[IP] Japanese cell phone service rings in Linux
Japanese cell phone service rings in Linux
By <mailto:ben.charny@xxxxxxxx?subject=FEEDBACK:Japanese cell phone service
rings in Linux>Ben Charny
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
<http://news.com.com//2100-1039_3-5113091.html?tag=prntfr>http://news.com.com/2100-1039-5113091.html
Story last modified December 3, 2003, 4:44 PM PST
Japanese cell phone service provider NTT DoCoMo is urging its handset
suppliers to build Linux-based cell phones, a milestone for the operating
system's acceptance by the wireless industry.
<http://news.com.com//2100-7344-5082818.html?tag=nl>DoCoMo intends Linux as
a cost-saving measure for its 2004 cell phone lineup, spokeswoman Karen
Lurker said on Wednesday. The Linux operating system, which is distributed
freely, could help DoCoMo's handset suppliers-- NEC, Panasonic, Toshiba and
Fujitsu--drive down the price of some of the phones they manufacture, she said.
She added that the company is not asking the handset makers to use only
Linux, but rather to make the operating system "one choice among many" that
NTT DoCoMo subscribers have next year. "Linux is open, there's no licensing
charges; it's a smart choice," Lurker said.
DoCoMo and its reputation for introducing cutting-edge cell phones is the
latest inroad for Linux, which is created by a large number of programmers
who share the freely available source code that underlies the software. It
was first popular as a replacement for the expensive software used to run
higher-end networked machines called servers.
[]
Interest in Linux by cell phone manufacturers started in January, when
handset maker Nokia
<http://news.com.com//2100-1033-980589.html?tag=nl>responded to requests
from Linux programmers to release a Linux version of software for
developing Linux cell phone applications. In February, Motorola outlined
ambitious plans to make most of its phones run on Linux. Motorola
introduced its first Linux phone, the A760, in August.
Research firm IDC has estimated that by 2006, Linux may take as much as 4.2
percent of the market for software for high-powered smart phones.
Dominating the market now is Symbian, a London-based consortium owned by
British computer company Psion. DoCoMo earlier announced its intention to
introduce Symbian-based phones to its customers
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