other additional features, the T3 was released with the same $399 retail price tag as the Tungsten T2 until the release of the Tungsten T5, when it was reduced to $349.

Like the Tungsten T and T2, the T3 still had a front-facing speaker, a microphone, a vibrating alarm feature, an indicator light, and all of their other features.

Like the Tungsten E, the Tungsten T3 came with an enhanced PIM Suite which categorized all appointments and tasks on the Calendar (formerly Date Book) screen. The Enhanced PIM Software also featured an improved Task suite (formerly To Do List) which could categorize Tasks by urgency, category, etc., and an improved Contacts (formerly Address) application with picture support and more fields.

Furthermore, a new status bar appeared at the bottom of screen, giving quick access to the time, system information, home, find, menu access, alerts, Bluetooth, full-screen writing, screen rotation, and what is shown in the input area.

The Tungsten T3 came with RealPlayer for Palm OS Handhelds (called RealOne Player for Palm OS Handhelds at the time of its release) in addition to a 3.5 mm Stereo Jack, making it a digital music player when used with a Secure Digital (SD) flash memory card.

The T3 had a bigger, non-round, 5-way navigation pad with the four application buttons placed around it in a circular fashion instead of in a row, breaking from Palm's traditional application button layout. Palm would return to its more traditional layout in the following Tungsten T5 and Palm TX.

The T3 had a Green/Red LED indicator light, however Palm only used the green LED for most purposes, red only being used by certain third-party programs and libraries.

The T3 also had the Palm Universal Connector and an included USB cradle. The cradle was used for both charging and synchronizing the Palm's data to a PC (With support included for Windows and Mac OS X, but with the pilot-link software, the unit synchronizes perfectly with a Unix operating system).

Early criticisms of the Tungsten T3 include it electronically damaging SD cards^{[citation needed]} and its relatively low battery life (900 mA·hbattery, larger display and processor clocked above most other Palm handhelds). Palm addressed the Secure Digital Card problem by releasing a Firmware Update. After the "SD Card Patch" was applied in early (by the user via a firmware patch) and later (at the manufacturing stage) releases of the Tungsten T3, no other criticisms were known to have risen from the Tungsten T3's use.^{[citation needed]}

Shortly after the early 2005 release of the Tungsten T5, the Tungsten T3 was discontinued. Since then, no other Palm handhelds included a vibrating alarm, a slider to make the device smaller, or the Palm Universal Connector.

Tungsten T5[edit]

The Tungsten T5, introduced in October 2004 and now discontinued, was aesthetically a combination of the Tungsten E and Tungsten T3. It was the first and only Tungsten to use a 416 MHz Intel XScale PXA270 processor. It had a 320x480 TFT 16-bit Color Screen with a virtual input area. It retained the shape of the Tungsten E, but was taller, instead of the sliding bodies of the previous Tungsten T-series handhelds.

The Tungsten T5 was the first Palm PDA to have a 320x480 pixel screen without a slider mechanism as used in the Tungsten T3, T2, and T, though other brands have had sliderless HVGA displays for years. It was also the first to have 256 MB of memory (versus 64 MB in the Tungsten T3), with 161.2 MB configured as a Flash Drive - accessible to computers via the device's Drive Mode feature, 63.8 MB available for applications, and 31 MB reserved for the OS. This often resulted in some confusion as the memory was not equally usable as in previous Palm PDAs.

While the Tungsten T5 was meant to be a replacement for the Tungsten T3, it lacked several features from the Tungsten T3 such as a charge-indicator LED, a vibrating alarm, an included HotSync cradle, and built in microphone for voice memos. Furthermore, its speaker became rear-facing instead of front-facing and the PDA used the then-new Multi-Connector/Athena Connector instead of the Palm Universal Connector. The speed of the Bluetooth connection can only be set to a maximum of 128 kbit/s.

At the time of its release, the Tungsten T5 (along with the Treo 650) was plagued with memory inefficiency problems, third-party application issues, and device driver crashes, due to the new Non-Volatile File System.^{[citation needed]} The addition of NVFS however, brought the benefit of no longer losing all stored data in the event of a complete battery drain.

Tungsten T5 owners were encouraged to install the Tungsten T5 1.1 Update, which addressed the memory inefficiency issues alongside other operating system-level problems.

The power button was prone to reliability issues causing it to become inoperative over time, requiring the user to either use a third-party app, rely on the PDA's other physical buttons or insert a SD card which would then switch the PDA back on.^{[citation needed]}

In some countries, including Australia, the Tungsten T5 was withdrawn early since the Palm TX offered more advanced, built-in WiFi support, instead of requiring the optional Palm Wi-Fi Card in its one and only SD slot as many other non-Palm PDAs on the market at the time came standard with built-in WiFi.

