MontaVista Software, Inc., has announced Mobilinux, 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.

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. The platform delivers an open and flexible operating system enabling differentiated and cost effective phone design.

"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 processors, provide wireless OEMs with a flexible and scalable solution, enabling opportunities for differentiation while focusing on their own, unique value add."

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.

The software include enhanced core capabilities based on Linux 2.6 kernel. MontaVista promisses rapid boot times of less than 1 second, with advanced real-time support. Mobilinux 4.0 will be available in Q2 2005.