A release of the upcoming Palm OS 5 will feature a "traditional" Web browser to enable users to access the whole of the Web, said Steve Sakoman, chief product officer of PalmSource, Palm's operating system division. PalmSource is licensing the browser from a third party that he declined to name.
Currently, users of wireless Palm devices access specially created Web sites that are part of the company's Palm.net network. The information on these sites is formatted using Palm's Web clipping technology, which eliminates unneeded graphical elements and optimizes the resulting page for the Palm's small screen. Some Palm OS licensees, such as Handspring Inc. with its Blazer browser, let users access the Internet through a proxy server.
By contrast, Sakoman said Palm OS 5 users should expect a browser more closely aligned with the operating system. "We will be shipping a Web browser with the platform later this year that will allow people to run wild on the World Wide Web. Unlike HandSpring's Blazer, it will not be proxy-based," he said.
News source: PC World Australia
