The core of IDF 2009 for me has been all about Moblin rather than hardware technology this year. It has been great to hear about (and see) Moblin V2.1 for handhelds and i’m also excited to see that Intel will develop an application store that can be used to improve that platform and make it easier and more dynamic for customers.

I tested Moblin V2.0 beta last month and yesterday I was asking one of the Moblin Chiefs about when Moblin 2.0 would be fully released. I didn’t have to wait long to have the hints that I received confirmed because Moblin 2.0 is now out of beta and product-ready.

Moblin v2.0:

The project release of Moblin v2.0 is now available. With this community release you can expect to see OSVs and OEMs shipping products based on Moblin v2.0 for netbooks. Moblin v2.0 features a rich user interface that was developed from the ground up, for netbook form factors and usage models, to provide an outstanding visual user experience that integrates internet browsing, media consumption, and social networking.

The first product out of the door (announced a few days ago) is the Dell Mini 10v with Ubuntu Moblin Remix. It’s based on the beta version of Moblin 2.0 but Dell are clearly happy enough to be selling this. I’m sure we’ll see Dell switch to the project release version of Moblin 2.0 within weeks.

Also announced is a beta of Moblin 2.1.

Moblin v2.1 will be an incremental release over Moblin v2.0 and is the next release stream for adding new features and developments. Moblin v2.1 will be used as the base for future new user experience support for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), and embedded devices, such as media phones. The release target for Moblin v2.1 for netbooks and nettops is expected to release to the community in Q4 2009. The Moblin v2.1 release for netbooks and nettops will include many community and customer requested enhancements; for example, support for additional nettop screen resolutions, myzone improvements, IM improvements, better language support, updated kernel, Moblin Garage, Moblin Application Installer, 3G data support, and Bluetooth. The Moblin v2.1 release timing for other user experiences, such as MID, IVI and embedded devices, will align with the availability and release of those hardware platforms.

We invite those developers who are interested in an early look to download Moblin v2.1. The Moblin v2.1 image is provided as a community preview and is in very early and active development.

Later today i’ll be posting one of the first ever live demonstrations of a Moorestown MID with a Moblin core and a UI developed by Intel’s Wind River subsidiary. It’s looking great and gets me even more fired up for a full and powerful Internet experience in my pocket.

• Moblin v2.1 (for Netbooks) Release. Roadmap.
• Ubuntu Mobile (MID Edition) released.
• Moblin. Progress for Menlow/Poulsbo Support.