Tungsten W[edit]

The Tungsten W (known as the i710 during its development period, and X420 at the prototype stage^[5]), was introduced in February 2003. The sole smartphone (PDA/cellphone hybrid) in the Tungsten series, instead of running Palm OS 5 on an ARM-compatible processor, it used last-generation Palm OS 4 paired with a Motorola DragonBall processor that was typical of Palm OS 4 devices.

It had a thumb-sized hard plastic keyboard, like the Treo 600 rather than the typical silkscreen Graffiti Writing Area found on most Palm handhelds. (This form factor would be reused in the Tungsten C, except lacking the W's external antennae).

The Tungsten W focused more on its PDA half than its cellular telephony half, much like its predecessors, the Palm i705 and Palm VII. Unlike either the Palm i705 and the Palm VII (which both could only make data connections over the Mobitex pager network), downloads and uploads were done using comparatively-fast GPRS connections. It lacked a microphone and the speaker couldn't be used for phone calls; instead, an included ear bud and microphone loopset was used for voice calls.

A flip cover was also released that allowed the user to hold the handheld like a normal phone and talk on it, although it did obscure the screen. (In the US, it was sold exclusively by AT&T Wireless, and all Tungsten W handsets sold in the US were locked to AT&T Wireless. Canadian W's were not locked to any service provider and could operate with T-Mobile SIM cards).^{[citation needed]}

It had 16 megabytes of memory, a Motorola DragonBall 33 MHz processor, vibrating alarms, indicator light, and ran Palm OS 4.1.1 (with an optional upgrade to 4.1.2) with special enhancements for its 320x320 display since most Palm OS 4 devices had 160x160 displays. It is 4.8 inches (120 mm) tall by 3.1 inches (79 mm) wide by 0.7 inches (18 mm) thick, and weighs 6.4 ounces (180 g). It had a standard 2.5 mm headset jack, and a single rear speaker. At introduction, it retailed at US$419 before service provider subsidies.^{[citation needed]}

The Tungsten W was succeeded by the Treo 600 after Palm purchased Handspring and became palmOne.

Tungsten C[edit]

Tungsten C

The Tungsten C introduced in April 2003 was, at the time of its release, palmOne's only handheld that allowed the user to access the internet wirelessly through 802.11b Wi-Fi without the use of a card or other external device. It lacked support for the WPA encryption standard but did however have built in PPTP VPN support for secure connections to VPN servers.

The web browser included was PalmSource's Web Browser 2.0. Novarra Web Pro 3.0 could be purchased as an upgrade.

Other details were its 400 MHz Intel PXA255 processor, 64 MB of memory (51 MB available for programs + 12 MB heap), built-in thumb keyboard, a five-way navigator, a Secure Digital/SDIO/MultiMediaCard slot, vibrating alarms, indicator light, and a 2.5 mm headset jack, capable of voice recording and monaural sound output with a proprietary earbud headset (sold separately).

Third-party applications and hardware were available that worked around the Tungsten C's monaural audio. For instance, a special adapter could be purchased to convert to a standard 3.5 mm jack that splits the mono output into left and right channels.

The Tungsten C was superseded by the LifeDrive Mobile Manager, the Palm TX, and the Treo series.

Comparison[edit]

