Motorola Weaves Its Magx For Mobile Linux Developers

Last month, Motorola shipped its next-generation Linux-based phone for North America -- the Razr2 V8. The follow-up to that launch is the debut of a new development platform the company is hoping will be a big hit with mobile Linux developers.Previously, Motorola had relied heavily on Java-based developers for its mindshare. Now the company is widening its scope with the debut of MotoMagx. The next-gen open platform supports native Linux application environments as well as applications developed in Java ME, the company said on Tuesday.

Phones developed with MotoMagx are expected to come with Opera Web browsers as well as technology to enable widgets and other Web 2.0 experiences, the company said. In the next few years, Motorola said it expects about 60% of its handsets will be built using MotoMagx.

Appropriately announced at the LinuxWorld show in San Francisco this week, Motorola seems a bit cautious in courting the mobile Linux crowd. The company said it plans to introduce to select developers the MotoMagx tools as part of a global series of MotoDev summits -- or exclusive, one-day events.

Does that mean the end to Motorola's love relationship with Java. Hardly. There are currently more than 100 Motorola products that offer a Java runtime environment and the company doesn't seem likely to throw out the ME with the bathwater anytime soon.

Java, Linux, or both, Motorola could use the sales help. Even though the company said it has sold more than 9 million Linux-based handsets worldwide, it now sits behind Nokia in terms of units sold, according to ABI research.

As my associate Eric Zeman said in his recent blog post, Motorola has growth opportunities in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East with basic, no-nonsense handsets.

Perhaps the additional Linux-based cell phones will help Motorola broaden its user base. It may take a little developer Magx to make even more sales magic happen.