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Linux to Power Most Motorola Phones

Posted by michael on from the cheaper-than-the-competition dept.

raffe writes "Motorola will begin selling its first cell phone based on Linux this year and says most future models will follow suit, a major sign of the growing popularity of operating system outside its stronghold on high-end computers."

5 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. all good and well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    But symian os is already OSS and probably better for mobile phones (since Nokia spearheaded the modular phone movement).

    Now a Linux development kit for symian would be nice though.

    1. Re:all good and well by DrunkenPenguin · · Score: 4, Informative

      Now a Linux development kit for symbian would be nice though.

      Yeah, it would, wouldn't it? Why don't you go and download it for free here!

      ---

  2. Re:And the source code for it? by e8johan · · Score: 5, Informative

    Linux is GPL so any kernel modifications must be posted. However, loaded modules can be held closed. Also all software running on the Linux kernel can also be kept a secret.

    As the article says, the custom software will run in Java running on Linux, so it will be a JVM hosted by Linux, but Linux will probably not be visible to the end user.

    And when speaking about Java applets running on phones. That has been done by both Ericsson and Nokia for a while now.

  3. Yamaha too! by paulbd · · Score: 4, Informative

    Its worth noting that Yamaha (the music gear maker, not the motorcycle maker) announced recently that they would be using an embedded version of linux for most of their keyboards in the near future.

  4. Java phones by bugbread · · Score: 4, Informative


    And when speaking about Java applets running on phones. That has been done by both Ericsson and Nokia for a while now

    And, in Japan, on Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp, Toshiba, Dentsu, and others' phones.

    Nokia is just buying its technology from Sanyo and passing it off as its own in Europe and North America, as is Ericsson with Sony's technology.