Verizon, others commit to LiMo phones this year
updated 04:15 pm EST, Mon February 9, 2009
Verizon commits to LiMo
The LiMo Foundation on Monday announced six new wireless providers have committed to release LiMo Platform based handsets in 2009. The Linux OS-based phones will become available from Verizon Wireless, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, SK Telecom, Telefonica and Vodafone sometime in 2009. The open-source Linux operating system in the devices will be based on the latest version of the LiMo Platform.
Other wireless providers part of the LiMo Foundation include KTF, SFR, Softbank Mobile Corp., Swisscom and Telecom Italia. The LiMo platform is built around a modular architecture and supports Digital Rights Management. Developers part of the LiMo foundations can use software development kits to write code for Java, browser apps and native code.
There are 33 LiMo compliant commercial handsets in existence, 10 of which will be showcased at the Mobile World Congress this week in Spain from manufacturers NEC and Panasonic as well as prototypes from LG Electronics and Samsung.
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industry, gadgets, software, Verizon, Orange, Linux, LG, Samsung, NEC, SK Telecom, Vodafone, Softbank, Java, NTT DoCoMo, Opera, Panasonic, SFR, KTF, mobile phones, Telecom Italia, Swisscom, LiMo Foundation, Telefonica
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2006
The Issue With LiMo
The issue with the LiMo platform is that it will never gain enough market value to be a viable OS on phones used by the masses.
Also, even if it were on a good number of handsets, those people who use devices with the Linux OS do not want to have to pay for anything, including applications. They believe everything should be FREE.
So if I am a developer, spending my time and money on developing kick a$$ applications.... do I want to give them away or sell them to the millions of people on the iPhone who are already shelling out millions of $$$ on apps?