14 DAY TRIAL // According to the latest news on the Web, the Korean mobile phone maker Samsung plans on releasing during the on going year three new handsets that would run under Google's open-source Android platform. At the same time, the cell phone manufacturer will also launch at least one device sporting the open-source LiMo Linux software.
The news regarding the company's plans for this year has been confirmed by a senior executive from Samsung. The fact that the Korean company will come up to the market with at least three new devices that are based on the Google platform can be seen as a move against Apple's dominance on the mobile phone market.
Last week, Samsung announced that it would not come to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with any Android-based handsets, but also stated that it was working on such a device, which would be launched on the market sometime during the second half of 2009. The company confirmed at that time the fact that the device had been delayed, after being originally slated for a spring release.
Won-Pyo Hong, Samsung's head of product strategy, also let slip the fact that the company might be working on a LiMo-based device, if not more of the kind, as well as on a number of Android handsets larger than three, yet it is unclear whether the company will launch its devices on the US or on the European market for the first time.
If Samsung releases a LiMo-based handset, then it will extend its lineup to a number of five operating systems, among which we can count the Symbian platform, running on the UltraTOUCH and M7600 phones, and its own proprietary OS, as well as Windows Mobile and Google's Android platform.
Last week, six new operators announced plans to deliver LiMo-based handsets in 2009, which would include Verizon Wireless, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, SK Telecom, Telefonica and Vodafone. At the Mobile World Congress held these days in Barcelona, Spain, ten LiMo-compliant handsets are showcased out of the 33 currently available.