Qt phone home?
- Article 16 of 16
- LinuxUser & Developer, October 2006
Embedded Linux has all the power any smartphone manufacturer might need. That might be the biggest problem facing its adoption, says Rob Buckley
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A Linux-based device would have almost unlimited abilities to add functionality, as the Google Talk deal shows. That would reduce network providers’ revenues. Nokia might be able to develop a phone running Linux, but would it be able to get a network provider to endorse it? It’s no coincidence that most of the sales of Linux-based phones have been to China and other countries whose network providers have not yet developed comparable revenue-generation schemes to Verizon’s.
The sheer power of Linux is unfortunately the number one factor contributing to its slow uptake on the phone. While the barriers to its adoption are decreasing as industry momentum falls behind it, there are still plenty of problems to be overcome. Proprietary systems that can be locked down by network providers, such as Windows Mobile and Symbian’s Series 60, will continue to have the edge for some time. But, hopefully, not forever.
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