At Least 20 Vendors Building Linux Mobile Phones, Vendor Claims

A Linux software vendor claimed this week that at least 20 companies are building open source-based mobile phones or phone hardware platforms using its software.

Trolltech claimed that the vendors using its Qtopia Linux platform for mobile phones include Samsung, Philips and Motorola. The company claimed that an additional 30 vendors were using the platform for devices of various types.

"The large number of leading organizations that are building new phones and other technologies on Linux and Qtopia will dispel any lingering doubt that Linux is going to be a core platform for mobile devices," Haavard Nord, Trolltech's CEO, said in a statement.

Linux for use in mobile devices gained momentum recently when PalmSource said it would port its Palm OS to Linux. MontaVista Software, another Linux vendor specializing in mobile devices, also recently noted a strong upsurge in interest among device vendors.