Mobile World Congress: Linux Phones and Android Spread Out
At January’s Consumer Electronics Show, which is usually loaded with cell and smartphone action, many observers predicted that this week’s Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona would be where to find the real action. Sure enough, some big shakeups are arriving from there. Many new Linux phones have been announced—enough to start taking Linux seriously as a phone platform–along with several phones based on Google’s Android platform (which is based on Linux). On top of that, Microsoft’s acquisition of Danger is being interpreted by some as a sign that the company might do a phone or platform competitive with the iPhone.
Many mobile web workers are likely to be affected by this week’s announcements in coming months. In this post, I’ll round up some of the top news and what it’s likely to mean.
First, I agree with Om over on our sister blog that it would be good for Microsoft, as it moves forward with its one-two punch of Windows Mobile and Danger’s software and services (found in T-Mobile’s Sidekick devices), to open up its platform. That way, in addition to offering Windows Live services, outside developers could deliver lots of good applications. There is also much speculation that the combination of Microsoft’s Zune digital music platform, Windows Mobile, Windows Live applications and Danger’s software services could form a recipe for delivering a phone to compete with Apple’s iPhone. If that turns out to be true, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Microsoft try to make its Micro-Phone better at business applications than the iPhone is.
One reason that Microsoft might want to consider an open strategy is that the Mobile World Congress conference marks the arrival of so many phones based on free Linux software from the Mobile Linux Foundation (LiMo). Through Tuesday of this week, more than 20 such phones were announced in Barcelona, including offerings from Samsung and LG Electronics.
Linux has had very little success on cell phones, with Nokia’s S60 platform (based on Symbian) remaining by far the most dominant platform, well ahead of Windows Mobile. But LiMo’s Linux-based software platform is perceived to be much faster than previous Linux platforms for phones, and we now know that it’s getting buy-in from big phone manufacturers. Motorola is doing several new phones based on LiMo’s platform.
Google’s Android platform is also Linux-based, and several phone manufacturers are announcing phones based on it this week. LG Electronics will bring one out later this year or early next, it announced in Barcelona, and over 30 companies are committed to Google’s platform.
At January’s Macworld show, Apple CEO Steve Jobs cited data from NPD showing that the iPhone already has 20 percent of the smartphone market after one year, and that Apple is selling 20,000 iPhones per day. Meanwhile, Nokia and its platform retain huge dominance in the overall phone market. It would be nice to see this week’s phone announcements lead to a more open phone landscape, with more competition.
Do you think the new Linux phones, Android, and Microsoft’s acquisition might make the mobile phone market more competitive?
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Can’t wait for some Android-based application for me phone!
it doesn’t matter how good the software is, with a company like t mobile offering the phones business users will always be hamstrung.
I currently own a t mobile wing. T mobile will not replace my device with one that works, nor will they refund my money, or let me out of a service contract.
My phone will not sync with outlook.
At t mobile’s direction they erased all of my contacts in the phone. Almost daily the ringer doesn’t work and their advice is to reset it daily. Try doing business with a cell phone that doesn’t ring.
The part that makes me the maddest is that every time i discuss my displeasure with my phone with t mobile, one of their corny reps says something stupid like “my husband has that phone and he loves it” or “I wish I had that phone”, or my all time favorite “I have that phone also sir and i have to da the daily resets too just like everyone else, and my contacts got erased too, and i also have problems with my ringer but i am able to get through it”.
Since when was customer service allowed an opinion?
Anyone with similar problems interested in a lawsuit against t mobile should feel free to e-mail me. bryancalderon@yahoo.com
If you throw in the Asterisk Telephone System, based on LINUX as well… and the SIP phone (when combined with the Cell Phone), you have an interesting dynamic that allows for different topography development and mobility world wide, in the office (on the Asterisk system) and out of the office or over seas (also on the Asterisk system).
And that will be something that Nokia, and the rest, using the LINUX stack as a foundation, will be able to adjust to and to sell into. AT&T, and Verizon, however, will need to reinvent what they do… as the independent of proprietary control, TCP/IP based phone traffic will not register use points in their balance sheets!
Apple is going to blow their big chance!
With their traditional mindset, expect Apple to own only a tiny fraction of the mobile market. Apple is too closed – they only put their OS on Apple hardware – but in Mobile, there’s far too many competitors. (Imagine if Mac computers competed against 4 other OS’s in the PC space –- each far more able to innovate and learn from Apple’s success than Microsoft. What a world it would be!) But unlike the PC space, Mobile has dozens of competitors, wildly innovative, learning and copying, releasing products annually, and covering divergent prices and styles.
Read the excellent analysis at http://www.broodingsavage.com
Has Apple release that iPhone SDK yet? Microsft looked desparat with their metoo announcement it acquired Rubin’s old company on or around the day of Googles Android.
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