MeeGo Operating Systems Selected For Use In Cars
Usually, it's rather difficult for a new operating system to find
traction. There's already quite a few options on the market, and people
are rarely out searching for new operating systems when the ones
available to them seemingly handle their needs quite well already. But MeeGo, which was created out of Intel's Moblin and Nokia's Maemo
converging, is a rare find. Unlike a majority of Linux-based systems,
MeeGo seems to actually have a chance at mainstream survival, but of
course it doesn't hurt to have the world's largest chip maker and
world's largest cell phone maker backing the system's existence.
For months now, the world has been told that MeeGo was the next big OS for MIDs, UMPCs, smartphones, slates and other portable computing platforms. And the demonstrations that have filtered out this far are rather impressive. But it appears that MeeGo has more on its mind than just simple portable PCs. It may even end up in your next motor vehicle. The Linux Foundation proudly announced that MeeGo has been selected by the GENIVI Alliance as the "basis of its next reference release for In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI)." You may have never heard of GENIVI, but we're guessing you have heard of BMW, General Motors, Hyundai and Peugeot Citroen. Those are some of the automakers that rely on GENIVI for their in-vehicle NAV systems and entertainment systems, and if MeeGo suddenly takes over, that leaves every other automaker scrambling to finally put a legitimate operating system into vehicles and into the hands of drivers.
Can you imagine having MeeGo at your fingertips while at the wheel? An app store? Real navigation? Possibly even a live Internet connection to download media to your car's hard drive? Having MeeGo in a car could definitely change the way people see in-car NAV systems, and we're excited to see this partnership finally lead to drastic changes in that sector.
For months now, the world has been told that MeeGo was the next big OS for MIDs, UMPCs, smartphones, slates and other portable computing platforms. And the demonstrations that have filtered out this far are rather impressive. But it appears that MeeGo has more on its mind than just simple portable PCs. It may even end up in your next motor vehicle. The Linux Foundation proudly announced that MeeGo has been selected by the GENIVI Alliance as the "basis of its next reference release for In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI)." You may have never heard of GENIVI, but we're guessing you have heard of BMW, General Motors, Hyundai and Peugeot Citroen. Those are some of the automakers that rely on GENIVI for their in-vehicle NAV systems and entertainment systems, and if MeeGo suddenly takes over, that leaves every other automaker scrambling to finally put a legitimate operating system into vehicles and into the hands of drivers.
Can you imagine having MeeGo at your fingertips while at the wheel? An app store? Real navigation? Possibly even a live Internet connection to download media to your car's hard drive? Having MeeGo in a car could definitely change the way people see in-car NAV systems, and we're excited to see this partnership finally lead to drastic changes in that sector.
MeeGo Software Platform Chosen by the GENIVI Alliance
SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2010 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the GENIVI Alliance has chosen MeeGo as the basis of its next reference release for In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI).
MeeGo is an open source platform hosted by The Linux Foundation that brings together Intel Corporation and Nokia’s previous projects and is designed for computing device types including smartphones, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and IVI systems. Adoption by this major automotive alliance is a testament to the cross-device, cross-architecture advantages of the MeeGo platform. GENIVI is a nonprofit industry alliance with founding members BMW Group, Delphi, GM, Intel, Magneti-Marelli, PSA, Visteon and Wind River.
IVI is a rapidly growing and evolving field that encompasses the digital applications that can be used by all occupants of a vehicle, including navigation, entertainment, location-based services, and connectivity to devices, car networks and broadband networks. MeeGo will provide the base for the upcoming GENIVI Apollo release that will be used by members to reduce time to market and the cost of IVI development. MeeGo’s platform contains a Linux base, middleware, and an interface layer that powers these rich applications.
“We are pleased to see GENIVI choose MeeGo to power their software platform,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “MeeGo has been built from the ground up for these types of applications. Because MeeGo is a truly open platform, the work GENIVI will do to extend the platform can benefit the project and all who use it. For developers, this is a great opportunity to harness the power of the MeeGo APIs to target a variety of devices and architectures and extend their work on handset applications toward vehicles.”
“We selected MeeGo as the open source basis for our platform because it is technically innovative and can provide the cross architecture build support we require for our references,” said Graham Smethurst, President of GENIVI. “Working with MeeGo we expect to establish a solution that effectively merges IVI needs with those of the other MeeGo target device categories.”
“Access to a thriving ecosystem and engaging applications for an in-vehicle infotainment system is vital to our customers,” said Gerulf Kinkelin, GENIVI Director and Innovation Area Manager for Electronics and Telematices, PSA Peugeot Citroen. “PSA supports GENIVI’s decision and believes the rapid innovation associated with open source and a rich network of contributors available with MeeGo can enable us to define and deliver a faster time-to-market, outstanding IVI experience in our upcoming products.”
An initial release of the MeeGo platform is available now from http://www.meego.com/downloads. Interested parties can download and contribute to the project. The MeeGo project encourages all automakers or industry groups to participate in the MeeGo project or make use of its software to power their own distributions.
