During an appearance at the recent JP Morgan Tech Show in Boston, Palm CFO Andrew Brown confirmed the company remains on track to release a Linux-based next-gen operating system--i.e., the so-called "Palm OS II [1]"--sometime by year's end, although he declined to specify what kind of product the device maker will deliver. Borrowing a page from the Steve Jobs playbook, Brown proclaimed that software, not hardware, will determine the winners of the mobile device race--he admitted the new Linux project has been in the works for close to three years, adding "it has not been an insignificant investment." Other tidbits: Brown refused to confirm rumors that Verizon Wireless is poised to add the Palm Centro to its device portfolio, but did say a Treo upgrade is scheduled for this summer.

For more on Palm's Linux progress:
- read this Barron's article [2]

Related articles:
Palm [3] on target to debut Linux smartphone in 2009
Palm [4] gets small with Centro smartphone 
Palm [5] announces Windows-powered Treo