Linux on the Mobile Phone – Predictions coming true this year

As I blogged about two weeks ago, there’s no shortage of devices running Linux. This is one trend that seems to hold promise for customizing the mobile phone to specific application requirements often found in the world of virtual instrumentation. There’s a wealth of code and information on how to run Linux on a specific mobile phone. The collaborative nature of Linux users makes information sharing quite extensive. This site is just one example.

Linux is now on 31% of smartphones growing at 75% per year according to this source. This growth rate is faster than Symbian or Windows Mobile. Another sign of adoption is the existence of standards. A new LiPS document outlines technical standards for Linux implementations on mobile phones.

The Linux Mobile standards group continues to grow. Motorola recently announced it had shipped over 9 million Linux-based mobile devices.

Market forecasts from ABI predict the number of Linux-based mobile phones will grow from 9M units in 2007 to 127 million in 2012.

The startup community is seeing action in the Mobile phone Linux space. Purple Labs the first vendor of a Linux-based mobile phone recently secured over $14M in financing.

The predictions of Linux coming to the mobile phone are coming true this year. All the signs point to it as the next “standard”.

Best regards,
Hall T.