Nokia may still join Google's new mobile software alliance, which is seen as rivaling Nokia's own plans.

Apple proved with the iPhone's comprehensive and extremely clever communications UI and with their interactive pixels technology that they are simply the leader in UIs and product design. Many manufacturers and Linux developers are nipping at their heels though, and the question is how many more tricks Apple has up their sleeves.

According to a Computerworld Singapore report quoting newly published research, 2012 will be the year of the Linux mobile phone, with some 31 percent of all smart phones, or 331 million devices, running Linux. The prediction is based largely upon the fact that Linux has a much faster growth rate than either Symbian or Windows Mobile, some 75 percent year on year.

TapRoot Systems is demonstrating its telephony middleware for Linux/Qtopia-based mobile phones at the Linux Mobile Communications Conference this week in Beijing. TapRoot's director of product management, stated, "Development of Linux mobile phones is on the rise and is changing the landscape of the mobile phone industry. Our LinuxTel telephony software is a critical piece."

Linux developers have been dying for a phone of their own ever since Sharp killed the Zaurus Linux-based PDA. Apple's decision to close iPhone to 3rd-party applications gave the green light to Linux phones and mobile devices.

While Linux is still taking off relatively slowly in the desktop world, the same is not true in the mobile space where many are predicting that we will be presented with a mobile Linux Odyssey in 2012.