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Jul. 2, 2009

Overall, the number of smartphones shipped with open source operating systems will increase from 106.1 million in 2009 to over 223.2 million in about five years from now, according to a new study performed by Juniper Research.

Juniper's survey reveals that on average, smartphone operating systems and their applications are playing an increasingly critical role in the differentiation of all new smartphones hiting the market.

Juniper stated that open source OSs also represent a major factor in the consumer’s choice of phone, since they have a tendency of lowering the overall cost of the handset.

But the key isn't whether the operating system is open source or proprietary, but whether if it’s fairly easy for a typical mobile applications developer to build an application and generate revenue from that effort.

The combined changes of Apple’s open source initiative to the market and LiMo, Open Handset Alliance (OHA) and Symbian’s open-source OS approaches have generated a huge business around mobile applications, and most wireless industry analysts expect that trend to continue to grow rapidly.

With about 62.4 percent of the OS market now based on open-source and a sizeable pool of software design talent out there, Juniper's survey concludes open source OS represents an important opportunity for innovation.

This comes on the heels of T-Mobile’s pre-order launch of the myTouch 3G.

The MyTouch 3G is just one in a line of high-profile device launches happening this Summer. Sprint and Palm kicked things off with the launch of the Palm Pre on June 6, followed closely by Apple’s launch of the iPhone 3G S on June 19.

The Pre, 3G S and the myTouch 3G are all closely watched launches, as each run unique high-profile operating systems with built-in fanbases and developer communities.

What's more, each of the new phones come linked to devoted mobile application stores.

Google's open source Android-based myTouch 3G is the successor to T-Mobile's first Android smartphone, the G1. Additionally, rumors have been swirling that Motorola plans to launch Android-based phones on both Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile's networks.

Also rumored is an Android phone for AT&T, possibly from HTC.

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Source: Juniper Research.