14 DAY TRIAL // Nokia, one of the top companies on the mobile market, might create some new Linux-based, Internet-focused devices, as the interest in such appliances is growing, Reuters is reporting. Although Linux is not widely used on cellphones, the situation is beginning to change, and Google's Android platform is one good example of confidence in Linux.
Linux is no stranger to Nokia, as the Finnish company has used it before on Internet tablets, devices that are similar to phones but lack the calling capability. As their name indicates, the Internet tablets are used for navigating the web from anywhere. Kari Tuutti, Nokia spokesman, said: "We will expand that range, and we believe that the role of Linux will grow." The Internet tablets were targeted at tech-savvy consumers and used to support technologies like WiMAX.
As Linux is free and open source, it could prove a viable solution for companies like Nokia, reducing the production costs of their devices and increasing the quality of the software, thanks to the great number of developers behind Linux. At an investor conference, Nokia's Chief Financial Officer Rick Simonson said about the role of Linux-based tablets that "It's going to be terribly important." He also stated that Nokia was creating the next generation of Linux-based products, which are beginning to appear on the market.
Nokia is not the first company from the mobile world interested in Linux. Motorola, Samsung Electronics, Vodafone, LG Electronics and many others have joined Linux alliances, like the LiMo Foundation, an industry consortium that tries to create an open source, Linux-based software platform for mobile solutions.
Nokia's S60, based on the proprietary operating system Symbian, is the leading software platform for cellphones at the moment, with Microsoft's Windows Mobile far behind it.