Motorola will embed Real’s media player software in handsets that run on the Linux operating system. Real estimated that as many as half of Motorola’s handsets would run on Linux, the open source operating system, within a few years. Real also suggested that Motorola could eventually bundle the software on handsets that run on other operating systems.
The agreement with Motorola means that Real has now struck non-exclusive deals with the world’s four largest mobile phone makers to carry Real’s streaming media software on their handsets.
IDG: Motorola really did not have much choice, said Ken Dulaney, VP of mobile computing with Gartner. “I think it was kind of a fait accompli” because there are simply no viable alternatives, he said. The key is access to content, according to Dulaney. Content providers generally encode their audio and video in RealNetworks’ and Microsoft’s formats, but Microsoft sticks to its own operating environment when it comes to player software.
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