Sony, Matsushita, NEC, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba and IBM are among some of the companies that are involved in the Consumer Electronics Linux Forum. The CELF plans to collaborate on the development of Linux for digital consumer electronics. This could include cell phones, PDAs, set-top boxes, Internet radios, residential gateways, automotive telematics, even Karaoke machines and other audio/visual devices.
I’d certainly prefer to see Linux used rather than a propreitary Microsoft OS in these devices. One would think this would also allow consumer electronic devices to be manufactured cheaper, as there won’t be licensing fees set by Microsoft. One thing businesses have learned is if you can avoid paying Microsoft licensing fees, do it.