Nokia Maemo and Intel Moblin – Friends? Enemies? To be Joined?

Intel has been working on Moblin OS for a few years now. Moblin.org site was launched mid 2007 but likely work was started at least in 2006. This is Intel’s Linux based operating system for MIDs (Mobile Internet Device), netbooks, set top boxes and other small computer driven devices. Intel pushed Moblin to Linux Foundation’s arms in April 2009 and is now being driven by that organization but in practise mostly by Intel employees.

Moblin 2 is based on well known Linux distro called Fedora but of course optimized and many ways for smaller resource usage and less poweful hardware. In this second major release Moblin moved to GNOME based UI which makes Moblin and Maemo 5 in this UI respect quite close relatives. Both Maemo and Moblin are heavily open source based and rely on many openly developed major components like Dbus, Clutter, Mozilla browser engine, GStreamer, BlueZ and for example Telepathy. Take a look below at Moblin Core components and their stacking and also make sure you note that QT is shown here for the UI layer as one core UI component in addition to GTK+. You might already know that Maemo 6 will fully rely on QT for its underlying UI components and their associated functionality. So Moblin and Maemo both will have some kind of compatibility on the UI level thru QT and on almost all levels of the SW stack thru same or very similar OS components.

Recently Intel demoed at their IDF (Intel Developer Forum) 2009 conference a bit more information on latest Moblin 2.1 release and especially its new use cases in the smartphone arena.  Moblin v2.1 is slated to be available Q4 2009, likely close to the end of the year. Enhancements in v2.1 are following according to Moblin.org site.

• Support for additional nettop screen resolutions
• Myzone improvements (Myzone is Moblin’s desktop)
• IM improvements
• Better language support
• Updated kernel
• Moblin Garage
• Moblin Application Installer
• 3G data support
• Bluetooth

It is also interesting to note that ARM just and only recently joined Linux Foundation, Sep 14th 2009. ARM has always been the CPU for Maemo devices and is at the heart of N900 inside TI OMAP 3430 processor in the form of ARM Cortex-A8 CPU. Another recent (earlier this year) acquisition Intel has done is Windriver which is specialist in small handheld devices and especially their UI components. On the Nokia side we have earlier this year announcement where Nokia announced partnership and upcoming devices with Intel. Quote from this press release:  “The effort also includes technology development and cooperation in several open source software initiatives in order to develop common technologies for use in the Moblin and Maemo platform projects, which will deliver Linux-based operating systems for these future mobile computing devices.”

It is very interesting to see how Maemo and Moblin are already close relatives in many ways and how they clearly are going to be even closer in the future. We could say that why these two companies that are in their own words in “strategic relationship” in this area would continue for a long time develop their own very similar operating systems and many pieces on top of it – why not combine the efforts at some point of time. On the other hand Moblin is still more focused on small computers like MIDs and netbooks so there is room for Maemo on the more smartphone area. But clearly Moblin will also include voice and for sure wireless data capabilities in 2010 as for example in this same press release from the strategic partnership announcement it says: “The Intel and Nokia effort includes collaboration in several open source mobile Linux software projects. Intel will also acquire a Nokia HSPA/3G modem IP license for use in future products.”

Personally I’m not worried about this things I mentioned above but see them positive in the mid to long term for Maemo and its kind of devices. These two huge companies are putting a lot of resources to develop these kind of devices including hardware and software stacks and we as consumers are here to benefit from it.

Intel’s promotional video on Moblin v2.1 from IDF 2009, length 1:32.

See Moblin v2.1 UI in action, from IDF 2009 in Sep 2009, length 2:46.

See Moblin v2.1 running on MID prototype (rumored to launch mid 2010), length 3:12.