Successful port clears way for Linux handsets

Wipro Technologies has ported its Aqua Linux-based mobile phone reference framework onto Renesas SH-Mobile Series application processors for 2.5G and 3G mobile phones.

Wipro Technologies has ported its Aqua Linux-based mobile phone reference framework onto Renesas SH-Mobile Series application processors for 2.5G and 3G mobile phones.

This enables mobile phone manufacturers to use Linux solution for SH-Mobile, in addition to solutions for Symbian OS and iTron.

Renesas Technology will launch a Linux solution based on Aqua from January 2006.

Linux is an open source and general-purpose operating system including sophisticated multitasking and networking functionality.

Linux is becoming widely adopted as an embedded OS in communication equipment such as network servers and network terminals.

Many mobile phones incorporate real time operating systems (RTOS) due to features such as speed and modest memory utilisation.

However, it costs more to develop applications, thereby fueling the adoption of Linux which has rich applications.

As Linux has a large-scale standard framework and was designed as a general-purpose OS for PCs, it has faced challenges to customise optimally for mobile phones.

Also software specialised for mobile phone needs to be developed for Linux.

Wipro Technologies, one of the world's largest R and D service providers with expertise in developing applications for Linux, has developed Aqua and ported onto SH-Mobile to solve these problems.

Aqua is a reference framework designed to be compact for mobile phones, having rich applications.

Customers adopting the Aqua platform can significantly reduce the burden of software development for mobile phones embedding SH-Mobile.

Customers will also be provided with system integration services including Linux kernel and applications from Wipro.

"Aqua is a reference framework for Linux that contains a small scale application framework for mobile devices, a small graphics tool kit and a communication function abstraction layer".

"The environment of Aqua requires only few resources, so it is easy to develop the user interface for embedded equipment".

"Also, various reference applications make the development of multimedia mobile phones easier", said Vijayakumar I, Vice President, Wireless Networks and Devices, Wipro Technologies.

"SH-Mobile is an application processor LSI for mobile phones that handles functions related to games, audio playback, video distribution, and the like".

"It is already well established in the world market, having been adopted by approximately 30 companies for use in some 90 mobile phone models", said Hideaki Chaki, General Manager of the System Design Division, Renesas Technology.

"We are very pleased that by collaborating with Wipro, we will now be able to extend the range of SH-Mobile solutions to Linux as well".

"By applying Wipro's Aqua for SH-Mobile, a reference design for Linux-based mobile phone functions will be easily developed and reduce the software development cost for customers".

"We plan to continue to offer a broad range of SH-Mobile system solutions to meet the diverse requirements of our customers".

Renesas Technology and Wipro will work together to provide Linux users with mobile phone solutions as well as solutions for consumer products in the future.

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