The StyleTap Platform allows you to run applications (and games!) originally written for Palm OS handhelds on your Windows Mobile Pocket PC handheld. With more than 20,000 applications for the Palm OS platform available – many of them free – you will be able to do so much more with your Windows Mobile Pocket PC handheld. Demo preview available for download.
Run PalmOS Apps on your Pocket PC
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Since PalmOS 5 all applications are running in an Emulator.
This was needed so that apps written for < PalmOS 4.0 (compiled for motorola) would continue to work on the ARM processors. Seems like StyleTap reimplemented the emulator. Nice:)
Does anyone know what Palm has done to the BeOS source. They bought Be inc. some years ago, but what happened to Be’s technology? have palm used any of it in PalmOS? (i’m not very familiar with Palm’s at all)
http://bitsofnews.com
Well – there goes my last reason to consider a Palm.
Bits of BeOS are supposed to be integrated in Palm OS 6 (Cobalt). I also seem to have read somewhere that they used BeOS’ audio stuff in the current Palm OS 5.4 (Garnet).
They wont run at native palm speeds(zire 72 312mhz processor oh yes:D). PalmOS is just more intuitive and nicer to use than the pocket pc equivilant.
Yean, they probably will run faster than native
All the current Palms and PocketPCs are based around ARM deriviative processors, and in most cases PocketPCs using faster ones, around 400-500MHz. Sщ I can’t see that much of an emulation overhead 
Why anyone will run Windblow on a portable device is just unknown…<p>
Are you naive or just trolling?
<p>
I swithed from my Palm to a new Dell x50 and am very happy with it.
Palm OS 5 PACE isnt and emulator. It doesnt emulate anything, it just translates the 68k -> arm.
> and in most cases PocketPCs using faster ones, around 400-500MHz
But unless you use a native XScale compiler, that 400-500 MHz might as well be 200 MHz or less. I’m not sure about PocketPC OS 2003, but 2002 was not optimized for XScale, and those devices sucked. I’m using the PocketPC 2003 SDK right now and it still doesn’t come with an XScale compiler. They’re still spitting out binaries for the StrongArm series. The XScale compiler is something like $300, whereas eVC is free…
And the only thing that really made me pick PocketPC over Palm (besides the fact that it’s my job) is the Palms don’t have user replaceable batteries. I read the reviews everywhere, from journalists, to actual users, one of the biggest complaint is the battery completely dying after a few months. At that point, the cost to mail it in and have it repaired cost almost as much as buying a whole new one instead.
“Palm OS 5 PACE isnt and emulator. It doesnt emulate anything, it just translates the 68k -> arm.”
What’s the difference?
Compatablity layer vs emulation.
When I had a palm (Palm Pilot Professional) many, many apps were shareware. And overpriced shareware at that.
have nothing better to do than salivate over an awkward device and give three cheers for a bunch of useless software.
I’m confused… are you talking about the PocketPC fans or the Palm fans?
Almost not yet, but Palm better wake up.
“And the only thing that really made me pick PocketPC over Palm (besides the fact that it’s my job) is the Palms don’t have user replaceable batteries.”
Please take a look at the TREO 650.
Btw, a bit off topic:
As a company offering private IP connectivity (DSL, GPRS/UMTS, fiber, etc), we have done extensive testing with many, many devices in several areas. I must admit that Palm TREO certainly isn’t top notch in every aspect, but there is one aspect where it kicks everybody’s ass: GPRS connectivity. TREO 650 connects fasters than any other device available, connection is much more stable and it finds the connection back faster.
For my customers (Holland) that’s very important since GPRS is cheap and available everywhere (even in most cellars) and doesn’t drain a battery (like UMTS).
Compared to the Qtec 9090 (also available as a branded Vodafone, Orange and T-mobile smartphone), TREO 650 connects up to 38% faster to any GPRS network.
That screenshot on their site seems doctored. “Isilo sample”? What do they mean by sample? And the screenshot is 240 pixels wide. There is no Palm device with that screen width, that I know of. Palm officially supports either 160×160 or 320×320 (and the latest models I believe are 320×480).
Also, the program isn’t free. Does anyone want to bet how long before PalmSource sues them?
I’m interested, though, because I’m deeply disappointed with PalmOne’s latest devices. They’re years behind the latest PocketPC devices, and god knows why they’re not releasing Cobalt. The question is, though… how do you hotsynch it?
This is pretty interesting… I downloaded and tried it. It seems to be doing virtualization and API emulation, quite similar to WINE for Pocket PC implementing Palm OS APIs. There are some APIs that aren’t supported, but the basics are there. It looks quite a bit different- it’s not an exact replica of the way POS 1-6 looks, it diverges in a lot of ways. It doesn’t have the same built in apps, prefs system is different, app deletion etc etc… It really looks like API emulation. There is no Palm OS ROM involved.
It’s slow, but if you need to run POS apps, this might be the best thing! I still have to try a couple POS apps that I like, but for the most part, Pocket PC has better apps… The only thing I really miss is Picsel Browser, which exists for WinCE and PPC, but you can’t buy it or steal/warez it for PPC… You can at least warez it for Palm OS devices. *sigh*