Strong sales of embedded Linux tools and software stacks helped Trolltech more than double its embedded design-win base from 40 in early 2005 to 90 by year's end, it says. Additionally, 40 of its embedded design-wins are mobile phone manufacturers or developers, marking a surge in demand for Linux handsets, according to the company.

Overall, sales of “Qtopia and related embedded technology” rose 100 percent, year-over-year, and global manufacturers now using Linux include Philips Semiconductors, Motorola, Enteos, Archos, and Sharp, the company said. The company also reported that sales of its desktop-oriented Qt product increased 50 percent.

Other 2005 milestones listed by Trolltech include:

• Shipped Qtopia Phone Edition 2.2, which adds “the first Linux-based VoIP (voice-over-IP) framework for handheld devices,” the company claims
• Qtopia Phone Edition awarded Open Source World's Editor's Choice Award for “Best Embedded Linux Platform”
• Secured $6.7M in series B funding in May
• Added ex-Microsoft and Symbian executives Juha Christensen and Tod Nielsen to its board of directors, along with Neil Rimer, a general parter at Index Ventures
• Hired BeOS co-creator Benoit Schillings as CTO, along with Dr. Karsten Homann, a former Siemens Mobile VP, as VP of professional services
• Named to SD Times Top 100 in May
• Opened a Beijing office, and increased its customer base in Asia to 30, including mobile phone makers Datang, ZTE, and Cellon
• Established collaborative relationship with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), which will offer corporate training and, later, courses in Qt and Qtopia technology
• Co-hosted a mobile phone leadership conference in China, sponsored by Intel, Texas Instruments, Philips, MontaVista, Opera Software, Pollex, and Teleca
• Began offering an open source license option for Qt for Windows, allowing open source developers to target the Windows platform

Trolltech's embedded products include the Qt Core development framework (formerly known as Qt Embedded), as well as Qtopia-branded application stacks for Linux-based mobile phones and PDAs. Additionally, the company plans to launch “Platform,” “Profiles,” and “Editions” versions of Qtopia — see its recent Qtopia Core launch story for more details.

Trolltech is a privately held company based in Norway.

 
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