But Trolltech, which specialises in software that runs on embedded Linux devices, is convinced that by 2010 mobile Linux will overtake Symbian in the mobile OS market, with Windows Mobile also expected to show strong growth.
The company pointed out that mobile Linux already accounted for 22% of all smart phones in 2005, up from just 5% in 2004, while Symbian’s share slipped from 81% in the same period.
Trolltech acknowledged that the majority of Linux devices are currently sold in the Asian markets, particularly in Japan and China, while Europe has yet to really latch onto the OS not least because of Nokia’s support for Symbian. In addition, Linux phones makers are still dealing with issues such as power management, memory and speed.
But the Oslo-based company believes that the open nature of Linux will attract increasing numbers of handset makers and developers, and quoted Motorola as saying that more than 50% of its handsets would be based on mobile Linux in the next two years.
Source: TMC Net
You know if I had to live with a mobile that contained the same operating system as my friends Motorola RAZR I would go batshit insane. Period. I’ll have to play with this Linux OS for phones before I can truely comment on it, but if Motorola really said that then one has to ask … what’s so good about this Linux mobile platform?
Nokia is already testing Linux out, just look at the 770. I wonder if they too plan to move to Linux, but then I have to ask … what about Symbian? What I’m REALLY curious to see is what ALP (Access Linux Platform) does with their recent purchase of the Palm OS. Frankly the best mobile OS I’ve ever used is Palm. If you took the stability, and multitasking capability of Symbian mated it to the ease of use of Palm you would have a genuine winner on your hands.