CrunchGear

Palm is still owned by Palm. We’ve been anticipating the conclusion of one of any number of buyout scenarios, but so far they’ve not panned out. In the meantime, Palm’s been operating in stealth mode, quietly developing next-gen Treos like the recently spotted 755 for Sprint. But today Palm has dropped a bomb many have been hoping for but not many expected to actually fall; that it has abandoned the ACCESS Linux Platform and will be engineering its own non-licensed Linux-based OS.

This is fantastic news for Palm OS Treo fans (like myself) for many reasons: it means that the line is far from dead, it means that we won’t be forced any time soon to switch to the Windows Mobile-based Treos, and it means that Palm won’t have to rely on other companies for the innovation and ease of use its products are known for.

Palm has a perpetual license to use elements of the ACCESS Palm OS, meaning the new OS should probably be compatible with most legacy software, good news for users and developers alike. And because the new OS is Linux-based, the open source community’s muscle will be behind the initiative as well. In all, it’s a perfect move for Palm, as many think divorcing the hardware and software business units was a nail in the coffin.

Still no word on the buy-out rumors, but if this new news, in conjunction with Ed Colligan’s remarks that new devices running the new Palm OS would hit the market “very soon” doesn’t make Palm more attractive than ever, we’re not sure what would.

Palm Announces New Linux Based Mobile Platform [Palm InfoCenter]