Whuh oh, here comes AOL's Open Mobile Platform

logo Hmmm. AOL announced its Open Mobile Platform at the MWC in Barcelona and says it’ll be available this summer. It’ll provide developers “with ready access to the tools and source code they need to build and distribute applications across all major mobile device platforms and operating systems including BREW, Java, Linux, RIM, Symbian, and Windows Mobile.”

The parts of the whole will include an XML-based language, a mobile device client, and an application server. Support will extend to AOL’s current API lineup for “AIM, AOL Mail, AOL Video, MapQuest, Userplane, Truveo, Winamp, and others.” I can see people getting together for the AIM integration and possibly the Winamp integration but I don’t know about the other stuff. We’ll see.

CNET’s Matt Asay isn’t too whipped up about the Open Mobile Platform.

“AOL is jumping into open source and offering a new mobile platform. The real news here, however, is that AOL still exists…

…While its new open-source mobile platform will comprise an XML-based, next-generation markup language, an ultra-lightweight mobile device client, and an application server, it will come without broad relevance and a compelling purpose.

You need those last two things to be relevant to developers.”

That’ll be the equalizer here; whether or not developers take a shine to it. We’ll see what happens this summer. I can see AOL perhaps getting a little traction with much younger and much older users. Plus, there’s a monetization scheme for developers so that might provide some incentive.

AOL ANNOUNCES NEW OPEN MOBILE SOFTWARE PLATFORM [dev.aol.com] via CNET Blogs