Linux may become the preferred operating system in a full-featured mobile device and handset market in which "there is no economic reason to question why growth will not be explosive," according to Seamus McAteer, senior analyst and managing partner, Zelos Group. "The mass adoption of full-featured handsets will be disruptive," adds McAteer. McAteer is author of a Zelos Group report, Defining the Market for Full-Feature Handsets, which forecasts annual sales of 290 million, or 43 percent of the global handset market, by 2008 for full-featured handsets -- mobile phones that incorporate full-featured operating systems. Based on Zelos Group's analysis, the long-term prospects for Linux as the preferred operating system for connected devices are "very strong." Zelos Group scored all mobile platforms across five criteria: business viability, completeness, cost, end user appeal and openness. Linux scored highest on the two criteria that matter most to OEMs and carriers: openness and low cost. Microsoft scored lowest in these criteria.
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