Not letting Microsoft and Symbian taking all the smartphone share, MontaVista Software announced Mobilinux, a new product built to address key areas of development for mobile and wireless devices. Mobilinux is built on the fourth generation of MontaVista's Linux platform, which has been using by Motorola and Panasonic.

Mobilinux 4.0 serves as the core of the Mobilinux Open Framework, an industry-wide program for the creation and promotion of Linux-based handset reference architectures. In this capacity, Mobilinux 4.0 delivers an open and flexible operating system enabling differentiated and cost effective phone designs while giving operators the ability to leverage a single platform from the network to the device.

MontaVista engineered Mobilinux with a focus on:

• Addressing handset manufacturer and mobile operator specifications through open and industry standard technologies
• Ensuring platform stability and scalability
• Maximizing battery and size performance

Mobilinux Features Include:

• Enhanced Core Capabilities
  • Based on Linux 2.6 kernel
  • Footprint improvements
  • Rapid boot times (less than 1 second)
  • Event Broker (define, publish & subscribe)
  • Improved stability and reliability
• Advanced Real-Time Support
  • Support requirements for mass-market, single-chip phone designs
• Power Management Improvements
  • Dynamic Power Management (DPM) improves power performance through adjustments on-the-fly
  • MontaVista Power Manager
  • Cross-platform DPM Library
  • Various power performance enhancements
• MontaVista DevRocket™ Development Environment Enhancements
  • ARM EABI support for compatibility with standard third-party tools
  • Compiler support for thumb mode
  • Built on updated Eclipse 3.0.1 and CDT 2.1 technology
  • Device management tools
  • Advanced system measurement tools
• Integrated Graphical Layer for User Interfaces
  • Built on open KDrive (aka TinyX) and GTK technologies

The new Mobilinux will be available in Q2 2005

via smartphonethoughts