PalmSource to Advance 3D Graphics Capabilities on Palm Powered Devices
SAN JOSE, Calif., Game Developers Conference, March 22
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PalmSource(TM), Inc. (Nasdaq: PSRC) provider of Palm
OS(R), a leading operating system powering next generation mobile devices and
smartphones, today announced it has joined the Khronos Group as a Contributing
Member to encourage the development and adoption of OpenGL(R) ES as an
important open 2D/3D graphics API standard for mobile multimedia applications.
PalmSource plans to make the OpenGL ES Application Program Interfaces (APIs)
available in a future version of Palm OS Cobalt to enable the creation of
advanced 3D graphics and multimedia applications for Palm Powered(TM) smart
mobile devices.
Furthering the momentum of Palm OS in the wireless entertainment market,
PalmSource will offer its own software implementation of the OpenGL ES APIs
and enable the use of OpenGL ES-compliant hardware, allowing high performance
graphics applications to run on a wide variety of Palm Powered devices. This
software implementation is designed to provide Palm OS developers with a more
cost-efficient development path towards the creation and deployment of
sophisticated multimedia applications, while offering an improved multimedia
user experience for Open GL ES compliant Palm Powered handhelds and
smartphones.
Additionally, PalmSource will introduce a standardized graphics driver
model for Palm OS Cobalt optimized for use with OpenGL ES-compliant chipsets.
This driver will accelerate both the application level OpenGL ES APIs and most
2D graphics operations, as performed by Palm OS Cobalt's sophisticated system
rendering technology. This will enable chipset vendors to concentrate on a
single, standardized set of acceleration specifications, and allows Palm OS
Cobalt to easily take full advantage of the growing number of graphics
chipsets that support the OpenGL ES API.
"PalmSource is poised to be a significant contributor to the Khronos
Group's continuing efforts to establish open standards for advanced graphics
and multimedia applications across leading mobile platforms like Palm OS,"
said David Nagel, president and CEO of PalmSource, Inc. "We believe our
support for the OpenGL ES graphics standard will accelerate market delivery of
differentiated Palm Powered mobile entertainment products that extend the
ease-of-use and flexibility of the Palm OS platform."
"Khronos enthusiastically welcomes PalmSource to the Khronos Group and
looks forward to its participation to ensure OpenGL ES meets the advanced
graphics needs of the Palm Powered community," said Neil Trevett, president of
the Khronos Group and senior vice president of market development at 3Dlabs.
"The addition of Palm OS to the list of OpenGL ES-enabled platforms is a vital
and significant step in standardizing a single, cross-vendor, state-of-the-art
graphics API across all key operating systems to build a strong market for
mobile 3D graphics."
"We are excited to see PalmSource join the Khronos Group," said Byron
Connell, founder and senior vice president of marketing, Tapwave(R), Inc.
"Incorporating support for the Open GL ES APIs into Palm OS will provide a
standard graphics foundation to allow game developers to produce more high
quality, graphically rich entertainment content for Palm OS."
"We've been dreaming about something like this for a long time," said
Scott Corley, CEO Red Mercury. "We believe platform support for OpenGL ES will
position PalmSource as a strong contender in the mobile gaming community and
Palm OS as the killer mobile game and graphics development platform. Today's
announcement is certain to get the attention of software developers who just
want a platform to do cool things on."
With projected growth to $1.9 billion in 2006 from $520 million in 2003*,
the wireless gaming market presents a tremendous revenue generating
opportunity for Palm Powered licensees and Palm OS software developers to
create innovative products and solutions that address the growing demands of
the mobile gaming community. Palm OS licensee Tapwave pioneered a new category
of Palm Powered mobile devices with the introduction of the Zodiac(R), a
mobile entertainment console specifically designed to deliver an unparalleled
wireless gaming experience combined with traditional Palm OS functionality and
software application compatibility.
As a member of the Khronos Group, PalmSource is now enabled to participate
in the ongoing development of OpenGL ES, which defines subset profiles of
OpenGL(R) and brings advanced 3D graphics to a wide range of embedded systems;
and OpenML(R) 1.0 which enables developers to easily integrate video, audio
and graphics capabilities into their application suites. All Khronos Members
are empowered to contribute to the development of Khronos specifications, vote
at various stages before public availability, and are therefore able to
accelerate the delivery of their cutting-edge 3D platforms and applications
through early access to specification and conformance testing drafts.
About the Khronos Group
The Khronos Group is a member-funded industry consortium founded in
January 2000 by leading graphics and digital media companies. Khronos
membership is available to any interested company and both Promoting and
Contributing members are able to contribute to the development of Khronos API
specifications, are empowered to vote at various stages before public
deployment, and are able to accelerate the delivery of their cutting-edge 3D
platforms and applications through early access to specification drafts. Go to
http://www.khronos.org for more information.
About PalmSource
PalmSource, Inc. is the company behind Palm OS, a leading operating system
powering mobile information devices. More than 30 million Palm Powered
handhelds and smartphones have been sold to date worldwide. Industry leaders
Aceeca, AlphaSmart, Fossil, Foundertech, Garmin, GSL, HuneTec, Kyocera,
Lenovo, palmOne, PerComm, Samsung, Sony, Symbol Technologies and Tapwave
license Palm OS to create diverse mobile devices that meet unique customer
needs. Palm OS has given rise to a large community of users, enterprises,
developers and manufacturers, who together make up the Palm Economy. More
information about PalmSource is available at http://www.palmsource.com,
http://www.palmsource.co.uk, http://www.palmsource.fr,
http://www.palmsource.de and http://www.palmsource.com.cn.
NOTE: Palm, Palm OS and PalmSource are registered trademarks of Palm
Trademark Holding Company, LLC. palmOne and Palm Powered are trademarks of
Palm Trademark Holding Company, LLC. Other brands may be trademarks of their
respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks
and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or
prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking
statements include, without limitation, statements related to OpenGL ES; our
plans for implementation of OpenGL ES APIs; and the wireless entertainment
industry. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements
include, without limitation, acceptance of OpenGL ES as an important open
2D/3D graphics API standard for mobile multimedia application that will
accelerate market delivery of differentiated Palm Powered mobile entertainment
products; our ability to successfully develop software implementing OpenGL ES
APIs that meet the needs of by the wireless entertainment market, that is
accepted by Palm OS developers and that produces the anticipated features,
functions and benefits; the ability Palm OS developers to deploy sophisticated
multimedia applications that meet the demands of Palm Powered users; the
availability of an increased number of graphics chip sets that support the
Open GL EX API; our ability to sustain and gain momentum in the wireless
entertainment market and to benefit from any growth in the smart mobile device
markets; our ability to maintain and grow our developer community; and the
general economic conditions in the U.S. and abroad and other risks and
uncertainties contained in our public announcements, reports to stockholders
and other documents filed with and furnished to the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended
August 29, 2003 and November 28, 2003. All forward-looking statements in this
press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof,
and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
* IDC, U.S. Wireless Gaming Forecast Update, 2003-2008: Mobile Users Just
Wanna Have Fun.
SOURCE PalmSource, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.palmsource.com
CONTACT:
media, Laurie Spindler of PalmSource, Inc.,
+1-408-400-1924, or Laurie.Spindler@palmsource.com
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