Handheld devices running Moblin 2.0 will be able to access Google's Android Market, potentially making the Intel operating system as appealing as Android for mobile carriers paid to host application downloads on their networks.
Similar to the App Store built for Apple's iPhone, Android Market offers free and paid applications that can be downloaded to devices based on Google's Android operating system.
[ Dive deep into the next-gen mobile devices in InfoWorld's PDF special report. | And get the latest on the Moblin effort from InfoWorld's ongoing coverage. ]
The mobile phone industry currently favors Android over Moblin, while the opposite is true for the netbook and nettop industries, Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, said at a Linux forum during the Computex Taipei exhibition.
But developer interest in Moblin could "go crazy" in the next year as more Moblin-based devices come out, Zemlin said.
The ability to access Android content on Moblin could also neutralize some of Android's advantages. Both operating systems are based on a Linux kernel.
Both Moblin and Android appeared in a number of netbooks, or scaled-down laptops, displayed by PC makers this week at the Computex exhibition in Taipei. Strong interest followed displays of Android netbooks made by companies including Acer, Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) and Asustek Computer, though Acer also said it planned to offer Moblin across its range of PCs.
Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president of Intel's ultra mobility group, showed several Android applications installed on an Atom-based netbook running Moblin 2.0 during a speech Thursday.
Access to Android Market -- and other application stores -- will also be available on handheld computers that Intel calls mobile Internet devices (MIDs), said an Intel executive manning a display of Intel's products at the Computex exhibition in Taipei. Intel showed off the first working MID prototypes that use its Moorestown chip platform for the devices on Thursday.
The Moorestown devices are expected to be available early next year.
Moblin 2.0's support for Android Market and other download stores was added to appeal to carriers that have revenue sharing agreements with Google for Android Marketplace, the Intel executive said. It will also allow operators or handset makers that have built their own application stores to easily extend access to devices running Moblin, he said.
Adding support for Android Market, or other stores, to Moblin 2.0 is done using a runtime and does not require that the device be running Android, he said.
Intel has substantially raised its funding for Moblin development since it handed oversight of the project and its community to the Linux Foundation, Zemlin said.
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
Sign up to receive InfoWorld Resource Alerts
13 Recommendations
