Palm has confirmed that it will launch a high-end colour PDA next year, along with the next major release of the Palm OS.

Interviewed by German Web site WebStandard, Palm's European head, Markus Bregler, said the new device will be shown off at CeBit, held in Hanover next March. It will ship at the same time.

The PDA has been dubbed the Palm Vc, but that name has yet to be confirmed by its developer. Given the global dearth of colour small-screen LCDs, expect it to be pricey. However, it's worth noting that Sony has a similar timeframe for the US launch of the colour version of its PalmOS PDA, Clié, so it could well be that both companies are projecting an end to the shortages by then.

Bregler confirmed the Vc - or whatever - will feature a Secure Digital memory card slot, Palm's preferred expansion format. It will also ship with the upcoming PalmOS 4.0 - again, the name is not confirmed - which should finally include the multimedia features added to the operating system by Sony. ®

Related Link

WebStandard's interview with Markus Bregler (in German)