Comparison of Tungsten devices
Name	T[6]	W[7]	C[8]	T2[6]	E[9]	T3[10]	T5[11]	E2[12]	TX
Release date	November 2002	February 2003	April 2003	July 2003	October 2003		October 2004	April 13, 2005	October 2005
Original retail price	US$499	US$419	US$499	US$399	US$199	US$399	US$399	US$249	US$299
Weight	5.6 oz (160 g)	6.4 oz (180 g)	6.31 oz (179 g)	5.6 oz (160 g)	4.62 oz (131 g)	5.4 oz (150 g)	5.1 oz (140 g)	4.7 oz (130 g)	5.2 oz (150 g)
Storage size: total/Non-volatile	16 MB/No	16 MB/No	64 MB/No	32 MB/No		64 MB/No	256 MB/Yes	32 MB/Yes	128 MB/Yes
Dynamic heap size	823 kB		12.6 MB			11.5 MB	4.2 MB	6.3 MB
Display	Transflective TFT (active matrix)	Reflective TFT (active matrix)	Transflective TFT screen
Resolution	320*320					320*480		320*320	320*480
Processor	Texas Instruments OMAP1510	Motorola Dragonball	Intel XScalePXA255	Texas Instruments OMAP1510	Texas Instruments OMAP311	Intel XScalePXA261	Intel XScale PXA270	Intel XScale PXA255	Intel XScale PXA270
Processor frequency	144 MHz	33 MHz	400 MHz	144 MHz	126 MHz	400 MHz	416 MHz	200 MHz	312 MHz
Palm OS version	5.0	4.1.1 (4.1.2 is available)	5.2.1				5.4.5 (upgradable to 5.4.8)	5.4.7	5.4.9
Audio output	3.5 mm Headphone Jack, Speaker (Front)	Jack for proprietary Headset/Mic	2.5 mm Headphone Jack for proprietary Headset	3.5 mm Headphone Jack, Speaker (Front)	3.5 mm Headphone Jack, Speaker (Back)	3.5 mm Headphone Jack, Speaker (Front)	3.5 mm Headphone Jack, Speaker (Back)
Multimedia capabilities	Music Playback (with third party application (PTunes) and SD card) Patch available to improve sound quality	?				Music Playback (w/RealPlayer+ SD card)	?
Wireless Connectivity	Bluetooth, Infrared (IrDA)	GPRS, Infrared (IrDA)	802.11b WiFi, Infrared (IrDA)	Bluetooth, Infrared (IrDA)	Infrared (IrDA)	Bluetooth, Infrared (IrDA)			802.11b WiFi, Bluetooth, Infrared (IrDA)
PC Connection	Universal Connector				Mini-USB Port	Universal Connector	Athena Connector
Additional features		Keyboard, Cellular	Keyboard			WiFi via SDIO card, Voice memo recording	WiFi via SDIO card

...

Palm OS (also known as Garnet OS) was a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants (PDAs) in 1996. Palm OS was designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management. Later versions of the OS have been extended to support smartphones. The software appeared on the company's line of Palm devices while several other licensees have manufactured devices powered by Palm OS.

Following Palm's purchase of the Palm trademark, the currently licensed version from ACCESS was renamed Garnet OS. In 2007, ACCESS introduced the successor to Garnet OS, called Access Linux Platform; additionally, in 2009, the main licensee of Palm OS, Palm, Inc., switched from Palm OS to webOS for their forthcoming devices.

Creator and ownership[edit]

Palm OS was originally developed under the direction of Jeff Hawkins at Palm Computing, Inc.^[2] Palm was later acquired by U.S. Robotics Corp.,^[3] which in turn was later bought by 3Com,^[4] which made the Palm subsidiary an independent publicly traded company on March 2, 2000.^[5]

In January 2002, Palm set up a wholly owned subsidiary to develop and license Palm OS,^[6] which was named PalmSource. PalmSource was then spun off from Palm as an independent company on October 28, 2003.^[7] Palm (then called palmOne) became a regular licensee of Palm OS, no longer in control of the operating system.

In September 2005, PalmSource announced that it was being acquired by ACCESS.^[8]

In December 2006, Palm gained perpetual rights to the Palm OS source code from ACCESS.^[9] With this Palm can modify the licensed operating system as needed without paying further royalties to ACCESS. Together with the May 2005 acquisition of full rights to the Palm brand name,^[10] only Palm can publish releases of the operating system under the name 'Palm OS'.

As a consequence, on January 25, 2007, ACCESS announced a name change to their current Palm OS operating system, now titled Garnet OS.^[11]

OS overview[edit]

Palm OS was a proprietary mobile operating system. Designed in 1996 for Palm Computing, Inc.'s new Pilot PDA, it has been implemented on a wide array of mobile devices, including smartphones, wrist watches, handheld gaming consoles, barcode readers and GPS devices.

Palm OS versions earlier than 5.0 run on Motorola/Freescale DragonBall processors. From version 5.0 onwards, Palm OS runs on ARM architecture-based processors.

The key features of the current Palm OS Garnet are:

• Simple, single-tasking environment to allow launching of full screen applications with a basic, common GUI set
• Monochrome or color screens with resolutions up to 480x320 pixel
• Handwriting recognition input system called Graffiti 2
• HotSync technology for data synchronization with desktop computers
• Sound playback and record capabilities
• Simple security model: Device can be locked by password, arbitrary application records can be made private
• TCP/IP network access
• Serial port/USB, infrared, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections
• Expansion memory card support
• Defined standard data format for personal information management applications to store calendar, address, task and note entries, accessible by third-party applications.

Included with the OS is also a set of standard applications, with the most relevant ones for the four mentioned PIM operations.

