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Samsung Linux-Powered Smartphone Ships In China

An anonymous reader writes "LinuxDevices.com reports on a new Samsung smartphone shipping in China. According to the article, the Samsung SCH-i519 smartphone supports both Chinese and English, and works with the CDMA2000 1x network of China's #2 wireless provider, Unicom. The device features voice control, a powerful 400MHz XScale PXA255 processor, and a software suite from Mizi Research. Add this to other recent news (a Linux-powered smartphone from China's E28, Japan's NTT DoCoMo has adopted Linux for its new 3G phones, and, of course, Motorola announced the Linux-powered A760 earlier this year), and it starts to look like Linux is picking up steam in the mobile phone market." Update: 12/17 06:16 GMT by S : We previously covered the E28 phone yesterday, though not this new Samsung model.

46 comments

  1. Linux in China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    it starts to look like Linux is picking up steam in the mobile phone market.

    Or at least some steamed rice!

    har har!

  2. China Announces Duplicate Slashdot Post by miracle69 · · Score: 3, Funny

    But who cares, with over a billion people, some were bound to miss it the first time around.

    --
    Linux - Because Mommy taught me to Share.
    1. Re:China Announces Duplicate Slashdot Post by goranb · · Score: 2, Informative

      Isn't it interesting that /. readers are willing to complain over duplicate posts and wonder whether the editors ever read /. them selfs...
      But at the same time they are not willing to RTFA in both the original or "duplicate" post...

    2. Re:China Announces Duplicate Slashdot Post by Molina+the+Bofh · · Score: 0

      This is called merchandise.

      --

      -
      Roses are #FF0000, Violets are #0000FF, find / -name '*base*' |xargs chown -R us && mv zig greatjustice
    3. Re:China Announces Duplicate Slashdot Post by Al-Hala · · Score: 1

      With the amount of duplicates, I think they can be forgiven for not checking each and every single post, especially as this one was worded almost IDENTICAL to the one posted recently.

      In addition, I do believe this is the FIRST time in recent memory I've seen a "whoops, we were wrong, it isn't a dupe" situation.

      Cheers!

    4. Re:China Announces Duplicate Slashdot Post by DLR · · Score: 1

      I submitted this yesterday but it wasn't good enough then? I'm sooooo confused.

      --
      "Like fire and fusion, government is a dangerous servant and a terrible master."~RAH
    5. Re:China Announces Duplicate Slashdot Post by DLR · · Score: 1

      Here is the arcicle I referenced, if anyone cares... http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?id=750

      --
      "Like fire and fusion, government is a dangerous servant and a terrible master."~RAH
  3. Gotta luv it... by djupedal · · Score: 1

    Linux & QuickTime on china-made cell phones.... Samsung rocks. I know where I'm buying my next phone. Now if it works with the Alpine headunit in my Ranger, I'm in heaven.

    1. Re:Gotta luv it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Err... Samsung is a Korean brand.

    2. Re:Gotta luv it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      I need a new game, hopefully not involving my lifemate hiding his pee pee in my poop shute.

    3. Re:Gotta luv it... by djupedal · · Score: 4, Informative

      No kidding (I guess the four years I worked for Samsung in Korea made me forget, sorry)...and since they have factories overseas, this somehow prevents the phones from being made inside China (as well as Malaysia)? The phones are engineered in Suwon, Korea. Samsung Electronics just completed moving all manuf. lines overseas, except for domestic goods and high-end displays.

      When Nokia and Seimens decided to sell mobile phones in China, they had to agree to allow local co-ownership...this meant a two year lead on other firms, such as Samsung, which elected to wait and retain control. This phone is one of the first examples of how that wait has paid off. Samsung is free to make the units their way, without domestic partners inside China.

  4. Re:Dupe, dupe dupa dupe... by Misch · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, they're profiling different items.

    The story from the 15th is from E28. Today is Samsung. The stories are from teh same site, and they're almost the same thing, but not quite.

    --

    --You will rephrase your request for me to go to hell. Goto statements are not acceptable programming constructs
  5. a swipe at the ambiguity of it all... by Anthony+Boyd · · Score: 4, Funny
    the Samsung SCH-i519 smartphone supports both Chinese and English

    That's it?!?!? I have German relatives, and my wife is Korean! I'm not buying any phone which limits the people I can speak to!

