April 2, 2008 – LiMo foundation is planning the release of their Linux LiMo Platform Release 1 in Las Vegas at the CTIA show on Monday. This platform gives mobile phone manufacturers access to a basic operating systems for their devices. All the manufacturers have to do is create a stylish design to match the stylish new operating system. The best thing about this new operating system is that now mobile phone manufacturers who are members of LiMo now have a complete and fully released Linux operating system that they can freely distribute into their handset models. Some companies that participate in LiMo are big names like Samsung, Motorola and DoCoMo. Release 1 will be available for phones such as Motorola’s RAZR2 and ROKR E8, as well as other later in the year.

Linux’s LiMo offers mobile phone makers an alternative operating system to others like Symbian and Windows Mobile. It is a cheaper version of a system that offers everything other operating systems are offering. Also, this operating system is not owned by one mobile phone company, it can be used by several different carriers. Of course, with all its advantages, there are short falls as wall. The developers of the applications Linux uses have to be tweaked for each different companies needs. For this reason, the LiMo system will only be used for lower end mobile phones.

LiMo is already planning the release of Release 2 which will hopefully be ready in 2009. With Release 2, the goal will be broader application portability, improved multimedia capabilities, and more usability in general. Other systems also released recently, such as Google’s Android and the Open Handset Alliance, have similar goals as LiMo which is to unify Linux development in cellular devices. The first new handsets operating off Android by Google will be releasing in the second half of this year.

Source: Asia.cnet.com