Vodafone's Little Boost for LiMo

Vodafone has picked U.S. software firm Azingo to develop Linux-based applications, the latest sign the world's largest wireless operator by sales is keeping Linux operating system LiMo as one of its key choices.

Privately held Azingo unveiled the deal on Thursday.

Vodafone, one of the founding members of mobile Linux foundation LiMo, has stressed the importance of cutting the number of different operating systems, raising some media speculation it could dump LiMo support.

"We are building their next-generation application strategy on that," Azingo Chief Executive Mahesh Veerina said in an interview.

Guido Arnone, director of terminals technology at Vodafone, said in a statement: "We (want) to develop cutting-edge applications for our mobile phones based on the LiMo platform."

Still hard to see how all this will pan out, but it's good that LiMo is moving forward. (Via @erwintenhumberg.)

One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

So Germany has decided to live in the past:

Deutsche Telekom AG, Europe's largest telephone company, can block buyers of Apple Inc.'s iPhone from using the handset on competitors' networks, a German court ruled, overturning an injunction won by Vodafone Group Plc.

The Regional Court of Hamburg said in a statement today that it lifted an injunction obtained by Vodafone that stopped Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile unit from selling the device only with exclusive contracts or software that restricted use on competitors' wireless systems.

But there is a long-term silver lining to this short-term cloud, as this analysis points out:

What might be the result of this? Hopefully Vodafone, and Verizon, will get a clue and offer more cooperation to Google’s Android, further opening their networks. They might also deliver a true Internet experience, rather than the walled garden of data services Verizon is noted for.

Vodafone's Open Source Page

It's amazing where open source may lurk. Who would have thought that the mobile giant Vodafone had a page devoted to the subject? And yet it does. (Via Dana Blankenhorn.)

LiMo Foundation : What's in a Name?

Impressive line-up here:

Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone established the LiMo Foundation to develop the Foundation Platform, a Linux-based, open mobile communication device software platform.

A world-class Linux-based platform aims to provide key benefits for the mobile industry including lower development costs, increased flexibility, and a richer mobile ecosystem - all of which contribute to the group's ultimate objective of creating compelling, differentiated and enhanced consumer experiences.

LiMo? Limo? Limo?? Now why does this not suggest low-cost mobile communication devices to me?

Perhaps this is why they choose the name:

This weekend in the Sunday Times job section they advertised for the new CEO and were offering £200k.

Plus limo, presumably.