The tough competition in mobile market has forced the shrinking force of Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) to announce plans to fold and join in to more active Linux mobile group: the Linux Mobile Foundation (LiMo).It's a sad news if we see it in the competitive point of view, but a good news to see it in the standardization for Linux mobile in general.
For you who haven't know, LiPS was working to create a standard that would define APIs (application programming interfaces) for developing applications to run on a mobile Linux kernel.
And so far LiPS has released a first specification for Linux mobile, where Linux mobile developers may download it from their website. Bill Weinberg, general manager for LiPS assured us that "The specification itself lives on and will end up being hosted on the net somewhere."
By contrast, the LiMo Foundation is aiming to build a de facto standard software platform that handset makers can use to create Linux phones.
But what are the real reasons behind this plan to join forces together between these two independent Linux mobile platforms?
With all of the hypes in mobile world, actual growth in Linux mobile phones has stagnated. Worldwide shipments of Linux phones in 2007 were essentially the same as the previous year, according to research from Canalys. Where analysts have blame fragmentation for the slow growth.
"The mobile landscape is shifting in a rapid manner and it's important that there be a common software platform that companies can implement and deploy," said Andrew Shikiar, director of global marketing for the LiMo Foundation. Some companies that switched allegiances from LiPS to LiMo earlier this year said they had become impatient with the pace of the standards process.Some of the big mobile companies such as Orange, France Telecom, Trolltech, Montavista and Purple Labs were active in both groups while others said they'd given up their work with LiPS. At that time it became apparent that the momentum behind LiPS was slowing as LiMo's growth was picking up steam.
"From the LiMO perspective, this has been an interesting week," Shikiar said on Wednesday. "We've seen one emerging platform face some well publicized challenges, we've seen a leader in the mobile industry embrace openness and we're excited about tomorrow's announcement further signifying consolidation and unification behind LiMo as a meaningful Linux OS," he said.
Some have said that the delayed release date of Google's Android on time, has given time and good opportunity for Apple or other mobile vendors to make a quicker start by releasing newer handsets; and thus gain better mobile market momentum. While other also believe the delay will hurt Android itself, which expected by many to become a main player in mobile world (backed up with Google's enourmous muscles).
And let's not forget the upcoming iPhone 3G, which is scheduled to launch on July 11th has caused so many commotions already. In my personal watch, many mobile manufacturers have boldly challenge iPhone's popularity by releasing their new handsets near iPhone 3G release date. Like the rumored Palm Treo 8.xx (a.k.a. Treo 800w) said to be launched on July 13th, T-Mobile's Moto Rokr E8 set to be released on July 7th, and not to mention Nokia set to release more handsets in months to come.While Google seems to take more cautious steps to take the competition head-to-head with iPhone, especially when Apple has introduced more advanced iPhone SDK in the iPhone 2.0 platform. The real intention on Android's delayed release date, might be affected by the growing interest of mobile consumers on Apple's App Store.
For more in depth stories on Linux mobile, please read my previous blogs posted here at PalmAddict:
Sources are from PCW Business Center & Engadget.
[blogged with my Treo 750v]
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