PalmSource, the software licensing business of Palm, Inc., has provided licensees with a web browser compatible with the latest version of its operating system. The browser supports HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0, Dynamic HTML, cHTML, DOM Level 1 and Level 2, CSS, and ECMA Script. Users can toggle JavaScript and image downloads to improve performance over mobile networks.
PalmSource worked with Access, the Japanese company which supplies browsing technology for the majority of i-Mode handsets, to develop the browser for its ARM-compliant platform. It operates without a proxy server, unlike Palm’s previous web clipping technology, and is intended to display both traditional web-sites and content optimised for mobile devices. Licensees have already received the standard components of Palm OS 5 and are expected to announce new devices in the near future.
“We have seen a rapid growth in the number of mobile internet users and believe that with improved web browsing capability, we will attract an even larger audience for wireless handhelds and smart phones,” said Steve Sakoman, chief product officer of PalmSource, Inc. “Our new proxy-less browser takes advantage of the performance of the ARM processor and leverages market-proven technology from ACCESS to bring a new level of browsing functionality to Palm OS 5 users.”