Stanford University researchers are developing a mobile operating system from the ground up based on mobile power and security. Researchers have already gotten the OS to run on an ARM processor and are looking to test the software on the T-Mobile G1 hardware. The OS is built upon Linux.

Cinder allows users to control how much processing power an application uses to either provide more power or decrease power, thereby increasing run time between battery recharging. According to PC World, if an app isn’t performing up to par, a button can be pressed to give more processing resources to that specific application to increase performance. However, if a user wants to watch a two-hour movie, Cinder can be told to control processing resources to last through the movie. According to the PC World article, “The main focus…was power management… Cinder can prevent unintended battery drains, make sure an application can run for as long as users want, and even let users boost power levels, he said. It could also provide more detailed battery-life information on a handset’s home screen.”

Additionally, new and untested applications can also run on Cinder with increased security in “sandbox” mode. Instead of tracking code, Cinder will track how data flows through the device in addressing security concerns.