    1. Re:a swipe at the ambiguity of it all... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Okay, since this is a serious question... Do you want to know why Koreans (and Chinese, and lots of foreigners who go/live in Korea) eat dog meat? Because it actually tastes really nice. Yes dogs are those nice furry little animals people can't help but cuddle for whatever reason... Well, the same animals are also some really tasty buggers (burgers? no, bosintang!).

      So what's wrong with eating them? You eat beef? Well, that's a big no-no in some cultures. You eat pork? Same story.

      But when it comes to dog meat, people (usually some sad dog cuddlers) suddenly feel the urge to point fingers at Those Bad Koreans. Get over it!

      PS: Find some over trivia about Korea... Like 70% of the population being on high speed broadband?

      Never mind... just feeding those poor trolls...

  6. heh by wrinkledshirt · · Score: 1, Funny
    /. Editor: Did you see the story about the Linux-powered cell phone?

    /. Reader: Actually, no, I didn't see it...

    /. Editor: Give me a sec... (typing)

    /. Editor: Okay, can you see it now?

    [rimshot]

    --

    --------
    Bleah! Heh heh heh... BLEAH BLEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha...

    1. Re:heh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      heh

  7. I don't think it is a dupe. by Richard+M.+Nixon · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'm not so sure. They are at least pointing to different articles.

    Here is yesterday's slashdot article
    Here is the article it was refering to.
    And here is the article that todays slashdot article is refering to.

    (Both Articles are at linuxdevices.com but they are different articles.)

    Now, the phone in yesterday's article is talking about the E28 manufactured by, well it doesn't say beyond that it's a Chinese company.

    This article refers to what looks like a different phone (look at the picture) that is described as the Samsung SCH-i519.
    Is Samsung a Chinese company?

    The features of the phones look very similar, and I thought this was a dupe at first too, but I think they are refering to different phones, and thus is it really a dupe?

    Dollars to doughnuts I get 2 slashdot subscriptions for Xmas. Hope the returns dept. is open on boxing day.

    And more importantly, does this mean that I will get the gift of a slashdot subscription?

    --
    Nobody died when Nixon lied.
    I'm meeting you half way you stupid hippies!
  8. ignorant slashdot reader doesn't RTFA... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    miracle69: "a phone article.... d'uh.... I've heard of phones.... dupe! dupe! first post! first post!"

    1. Re:ignorant slashdot reader doesn't RTFA... by Al-Hala · · Score: 1

      Actually, it wasn't a first post. It's just the one with the most points.

      The article first stated "Linux cell phone in China", without model numbers listed.

      That information was added in at a later date, and the other information padded into the text.

  9. I love it when hordes of whores start shouting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    ..."dupe" - lets me know which ones never RTFA, or are too stupid to UTFA

  10. Power Consumption? by SynKKnyS · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The Mitac Mio 8380 smartphone has a 200 MHz XScale processor in it. It is relatively bad on power consumption when compared to similar devices. I wonder how this phone in the article will do with a 400 MHz XScale in it. Not trying to be captain obvious but talk time is what a lot of consumers look at when considering a phone.

    1. Re:Power Consumption? by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 1
      A lot depends what role the XScale is playing. The XScale does not have onboard SRAM and isn't good at doing low power (standby) stuff, like the OMAPs etc do. I have not looked at the details but I suspect that some other CPU is doing the cellphone handling and the XScale only wakes up during a call/active use.

      A faster CPU does not have to mean (significantly) more power consumption. When there is nothing to process, the CPU sleeps, therefore typically the 400MHz CPU will just end up sleeping more, but will be there to kick in for more CPU intensive tasks.

      --
      Engineering is the art of compromise.
  11. Anyone already demanded source? by SpaghettiPattern · · Score: 4, Insightful

    C'mon there must be at least one ./er living in China with enough dough to buy a phone and immediately ask for source code!

    Just to be a pain in the butt, out of sheer interest, out of boredom or to actually exercise the GPL rights,.. Whatever reason.

