PalmSource, Good Technology team up
Palm's software group and start-up Good Technology unite to take on Research In Motion and attract more interest from large businesses.
Palm announced on its Web site late Wednesday that PalmSource will work with Good Technology to bring Good's wireless synchronization software, called GoodLink, to the Palm operating system. Good's software lets customers wirelessly access e-mail and corporate data from a handheld device. PalmSource develops software for portable devices, most notably the operating system on Palm handhelds.
"This alliance provides our licensees with another valuable enterprise service that promotes cost savings," PalmSource Chief Executive David Nagel said in a release.
Both companies have been working to attract more business from the enterprise market, which analysts have noted is a major growth opportunity for handheld makers. However, large companies have been slow to adopt handhelds. The Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM has been relatively successful in garnering interest from big business, but even it has only 355,000 subscribers as of June 1.
Good Technology and RIM are in the process of suing each other over patents.
PalmSource also announced late Wednesday that consumer electronics giant Samsung Electronics has renewed its Palm OS license through 2005. Samsung uses Palm OS to develop smartphones, which combine the capabilities of a handheld and a cell phone. Samsung began licensing the OS in 2000.
The handheld maker is in the process of raising additional funding to complete the separation of the two units.