05 August 2008

Linux Mobile Adds Products,
Members In Bid To Match Symbian

On Monday the open-source mobile consortium saw it increase its ranks to more than 50 partner companies in its drive to deliver open handset platform for the entire mobile industry.

The eleven new members include the likes of Esmertec, Freescale Semiconductor, VirtualLogix, Telecom Italia, Longcheer Holdings, PacketVideo, MIZI Research, SK Innoace, Cellon, ZTE and Movial.

Motorola, NEC and Panasonic have launched seven mobile handsets based on the LiMo (Linux for Mobile) software platform, bringing to 21 the number of phones now powered with LiMo, all made by the same trio of companies.

"The combination of LiMo's transparent governance model, balanced development model, and extensive mobile industry heritage sets it apart," said Morgan Gillis, the LiMo Foundation's executive director, in a statement. Motorola, Panasonic, and NEC all introduced LiMo-based cell phones on Monday, the foundation said.

It also introduced several new partners. The list includes few household names, but its breadth indicates that LiMo continues to garner strong industry support despite the significant change in the mobile OS landscape brought by Nokia's decision in June to buy up Symbian and put its technology into the open source community.

LiMo's new members include Cellon, Esmertec, Freescale Semiconductor, Movial, Telecom Italia, and ZTE.

The question is whether it's enough to boost LiMo's market share beyond the single digits. Symbian leads the worldwide mobile OS market with a 65% stake, followed by Microsoft's 12% share, RIM's 11%, and Apple's 7%, according to research group Canalys. Linux-based systems account for only 5% of the market, the researchers said.