| Features |
Palm OS 4 |
Palm OS 5 |
| Processor support |
As a 16-bit OS, it supports the Motorola 68000 series chips. Currently, all Palm devices are powered by a Dragonball processor.
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Will support ARM-based processors from companies like Motorola, Intel, and Texas Instruments. This means that processing power of 32-bit OS 5 handhelds can run 2 to 20 times faster than current devices. |
| Backward compatibility |
Software for older versions, if written properly, will be able to run on OS 4 devices.
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To protect investment in older software, OS 5 supports the Application Programming Interface (API) of OS 4. So the new OS will be able to run software that is fully compliant with OS 4.
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| Hacks |
Hacks are software designed by third-party developers to add new features to the operating system. Hacks work on OS 4 but rely on unsupported programming interfaces.
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Current hacks, in general, will not be supported in OS 5. However, there may be other ways to create hacks for the new OS. |
| Security |
Basic security available include locking the device and hiding records. However, there's no support for stronger 128-bit encryption except through third-party solutions. |
OS 5 will have robust security options and offer a system-wide 128-bit encryption, including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) services for secure Internet transactions, as a standard feature. Previously, Palm mentioned that a new authorization and authentication manager will allow various methods of restricting access and identification via biometric verfication (voice, fingerprints or handwriting) and smart cards. Apparently, none of these are built into OS 5 but Palm says that third-party developers will be able to build these solutions.
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| Wireless support |
OS 4 has drivers and APIs that support wireless connectivity via Bluetooth, GSM, CDMA, and 2.5G/3G networks. |
OS 5 extends the native support to include 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless networks. |
| Graphics user interface (GUI) |
Screen resolution of 160 x 160 pixels is standard for OS 4. Sony, however, was able to tweak the OS such that it supports 320 x 320 pixels on the CLIEs. User interface is consistant with previous versions of the Palm OS.
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Screen resolution in multiples of 160 x 160-pixels, such as 320 x 320 and 480 x 480, are supported. There is no native support for other screen aspect rations, such as the QVGA 320x240 offered on the HandEra 330. Enhancements to fonts, icons, graphics and other user interface elements will be made to take advantage of this feature. The OS is also now "theme-able" and different color themes are included.
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| Multimedia |
Weak support for audio and video files.
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Video and audio capabilities improved with a new set of APIs that developers can harness to deliver multimedia apps and solutions. While there is no built-in video subsystem, the new processors should allow third-party developers to create better video playback software.
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| Web browsing |
No built-in Web browser. However, third-party solutions are available.
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PalmSource will provide a new, standards-compliant browser for OS 5. Palm's current Web browser requires a proxy server to adapt Web pages for the Palm's small screen. By the time OS 5 ships, Palm expects to have a Web browser that doesn't need a proxy server to transcode Web content.
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