PalmSource and MontaVista Software Want Linux on Cell Phones

Linux meets all the requirements to become an operating system for cell phones, the only problem is that, so far, aside from Motorola, there hasn't been another producer to manifest any interest for such a solution.

But this situation might change radically once the partnership between PalmSource, which will use Linux's kernel for the OS and MontaVista, the company that produced Linux Mobile OS, is finalized.

Practically, in this partnership, MontaVista will bring the operating system, and PalmSource will provide the applications for it. The two companies will work together on these two programs: MontaVista's Open Framework and PalmSource's Palm Powered Mobile World.

The Palm operating system, well known thanks to the PDAs that run it, has recorded lately an important decrease, platforms, like Symbian and Windows Mobile, almost dominating the market.

Linux, on the other hand, seems to be more and more appealing to cell phone producers, who are desperately trying to cut production costs in order to withstand the competition.

A few months ago, Nokia announced a Linux-based mobile equipment: Nokia N770. The alliance between PalmSource and MontaVista Software could cause Linux to become mainstream for cell phones and PDA type equipments.