See: Electronics Weekly's Focus on Mobile Linux
Motorola’s plans to re-energise its mobile phone business could rest on the success of its strategy to adopt a Linux-based operating system for next-generation handsets, including smartphones.
While Motorola may have lost ground in the handset market to rivals such as Nokia, Samsung, RIM and even new guy Apple, its choice of a Linux-based operating system and in particular its enthusiastic support for Google’s Android operating system, could yet revitalise its smartphone product plans.
Motorola confirmed its determination to attack the market for new types of multimedia handsets, known as smartphones or mobile Internet devices, in competition with Apple and BlackBerry last week. This represents an attempt to build a new mobile strategy following its change of mind on effectively exiting the business through a spin-off.
The company put the plan to spin off the mobile phone business on hold as a result of the general economic uncertainty.
Now Motorola’s mobile strategy could yet benefit from its adoption of an open-source approach to mobile phone design and in particular its backing for Android which in recent months has been seen as the most interesting entry in the next generation mobile market.
Since its launch in September, the first Android handset has grabbed the initiative away from big hitters Nokia and Apple.
It looks certain that Linux-based open-source platforms will put significant competitive pressure on the proprietary mobile operating systems of Microsoft, RIM and Apple.
Nokia recognised this when it re-focused its software plans around an open-source strategy based on the Symbian operating system it now owns.
Previously Motorola’s strategy for a mobile.Linux software platform focused on its own in-house developments and its prominent position in the LiMo Foundation, a cross industry group with its own flavour of mobile Linux OS. The group also includes Vodafone, Samsung, Orange and ARM.
The question is now will it be Android and not LiMo which helps Motorola to re-invent its smartphone product line?
So Motorola could yet find itself in the vanguard as the mobile phone industry moves toward a brave new world of open-source software platforms where users and not operators or manufacturers will play the largest role in defining mobile applications.
See also: Electronics Weekly's Focus on Mobile Linux, a roundup of content related to the open source operating system shaped for mobile devices.