It's a bit late, but the LiMo Foundation has wrapped up work on specifications for its second major release, aptly named R2. Major improvements over R1 include enhanced support for location-based services, media, integrated PIM functionality, and "advanced security applications," which we take to mean VPN and the like; more importantly, though, R2 integrates the OMTP's BONDI 1.0 specification, which gives manufacturers, carriers, and developers a common target platform for widgets and mobile web apps. If you're itching to run out and buy a LiMo R2 device of your own, hold up -- they won't be in the market until the fourth quarter of the year, assuming the schedule doesn't slip.

[Via Phone Scoop]

We've been waiting on pins and needles for confirmation, but it looks like an all-too-vague Reuters report actually is referring to the Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60. After a senior company official noted that a "Linux-based operating system" would be used in one of its two smartphones, we pinged Garmin directly to cut through the mystery and get down to the meat. What we were told was this: "The Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 has a proprietary Linux-based OS, and we're still working towards delivering the nüvifone G60 in the first half of 2009 in limited markets, which haven't been named yet." Of course, the tandem is quickly running out in months in that window, so we're pretty jazzed to be all up on top of an imminent release. Now, if only we knew where those patience pills made off to...

[Via Boy Genius Report]

We got a quick look at the latest version of the Access Linux Platform (ALP) today, running on an early build of TI's OMAP 3-based Zoom hardware. Access seems excessively enthused with widgets, and really isn't doing a bad job at them, featuring transparency galore and even a second home screen for housing a separate set of them (perhaps "work" or "home" or "really great world clocks"). The machine also run's Access' own NetFront browser, which isn't quite as butter as we've seen WebKit get lately, but might be about on par with Microsoft's new builds of Internet Explorer Mobile. Unfortunately, aside from a jerky, barebones "flickable" photo browser, that's all Access is showing off of LiMo-compliant 3.0 at the moment, and we didn't get a look at that Garnet OS compatibility layer we all know and love. Still, if you suffer from some irrational fear that we'd be short on mobile operating systems here at MWC you can at last rest at ease. Video is after the break.

While Android is sure enjoying the spotlight underneath that HTC Magic display, the LiMo Foundation is quietly building an army to rule the mobile realm once and for all. Dramatics aside, the Linux consortium did manage to secure another six members here at Mobile World Congress including Telefónica SA, Aromasoft Corporation, Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications, Marvell Semiconductor, Opera Software ASA, and Swisscom. Of course, all these formalities really mean nothing if the group can't manage to get a reputable handset out the door, so for now, we'll say "congrats" and "hurry up, why don'tcha?"

While Acer unveiled its plan to launch a pair of Android phones this year via the slightly ancient pen-and-paper method, Samsung used an even trustier method: spoken word. According to Reuters, the company's head of product strategy Won-Pyo Hong affirmed that Sammy would sell "more than three" Android phones by the end of this year, and furthermore, it would "definitely" unwrap a phone using the LiMo Foundation's Linux-based software before 2010 dawns. Hong wouldn't disclose whether those Google-powered handsets would hit America, Europe or elsewhere first, but he did remark that both the US and Europe would be covered by the year's end. We'd love to say we're totally unaffected by such a tease, but c'mon, who has that kind of patience?

That other massive international collaboration for a standardized Linux-based mobile platform, the LiMo Foundation, is still toiling away at building its global empire -- but the good news is that Release 2 is now ready to rumble, albeit a few weeks behind schedule. The new version -- a collaboration among a slew of Foundation members -- adds enhancements for location-based services, improved security, high-end multimedia, and other miscellany that hope to make LiMo competitive with the best that Android and others have to offer in 2009. Speaking of 2009, LiMo now says that six "major" carriers have committed to launching handsets running the latest version of the platform this year -- NTT DoCoMo, Telefonica, Orange, SK Telecom, Verizon, and Vodafone -- which is a pretty powerful testament to the pull that LiMo has at the moment. Delivering on those commitments, of course, is another matter altogether.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Leave it to Access to completely underplay the debut of one of the most anticipated mobile operating systems of the decade -- anticipation that's certainly waned, but we're sure somebody's at least a little excited. ALP 3.0 and ALP mini are about ready for mass consumption, with ALP mini available to licensees immediately, though no word yet on when ALP 3.0 will hit. From the sound of it, ALP 3.0 concentrates on a fancy, transition-filled smartphone OS, while ALP mini is more stripped-down and ready for featurephone use. Both operating systems are Linux-based, with some strange amalgam of Palm OS-ness, though ALP mini drops Garnet compatibility and can't run native Linux apps like big brother 3.0, which is LiMo compatible. NTT DoCoMo is planning ALP phones in the second half of 2009, that Edelweiss ALP phone for Russia has been outed, and we're still struggling to care.

Without much fanfare, the Samsung i800 was canned at the tail end of last month. When asked why, Orange simply noted that it was pulled in order to "prepare a more competitive Linux mobile." A recent writeup at Ostatic takes a hard look at whether this simple withdrawal is really a sign of things to come, and it suggests that ALP could see support fade as the major players in Linux (and maybe even Nokia) step to the plate. One analyst was even quoted as saying that "having Google's brand behind Symbian could very well mean 'game over' for mobile Linux in the mobile phone market," and we honestly can't disagree too vehemently with that assertion. Of course, the LiMo Foundation has stated its intentions to not back down from the mighty Google, but sometimes, even the best intentions fall through. Guess time will tell, huh?

