Access is demonstrating its Linux smartphone stack, codenamed “ALP” (Access Linux Platform), at the LinuxWorld Expo in Boston this week. Palm Infocenter has published a brief article summarizing ALP features from the perspective of Palm application developers, and showing ALP running on a Haier… Linux smartphone.

ALP is based on a Linux 2.6.12 kernel and filesystem assembled by PalmSource, which was acquired by Access last September.

Palm Infocenter points out that Haier is not an ALP licensee, and that its phone is being used merely for demonstration purposes. Access previously demonstrated ALP running on the Haier N60 at the 3GSM Congress in Barcelona, in February.

The Palm Infocenter story notes that ALP's main application framework, codenamed “Max,” is designed to support touchscreen interaction, as well as one-handed keypad use. Max will be the first Palm OS development environment to support true multi-tasking, including concurrent background tasks and running applications. Max also offers an “access panel” task bar with shortcuts to common tasks within the application currently in the foreground, the publication says.

ALP architecture
(Click to enlarge)
In addition to the Max framework, Access demonstrated several native Max applications, Palm Infocenter reports, including a modernized PIM (personal information management) suite, along with various messaging clients and media players. Access's flagship NetFront browser is also included in ALP.

The brief Palm Infocenter story can be found here. Additional details about ALP are available in our previous coverage, here. A guest perspective by Jason Perlow appraising ALP's potential appeal for developers can be found here.

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