PalmSource Launched Palm Powered MobileWorld

"There's an enormous amount of innovation in this [mobile] space," said Nagle. "Where people are beginning to make money with it is in the area of smart mobile devices, so we think this is a very powerful model going forward."

The new program, said Nagle, is designed to connect mobile operators, infrastructure providers and software developers. Mobile and wireless solution providers are not yet included in the program, said Nagle, but plans include bringing other channel partners into the fold as the new program moves forward.

The goal for the moment is to make Palm OS the preferred service-ready platform for smart mobile devices by collaborating with mobile operators to jointly plan Palm OS platform development efforts. Nagle also said mobile operators would work with PalmSource to create a catalog of software titles for over-the-air (OTA) delivery to Palm Powered smart phones.

The new MobileWorld catalog, also announced Monday during Comdex, is expected to draw from more than 20,000 Palm OS software titles tailored to both consumer and enterprise markets and providing the opportunity to increase average revenue and average margin per user by selling Palm Powered smart mobile devices with a MobileWorld catalog of software applications.

In a separate announcement, Nagle announced Sprint as its first charter mobile operator partner in the Palm Powered MobileWorld program. Jason Guesman, director of marketing for Sprint's PCS Division, said the Palm OS is core to a longstanding effort to merge PDA operating systems with phone capabilities.

"All the key building blocks are now in place, and the power of these devices is only now really beginning to be unlocked," said Guesman.

Guesman said many of the barriers, such as confusion surrounding kilobyte pricing for smart phones has been replaced with simpler solutions, such as flat rate pricing.