To add to the amounting set of expected Android phones in coming time, Garmin has announced that they will stop making devices with their own operating system and instead switch to solely Android- and Windows Mobile-powered phones. They expect to release their first Android device by the end of 2009.
So they say they are dropping their custom Linux OS for a…. different custom Linux?
To quote Wikipedia on the Android OS.
“Android is a software platform for mobile devices, running on the Linux operating system”
Granted, Wikipedia isn’t exactly correct, since Linux is a kernel, not an entire operating system. But semantics aside, this isn’t a lose for Linux as the headline points towards. It’s just another win. It would be the same if Dell decided to use Fedora instead of Ubuntu (although I think their users would cringe if they did.)
By then, they can at least fire the people responsible for the development/maintenance of the in-house Linux ‘in benefit’ of paying licenses to Google/Windows and put accordingly an advertising sticker on their devices… To catch geek-flies of techno-bugs ?
Kochise
In fact, I think the hype they’ll get using Android will add another value to their GPS. If they can support some other application, than suddently you not only get a GPS, but a small embedded computer on which you can read your email, take notes, get live info for your current location, etc.
Yes, reading emails while driving: it must be a new security feature. Just kidding 😉 Ciao, chris
I think their point is they’re switching to Android. Don’t quote me on that though.
All this means is that instead of being able to use the huge amount of software already available for the standard Linux software stack, they have to develop their own, since the Android stack isn’t quite as robust (yet).
While I agree with you on the whole, android already has more apps that are suited for small devices than linux/X.
Now if we were talking netbooks, it would probably make much more sense to just go with some linux distro at the moment.
You’re right about it not being a loss but not in the way you described it though. The consolidation of distributions behind some key players ultimately will result in improved hardware support and more third party software vendors coming on board. The consolidation around Android will hopefully mean a robust and consistent platform that can be put up as a counter weight to BlackberryOS and iPhoneOS (I don’t count Windows on the phone given the number of people I’ve seen use it could probably fit inside a telephone booth).
Edited 2009-06-21 02:52 UTC
Smartphones with Windows are quite common in many european countries.
In New Zealand most people are using either using Blackberry and a few hold outs are using their Palm – or some custom operating system selected by the mobile phone vendor. Pretty much it is Blackberry central – then again, New Zealand tends to buck the trend with businesses sticking with Novell Netware, Mainframes and Unix servers.
Windows smartphones are very common in Canada. I can’t count Android using your criteria, as I have “never” saw it in use at all.
They’re switching from GNU/Linux to Android/Linux.
Seems like the typical linux always gets the boot these days and I am not sure why this is. Anyway my Fujitsu GPS Navigator is running Win CE but it’s well hidden and looks nothing like it. Probably as soon as it loads a full screen Fujitsu Win CE program takes over the screen.
I didn’t know until I actually looked at the back of the unit where there is a sticker that says it’s running Win CE.
…which means, they won’t get sued for accessing FAT32 drives or any kind of problem like that…
You all make it sound like Garmin is conspiring against Linux somehow.
With 3G (and 4G) phones, everything is moving from a model of using custom devices to the PC model where everything is an app on a generic hand held device.
The GPS device is going to go the way of the dinosaur, and if Garmin doesn’t make their GPS services and software available on phones, they will become irrelevant. Wouldn’t be surprised if they will support things like palm pre, and blackberry as well.
Depends on the carrier. Verizon does not allow anything other than VZ Navigator to run on their unhacked phones; Google Maps won’t load in the browser. Why? Because VZ Navigator is an extra fee every month, either stand-alone or as part of a bundle, and Verizon doesn’t want to skewer that cash-cow.
As for GPS on the phone, one of the problems is the small screen. I’d much rather have the 4.3″ Garmin screen than the <4″ screen on most cell phones. Plus, I want my GPS to only do the one thing it’s designed for — GPS navigation. I don’t need it to make calls or play music; I have a cell phone and radio/CD player for that.
That said, I think that they will need to somehow integrate, partner, or make some other arrangement with the cell carriers, because most people do want device integration.