[LiMo Foundation announces unveiling of new Linux-based open platform handsets from Motorola, NEC and Panasonic.]

London & Tokyo -- LiMo Foundation™, the global consortium of mobile leaders delivering an open handset platform for the whole mobile industry, unveiled today another wave of handsets using the LiMo Platform™. The seven new devices from Motorola, NEC and Panasonic Mobile Communications offer consumers around the globe a host of applications and services that enhance the mobile experience.

“The combination of LiMo’s transparent governance model, balanced development model and extensive mobile industry heritage sets it apart and has garnered strong industry support and engagement,” said Morgan Gillis, executive director, LiMo Foundation. “This next wave of LiMo handsets points to the innovation that will flow as the industry coalesces on the LiMo Platform.”

The commercially shipping LiMo handsets being announced today are:

* MOTOZINE™ ZN5 from Motorola;

* FOMA N906i, FOMA N906i?, FOMA N906iL and FOMA N706i from NEC

* FOMA P906i and FOMA P706i? from Panasonic Mobile Communications.

There are now 21 mobile handset models available using the LiMo Platform, the industry’s first collaboratively developed, Linux-based operating system for mobile devices. The new Motorola model—the company’s seventh LiMo handset— combines a high-quality phone and camera experience. The models from NEC and Panasonic Mobile Communications—which give the companies eight and six LiMo handsets, respectively—are available in Japan.

Several of the latest LiMo handsets include advanced enabling features that herald the forthcoming Mobile 2.0 experience for global consumers. These include international 3G/High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) roaming capabilities, Global Positioning System (GPS), mobile TV and advanced video streaming, secure payment and advanced mail functionalities—all presented through higher-resolution displays and intuitive user interfaces. More details can be found at www.limofoundation.org.

“LiMo was founded on the notion that fragmentation of the mobile industry among dozens of proprietary, closed operating systems was inhibiting innovation,” said Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DOCOMO, chairperson of LiMo Foundation. “With such a variety of industry players cost-effectively adopting the LiMo Platform for non-differentiating handset middleware, more development resources are being devoted to enhancing the consumer experience. This new wave of LiMo handsets serves as proof.”

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