It’s official: Motorola drops Linux Java and Symbian UIQ, embraces Android
In the company’s quarterly earnings call, Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha confirmed that he is reducing the number of cell phone platforms that his company supports. Symbian OS and the UIQ user interface, as seen on devices like the Motorola Z10, will no longer be used except for devices that the company has already committed to building. Motorola’s own Linux Java platform (originally called JUIX) suffers the same fate.
Jha said that his company will use Windows Mobile and Android for its mid-tier and high-end handsets for both consumers and enterprise. That’s great news for newcomer Android.
The less good news is that the first Motorola Android phone won’t be ready until the holiday shopping season in 2009 - a full year away.
So while a device is coming, it won’t be here for quite some time.
Popularity: 5% [?]
This will also force SonyEricsson to abandon UIQ since the developer base becomes too small.
According to insiders in SE this is actually close to a fact since going to S60 is not very attractive and symbianfoundation.org has yet to deliver. Personally, I don’t think symbianfoundation has any real chance since there is nothing like .NET CF in Symbian, while Android is getting closer although not yet there.
I agree. I don’t envy Sony Ericsson’s position. I haven’t really liked a UIQ device of theirs much since the P800, so I won’t miss them if they drop Symbian totally. I just don’t see them doing the S60 thing, though I am a fan of S60 in general.