Access, the company behind the former PalmSource, announced Thursday it is renaming the Palm OS operating system to "Garnet OS," rolling out a new "Access Powered" logo that replaces the "Palm Powered" branding used on a wide range of handheld devices.

In September 2005, Access purchased Palm OS and its owner PalmSource, which was spun out of Palm, Inc. following that company's separation from former parent 3Com. PalmSource changed its name to Access Systems America in October, selling the rights to the "Palm" brand name back to Palm, Inc.

The Palm OS software most notably powers select versions of Palm's Treo mobile phones offered by Cingular and Sprint, as well as a number of PDAs, although that market has been shrinking rapidly with the advent of smartphones. The current version of the operating system is known as "Garnet," which is why Access settled on the new Garnet OS name.

"Access' technology and software product portfolio cover a wide array of functions from comprehensive mobile platforms to integrated browser-based suite solutions that deliver state-of-the art full-Internet browsing and related services," remarked Access CTO Tomihisa Kamada. "The new Access Powered logo provides a way to easily identify those mobile phones and other devices that include software from the entire Access product portfolio."

Access expects hardware makers to include the new logo across their product packaging, splash screens, and promotional items. The company says "the logo is a metaphor for the technologies and products ACCESS generates, incubates and releases to the world."

Access is also developing a Linux platform for mobile phones and devices, which will include a compatibility layer for Garnet OS-based applications.