In an interesting break with other phone manufacturers, Panasonic and NEC announced nine new phones based on Linux Mobile (LiMo). Perhaps they just want to be different or a little daft in the mind? More likely it’s a move to take advantage of a low cost, open-source operating system that’s backed by a pretty big, almost fanatical user base.

Japanese mobile carrier KDDI and Immersion Corp are teaming up for the project in hopes of attracting the big names such as Nokia and Samsung. Let’s wish them the best and a lot of luck.

Read