PalmSource Unveils Smartphone Reference Designs with Cobalt and TI Processors

PalmSource and Texas Instruments have created two Palm OS Cobalt reference designs running on TI's OMAP processors.

These will help Palm OS licensees more quickly create smartphones for use on GSM/GPRS and EDGE networks.

The Operating System

Palm OS Cobalt, the latest version of the Palm OS, is designed to speed development of new categories of smartphones and other wireless devices by offering support for telephony features, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

It also includes other advanced features such as multitasking and multithreading, memory protection, support for more memory and larger screens, industry-standard security, plus advanced graphics and multimedia features.

PalmSource gave the first version of Cobalt to its licensees at the beginning of last year, and released an upgraded version last fall. Nevertheless, no handhelds or smartphones running Cobalt have yet been announced.

The Processors

TI's OMAP730 GSM/GPRS and OMAP850 EDGE processors integrate TI's digital baseband modem and a dedicated application processor into a single-chip solution.

The OMAP730 processor delivers high-performance application processing while reducing overall system cost by integrating dozens of peripheral functions.

OMAP processors are very widely used in mobile phones, and have appeared in many Palm OS models in the past.

"Adding support for Palm OS Cobalt further enhances the OMAP platform and creates opportunities for mobile device manufacturers to quickly transition their Palm OS device from concept into production," said Richard Kerslake, OMAP worldwide general manager for Cellular Systems at Texas Instruments.

PalmSource and TI will demonstrate Palm OS Cobalt running on TI OMAP technology during 3GSM World Congress, taking place next week in Cannes, France.

Related Links

• No Palm OS Cobalt Devices Until 2006?
• PalmSource Takes the Wraps Off Palm OS Cobalt 6.1
• Brighthand's First Impressions of Palm OS Cobalt