Motorola leaves LiMo Foundation board

Motorola has quit the LiMo Foundation, the mobile Linux group of which it was a founding member, according to a Thursday report. Christy Wyatt, the VP of software applications and ecosystems at Motorola, said on Tuesday she has given up the board of the foundation. The company will instead remain as an associate member and retain an active role as a contributing member.

The cellphone maker is now no longer listed as the founding member on the LiMo website. A Motorola spokesperson says changes in a consortium like LiMo foundation are normal.

This indicates the handset maker is committed to the open-source Android operating system instead. Android is a competing Linux-based operating system that is not part of the LiMo foundation.

"At this time it feels that the Android platform gives it a richer, more consistent foundation with strong support for the ecosystem and developer community," Motorola said in a statement. The company is committed to Android, stating it wants to offer its products on all US carriers.

Motorola has said that it is focusing most of its mobile phone development efforts on Android and that the vast majority of phones it releases next year will use the software.

Other LiMo members, including another founder, Samsung, have released their own Android-powered handsets, and Verizon Wireless has plans to do so as well. About 40 handsets in the worldwide market use LiMo's operating system.

By Electronista Staff