A new Web site has appeared from Access touting its next-generation mobile Linux operating system. According to the site, the new Linux OS will be loaded with capabilities desired by smartphone users around the world. Will Palm take advantage of it?

The screen shots that are available at the Access Linux Platform Web site sure do look good. Whether or not they are mock-ups, who knows, but the functionality and ease-of-use factor displayed on the site will go a long way toward furthering the adoption of mobile Linux if it's real.

Access is promising that the new platform will be flexible and can support Linux, Garnet (also known as Palm OS) , and Java. That means it will be backward compatible with the myriad applications that already have been written for Palm OS and Java environments. The new platform also supports just about every type of mobile service you can think of, including e-mail, SMS, 3G, hotsyncing, and more.

It has been long rumored that Palm will be bowing a new piece of hardware to replace the Treo by the end of the year. The Gandolf phone that's been floating around the Internet for nigh three months now is supposed to be it. The big question is, will Palm use this new platform from Access as the backbone for future devices, or will it stick to its Garnet guns for the time being? As nifty as Garnet is, it really needs to be updated and has fallen behind in the ever-evolving world of mobility.

Now's your chance, Palm.