LWCE's Journal: Going Mobile in a Big Way

As we get closer to LinuxWorld Boston, we've started sending out newsletters giving people a heads-up on the show. Following is our newsletter all about the mobile Linux stuff we've added for Boston.

Visit The Mobile Linux Pavilion
Conference attendees definitely won't want to miss the Mobile Linux Pavilion, sponsored by PalmSource, in collaboration with OSDL and Lips. The Pavilion provides attendees a close up look at the latest mobile Linux technologies and the work done by OSDL and LiPS to promote and standardize Linux as the first choice of mobile device providers.

PalmSource - ACCESS Linux Platform
Consumers and enterprise level users are demanding increased functionality and capability from their mobile devices. Naturally, Linux and Open Source Software offer ideal solutions to satisfy those needs, through broad flexibility in development and streamlined licensing requirements.

PalmSource recently announced their new ACCESS Linux Platform (ALP), the latest version of their Palm OS for Linux. It provides an integrated, open and flexible Linux based platform specifically geared to smartphones and mobile devices. As manufacturers ramp up production of high performance, feature rich devices, the need for a consistent and easily customizable environment for these vendors becomes increasingly important.

For a little more in-depth description of the ACCESS Linux Platform, take a look at the official ALP product announcement.

Didier Diaz, of PalmSource, will discuss how the mobile phone market is evolving in a 3:30 PM conference session on Wednesday, 04/05/2006. Didier will talk about how Linux is quickly evolving into the platform of choice on mobile devices and how you can harness the benefits for your situation.

Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) and their Mobile Linux Initiative
OSDL wants to boost the adoption Linux on next generation voice/data portable devices. They are working to help fill in the gaps in the Linux platform and the environment surrounding it.

They are focusing on areas such as:

• Fast booting of the devices
• Optimizing the memory footprints
• Power management of the devices
• Security
• Competitiveness in the market
• Integration with other systems
• Time to Market improvements

Mobile Linux Initiative members include phone chipset and headset manufacturers, Linux based mobile software platform suppliers, middleware and application ISVs, and wireless carriers and operators.

The project will provide gap analysis, use cases, and requirement specs to help streamline the development of new mobile device systems. They plan to also establish a registration process to validate a common platform.

Bill Weinberg, of OSDL, will give an lively discussion about the progress Linux has made in mobile telephony. He'll cover market and technical forces that have motivated mobile handset manufacturers to build their wares with Linux, and how those Linux-based devices are received by mobile carriers and operators.

You can browse their OSDL Mobile Linux Initiative page, for more information.

Linux Phone Standards Forum (LiPS) and the telephony industry
LiPS was created to speed-up the adoption of standardized Linux services and APIs in the telephony industry.

Their aim is to bring the major Linux telephony groups together and ensure that viable business models exist for all industry players.

LiPS is working to resolve the challenges of how Linux can provide top-notch performance, security and interoperability in the fixed, mobile, and converged telephony environments.

They also want to develop certification and testing programs, so vendors can adhere to a common set of industry standards, thus providing consumers with high quality products and services.

Make Sure To Hit The Mobile and Embedded Linux Conference Sessions
New to the LinuxWorld Conference is the Mobile and Embedded Linux track. If you're a LinuxWorld Conference attendee, be sure and check out the following speakers we've lined up:

Fabrizio Capobianco, CEO, Funambol
Fabrizio will talk about how companies will provide the functions and services users desire on converged devices.

Mark VandenBrink, Chief Architect for Mobile Device Software, Motorola
Mark will cover the technical considerations and requirements of using Open Source Software in mobile devices.

Jacob Lehrbaum, MontaVista Software
Jacob will show the significance of Linux and how it is making a difference in the mobile infrastructure.

Note that this is just a sample of what you'll find. You'll also find speakers from PalmSource, OSDL, and much more!