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Gotta be a lot of pressure out there in Mountain View lately, what with the LiMo Foundation's 20-plus shipping handsets, 50-plus members, and seemingly no shortage of momentum heading into the second half of the year. Despite all that, though, Android's Eric Chu says that it still has no interest in exploring a partnership with that other 800-pound mobile Linux consortium out there, primarily because it doesn't want too many cooks in the kitchen while it puts the finishing touches on its user experience. Speaking of finishing touches, Chu says that the core platform is now roughly 80 percent complete and still expects it to be open-sourced and delivered on production handsets by the end of the year. By then, LiMo could very well have another round or two of phones on the market -- and with the Symbian threat as real as ever, Google certainly may not be sitting as pretty as they seemed to be way back at the announcement.

[Via mocoNews]

The deafening silence out of the Android camp as of late has left plenty of room for competitors to steal some of the spotlight to advance their own causes, and the LiMo Foundation certainly seems to be doing what it can to take advantage of the opportunity. The "other" Linux-based mobile platform already has a key advantage over Android and the Open Handset Alliance -- products that are actually shipping -- and they're working to wide the gap here by announcing that they've now pushed their member count over the half-century mark. As usual, there are a few heavy hitters in this round, too: ZTE, Motorola spinoff Freescale Semiconductor, and Telecom Italia headline the eleven-strong class of carriers, component manufacturers, and software shops. Separately, they've announced that 21 LiMo phones now grace the market, so it's looking like these guys are here to stay regardless of what the Android camp's up to.

Back in February, we all had high hopes that the Linux-based Samsung i800 would be a real winner when it launched on Orange this fall. Unfortunately, the i900 is apt to be out and about before the i800 can even have a proper funeral. According to Edelman, Orange's PR firm, the "i800 has been withdrawn in order to... prepare a more competitive Linux mobile." In all honesty, we don't suspect that many folks will miss it, but those holding out on picking up a new cellie can safely move on to courting other handsets.

[Image courtesy of SmartphonesOfToday]

Looks like there's only room for one mobile Linux standards body in these here parts, and LiMo's recent momentum and partnership deals have apparently swept up the members of the Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) -- the two groups just announced that as of July, LiPS will be folded into LiMo. That'll give the Foundation even more ammunition as it gears up to do open-source battle with Android and that fruit-flavored mobile whose name we keep forgetting. There's no word on what's going to happen to LiPS's 1.0 specs, but we'd guess they'll be folded into the LiMo platform -- now all we need are some actual phones.

In the wake of the LiMo Foundation's huge announcement that it has netted Verizon Wireless to sit on its board, everyone wants to know: what does this mean for Verizon's official (meaning non-"Any Apps, Any Device") lineup, and where does this leave Android? LAPTOP has posted a good summary of some pressing questions and answers, revealing that LiMo-based devices won't launch on Big Red until next year anyway -- so there's really nothing to sweat about in the short term. As the carrier's lofty board seat might have suggested, it intends LiMo to percolate through its entire product range, starting with dumbphones and moving to smartphones (it is Linux, after all) as time goes on. Finally, it emphasized that the move certainly doesn't spell doom for Android; for consumers, the worst case is that they'd have to bring their own Android handset to the table (assuming there are compatible, unlocked CDMA devices available), but if Verizon senses that Android demand is strong enough, there's still nothing stopping it from bringing some hardware into its official stable. Either way, the Age of Linux is upon Verizon customers, which we're thinking is probably going to end up being a good thing.

Following a new round of partnership announcements back in February, LiMo Foundation today added 8 new members, bringing the grand total to 40 -- and perhaps most notably, Verizon Wireless becomes the first American carrier to team up with the group and the Foundation's final board member (in other words, they seem to be taking this initiative pretty seriously). Other new players include South Korea's SK Telecom, France's SFR, Sagem, chipmaker Infineon, and Mozilla, suggesting that there'll be plenty of mobile Firefox support for LiMo's nascent platform. LiMo represents the largest Linux-based threat to Android's plans for world domination, having announced its initiative some time before Google while collecting a veritable who's-who of world players from NTT DoCoMo to manufacturers like LG and Motorola -- and with the depth of Verizon's commitment to this, evident by its nabbing of an actual board seat, we wouldn't be surprised to see LiMo-based products actually go beyond its Any Apps, Any Device initiative and get real on the carrier's official lineup.

The latest word on the street suggests that Verizon is getting ready to announce that it's throwing its formidable weight behind the LiMo Foundation, that "other" mobile Linux group that's attracted some serious muscle behind founding member NTT DoCoMo. With Verizon's Any Apps, Any Device initiative on tap for this year, a wide-open platform like LiMo makes perfect sense -- and as folks are pointing out, the move wouldn't preclude the carrier from jumping on the Android bandwagon just the same once the hardware and software have ripened enough for customer consumption. If this all goes down, it'd mark the very first American carrier to sign on with LiMo -- and since Verizon's European spouse, Vodafone, is already on board, the synergy's pretty obvious. What's more, media outlets (ours included) have gotten word that LiMo will be announcing several new partners in the morning, including a "major US wireless service provider." Wonder who that could be?

[Via mocoNews]