Palm Makes TechXNY Enterprise Splash

NEW YORK — Handheld computer maker Palm
hogged the spotlight at the
TechXNY/PC Expo show Wednesday, announcing a major
enterprise-focused push that includes a deal to create
a standard Java interface to run on the Palm OS
platform.

The company’s PalmSource OS subsidiary has inked a
deal with Insignia Solutions to push Java capabilities
for Palm developers and customers in the consumer,
wireless and enterprise markets.

PalmSource also announced a pact with ACCESS Systems America to build a proxyless
browser to the new Palm OS 5 platform, a product offering full-featured security for business clients.

A separate deal with SafeNet to make an evaluation
version of SoftRemotePDA’s Virtual Private Network
(VPN) client for Palm OS available to licensees
rounded out the slew of morning announcements from the
Santa Clara, Calif.-based firm.

Immediately after the announcements, PalmSource CEO David Nagel delivered a keynote here, touting the enterprise push as another sign of the company’s commitment to innovation and growth in the corporate arena.

“These are all part of the expansion of the new OS 5 platform. We’re adding tools and functionality and broad support for Web and wireless standards,” Nagel raved.

Palm, which competes with Research in Motion , Handspring and
Microsoft for market share in the
handheld space, said the B2B software push was aimed
squarely at IT managers that deploy Palm-powered
products within corporations.

It said the Insignia deal would integrate the J2ME
standard with the PDA Profile (JSR-75)
set of Java APIs, promoted by PalmSource. It’s all
aimed at providing Java capabilities for developers
and customers in the consumer, wireless and enterprise
markets.

Palm said it would also partner with ACCESS Systems to
push core technology the NetFront browser for use in
the new proxyless Palm OS 5 Web browser and will work
with PalmSource on future versions.

The company’s recently-shipped
Os 5 platform is fitted with a Web browser that
provides secure transactions via SSL and
supports Internet standards that include the latest
W3C specifications, HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0, dynamic
HTML, and ECMA Script (JavaScript).

The Palm announcements, which comes a day after rival
RIM made
an enterprise splash of its own, includes a deal
to launch an evaluation version of SafeNet’s
SoftRemotePDA that allows a licensee to develop and
test VPN functionality and interoperability by
tunneling back to a SafeNet server.

Separately, Palm has promoted Todd Bradley to serve as
CEO of its Palm Solutions Group, part of its makeover
that splits the company into two separate
subsidiaries.

Bradley was bumped up from the President/COO slot and
Palm said he would also take a seat on its board of
directors.