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Designing Products for Palm OS® |
Palm, Inc. is the leader and standard bearer in the handheld market. Building on the experiments and near misses of predecessors, Palm introduced the first handheld device to achieve resounding success in the marketplace. Several years later, we at PalmSource, the software spin-off of Palm, Inc., continue to produce the operating system that runs on the best handhelds in the world. We also proudly develop, upgrade, and distribute the premier operating system for handheld devices. The Palm OS® is the platform for a whole family of Palm-Powered™ products, including many fine devices from other companies that license the Palm OS. With a market share of 80%, the Palm OS platform is the first choice of any developer who wishes to reach the widest customer base of handheld owners in the world. If you are a developer interested in writing applications for the Palm OS platform, you should be aware of the diversity of Palm-Powered devices that make up this market. They start, of course, with the Personal Digital Assistants that help customers organize their personal data, including address book, datebook, to do list, and notes. Wireless devices are the newest frontier, combining the advantages of a PDA plus wireless connectivity to E-mail and the internet. Wireless products include the Palm™ VII series and smart phones. Beyond these more familiar devices, there are successful products like the inventory readers with scanner attachments from Symbol and scientific and medical instruments that use the Palm OS. PalmSource, Inc. achieved this unrivalled level of adoption by developing design philosophies and practices that enable the creation of breakthrough products. From the beginning, our design has been guided by utility, portability, and focus. These principles are an essential part of the culture, not just a catchy bit of differentiation. And they apply equally to hardware and software. In fact, at PalmSource we try to integrate the two so completely that users don't even need to think about the difference. If you are a developer, your applications can blend in seamlessly with the Palm OS platform. To achieve this integration, start with same design philosophies and methods we use at PalmSource. At first, you may find the principles a little unfamiliar, especially if you have been developing for PCs or laptops. But that makes sense. After all, a handheld is not a PC! By designing the PalmSource way, you will learn to develop applications for a new and exciting kind of electronic device. The challenges and rewards will be new, too. You are entering the world of handhelds. Additional Resources• Documentation PalmSource publishes its latest versions of this and other documents for Palm OS developers at http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/docs/ • Training PalmSource and its partners host training classes for Palm OS developers. For topics and schedules, check http://www.palmos.com/dev/training • Knowledge Base The Knowledge Base is a fast, web-based database of technical information. Search for frequently asked questions (FAQs), sample code, white papers, and the development documentation at http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/kb/ |
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