Version history and technical background[edit]

Manufacturers are free to implement different features of the OS in their devices or even add new features. This version history describes the officially licensed version from Palm/PalmSource/ACCESS.

All versions prior to Palm OS 5 are based on top of the AMX 68000^[12] kernel licensed from KADAK Products Ltd. While this kernel is technically capable of multitasking, the "terms and conditions of that license specifically state that Palm may not expose the API for creating/manipulating tasks within the OS."^[13]

Palm OS 1.0[edit]

Palm OS 1.0 is the original version present on the Pilot 1000 and 5000. It was introduced in March 1996.

Version 1.0 features the classic PIM applications Address, Date Book, Memo Pad, and To Do List. Also included is a calculator and the Security tool to hide records for private use.

Palm OS 1.0 does not differentiate between RAM and file system storage. Applications are installed directly into RAM and executed in place. As no dedicated file system is supported, the operating system depends on constant RAM refresh cycles to keep its memory. The OS supports 160x160 monochrome output displays. User input is generated through the Graffiti handwriting recognition system or optionally through a virtual keyboard. The system supports data synchronization to another PC via its HotSync technology over a serial interface. The latest bugfix release is version 1.0.7.

Palm OS 2.0[edit]

Palm OS 2.0 was introduced on March 10, 1997 with the PalmPilot Personal and Professional.^[14] This version adds TCP/IP network, network HotSync, and display backlight support. The last bugfix release is version 2.0.5.

Two new applications, Mail and Expense are added, and the standard PIM applications have been enhanced.

Palm OS 3.0[edit]

Palm OS 3.0 was introduced on March 9, 1998 with the launch of the Palm III series.^[15] This version adds IrDA infrared and enhanced font support. This version also features updated PIM applications and an update to the application launcher.

Palm OS 3.1 adds only minor new features, like network HotSync support. It was introduced with the Palm IIIx and Palm V.^[16] The last bugfix release is version 3.1.1.

Palm OS 3.2 adds Web Clipping support, which is an early Palm-specific solution to bring web-content to a small PDA screen. It was introduced with the Palm VII organizer.

Palm OS 3.3 adds faster HotSync speeds and the ability to do infrared hotsyncing. It was introduced with the Palm Vx organizer.

Palm OS 3.5 is the first version to include native 8-bit color support. It also adds major convenience features that simplify operation, like a context-sensitive icon-bar or simpler menu activation. The datebook application is extended with an additional agenda view. This version was first introduced with the Palm IIIc device.^[17] The latest bugfix release is version 3.5.3.

As a companion, Palm later offered a Mobile Internet Kit software upgrade for Palm OS 3.5.^[18] This included Palm's Web Clipping software, MultiMail (which was later renamed to VersaMail) Version 2.26 e-mail software, handPHONE Version 1.3 SMS software, and Neomar Version 1.5 WAP browser.

Palm OS 4.0[edit]

Palm OS 4.0 was released with the new Palm m500 series on March 19, 2001.^[19] This version adds a standard interface for external file system access (such as SD cards). External file systems are a radical change to the operating system's previous in-place execution. Now, application code and data need to be loaded into the device's RAM, similar to desktop operating system behavior. A new Universal Connector with USB support is introduced. The previous optional Mobile Internet Kit is now part of the operating system. Version 4.0 adds an attention manager to coordinate information from different applications, with several possibilities to get the user's attention, including sound, LED blinking or vibration. 16-bit color screens and different time zones are supported. This version also has security and UI enhancements.

Palm OS 4.1 is a bugfix release. It was introduced with the launch of the Palm i705. The later minor OS update to version 4.1.2 includes a backport of Graffiti 2 from Palm OS 5.2.

Palm OS 4.2 Simplified Chinese Edition is targeted especially for the Chinese market with fully Simplified Chinese support, co-released with Palm OS 5.3. No device has been manufactured with this version up to now.

Palm OS 5.0[edit]

Palm OS 5.0 was unveiled by the Palm subsidiary PalmSource in June 2002^[20] and first implemented on the Palm Tungsten T. It is the first version to support ARM devices and replaced the Kadak AMX68000 kernel with the custom MCK kernel, named for its developer, that was written in-house by Palm.^[21] Applications written for the prior OS versions use the older DragonBall 68K instruction set and are supported via the Palm Application Compatibility Environment (PACE) emulator in Garnet. Even with the additional overhead of PACE, Palm applications usually run faster on ARM devices than on previous generation hardware. New software can take advantage of the ARM processors with small units of ARM code, referred to as ARMlets.

