Dell at IDF revealed that it's about to ship a version of the Inspiron Mini 10v with Moblin Linux. The system is initially aimed at developers but will give everyone a simpler-to-use alternative to Ubuntu for web browsing and media playback. It specifically uses Canonical's Moblin Netbook Remix, a variant tailored for the screens and interfaces common to the mini notebooks.
Intel at its Developer Forum keynote entered the smartphone field in earnest with the first edition of Moblin Linux for handsets. Version 2.1 is reworked to optimize the interface for touchscreen phone input and adds a panel-based interface for app switching, somewhat like the metaphor used in Palm's webOS. The software still centers on features from Moblin 2.0 like dedicated media playback and a full web browser.
ASUS will release an Eee PC netbook later this year with Intel's Moblin Linux operating system, according to a Friday report from German website NetbookNews. The news is not official, but the site says it has a reliable source for the netbook, which is expected to come out in October. Moblin will not be preloaded on a new Eee PC, but an existing one, with many expecting it to appear on the slim Seashell line of Eee PCs.
Dell via its blog on Wednesday announced it will evaluate the cloud-based Chrome OS for use in its products, possibly tying it in with the Android OS, also from Google. At the same time, the company said it is also likely to integrate the Linux-based Moblin operating system into its ultra portable computing devices, or netbooks. Either OS has its advantages, Dell claims, with the former not only offering what Dell calls an experience-targeted platform, but is also cost effective compared to the traditional Windows operating systems.
Intel today is now claimed to be in formal discussions with Google over backing Android for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). Although Intel has its own Moblin Linux platform, those firm making the handhelds in Taiwan say Intel wants to be the choice of hardware for any operating system, including Android. It believes creating a healthy hardware and software environment will help the wider industry, according to DigiTimes.
Finland-based Elektrobit has recently demonstrated a cellular-voice-enabled mobile Internet device (MID) known as the Reference Device and based on Intel's next-generation Atom processor, codenamed Moorestown. The device will also sport a special build of the Linux-based Moblin v2 operating system optimized for use in MIDs and with cellular phone support. The EB design was co-developed along with Intel and Ericsson, and will be offered to companies in custom specs.
At a press conference at Computex in Taiwan on Wednesday, PC maker Acer announced it will soon offer the Moblin Linux operating system in its products. This will include Aspire One nettop PCs and regular notebook and desktop PCs. Several Moblin-powered Aspire One netbooks are currently being shown at Computex, along with netbooks from other manufacturers, albeit there was more than one version of Moblin. The Linux-based operating system was developed by Intel to get the most out of the Atom CPU used in ultra-portable netbook PCs.
Intel and Nokia have been discovered as teaming on a new, Linux-based operating system for mobile phones. Labeled as the oFono project, the effort is separate from both companies' usual Linux projects and is meant to provide an open-source alternative in the same vein as Android. The foundation would be minimal but heavily extensible, letting companies add their own network stacks and other features rather than requiring oFono to supply most on its own.
A leak of Intel's notebook processor plans for the second half of 2009 show the company moving aggressively into its new platforms during the summer. Those within notebook builders tell DigiTimes that the Nehalem-based notebook processor line, Calpella, is still on track for summer and is slated for mid- to high-range notebooks costing about $1,200 or more. Whether or not this will involve only quad-core processors, as recently rumored, isn't known.
