Mobile Linux takes off

More than 127m phones and mobile devices will be equipped with the Linux operating system by 2012.

The estimate comes in a study by analyst ABI Research, which says there will only be 8.1m such devices this year.

"Linux in the cellular phone is not a question of ‘if', but ‘when'," says ABI Research analyst Stuart Carlaw.

Complete Linux-based development suites such as the Trolltech-led GreenSuite and Alp from Access are helping to drive the growth, said the study.

The mobile industry however still needs to understand the total cost of ownership for Linux programs, and it must create a common set of APIs to enable economies of scale for third-party developers, said ABI.

Related article: Get on the right mobile OS track

Related article: Mobile platforms: Linux - a land of misconceptions

Comment on this article: computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk