The battle for leadership in providing operating-system software for handheld devices such as PDAs, cell phones, and tablet computers gains a new entrant this week. Singapore startup Radixs Private Ltd. plans to introduce an operating system that it says will let full-fledged Windows, Linux, and Java-based desktop software run on mobile equipment.
Radixs calls its software MXI, for the Motion eXperience Interface. "Instead of having to live with stripped-down applications," says CEO Chandrasekar Rathakrishnan, "you can have your full desktop experience, with the applications deployed without any form of code rewrite."
There's a market for enhanced handheld devices that could replace notebook computers, says Will Strauss, an analyst with research firm Forward Concepts. But it's too early to say whether Radixs can deliver on its promises. "One wonders about the limitations of display and keyboard size for what the experience is really going to be like," he says. "But I can see this working well in certain business environments. A laptop can be pretty darn cumbersome."
MXI will let hardware manufacturers offer inexpensive smart phones, extended PDAs, and computing tablets that will provide a richer application experience for mobile workers and offer improved video, audio, and gaming capabilities, Rathakrishnan says.
MXI is split into two elements. The Radixs MXI operating system is embedded within a handheld device. A Radixs MXI server is placed within the network operator's back-end infrastructure. Applications are deployed from the server using existing wireless data networks.
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