The Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum yesterday announced the publication of specifications to improve interoperability across the Linux-based mobile telephony ecosystem and to standardise a layer of software that will make it easier to create mobile applications that can run on any Linux phone.

The specifications are the first public release to come out of the forum since it’s founding in 2005. They form part of the LiPS Release 1.0, the complete delivery of which is planned by the end of 2007. LiPS also unveiled a roadmap of additional specification areas to be developed up until 2008.

The specifications published include the following: LiPS’ reference model, an address book and voice call enabler, and user interface services (widget sets, key navigation and text input method APIs, based on GTK).

Before the end of 2007, the LiPS Forum will finalise the remaining elements of LiPS Release 1.0 by adding specifications relating to telephony, messaging, calendar, instant messaging, presence and additional user interface services API specifications.

The standards aim at benefitting the Linux-based mobile industry, especially in terms of reducing fragmentation, by informing and aligning OEMs, ISVs, operators and other consortia and standards bodies.

“This first set of specifications represents real-world requirements as well as hard work on the part of key mobile ecosystem participants,” noted Haila Wang, president of the LiPS Forum.

“Ongoing elaboration and adoption of the LiPS standards specifications will sustain the impressive growth of mobile Linux deployment, enhancing interoperability among devices and software, and streamlining time-to-market and rollout for Linux-based devices and services.”

“LiPS belongs to a new class of industry forums whose standards development model is closer to open source principles, i.e. standardization through public specifications and reference code implementations, rather than just paper-based,” commented Andreas Constantinou, senior analyst with VisionMobile and author of a forthcoming strategic report on mobile open source.

“LiPS release 1.0 will be important in helping Linux implementations converge, especially around telephony, PIM and UI services, where fragmentation is stalling otherwise unanimous manufacturer momentum behind mobile Linux.”

Scheduled for release in 2008 are the application framework, services APIs (eg those based on IMS), device management APIs (based on OMA DM), and additional enabler APIs (eg for multimedia).

In an unrelated announcement, LiPS yesterday also announced that industry veteran Bill Weinberg has joined the organisation as general manager focusing on business development. Weinberg will be in charge of growing LiPS membership and amplifying the impact the organisation has on the Linux-based mobile telephony ecosystem.

The new specifications, can be be downloaded from here

Tags | Linux, Mobile