StyleTap completes Windows Mobile-hosted Palm emulator

Toronto-based StyleTap has released the final version of its Palm OS emulator and application migration tool for Windows Mobile devices - and it's already pledging a Symbian version.

Also called StyleTap, the software runs apps written for any version of the Palm OS, including code created for the ARM-based version of the operating system, developed by PalmSource - as it was then - to help software developers move their code over from the old Motorola 68000 platform to the new ARM-equipped PDAs.

StyleTap said its tool allows games and multimedia apps to run at full speed, and can handle networking links via the host device's own Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, infrared or USB connections.

In a move not so far from PalmSource's erstwhile strategy for bring Palm OS apps into the ARM era, StyleTap not only emulates the Palm OS but also provides an API linked to the underlying Windows Mobile infrastructure. This will allow coders to modify their applications to get better performance and, argues StyleTap, as better user experience, on a PocketPC, but at the risk of tying it to StyleTap, a commercial app that costs users $50 to download.

StyleTap said it plans to follow up the Windows Mobile version of its "platform" with a Symbian release and another aimed at Windows Mobile-based smart phones. It's also working on a corporate-oriented version which adds support for enterprise-friendly hardware, such as barcode scanners.

StyleTap 1.0 is available from the company's website as a 14-day trial. ®