Hope for the Treo
Posted by marshall Thu, 23 Feb 2006 11:03:00 GMT
I was going to title this, "Palm OS is Dead, Long Live the 'Access Linux Platform'", but then I discovered that someone already used it. Ah well.
As expected, ACCESS has killed off Palm OS Cobalt, destroying all hopes that I once had of owning a Treo with an advanced Palm OS. But it turns out that what they're replacing it with inspires far more hope than Cobalt ever did. ACCESS has announced the ACCESS Linux Platform (ALP), which boasts the following among its many promised features:
- Full standard Linux kernel
- User interface library based on GTK+
- "MAX" application framework built from the ground up for smartphones
- Modular GStreamer media framework
- Embedded SQLite database engine
- ACCESS NetFront browser
- Messaging and telephony software from PalmSource
- Runs existing (well-written) Palm OS applications unchanged
This answers just about every complaint that I had about the Treo. The Linux-based OS means the Treo will finally gain desperately needed stability and full multitasking. The new designed-for-smartphone application framework means that the five-way navigator will no longer be a second-class input citizen, and the support for softkeys should eliminate the button confusion on the Treo (which, after spending some confusion-free time with S60 lately, I am attributing to the lack of a solid "Back" button). And full Bluetooth 2.0 support is being built in, right from the beginning.
On top of all these "fixes", the new platform further improves upon the many things I liked about the Treo. The compatibility with Palm OS applications means that a huge library of existing software will be immediately available, while the use of GTK+ for new applications will encourage Linux programmers to apply their existing knowledge to creating new software. I'm hoping that the implementation of the PalmSource messaging system means that the Treo's excellent SMS "chat" view will be carried over. And then there's the built-in media framework, the SQLite engine (same as is bundled with OS X), and the improved browser (NetFront is widely regarded as one of the best browsers available for handhelds). All in all, a very promising platform.
The trouble, of course, is that it's still just promised. They're saying it will be out around the end of the year -- I guess that's just the happenin' time for OS releases, with Leopard and Vista scheduled for release around then as well -- but even if they make that self-imposed deadline, Palm never showed much interest in Cobalt, and it remains to be seen if this new platform winds up in a future Treo. If it does, it's probably still two years away.
But oh...an ALP-based Treo with a GoForce, an internal antenna, a P990-style jog wheel, built-in wi-fi, and a 4 MP camera...it's all more than doable by that time. What a wonderful dream.
