Moblin™ Zone

Nokia and Intel has taken the best from Maemo and Moblin and merged them into the MeeGo platform, while Qt will provide the framework for app development.

During a press event at the Mobile World Congress, Nokia and Intel announced the MeeGo platform, a merge of Maemo and Moblin. MeeGo will be rolled out on Media phones, Netbooks, Pocketables/Handhelds, In-car entertainment systems as well as Connected TVs. The MeeGo Technical Steering Group talks about the new platform in a video here.

For more information, go to Info Sync World.

MSI and Novell recently announced that MSI’s soon-to-be-available U135 netbook will be the first to come pre-loaded with Novell SUSE Moblin.  The device, which is powered by a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, is targeted at consumers and enterprise users who want rich Internet experiences without having to sacrifice battery life.  It also provides everyday users with all the benefits of Linux without all the usual complexity.

The MSI U135 uses the optimized performance and power management capabilities of the Atom chip, Moblin v2.1, and other enhancements to achieve about 7.5 hours of battery life.  The netbook includes a 10-inch display, 2 GB RAM, a 160 GB hard drive, Bluetooth support, and WiFi connectivity in addition to a built-in web cam, microphone, and speakers.  It is also WiMAX capable.

Sam Chem, director of Global Marketing at MSI, said in a press release that the combination of MSI netbooks and SUSE Moblin provide “an innovative interface and robust computing capabilities” at an attractive price point.   Toward that end, SUSE Moblin leverages the enterprise-class capabilities of SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, but is optimized for Internet use, social media interaction, and web-based collaboration.

Intel and Novell have been working together to refine Moblin v 2.1 for Netbooks to speed boot times among other things.   Markus Rex, general manager of Novell Open Platform Solutions said in a statement that a joint goal of Novell and MSI is “to make SUSE Moblin the most user-friendly Linux netbook option for consumers”.

The MSI U135 was demonstrated by MSI at the 2010 Consumer Electronic show (CES).  It will be generally available in February 2010.

Intel made good on its promise to extend personal computing to smartphones at the recent 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.  Using a prototype GW990 smartphone from LG Electronics Intel CEO Paul Otellini demonstrated how Moblin and its next-generation Moorestown platform for handhelds and smartphones can be used to deliver new user experiences that combine multitasking capabilities with new user interfaces (UIs).  Otellini also showed a smartphone reference design from Aaya Mobile and a reference design from OpenPeak.

The LG GW990 is somewhat larger than the average smartphone which makes it an attractive option for viewing video and mobile content.  It includes a 4.8-inch touchscreen that provides a 2.13:1 aspect ratio and a display resolution of 1024 x 480 pixels.

About a year ago, Intel and LG announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Spain they were collaborating on mobile internet devices (MIDs).  Given Intel’s push into the smartphone market, the unveiling of Moblin 2.1 for Handhelds (which targets both MIDs and smartphones), and LG’s position as the number 3 smartphone provider, it’s no surprise that the end result is the GW990.

The LG GW990 was demonstrated merely as a prototype.  It will purportedly ship in the second half of 2010.