Carriers and manufacturers form pact to push mobile Linux

Yeah, we've heard it before, but they mean it this time. Carriers Vodafone and NTT DoCoMo have teamed up with Motorola, Samsung, NEC, and Panasonic to succeed where others have failed, busting out a common Linux-based smartphone platform and sharing costs and R&D resources along the way. Besides unifying the fragmented mobile Linux community behind a single open platform, the group's goal is to see the light of day in a production phone before the end of 2007, but let's be honest  -- the project won't be considered a success unless the joint venture can produce a popular, well-known platform that can scrap with the Symbians and the Windows Mobiles of the world. Hey, Access PalmSource, you guys paying attention?

[Via Mobiledia]

[Jon @ Jun 15th 2006 1:46PM]

Without Nokia and HTC, this is pointless.

[leo @ Jun 15th 2006 1:48PM]

I can't wait, I've gone through 4 mobile 5.0 phones, windows just wasn't meant to be an OS for mobile devices!!!

[Jacob Varghese @ Jun 15th 2006 2:05PM]

Jon, considering that moto and samsung are number 2&3 in the US, I'd hardly say that this was pointless.

I'm not sure we need another phone OS with windows, symbian, palm, and blackberry out there already.

This might be in order to save on OS licensing fees.

[PiTT @ Jun 15th 2006 2:14PM]

to #1, it is NOT pointless, this will be great for everyone...manufacturers, carriers, consumers....its great for everyone, low cost phones, more competition for WM and Symbian devices, linux is open source, so everyone and their mom can make applications for it.....if these companies are serious and can put some major backing into it, dont be surprised to see linux the winner of the mobile os wars in a few years, no matter how much of a head start symbian and wm devices have had...

[bob @ Jun 15th 2006 2:20PM]

im all for this! i would hate to have to have windows on my phone obiously as a mac user linux would be prefered. i would hate to see microsoft grab the mobile phone / computer monopoly like they did with desktops, maybe as vista is constantly disapointing they are looking towards mobile windows as a fresh start! 1st to call me a fanboy wins!!

[shirizaki @ Jun 15th 2006 2:24PM]

At least someone could make an argument about cell phones not getting viruses if they ran on linux.

[Yale R @ Jun 15th 2006 2:38PM]

With open source operating systems, service providers would not be able to disable functions on their phones. Imagine all the stuff we could do!!! Frankly, I don't see VZW and Sprint going for that.

[travis @ Jun 15th 2006 2:44PM]

as long as they can get activesync on there Im in....BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA

[Jeff @ Jun 15th 2006 2:46PM]

I don't understand why everyone gripes about WM. I've had a 2003SE and now have a WM5 smartphone and aside from a lack of software (compared to the Phone Edition platforms) it's fantastic.

My only gripes are the email client sucks and there is no Remore Desktop client. There is a good VNC client so that's close, I suppose.

Maybe the people who complain about the WM platform haven't given it a good enough testdrive? Or maybe they are prejudiced to it because it comes from "Micro$oft!!!!!!!1!!!one1" and don't like ANYTHING from them?

The only sucky aspect of WM is that it isn't easy to sync with a Mac. You can buy sync clients for your Mac but it boggles the mind that you can't just use the SyncML client inside of iSync to do it.

[congyi @ Jun 15th 2006 3:10PM]

the other sucky part is that syncing with linux is even suckier

theres always something wrong with wm phones... my xv6600 had a really low ringtone and in call volume, a software issue. the samsung i730 i just bought won't let me use wifi and keep the cdma receiver on at the same time, another software issue. granted, none of this is really microsoft's fault... its HTC's and verizons fault for crippling the volume and wifi.

Some problems, like the wifi,annoy a lot of people and are eventually fixed with hacks, other problems, like the volume problem, annoy lots of people, but no one can figure out how fix them. an truly open source os would make it much easier for users to fix these kinds of problems

im not sure how open source they would want to make the drivers and apps on their linux platform though...

[AC @ Jun 15th 2006 3:21PM]

The writer makes a good point: If Access Palmsource could team up with these folks (unlikely tho) since they're already working on a Linux Based Successor to Palm, this would become an amazing mobile software trumping most of the competitors out there.

[user_less @ Jun 15th 2006 3:21PM]

It is a good idea in general, but at first we need to wait a next steps on this way. Linux systems are stable as all UNIX and its ports, but can developers be able save this advanteges or make from them defects. It is a question.

[Ian @ Jun 15th 2006 4:11PM]

Yale R: I agree with you about Verizon. But Sprint? They've been pretty open about everything. They even turn a blind-eye to tethering laptops to cell phones. The only thing I can complain about Sprint's openness is LBS. And if their talk in the development forums is indication, they're working on changing that.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jun 15th 2006 5:19PM]

> This might be in order to save on OS licensing fees.

Precisely. Licensing (of course per unit) costs are not the biggest problem. It's jsut when company ships some millions of phones, all the required bureaucracy to keep licensing accounting clean can be really overhelming.

From all I heard, that's first and foremost reason why companies looking into Linux: freedom from per unit licensing and non-existent licensing overhead.

Also, Linux has that viral GPL license: when several companies form an alliance, GPL helps keep everyone honest. With BSD license, companies as soon as something really innovative implemented tend to fork immediately. GPL poses as some sort of buffer against that.

At last, as mobile phones concerned, it's pretty standard OS - just like any other already in market. I doubt customers would see any difference. Other than Linux might allow *really* cheap phones to be produced.

[Magallanes @ Jun 15th 2006 5:22PM]

blablabla... another linux attempt to dominate the world with the nerd-factor.

I wonder why not BSD?. At least Apple have a REAL-BIG SUCCESS WITH IT, also bsd is more stable.

[Sredlums @ Jun 15th 2006 7:21PM]

Acces Palmsources IS listening:
A quick Linux note spotted over at cio.com

"Linux is already a popular operating system for phones in China and is just gaining momentum in Europe. Operators and phone makers say that using Linux can help them reduce the cost of handsets.

This will be the third mobile Linux group to launch within a year, joining the Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum and the Mobile Linux Initiative (MLI). Like the new foundation launched on Friday, the LiPS Forum aims to focus on the creation of APIs to enable interoperability of applications across Linux handsets.

PalmSource, France Telecom and Orange are among the leaders of LiPS. The MLI, with members that include Motorola and PalmSource, is working on unifying developments around the mobile Linux kernel."

Being an Palm user for years I certainly hope they pull it off!

[SHoe @ Jun 15th 2006 9:40PM]

>>The writer makes a good point: If Access Palmsource could team up with these folks (unlikely tho) since they're already working on a Linux Based Successor to Palm, this would become an amazing mobile software trumping most of the competitors out there.

Well - NTTDoCoMo is one of the main members of this alliance. Guess who is a major investor / share holder in Access and already runs Access browsers on many, many of its phones? Yup - NTTDoCoMo. I believe they own %30 of Access. Do you think its just a coincidence that they are also a core member in this alliance to push mobile linux?