According to the IMS research, the use of Linux as a mobile operating system (OS) has been 
steadily growing, with an increasing number of companies announcing plans to develop Linux platforms.
Linux is uniquely positioned in the OS space with implementations in both the smartphone and feature phone segments. This is in sharp contrast to Symbian, Windows Mobile and Palm which have focused on the smartphone segment. However, Linux phones still represent a small segment of the overall handset market.
Some key benefits of Linux as a mobile OS include its small kernel size, open source, and low (no) cost. As a result, there are a number of Linux-based solutions in the marketplace including products from MontaVista and Wind River and proprietary systems utilized by Motorola, ACCESS, BenQ, and others. In addition, PalmSource has announced the development of its Access Linux Platform (ALP) for smartphones, which IMS Research believes may be commercially available in late 2007. Mobile Linux will have a significant impact on the handset market @ PhoneMag.com