Wacom Joins Palm OS Ready Program
SUNNYVALE, CA, DATE, 2005-- PalmSource, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSRC), provider of Palm OS®, a leading operating system powering next generation phones and mobile devices, and WACOM Co. Ltd, creators of advanced inductive pen sensing technology, today announced Wacom's entry into the Palm OS Ready Program (POSR) to deliver improved mobile interface solutions to Palm OS licensees. Wacom Components joins existing Palm OS Ready partners ATI, Intel, M-Systems, Motorola, NVIDIA, Samsung Semiconductor, SyChip and Texas Instruments.
By joining the Palm OS Ready Program, Wacom's Penabled™ pen-based interface technology will be certified to be Palm OS compatible. Certified POSR solutions can free up valuable development time for Palm OS licensees, offering faster time-to-market for new and unique Palm Powered™ phones and other wireless devices.
Wacom's Penabled technology provides a simple, easy to use, pen-based method of accessing and manipulating information and applications on mobile devices. Its advanced feature set enables new interface functions such as application zooming, flight point feature and digital signature recognition through increased pressure sensitivity, greater input area and more accurate input control. It also enables the easy manipulation of different applications and the ability to switch smoothly between them. Additionally, as the sensor is embedded behind the display, it ensures the display is more durable, achieves 100% luminous light transmission and eliminates color wash.
"Successful deployment of revenue-generating data applications on next generation mobile devices will rely on navigation and information access that is simple and straightforward," said
Masahiko Yamada, CEO, WACOM Co. Ltd. "By joining forces with PalmSource, a leading provider of operating system software for mobile devices, we are enabling its licensees to deliver differentiated devices that both increase uptake of new applications and truly meet consumer needs for usability and ease of use."
"We are pleased to welcome Wacom to the POSR program and to leverage the Company's expertise in user interface solutions for mobile devices," said David Nagel, president and CEO of PalmSource. "As a POSR partner, Wacom will enable Palm OS hardware manufacturers to efficiently bring to market Palm Powered phones and other wireless devices that deliver an enhanced user experience.
Launched in July 2001, the Palm OS Ready Program allows industry-leading component providers to drive faster innovation of Palm Powered devices and foster growth throughout the Palm Powered Economy. Combining access to key components of Palm OS technology with in-depth technical training and resources, the Palm OS Ready Program provides silicon and peripheral providers the ability to deliver more complete solutions to the Palm OS licensee community enabling Palm OS licensees to bring innovative and differentiated Palm Powered mobile devices to market faster and more efficiently. For more information on the Palm OS Ready Program, visit www.palmsource.com/about/os_ready.html.
Founded in 1983, Wacom® is the world's leading manufacturer of pen tablets and interactive pen displays with over 2,000,000 customers worldwide using its cordless, battery-free, pressure-sensitive pen technology for digital content creation. Wacom's patented electromagnetic resonance technology, called Penabled®, is also offered as an OEM solution to manufacturers of PC and Macintosh computers. Many of today's tablet PCs count on the advanced features and reliability of Penabled technology for pen input. In the future, Penabled technology will play a leading role in the development of such mobile devices as smart phones and PDAs.
Wacom is a global company with its parent company, Wacom Company Ltd, based in Japan and subsidiaries in North America (Wacom Technology Corporation), Europe (Wacom Europe GmbH) and China (Wacom China).
PalmSource, Inc., the company behind Palm OS®, a leading operating system powering smart mobile devices, is a leading developer of software for mobile phones and other mobile devices. Its products include a wide range of software for mobile phones at all price points. More than 39 million mobile phones, handhelds, and other mobile devices run PalmSource software. More than 45 companies worldwide have licenses to PalmSource software, including Fossil, Garmin, GSPDA, Kyocera, Lenovo, palmOne, Samsung, Sony, and Symbol Technologies. Palm OS has given rise to a large community of users, enterprises, developers and manufacturers, who together make up the Palm Powered Economy. More information about PalmSource is available at www.palmsource.com, www.palmsource.co.uk, www.palmsource.fr, www.palmsource.de, www.palmsource.com/es and www.palmsource.com.cn.
