Company launches mobile Linux platform
A la Mobile says that the platform, which comprises a complete software stack including the kernel, middleware and application layer, will become available for handset manufacturers in September and that it will be certified, supported, tested and maintained.
A la Mobile said that using the platform will allow handset makers to reduce development, testing and deployment costs and cut down on development time. Because the platform will be open, handset manufacturers will be able to customise many aspects of the product including user interface components such as icons and branding and configuration elements like the browser.
That will set the platform apart from the other proprietary operating systems, A la Mobile says. It will compete against Symbian, a smartphone operating system, as well as Research in Motion, Microsoft and PalmSource.
A la Mobile appears to be missing one critical component, however. "It is all very well to make an announcement and the technology could be great, but they will need to be supported by big operators and some of the handset manufacturers as well," says Nick Spencer, an analyst with Canalys.
A la Mobile’s Web site features endorsements from operators including SK Telecom, Telefonica Moviles SA and Sprint Nextel, but the company has not announced any official deals with handset makers or operators.
A la Mobile joins a mobile Linux segment that appears to be rapidly adding enthusiastic supporters but is still hampered by a lack of unity. "The big problem has been fragmentation. There has been no body creating software development kits, like Symbian or PalmSource have," Spencer says.
He said while the mobile Linux market is likely to consolidate, it is not clear if a significant body of handset makers and operators will ever consolidate around a single mobile Linux platform. It is possible that individual mobile operators will develop their own Linux-based platforms that do not interoperate with others, he says.
There is some indication, however, that at least one group of handset makers and operators may converge around a single platform. On Friday, a group including Vodafone, NTT DoCoMo, Samsung Electronics, and Motorola, launched a foundation that aims to design an open, Linux-based platform for mobile devices.
That group joins several others which have formed to try to consolidate the direction of the mobile Linux market. The Linux Phone Standards Forum is creating application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow for interoperability across handsets and the Mobile Linux Initiative is working to unify developments around the mobile Linux Kernel.
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