Nov/Dec 2004

Could Linux become the operating system of choice for mobile handsets of the future? There may not be massive support for it in Europe at the moment, but consultancy IDC projects that the Linux OS market will grow 83 per cent to $44.5 million in 2004, and to $114.6 million in 2007.

Gartner agrees, predicting that there could be a huge growth in mobile devices running Linux, especially among high-end handsets manufactured locally in Asia.

Developers are naturally picking up on these indicators, and in one of the latest developments, US-based InnoPath Software, which already claims to be the industry leader in over-the-air (OTA) mobile device software management, has announced what it claims is the first commercial Linux OTA firmware update offering.

InnoPath's core product, DeltaUpgrade, helps wireless operators and handset manufacturers keep mobile device software and firmware of various flavours current and functional. Extension to the Linux world is just one further indication that the open-source world could become more widely popular.

InnoPath's DeltaUpgrade Plus OTA solution includes the ability to support file systems on handsets, including Linux compressed file systems and NAND flash technology. It says benefits to handset manufacturers include faster time-to-market and cost savings through deployment of cable-based and OTA services to mobile devices using the Linux operating system.