Japanese Wireless Operator Invests In U.S. Linux Vendor

Linux as a platform for mobile devices received another boost Tuesday when Japanese wireless operator NTT DoCoMo announced that it has invested in U.S. Linux vendor MontaVista Software.

The companies announced last month that MontaVista's Linux would be used as the operating system for three new 3G phones from DoCoMo. The Japanese wireless operator also has said it plans to use the Symbian OS for some of its other 3G phones. DoCoMo said it is investing $3 million in the Sunnyvale, California-based company.

The prospects for Linux on mobile devices got another boost recently when PalmSource said it planned to port the Palm OS to Linux.