Intel Moblin 2 to be ready by March

The Linux software, called Moblin 2 and expected to be in software developers' hands by March, will run new portable computers Intel calls "MIDs," set to arrive around midyear, Intel told BusinessWeek. Companies including Lenovo (LNVGY), Hitachi, and BenQ already make MIDs using previous designs, and Intel plans to announce new partners in February at a mobile technology conference in Barcelona, Spain.

By providing a free version of Linux for mobile devices that run its chips, Intel is hoping to jump-start a new breed of handheld computers, a category it's been largely shut out of. Most smartphones—including the iPhone and Palm's (PALM) new Pre, which garnered accolades at its Jan. 8 unveiling in Las Vegas—run chips designed by ARM and licensed by manufacturers including Qualcomm (QCOM), Samsung, and Texas Instruments (TXN).