LinuxWorld 2007: Motorola Brands Its Mobile Linux Platform ‘‘MOTOMAGX’’

| August 8, 2007 | Mobile Devices | Show Update

| Analyst: Avi Greengart

Current Perspective: Positive/Neutral
Vendor Importance: Very High
Market Impact: Very High

Event Summary

On August 7th, at LinuxWorld, Motorola introduced MOTOMAGX, its next-generation mobile Linux platform. In the next few years, Motorola expects to base up to 60% of its handset portfolio on Linux. The first products based on the MOTOMAGX platform are the music-optimized MOTOROKR Z6 and the Motorola RAZR2 V8 handsets, available now in select markets worldwide. The RAZR2 V8 will be Motorola’s first Linux-based device bound for North America.

Analytical Summary

• Current Perspective: Slightly positive on Motorola finally launching its long-expected next-generation mobile Linux platform, because the company is tying the announcement to developer tools and actual mass deployment of handsets running the software (including the RAZR2 V8 in the U.S.). With processor costs coming down and enabling the broader use of full mobile OS software, Motorola aims to save money by standardizing on MOTOMAGX across its volume mid-tier and high-end feature phones. The updated platform should give Motorola room to reinvigorate its graphics and user interface designs, which have badly lagged the market. However, the MOTODEV Studio development environment currently just supports Java applets, not native Linux applications, and there are open questions as to how compatible MOTOMAGX will be with mobile Linux standards bodies (including the LiMo Foundation, where Motorola is a founding member) once native applications are supported. Finally, Motorola’s handset sales outside the U.S. have taken a nosedive in precisely the type of phones MOTOMAGX is supposed to be deployed in.

• Vendor Importance: Very high to Motorola, because the move lowers its ongoing software platform costs (amortizing the considerable R&D costs is another matter), and more significantly, it enables the company to control its own mobile OS destiny. Mobile Linux gives Motorola a lot of headroom for improved graphics and applications, as well as the opportunity to capitalize on the efforts of the larger Linux development community.

• Market Impact: Very high on the smartphone and consumer handset markets, because Motorola’s mobile Linux implementation blurs the distinctions between both categories. The RAZR2 V8 that Motorola gave us for review looks and feels like a premium fashion phone, but it runs an extensible OS under the hood. Potentially, devices that used to be feature phones will have smartphone customizability and utility. However, native application development is not supported yet and there are a lot of platforms vying for the Linux community’s attention, so it is not a foregone conclusion that MOTOMAGX will be magical for Motorola.

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