MontaVista Delivers Mobilinux; The First Highly Optimized Linux Operating System for Mobile and Wireless Devices

1 January 1970

MontaVista Software, Inc., the leading Linux provider for the embedded and communications markets, today announced Mobilinux(TM), a new product built to address key areas of development for mobile and wireless devices. Mobilinux is built on the fourth generation of MontaVista's Linux platform, which is the most widely deployed Linux distribution in the world and the only proven Linux solution for mobile devices.

Mobilinux 4.0 serves as the core of the Mobilinux Open Framework, an industry-wide program for the creation and promotion of Linux-based handset reference architectures. In this capacity, Mobilinux 4.0 delivers an open and flexible operating system enabling differentiated and cost effective phone designs while giving operators the ability to leverage a single platform from the network to the device.

"The pressure to deliver new, unique handset features and mobile data services is causing software requirements to outstrip the capabilities of aging real-time operating systems," said Kevin Morgan, vice president, Engineering, MontaVista Software. "Handset manufacturers see Mobilinux as an opportunity to move towards an open, full-featured operating system. Unlike proprietary operating systems, Mobilinux is a scalable platform allowing mobile operators, handset manufacturers, and developers to build differentiated feature- and smart-phones."

With today's product announcement, and the unveiling of the Mobilinux Open Framework program in February 2005, MontaVista continues to accelerate the increasing adoption of Linux within the mobile phone industry. Mobilinux Open Framework, with Mobilinux 4.0 as its foundation, gives manufacturers the flexibility and choice to design phones that meet operator specifications, while allowing them to differentiate their designs and services.

"Around the world, manufacturers are increasingly looking to Linux to be their OS for wireless handsets and devices," said Richard Kerslake, OMAP worldwide general manager, Cellular Systems, Texas Instruments. "MontaVista's Mobilinux, together with TI's OMAP(TM) processors, provide wireless OEMs with a flexible and scalable solution, enabling opportunities for differentiation while focusing on their own, unique value add."

"The global mobile industry is looking to reduce fragmentation and control the costs associated with rolling out new devices and services. Momentum is shifting toward open, scalable client software platforms such as Linux," said John Jackson, senior analyst, The Yankee Group. "Mobilinux, like the Mobilinux Open Framework, establishes a strong foundation for a mobile Linux ecosystem that will extend MontaVista's industry-leading position in this space."

Mobilinux is an optimized Linux operating system and development environment, ideally suited for wireless handsets and mobile devices, with requirements for power management, hard real-time performance, fast start-up, and small footprint. MontaVista engineered Mobilinux with a focus on:

-- Addressing handset manufacturer and mobile operator specifications through open and industry standard technologies

-- Ensuring platform stability and scalability

-- Maximizing battery and size performance

Mobilinux Features Include:

-- Enhanced Core Capabilities

-- Based on Linux 2.6 kernel

-- Footprint improvements

-- Rapid boot times (less than 1 second)

-- Event Broker (define, publish & subscribe)

-- Improved stability and reliability

-- Advanced Real-Time Support

-- Support requirements for mass-market, single-chip phone designs

-- Power Management Improvements

-- Dynamic Power Management (DPM) improves power performance through adjustments on-the-fly

-- MontaVista Power Manager

-- Cross-platform DPM Library

-- Various power performance enhancements

-- MontaVista DevRocket(TM) Development Environment Enhancements

-- ARM EABI support for compatibility with standard third-party tools

-- Compiler support for thumb mode

-- Built on updated Eclipse 3.0.1 and CDT 2.1 technology

-- Device management tools

-- Advanced system measurement tools

-- Integrated Graphical Layer for User Interfaces

-- Built on open KDrive (aka TinyX) and GTK technologies

Availability:

Mobilinux will be available in Q2 2005. All MontaVista Software products are available from MontaVista Software and the company's sales and distribution channels worldwide. For more information please contact sales@mvista.com.

About Mobilinux Open Framework

The Mobilinux Open Framework is an ecosystem program delivering mobile phone reference architectures that aid handset manufacturers, original design manufacturers, and mobile operators in developing Linux based phones. The reference architectures include mobile software components from the world's leading software vendors ported to the Mobilinux operating system and delivered atop leading semiconductor platforms. For more information about the program please visit www.mobilinux.com.

About MontaVista Software

MontaVista Software provides an Open Source platform, allowing system designers to innovate across a wide range of inter-connected intelligent devices and communications infrastructure. MontaVista enables software developers with a commercial-grade Linux-based operating system. MontaVista Linux is a universal development platform that helps customers differentiate their products and get them to market faster at lower overall development costs. MontaVista Linux is the preferred choice of some of the world's largest corporations.

Founded in 1999, by real-time operating system pioneer James Ready, and headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, in Sunnyvale, Calif., MontaVista Software is a privately held company funded by leading venture capital firms and strategic corporate investors. For more information about MontaVista Software, please visit http://www.mvista.com.

MontaVista is an active and highly involved member of the Consumer Electronics Linux Forum (CELF), an organization that includes leading mobile handset manufacturers and is focused on the advancement of Linux as an open source platform for consumer electronics. The Mobilinux Open Framework program will work to facilitate the deployment of CELF specifications.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. MontaVista is a registered trademark of MontaVista Software Inc. All other names mentioned are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

Contacts
MontaVista Software Inc.
Renee Reyes, 408-992-4457
E-mail: rreyes@mvista.com
or
Connect Public Relations
Dave Forstrom, 703-234-5390
E-mail: davidf@connectpr.com