All too often we have to wait for other countries to road-test a technology before we can lay hands on it. It is, therefore, flattering to see how often Motorola uses Asia as a testing ground for its new mobile phones.
The next funky phone promised by Motorola is the Linux-powered A760, to be launched in Asia later this year. Motorola, and several news reports, have hailed it as 'the world's first handset combining a Linux operating system and Java technology'.
Well, not quite. Linux-powered handsets are few and far between, but at least two have been released in South Korea. The difference between the G.Mate and Palm Palm devices is that the Korean Linux phones have both been CDMA (code division multiple access). Motorola's new device will be GPRS (general packet radio service), which does make it a first.
Motorola, which has generally used its own Java-based operating system on its handsets, plans to make the open source operating system the basis of all of its future phones. Java will remain to drive the applications and interface.
The company believes that the use of open systems will prompt more developers to develop applications for the phones, and that carriers will find it easier to launch localised features.
But Motorola is taking a gamble with the strategy. Linux rivals Microsoft and Palm have already made forays into the mobile phone space and have no shortage of third-party applications.
Meanwhile, Symbian has a growing position in the market, thanks to backers that include Nokia, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, Panasonic, Samsung and even Motorola.