    --

    I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
    1. Re:Anyone already demanded source? by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 1

      You probably can't demand source for anything much more than the kernel. Likely there isn't much in the kernel that isn't already in ARM linux (ie. linux2.4.x + rmkx). The cell handling code etc etc is quite likely not in the kernel and not subject to GPL.

      --
      Engineering is the art of compromise.
  12. Locked? by JustinHoMi · · Score: 0

    I wonder if these are locked to only work with unicom. I'd kill to use this with Sprint.

  13. Looks... by the_true_cirrus · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Let's face it, most people will go for looks and size over fancy features before they buy a phone. These are mobile phones after all - they need to fit in your pocket comfortably, have a long battery life and preferably look pretty too.

    Now the Samsung phone looks quite nice but the form factor may limit its appeal. It's not that big, but the PDA design is an akward shape for your trouser pocket and looks a bit odd next to your face when making a phone call (I'm thinking of O2's XDA here for comparison). As for the Motorola and the E28, is it just me or are they really ugly? I know looks are very subjective, but they can hardly count as sleek and stylish. The material looks cheap for a start - looks like the grey plastic with metal colour sprayed on that wears of on the edges in no time - like several of Motorolas older clamshell phones. They look quite chubby too.

    Now don't get me wrong, I really like the idea of Linux on a phone and would love to own one someday, but unless they start producing more varied and more appealing designs I doubt they will be very successful. By comparison most current Symbian phones look nice and come in reasonable sizes. Even Motorala's MS Smarthphone thingy looks alright (looks ok, obviously you wouldn't want one because of the software).

    1. Re:Looks... by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 1
      "... most people..." be careful, your tastes are not likely not typical of the planet at large.

      eg. In some countries, cell phone coverage is way cheaper (and more reliable) than land line, so having a feature phone is a more convenient way to get info than a dial-up+PC.

      --
      Engineering is the art of compromise.
  14. I vaguely remember something... by sirReal.83. · · Score: 0, Redundant

    ... which I thought was insightful at the time. I still think it is. Something about monocultures... and how they're vulnerable to... something...

    OK commence modding me down. Just wanted to point something out to my fellow linux users/zealots. Would it not have been possible to put OpenBSD on this trinket?

    1. Re:I vaguely remember something... by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 1

      ... or HURD.... in a few decades time :-). Linux just outstrips OpenBSD for support and ease of integration (at least on ARM processors anyway).

      --
      Engineering is the art of compromise.
  15. Did anyone else read Unicrom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Guess I went old school there for a minute.

    Me Grimlock say execute them!

  16. Card slot? by DirkDaring · · Score: 1

    Does it have a slot to put in a 802.11x wireless adapter? If not, don't want it.

    1. Re:Card slot? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The phone looks like my Windows Pocket PC Samsung I700. Both has a SDIO card slot. There is a SDIO 802.11x wireless adapater for sale.

  17. For those who don't read the dot by be-fan · · Score: 2, Informative

    The Samsung SCH i519 runs Qt/Embedded on Linux, and the official SDK is a Linux machine running KDevelop :)

    w00t!

    --
    A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
  18. CDMA is a small market in China by winkydink · · Score: 1

    Less that 10% of the market is CDMA. GSM dominates and is predicted to do so in the future. Granted, 10% of the Chinese mobile market is still a big number, but the earlier article on the GSM linux smartphone is much more significant.

    --

    "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

  19. New phone by AchmedHabib · · Score: 1

    I go past a store every day that sell this phone, I have played with it a bit and the 384kbps video stream / internet connection really makes it a fun plaything. But since the mobile phone company we use at work does not support this standard yet, I guess I will have to do without. There's no way I pay the price for that bandwidth myself. On the other hand, the geek in me would love to have what compares to a slow ADSL, only mobile.

  20. Is it just me... by -kertrats- · · Score: 1

    Or did this article get a really small number of posts for front page /.? Yeah, i know, -1, offtopic. Sorry :(

    --
    The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
  21. The Samsung phone should soon be GPS enabled by 2square · · Score: 1

    Last summer we ported our GPS receiver client to their Mizi embedded linux platform. I cant wait to see it in production.