The Access NetFront Browser Engine has been selected as the core technology by PalmSource for the new Palm OS Cobalt Web Browser. The multiyear agreement to include core NetFront browser technology in Palm OS Cobalt builds upon PalmSource’s existing relationship with ACCESS, which also provided the core browser technology for Palm OS 5.

“With the new Palm OS, we wanted to continue offering our users the best mobile Internet experience possible, so Access’ NetFront technology was the obvious choice,” said Larry Slotnick, chief product officer, PalmSource. “NetFront technology was integral to achieving high customer satisfaction with Palm OS 5, and we’re confident that the NetFront-based Web Browser in Palm OS Cobalt will elevate the mobile Internet experience to new levels of satisfaction.”

NetFront Browser Engine brings a host of new rendering technologies to Palm OS Cobalt, including Smart-Fit Rendering, a technology that intelligently renders Web pages to fit the narrow screen widths of mobile devices, eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling, as well as Rapid-Render, a progressive rendering technology that dramatically speeds page rendering in mobile environments. NetFront also supports the very latest Internet standards endorsed by the W3C as well as broad multimedia plug-in support, and advanced features specifically designed for handhelds, such as multi-window browsing, drag-scrolling and off-line browsing.

“PalmSource’s decision to continue using NetFront as the core browser in the newest version of the Palm OS is a powerful validation of our technology,” said Toru Arakawa, president and CEO of ACCESS. “We are pleased to partner with PalmSource to provide the most advanced mobile Internet browsing experience.”

As a core element in the Palm OS browser, NetFront technology is currently found in 41 devices from manufacturers as diverse as palmOne, Sony and Tapwave. NetFront is also available for other mobile platforms such as DoCoMo’s iMode. The continued relationship with PalmSource reaffirms NetFront browser technology as one of the most widely deployed and actively used mobile browser technology in the world.