With a more powerful hardware basis, Palm OS 5 adds substantial enhancements for multimedia capabilities. High density 320x320 screens are supported together with a full digital sound playback and record API. Palm's separate Bluetooth stack is added together with an IEEE 802.11b Wi-Fi stack. Secure network connections over SSL are supported. The OS can be customized with different color schemes.

For Palm OS 5, PalmSource developed and licensed a web browser called PalmSource Web Browser^[22] based on ACCESS' NetFront3.0 browser.

Palm OS 5.2 is mainly a bugfix release, first implemented in the Samsung SGH-i500 in March 2003.^[23] It added support for 480x320 resolutions and introduced the new handwriting input system called Graffiti 2; the new input system was prompted by Xerox' lawsuit winagainst Palm. Graffiti 2 is based on Jot from CIC. The last bugfix release is version 5.2.8.

Palm OS 5.3 Simplified Chinese Edition released in September 2003, added full Simplified Chinese support,^[24] further support for QVGA resolutions, and a standard API for virtual Graffiti called Dynamic Input Area. This version first shipped on Lenovo's P100 and P300 handhelds.^[25]

Palm OS Garnet (5.4) added updated Bluetooth libraries and support for multiple screen resolutions ranging from 160x160 up to 480x320. It first shipped on the Treo 650 in November 2004. This version also introduced the Garnet moniker to distinguish it from Palm OS Cobalt 6.0. The last bugfix release is version 5.4.9.

Garnet OS 5.5 dropped the Palm moniker^[26] and, as of 2007, is the current version developed by ACCESS. This version is dedicated for use inside the Garnet VM virtual machine.

Garnet VM was announced and released by ACCESS in November 2007^[27] as a core part of the Access Linux Platform and as an emulator allowing Nokia Internet Tablets to run applications written for the Garnet OS. In June 2010, ACCESS release Garnet VM version 6 (a.k.a. Garnet VM Beta 6 1.05b).^[28]

Palm OS Cobalt[edit]

Palm OS Cobalt (6.0) was the designated successor for Palm OS 5. It was introduced on February 10, 2004,^[29] but is no longer offered by ACCESS (see next section). Palm OS 6.0 was renamed to Palm OS Cobalt to make clear that this version was initially not designated to replace Palm OS 5, which adopted the name Palm OS Garnet at the same time.

Palm OS Cobalt introduced modern operating system features to an embedded operating system based on a new kernel with multitasking and memory protection, a modern multimedia and graphic framework (derived from Palm's acquired BeOS), new security features, and adjustments of the PIM file formats to better cooperate with Microsoft Outlook.

Palm OS Cobalt 6.1^[30] presented standard communication libraries for telecommunication, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity. Despite other additions, it failed to interest potential licensees to Palm OS Cobalt.

Third-party OS enhancements[edit]

Several licensees have made custom modifications to the operating system. These are not part of the official licensed version.

• Palm developed a Bluetooth API for external Bluetooth SDIO Cards for Palm OS 4.0 devices. The Bluetooth stack was later included in Palm OS 5^[31]
• Palm added a virtual graffiti input area API especially for their Tungsten T3 device. This API was later superseded by the official Dynamic Input Area API in Palm OS 5.3.
• Palm added the Non-Volatile File System in Palm OS 5.4, and used Flash for storage instead of DRAM, preventing data-loss in the event of battery drain. However, this fundamentally changed the way programs were executed from the Execute-in-Place system that Palm OS traditionally used, and has been the source of many compatibility problems, requiring many applications to add explicit NVFS support for correct operation.
• For their camera-equipped devices, Palm added the CameraLib API.
• Sony added a library to support JogDial input available on their CLIÉ organizers.

Modernization[edit]

For several years, PalmSource had been attempting to create a modern successor for Palm OS 5 and have licensees implement it. Although PalmSource shipped Palm OS Cobalt 6.0 to licensees in January 2004, none adopted it for release devices. PalmSource made major improvements to Palm OS Cobalt with the release of Palm OS Cobalt 6.1 in September 2004 to please licensees, but even the new version did not lead to production devices.

In December 2004, PalmSource announced a new OS strategy. With the acquisition of the mobile phone software company China Mobilesoft, PalmSource planned to port Palm OS on top of a Linux kernel, while still offering both Palm OS Garnet and Palm OS Cobalt.^[32] This strategy was revised in June 2005, when still no device with Palm OS Cobalt was announced. PalmSource announced it was halting all development efforts on any product not directly related to its future Linux based platform.^[33]

With the acquisition of PalmSource by ACCESS, Palm OS for Linux was changed to become the Access Linux Platform which was first announced in February 2006.^[34] The initial versions of the platform and software development kits for the Access Linux Platform were officially released in February 2007.^[35] As of January 2011, the Access Linux Platform had then yet to ship on any devices, however development kits then existed and public demonstrations had been showcased.

