Handset makers Motorola, Samsung, NEC and Panasonic, as well as cellular operators Vodafone and NTT DoCoMo, will develop an open-source Linux-based operating system that could be used in mobile phones by the end of 2007. The independent not-for-profit group will share the costs and speed up mobile software development.
A ubiquitous mobile Linux platform could reduce barriers to entry by simplifying the process of developing mobile software compatible with a wide selection of hardware. It may enable users to produce their own specialized software for various purposes, and facilitate expansion of the mobile phone software ecosystem, says ArsTechnica. Nokia’s 770 web tablet (review below), is built on Linux and the GNOME-based Maemo development platform.
Linux is already available on a wide range of mobile handsets. Motorola says it has shipped more than 5 million Linux-based handsets, mostly on smart phones, such as the Ming model shipped in China. In addition, Motorola just launched the new Rokr E2 music phone in Asia, which also uses Linux. The Rokr E2 will soon ship in Europe. Linux software currently occupies only a tiny proportion of the mobile market, however.
Symbian and Microsoft’s WindowsMobile Smartphone are the market leaders. Symbian-powered phones have more than doubled for four straight years, as the company has made software for 100 different handset models and more than 250 phone companies. Windows Mobile applications are available for both the phone-sized platform and the larger PDA form-factor.
BREW and Java ME devices allow for the installation of additional applications but are not considered smartphones. Smartphones tend to include Internet access, e-mail access, scheduling software, built-in camera, contact management, and GPS navigation software.
With Linux, the code is not owned by any one company so competition is likely to be fierce, lowering costs. Symbian and Microsoft can keep prices higher since developers must go through them.
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