December 24, 2008, 9:06 AM — A new center aimed at speeding the development of mobile computing devices around the Linux-based Moblin OS opened in Taipei on Tuesday.
The idea is for Taiwanese companies to use the center as a testing ground for new netbooks and mobile Internet devices (MIDs), as well as develop more applications around Moblin.
The Taiwan government teamed up on the center with U.S. chip maker Intel, which developed Moblin. Intel plans to support the new center by further development of Moblin, which includes open source software with an OS, a user interface, a browser, developer tools and other software. Intel created Moblin software to run on devices that use its Atom microprocessors.
Most netbooks today use a variety of Linux-based OSs, such as Linpus Linux Lite, or Microsoft's Windows XP.
Intel and the Taiwan government came up with the idea to establish a Moblin center in Taipei because so many companies are creating netbooks and, increasingly, MIDs. These devices are built for people who want a mobile device to surf the Internet that's bigger than a smartphone but more portable than a laptop.
Asustek Computer, for example, launched the commercial netbook craze with its popular Eee PC family of netbooks. Acer, the world's third largest PC vendor, jumped aboard the netbook money train in June with its Aspire One netbook. Currently, around a dozen Taiwanese companies have developed or are developing netbook products.
The new development center has been named the Moblin Enabling Center.
