MeeGo, the joint Intel/Nokia OS hosted by the Linux Foundation, has been chosen by the GENIVI Alliance to be the system for its next release of its in-vehicle infotainment (IVI).

The Alliance, which includes the BMW Group, Delphi, GM, Intel, Magneti-Marelli, PSA, Visteon and Wind River, says that one of the key factors when deciding to go with MeeGo was the multi-platform support that it will provide.

“Access to a thriving ecosystem and engaging applications for an in-vehicle infotainment system is vital to our customers”, said Gerulf Kinkelin, GENIVI director and and innovation area manager for electronics and telematices at PSA Peugeot Citroen.

“PSA supports GENIVI’s decision and believes the rapid innovation associated with open source and a rich network of contributors available with MeeGo can enable us to define and deliver a faster time-to-market, outstanding IVI experience in our upcoming products”.

IVI systems include pretty much any gadget you can think of that goes with a modern day car. We're talking satnavs, media players, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and so on. The Alliance believes that MeeGo will provide a common base that all of these applications and devices can operate via.

“We are pleased to see GENIVI choose MeeGo to power their software platform”, said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation.

“MeeGo has been built from the ground up for these types of applications. Because MeeGo is a truly open platform, the work GENIVI will do to extend the platform can benefit the project and all who use it. For developers, this is a great opportunity to harness the power of the MeeGo APIs to target a variety of devices and architectures and extend their work on handset applications toward vehicles”.

With Nokia having big plans for MeeGo on its smartphones, and rumours that MeeGo is set to appear on other devices such as tablets and netbooks, expect to read more about the Linux platform in the near future.

• See also - Nokia MeeGo gets walkthrough

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