ACCESS has unveiled the next major version of its Linux-based mobile software platform. The ACCESS Linux Platform (ALP) 3.0 brings a significant user interface overhaul with support for rich visual effects. It also boosts interoperability by delivering LiMo compliance.

ALP was developed by PalmSource, a software company that split from Palm in 2003 and was subsequently acquired by ACCESS in 2005. ALP's PalmSource legacy makes it sort of a spiritual successor to the original PalmOS, but it's important to note that ACCESS is not related to Palm and that ALP is not related in any way to the Linux-based platform that Palm is developing today.

We took a close look at ALP last year with a detailed hands-on overview. ALP leverages components of the GNOME mobile and embedded stack, which means that third-party developers can use GTK+ to build applications that will run on the platform. It also includes a Java runtime, a Garnet emulator that enables support for legacy Palm applications, and a Web widget runtime that allows developers to build applications with HTML and JavaScript. In October, ACCESS announced plans to release a new version that would supply a more modern user experience. The new version was unveiled this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Hardware advancements and more powerful chips, such as TI's OMAP3 series, make it possible to create interactive user interfaces that support sophisticated visual effects and animation. ALP's new user interface takes advantage of these next-generation mobile hardware capabilities and OpenGL ES to facilitate richer interaction. It uses the Clutter toolkit, a GObject-based scenegraph system that is also used by Nokia's Maemo platform and Intel's Moblin platform.

ALP 3.0 is designed with clean separation between application logic and presentation so that carriers and handset makers can make extensive customizations to the look and feel of the platform.

LiMo compliance is also another major improvement in the new version of ALP. LiMo is a coalition of prominent software vendors, handset makers, and mobile carriers that are collaborating to develop interoperable Linux-based platforms for smartphones and other handheld devices. LiMo provides its own preintegrated platform stack and also provides a baseline for interoperability between derivative third-party platforms. ACCESS has contributed a significant number of components to the LiMo stack. ALP 3.0 is the first version of ALP that passes LiMo's certification test.

"We remain committed to setting the standard for mobile Linux devices, and ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0 is the next step in our technology evolution," said ACCESS co-CEO Tomihisa Kamada in a statement. "The flexibility, modularity and openness of Linux make it ideal for mobile operators to deliver customized services--and our ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0 and ACCESS Linux Platform mini products make this customization easy to develop and market to consumers."

When ALP first emerged from PalmSource several years ago, the mobile platform landscape was very different. Back then, the preintegrated Linux options were pretty limited, Symbian was still a proprietary operating system, and Apple hadn't yet launched the iPhone. Today, there are a growing number of open source mobile options that can be used without licensing costs. User expectations have also been entirely redefined by the iPhone user experience, which has put enormous competitive pressure on conventional platform vendors.

To play a major role in the rapidly growing smartphone market, ACCESS will have to produce a top-notch software platform. ALP 3.0 is a big step in that direction and the user interface improvements are definitely impressive.

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