Linux Smartphone
Over the past 15 years, Linux fanboys have salivated over the possibility of Linux overtaking Microsoft as the number one desktop operating system. Some would often speculate that the year to come would be the year of the Linux desktop.
Those years, however, came and went. Linux still only holds a fraction of the total desktop market, although there has been some growth. Depending on whom you ask, Linux may be close to or have even surpassed Mac OS X to become the second most-popular desktop operating system.
Their zeal is not simply driven by pure geek envy. There are social ramifications and even a political ideology that encourages Linux users to promote free and open source software. The software is community-driven. It’s source code is freely available, and in some cases, like that of Mozilla Firefox, the movement to popularize it has been quite successful.
Linux too, has enjoyed a serious amount of success, to the point where hardware manufacturers like IBM, HP, Intel, and Dell take it very seriously, and competing OS makers like Microsoft actually see it as a threat. But as of 2010, that threat has been mainly relegated to servers and not desktops. There has, however, emerged another device category on which Linux and other free and open source software has secured a dominant position: mobile phones.
Companies like Nokia and Motorola have been using Linux for years on a select number of their phones, but early smartphones were mostly controlled by Windows Mobile, Symbian (the most widely used), or some other proprietary mobile OS, like the one that powers the BlackBerry. The release of the iPhone furthered that trend, but portions of the iPhone OS are based on Mac OS X, which is itself based on a free and open source Unix-like operating system called Darwin. This offered a glimmer of hope, and now the iPhone is just one of many like it.
Google’s development of the Linux-based Android OS has changed the game. Every time a Verizon commercial airs bragging about their Droid, or a Sprint commercial praises the wonders of the HTC EVO 4G, a Linux-based phone is being promoted.
Most impressive of all, Android is, by no means, the sole property of Google. It is maintained by the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which includes in its membership Acer, Asus, Dell, Spring, HTC, T-Mobile, NEC, ARM, Sharp, Sony Ericsson, Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, LG, Motorola, and others. They have managed to bring Linux to the hands of the masses without them even knowing it.
Android is also not the only Linux-based mobile OS on the market. Palm’s WebOS, which powers the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi, is another, and HP’s recent acquisition of Palm may eventually extend the reach of the Linux mobile platform to tablets. Several Android-powered tablets are already in the works. Meanwhile, Nokia open-sourced the Symbian OS and merged their Maemo OS with Intel’s Moblin to produce MeeGo, another Linux-based OS. Their next N-series phones are expected to run MeeGo, and some MeeGo-based tablets are on the horizon as well.
Time will tell how far the Linux mobile phone explosion spreads. Perhaps Microsoft, Apple, RIM and others will fight back, but the impression that Linux has left on the mobile phone market this year is certainly impressive, with Google stating that it is now activating 160,000 Android handsets per day.
Therefore, although the year is only half over, and the iPhone 4 will certainly make a dent, I am calling it. 2010 is officially The Year of the Linux Smartphone.
| Linux-based handsets | ||
| Manufacturer | Models | Platform/OS |
| HTC | Google Nexus One, T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide, Evo 4G, Tattoo, Magic, Legend, Droid Incredible, Hero, Desire, Aria | Android |
| LG | GW620 Eve, GT540 oPTIMUS | Android |
| Motorola | CLIQ XT, Droid, Droid X, Backflip, Devour, MOTO XT720 | Android |
| Samsung | Movement, Galaxy, Behold II, | Android |
| Sony Ericsson | XPERIA X10, Xperia | Android |
| Acer | Liquid A1, Liquid E | Android |
| Palm | Pre, Pixi | WebOS |
| Nokia | Nokia N900 | Maemo |
| Dell | Mini 3i | Android |
| Samsung | Vodafone 360 | LiMo |
| NEC | DoCoMo | LiMo |
| Panasonic | DoCoMo | LiMo |
| Motorola | Rokr EM30 | LiMo |
Tags: Linux, Linux smartphone, smartphone
