Motorola Looking to Introduce Their Own Web-Based Mobile Operating System?
Manufacturers are often rumored to be working on their own operating systems for smartphones. HTC was frequently a part of that rumor mill. Sources forever said they were working on their own smartphone operating system, but we later found out that it was Brew – a feature phone operating system that provided more features than your average feature phone. (How many times can you say feature in a sentence?)
Motorola is the latest to be thrown in as sources “familiar with the matter” have revealed that they may be working on an operating system of their own. It’s said to be a web-based offering utilizing HTML5 and Adobe technologies to power the user interface and experience.
It’s an odd move as Motorola reaffirms their commitment to Android every chance they got. Commitment doesn’t necessarily mean they will remain tied to one operating system, though. (It’s not like a commitment in a relationship where taking on a second partner is considered cheating.)
Information Week makes a good point when noting that there are uncertain times ahead for Android. Google is constantly slapped with lawsuits over licensing and patent violations. While many of these lawsuits never pan out for the attacking side, it can’t be easy being a major hardware partner to see that the very asset you base your product on could one day disappear.
It’s possible Motorola could just be crafting a backup plan in case things do go afoul, which is a smart move. Or they could just be looking to differentiate themselves from their competitors as nearly every OEM who doesn’t make their own operating system uses Android. It’s still a rumor for now, but it’s far from farfetch’d.