Palm, Inc. the main licensee of Palm OS Garnet did not license Access Linux Platform for their own devices. Instead, Palm developed another Linux-based operating system called Palm webOS.^[36] On February 11, 2009, Palm CEO Ed Colligan said there would be no additional Palm OS devices (excepting the Centro being released to other carriers). Palm was focusing on Palm webOS and Windows Mobile devices.^[37] On April 1, 2009, Palm announced the availability of a Palm OS emulator for its webOS.^[38]

Built-in applications[edit]

Palm OS licensees decide which applications are included on their Palm OS devices. Licensees can also customize the applications.

Standard Palm OS applications[edit]

Note: On the newer models, the standard PIM apps "Address", "Date Book", "Memo Pad" and "ToDos" were replaced by their improved counterparts "Contacts", "Calendar", "Memos" and "Tasks".

The Palm's Address program stores contact information, keyed by any of several user-definable categories. Entries are displayed and sorted in last name, first name order (this can be changed only to Company, Last Name order). There are five slots for phone or e-mail, each of which may be designated Work, Home, Fax, Other, E-mail, Main, Pager or Mobile (the slot designations cannot be changed) The newer Contacts app adds the following features: several addresses, 9 new fields: Website, Birthday, More phone numbers, Instant Messaging with quick connect.

Calculator as seen on Palm OS 4.1

Calc turns the Palm into a standard 4-function pocket calculator with three shades of purple and blue buttons contrasting with the two red clear buttons. It supports square root and percent keys and has one memory.

It also has an option to display a running history of the calculations, much like the paper-tape calculators that were once common.

Date Book

Date Book shows a daily or weekly schedule, or a simple monthly view. The daily schedule has one line per hour, between user-selected begin and end times. Clicking on an empty line creates a new event. Empty lines are crowded out by actual events, whose start and stop times are shown by default bracketed in the left margin. The newer Calendar app adds the following features: New Day view, use of categories for events, event location, event can span midnight, event details, birthdays as timeless events. It supports time zone designation for events, a feature lacking in some more recent competitors.

An event, or appointment, can be heralded by an alarm, any number of minutes, hours or days before it begins. These alarms sound even when the unit is switched off.

Appointments can recur in a specified number of days, weeks, months or years and can contain notes.

Expense tracks common business expenses. No totals are calculated on the Palm. The user must sync with a host computer and view the expense data in a worksheet (templates for Microsoft Excel are supplied).

HotSync

HotSync integrates with the user's PC. Usually activated by a press of the physical HotSync button on the Palm's cradle (a dock station), this application communicates with various conduits on the desktop PC to install software, backup databases, or merge changes made on the PC or the handheld to both devices. It can communicate with the PC through a physical connection (USB on newer models), Bluetooth or IrDA wireless connections, and direct network connections on devices with networking capability.

In addition to the conduits provided by the licensee, developers can create their own conduits for integration with other Palm OS applications and desktop products. For example, a time tracking package could provide a conduit to communicate information between Palm OS and Windows executables.

A Backup conduit included with the HotSync software backs up (and restores, if necessary) most of the data on a Palm OS device. This allows users to hard reset their Palm—thus clearing all of the data—with few noticeable consequences. This also allows users to migrate to new Palm devices of the same Palm OS version, a feature that is helpful to those who lose or damage their device.

Some models of Palm keep their data storage in volatile memory and require constant power to maintain their memory. Although these handhelds attempt to save the contents of memory in low battery situations by not "turning on," leaving a "dead" handheld for an extended period of time can cause this reserve power to be used up and the contents of storage memory to be lost. Some later Palms use NVRAM or microdrive for storage.

Memo Pad can hold notes of up to 4,000 characters each; the newer Memos app increases field size from 3 to 30 kB. Memos are ordered in two ways: alphabetically, and manually (which allows the user to choose the order of the memos), and memos can be grouped in user-configurable categories. Memo Pad is for text only, not for drawings, and text can be entered using the Graffiti alphabet, using hardware or software keyboards, or using the 'paste' function. When Palm devices first became available, some Palm users started to create and exchange Memo Pad documents containing generally useful information, which came to be known as Memoware.

To Do list

To do list creates personal reminders and prioritizes the things the user has to do. Each To Do List item may also have: a priority, categories (to organize and view items in logical groups), attached Note (to add more description and clarification of the task). 
To Do List item can be sorted by: due date, priority or category The newer Tasks app features the following improvements: new interface, repeating tasks, alarms, etc.

