For existing Linux cellphone developers faced with Android, the options seem to be deride the newcomer, deny it’s competition or demonstrate that you integrate with it.  A la Mobile, who are behind a stack known as the Convergent Linux Platform (CLP) that is already on the market in the shape of the Gupp Phreedom (right), have chosen the third route, and claim that the kernel, drivers and middleware included in their product can in fact halve the time it takes to bring an Android product to market.

“Despite the open-source nature of the Android framework, developing a complete mobile system solution with customized, differentiated features continues to present major technical challenges requiring considerable time, effort, and resources — a barrier and reach beyond the scope of many handset vendors” Pauline Lo Alker, CEO, A la Mobile

The company has apparently been demonstrating their approach using a Qtek 9090 smartphone, running Android, on which numerous Android apps and A la Mobile GUI tweaks have been loaded.  With a collection of messaging, push-mail, VoIP, over-the-air firmware update, Java and Adobe Flash applications, all managed by what A la Mobile call a Hardware Mobility Engine or “BIOS for mobile phones”, the single environment can be transferred between different handsets and processors in binary form.

“The demo appears to show how Android’s upper level, Java-enabled framework and APIs can be easily integrated with CPE’s kernel, drivers, middleware to create a “complete” Android software offering” LinuxDevices.com

It remains to be seen whether software and hardware producers, lured to Android by its supposed ease of use, native cross-hardware transfer and single-platform development, will entertain the idea of a “middle-man” stack such as the CLP.