The Palm OS Developer Program has two levels to meet varying needs. Basic membership is free and provides Palm OS developers with development tools and resources, including source and sample code, technical documentation and online knowledgebase. The Advantage level targets developers who need to shorten their development cycles. It includes direct technical support, a quarterly resource CD containing the latest development tools and technologies, and marketing opportunities. More information on the program is available at http://www.palmos.com/dev/programs/pdp/.

Quickoffice Conference Edition
At the PalmSource Expo, Cutting Edge Software, Inc. (at http://www.cesinc.com) announced that Quickoffice Conference Edition was released for beta. Quickoffice Conference Edition (at http://www.quickoffice.com/solutions/es_conference.html) is a peer-to-peer data conferencing application designed to enable colleagues to collaborate on spreadsheets and documents in real-time using Palm OS based devices with a TCP/IP connection.

Quickoffice Conference Edition was built on Cutting Edge Software's Conferencing & Collaboration Platform, which enables participants to simultaneously make edits to the same spreadsheet and see their changes take effect immediately on each of the participants' devices. Similarly, using Quickword Conference Edition, participants review and edit documents in real-time. By holding a Quickoffice Conference, team members collaborate on projects in real-time regardless of location.

According to Cutting Edge Software, Quickoffice Conference Edition is the only application that allows two Palm OS devices to connect directly without an intermediate server. They claim nearly all Palm OS devices currently used among mobile professionals can be used for Quickoffice Conferencing, depending upon the model or the accessory used to obtain a TCP/IP connection.

Palm OS devices with integrated TCP/IP connectivity include the new Palm i705; smart phones such as the Samsung I300, Handspring Treo, and Kyocera 6035; and wireless WAN accessories such as the GoAmerica Minstrel Modem. Also supported are WLAN (Wireless LAN) equipped devices using 802.11b, such as the HandEra 330 with the Symbol Wireless Networker WLAN CF card for use in a office campus setting, or any Palm OS device with a dial up modem. Future support is planned for the Bluetooth personal area network protocol as well.

FilePoint and PrintBoy bundle
Bachmann Software (at http://www.bachmannsoftware.com) used the PalmSource Expo as an opportunity to announce that its Palm OS applications, FilePoint and PrintBoy, are available with other essential utilities as part of the Mobile Tools utility suite offered by Handmark. Mobile Tools is a suite of useful Palm OS utility applications designed to improve the handheld experience of Palm OS device users. Staples and CompUSA are already committed to carrying the product.

FilePoint provides users with a familiar "folder tree" style of file management, including the ability to create a hierarchy of folders, both on the device itself as well as on expansion cards. FilePoint now supports all major Palm OS devices, including those from Palm, Inc., Handspring, Sony, and HandEra.