Preferences (also referred to as Prefs) shows program files with a special preference panel type which are not shown by the normal launcher. Programs can be changed by switching the 'appl' type to 'panl' and vice versa. Palm OS contains approximately 15 preference panels by default and new preference panels can be added just like any other application.

Preference panels allow users to manage a number of settings, including Graffiti settings, sound settings, text shortcuts, network settings and the system time.

Security (which is a panel on newer Palm OS devices) is used to configure Palm OS's security settings. These include the password needed to display hidden records and unlock the device when locked, as well as set up an automatic lockdown time or inactivity threshold. On the PC, only Palm Desktop honors this password but other PC programs can view everything—in other words, all the data protected by this password can be seen by anyone opening the .dat files using a text editor or word processor.

Common third-party core OS applications[edit]

Starting with Palm OS version 5.2, Palm created customized versions of the common PIM application. Some new features have been added, e.g. support for Address categories, Ringtone associations to users, longer memo texts, etc.. They were also renamed to reflect designations from Microsoft Outlook, thus Address became Contacts, Datebook became Calendar, Memo Pad became Memos and To do list became Tasks.

Blazer is a web browser for Palm handhelds. The versions 1.0 and 2.0 run on Palm OS 3.1 or higher handhelds, but they needed a proxy server which has been shut down, so they can no longer be used. Version 3.0 is used on the Treo 600 smartphone. The current version of Blazer is Blazer 4.5, which is compliant with most major standards. It is generally bundled with newer smartphones and newer Palm devices capable of accessing the Internet.

Note Pad

Palm's Note Pad can be used for quick drawings. With neat handwriting, 20–30 words will fit on one page; for more text, Memo Pad is the better choice. There are three sizes of pen width, plus an eraser and a background color change feature in some models. It is possible to draw a very simple map. The more "advanced" desktop version saves the Memo pad drawings to the desktop.

As of 2006, most new Palm handhelds include Photos, which creates a digital photo album used to view pictures on a Palm OS device. As with all the other photo programs, photos can be beamed to other mobile devices. Each photo can be labeled and organized into separate photo albums. A slideshow can also be shown for a specific album, and each photo in the album will be shown full screen.

Photos can be edited with the Palm Photos PC software (Windows only), and when the photos are transferred to the handheld they will contain all changes made to the photo.

The Palm Photos software is available in the Zire 71, Tungsten C, Tungsten E, Tungsten T2, Tungsten T3 and several others.

With the support for Video, Palm Photos was later renamed to Media and even later to Pics& Videos.

Some models feature the ability to make voice recordings which are synced using the Voice conduit and can be viewed on a desktop with the Voice Memo application which is part of the Palm Desktop Suite.

Third-party applications[edit]

There are many successful applications that can be installed on a Palm OS device. As of 2008, there were more than 50,000 third-party applications available for the Palm OS platform,^[39] which have various licensing types, including open-source, and various closed licensing schemes such as freeware,^[40] shareware, and traditional pay-up-front purchase.

HackMaster is an extension manager for Palm OS^[41] that includes several patches improving OS features. Other third party OS extensions also require HackMaster to work.^[42]

In November 2022, the Internet Archive launched 565 Palm OS applications in its archives that can be accessed through a browser. The applications also launch CloudpilotEmu, an emulator for the PalmPilot Palm OS, when accessed.^[43]

Application development[edit]

Palm OS Garnet applications are primarily coded in C/C++. Two officially supported compilers exist: a commercial product, CodeWarriorDevelopment Studio for Palm OS, and an open source tool chain called prc-tools, based on an old version of gcc. CodeWarrior is criticized for being expensive and is no longer being developed, whereas PRC-Tools lacks several of CodeWarrior's features. A version of PRC-Tools is included in a free Palm OS Developer Suite (PODS).

OnBoardC is a C compiler, assembler, linker and programming editor that runs on the Palm itself.

Palm OS Cobalt applications are also coded in a variation of gcc, but the Cobalt compilers have fewer limitations.

There are development tools available for Palm programming that do not require low-level programming in C/C++, such as PocketC/PocketC Architect, CASL, AppForge Crossfire (which uses Visual Basic, Visual Basic .NET, or C#), Handheld Basic, Pendragon Forms, Satellite Forms and NSBasic/Palm (Visual Basic like languages). A Java Virtual Machine was previously available for the Palm OS platform, however on 12 January 2008, Palm, Inc. announced that it would no longer be available. Palm, Inc. further said "There is no alternate Java Virtual Machine that we are aware of for Palm OS."^[44] Waba and a derivative of it, SuperWaba, provide a Java-like virtual machine and programming language. A version of the Lua language, called Plua, is also available for Palm; however, due to the fact that it requires an additional runtime to be installed along with the application, it is only used for mainstream applications by a minority of software companies. Quartus Forth is an ISO/ANSI Standard Forth compiler that runs on the Palm itself. It also has an interactive console for dynamic development and debugging.

