Visit our other websites:    On CE ... eSP ... Mobile Channels ... ECI news ... rAVe Europe ... Digital Signage News EMEA

MeeGo is Dead, Long Live Tizen?

E-mail Print PDF

As MeeGo (the Nokia-Intel Linux-based mobile device OS project) fades away following Nokia's move to Windows Phone, the Linux Foundation announces a new open source project-- Tizen, a standards-based cross-architecture software platform for multiple devices.

TizenWith an initial release aiming for Q1 2012, Tizen should support smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, netbooks and in-vehicle infotainment systems. The Linux Foundation hopes the first Tizen-powered devices should be available by H2 2012.

The platform will support HTML5 for device-independent app development as well as the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) standards.

Leading development are Intel and Samsung, together with the LiMo Foundation-- a consortium consisting of ACCESS, Panasonic Mobile, NEC Casio, NTT DoCoMo, Samsung, SK Telecom, Telefonica and Vodafone.

As budding mobile device platforms (webOS, anyone?) struggle against the rival iOS and Android  behemoths, how will Tizen fare on the battlefield? So far Samsung confirms its support, telling Reuters "we've been a core Linux partner ... and this is in line with our strategy of supporting many platforms."

Meanwhile analysts suggest big operators might "get worried by Android's increasing smartphone dominance" and switch platforms in order to restrict Google's influence on the mobile market. Either way, we should know how Tizen will fare by around this time next year.

Go LiMo Foundation and Linux Foundation Announce New Open Source Software Platform, Tizen

Go Intel, Samsung to Get Behind New Linux Phone software