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.

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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