Three environments allow programming in Pascal for Palm OS. The free PP Compiler runs directly on the handheld computer, while PocketStudio is a Delphi-like IDE for Windows Computers that has a visual form designer and generates PRC files for being transferred to handhelds via HotSync. The third option was HSPascal, developed by Danish developer Christen Fihl, based on his experience with the High Speed Pascal compiler for various 16-bit computer systems, including the Commodore Amiga.

As Palm has no connection drivers that enable the transfer of data with a server DBMS (Oracle, mySQL, MS SQL Server), the programmer can use Middleware software that enables this connectivity.

A roughly R4RS-compatible implementation of Scheme, LispMe, provides the Palm platform with a GPL-licensed onboard Lisp REPLwith some Palm OS-specific adaptations, but although it is functionally a compiler it does not produce code that operates outside the development environment, so its use is restricted to prototyping.

Legal issues[edit]

Palm OS has been involved in various lawsuits over the years.

• Xerox vs. Palm Computing (1997) – In 1997, Xerox was granted U.S. Patent 5,596,656 covering the "Unistroke" input system developed by David Goldberg, Xerox PARC in 1993.^[45] Xerox filed suit against Palm (then U.S. Robotics), alleging that Palm's Graffiti infringed on this patent. The Palm OS switch from Graffiti 1 to Graffiti 2 was triggered in part by Palm losing this lawsuit to Xerox. The patent was invalidated in May 2004 due to prior art developed at Bell Laboratories in 1982.^[46][47]
• Pilot Pen Corporation vs. Palm Computing (1998) – The original name for Palm OS handhelds was Pilot. However, a lawsuit from Pilot Pen Corporation forced a name change^[48] to PalmPilot, then eventually to Palm.^{[citation needed]}
• Palm vs. Microsoft (1998) – In 1998, Microsoft planned to name the next version of their handheld computing platform "Palm PC". Palm filed suit against Microsoft, forcing the name change to, first, Palm-sized PC, and later, Pocket PC.^{[citation needed]}
• E-Pass Technologies vs. Palm, Microsoft and HP (2000) – In 2000, E-Pass Technologies filed suit against Palm, alleging that its handhelds infringed on an E-Pass's patent (#5,276,311) for a multi-function, credit card-sized computer that allows users to securely store account numbers, PIN codes, etc.
• NCR vs. Handspring and Palm (2001) – In 1987, NCR was granted a patent for a portable e-commerce terminal. In 2001, NCR sued Handspring and Palm. This case was ruled without merit in 2002, a decision that was upheld on appeal.^{[citation needed]}
• RIM vs. Handspring (2002) – In 2002, Research In Motion (makers of the BlackBerry), sued Handspring. By year end, both Handspring and Palm licensed the patents and the suit was dropped.^{[citation needed]}
• Peer-to-Peer Systems vs. Palm (2002) – Also in 2002, Peer-to-Peer systems filed lawsuit against Palm that alleges Palm infringed on its patent for wireless gaming. This lawsuit was settled as of February 9, 2005.^{[citation needed]}
• Forgent Networks vs. HP, Toshiba, palmOne, etc., etc. (2004) – Starting in 2002, Forgent Networks began offering licenses for a patent that encumbers JPEG. In 2004, it filed suit against various companies, including palmOne. The JPEG or 672 patent has been reviewed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which has rejected 19 of the 47 claims based on prior art.^[49]

See also[edit]

• Access Linux Platform, planned successor of the Palm OS
• Graffiti (Palm OS)
• List of Palm OS devices, includes emulators
• Memoware
• Palm, Inc.
• Palm Desktop
• Palm webOS
• PalmSource, Inc.

DeveloperPalm, Inc., ACCESS (Garnet OS)Written inC++OS familyPalm OSWorking stateDiscontinued since 2009^[1]Source modelClosed-sourceInitial release1996; 27 years agoLatest releaseGarnet OS 5.4.9 / October 14, 2007; 16 years agoAvailable inEnglish, French, Japanese and morePlatformsARM 
Motorola 68kLicenseProprietary EULAOfficial websiteGarnet OSSupport statusUnsupported