LimoFoundation
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LiMo Foundation plans SDK for mid 2008
With all the hubbub over Android at Mobile World Congress this year (and in the world, in general), it only makes sense that other Linux-based contenders would step into the light. The LiMo Foundation -- a consortium of some pretty major players -- has announced plans for an official SDK in the second half of the year which will cover native, Java, and WebKit development. The software, dubbed the R1 LiMo Platform, will pull together existing APIs and development tools into a more cohesive whole, with ACCESS taking the lead on the native side, Aplix heading up Java development, and Motorola fleshing out the WebKit tools. There are 18 LiMo-powered handsets on display at Mobile World Congress this year, with seven vendors using the platform -- including Samsung and LG -- and the group says it's just added nine new companies to the team. The creation of a cohesive platform should bolster the consortium's position in the market. Says CCS Insight's Ben Wood, "To have a credible platform, a more detailed operating system framework is likely to be required." Read - LiMo Foundation Announces SDK Strategy Read - LG, Samsung bet on new mobile Linux platform
LiMo Foundation gearing up for March date with destiny
It looks like Android and the boys and girls over at the LiMo Foundation are lining up for a head-on collision -- a veritable mobile Linux explosion, if you will. The coalition is prepping to finalize its core software and programming interface by next month, but devs can get a head start now by grabbing a beta version of the SDK, ahead of the "significant" changes to Android's SDK promised in the next few weeks. Even better, LiMo's chief says that real, actual handsets running its wares will be available "very soon" -- and with companies like Azingo already ready and willing to throw together fully functional stacks, the world might just be big enough for two players in the mobile Linux arena after all.
Azingo launches first platform for LiMo Foundation
While Android steals the overwhelming majority of attention, the LiMo Foundation has been plodding along creating a Linux-based mobile standard of its own with the backing of industry heavyweights like NTT DoCoMo, Samsung, and Nokia's new baby, Trolltech. That effort is finally starting to bear some fruit, with California-based Azingo announcing Azingo Mobile, now officially the world's first LiMo-based software stack. Targeted squarely at handset manufacturers, the platform is divided into four segments -- Entertainment, Internet, Productivity, and Communications -- that together form the basis for a modern, kick-ass handset with Linux roots. It's available for immediate licensing, though there's no telling how long it'll take before we actually see it on the street.[Via Phone Scoop]
Nokia acquires Trolltech -- the biggest little company you've never heard of
In a move meant to bolster its software development prowess, Nokia just announced the acquisition Trolltech. Who's Trolltech? Well, its software can be found in some 10 million devices. In fact, Trolltech's Qt is used by such familiar applications as Skype, Google Earth, and Photoshop Elements while their Qtopia was spotted on a hacked Archos 5 series earlier this month. By acquiring Trolltech's software development frameworks and application platforms, Nokia hopes to help developers create Internet applications that work on PCs and across Nokia devices. Specifically, Nokia claims that the move will "further increase the competitiveness of S60 and Series 40." The deal also grandfathers Nokia into the LiMo Foundation and its attempt to bring open-source to your handset. Hear that Android? The $153 million offer must still be processed through regulatory channels and approved by shareholders -- all expected before June in out.
TrollTech, Huawei join LiMo Foundation, forces align against Android
Anyone looking to fight the Android machine is likely going to need to roll in the heavy artillery, and that's exactly the kind of momentum the LiMo Foundation is looking to build with an announcement today that they've added five -- count 'em, five new members to their merry band. Most notable of the bunch are Huawei, the Chinese hardware firm just now making inroads into the American market, and Trolltech, the company possibly best known for its now-discontinued Greenphone Linux candybar that develops and maintains the Qtopia platform. Existing members include NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Motorola, NEC, Samsung, and Vodafone, giving these guys some serious firepower in founder NTT's ongoing effort to establish a consistent Linux-based platform across its handsets. Of course, the Japanese megacarrier is a member of the Open Handset Alliance, too, so maybe everyone can end up playing nice in the name of open source success after all.
ACCESS gets nod to craft NTT DoCoMo's mobile Linux platform
Well, would you look at that! ACCESS has finally landed a whale of a customer for its overdue, underloved ACCESS Linux Platform, the mobile software stack (and sort-of successor to Palm OS Garnet) that has failed to garner enough hardware partners to make a splash in the marketplace thus far. The Japanese firm is partnering with NTT DoCoMo and ESTEEMO -- NEC's joint venture with Panasonic -- to build a standard Linux stack that incorporates ALP while still using the carrier's existing Linux-based MOAP(L) platform. That's not all, though: they're tasked with making the new platform compatible with the LiMo Foundation's specifications, too. A tall order? Maybe, but it's likely an order that has to happen -- NTT DoCoMo's involved in all sorts of Linux initiatives, and it makes good sense to bite the bullet and have some company tie it all together. The one piece of the puzzle missing here is DoCoMo's tie-up with the Open Handset Alliance, and as far as we can tell, this announcement steers entirely clear of Android's domain. Confusing, yes -- but for a company used to releasing 23 handsets in one fell swoop, it's business as usual.
LiMo Foundation launched to turn up heat on mobile Linux
Last time we checked in with these guys, papers had been signed, hands had been shaked, and promises had been thrown around, but that's about it. No product, no slick website -- just a handful of companies looking to come to some consensus on just how to get open source to the phone-toting masses. We still don't have any pretty phones or screen shots to look at here, but at least the committment is still going strong with the so-called "LiMo Foundation" officially launching this month. Star players include Motorola, Samsung, NTT DoCoMo, NEC, Panasonic, and Vodafone, so there's definitely some weight getting thrown around; outsiders can join the good times for anywhere from $40,000 to $800,000 depending on the amount of pampering and privilege demanded. LiMo will apparently be looking to recruit a few good companies to join its merry band of Linux promponents this month at 3GSM (and at those membership rates, why wouldn't they?) so we're cautiously bullish on some sort of open platform eventually getting birthed here. Whether the late '07 production goal will hold true, though, is another question entirely.
