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Motorola A768 Phone Loaded With Open Source

Posted by timothy on from the fits-in-one-hand dept.

Supp0rtLinux writes "According to this article over at Linux Devices and noted on here at NewsForge.com, Motorola has released a newer version of its A76x line of cellular phones. This newest release, the A768, boasts of open source softwares from Monta Vista Linux, Trolltech, and Sleepycat. The only downside is that it appears to only be available in China right now. And the older A760 released last August is still only available in Europe and Asia. Why are we in the U.S. always the last to get new cellular toys? The good news, though, is that with a Linux base and an integrated PDA and MS Office file compatibility, at least syncing this to either a Linux system or a Windows one should be fairly seamless. (A760 Review)"

4 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. US cell phones by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why are we in the U.S. always the last to get new cellular toys?

    Because you have several competing, incompatible cellular networks, when the rest of the world seems to have enough sense to agree on GSM. GSM is an easier, and denser market to conquer. The US market comes second, when something GSM is proven to work well commercially.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  2. A Few Reasons it isn't in the USA by al701 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    1) FCC - They have to approve every device and this takes time.
    2) Slow adoption rate. The USA isn't big on advanced cells. Not like Europe or Asia.
    3) Usually the better phones are GSM. Only recently has GSM become a real option here in the states.

    Also: If this type of stuff interestes you, check out Smart Mobs and the book, it is excellent.

  3. Legalities by Short+Circuit · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not just that, but a litigation-heavy court system and a class-action popular mindset make us the last place anyone wants to try something new.

    --
    tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
  4. Re:Marketability by Narcissus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Excuse me if I'm mistaken, but are you trying to say that GSM is "newer technology"??

    Australia has been using GSM for at least 8 or 9 years, it's not new technology. I don't mean to offend, but the lack of US support for GSM for so many years feels, to an outsider, as though it's more because it's supported so heavily elsewhere!

    Plus, regarding the geography you have to cover: Australia, again, is about 70% of the area of the main "chunk" of the United States, and yet they don't seem to have much problem. The way I see it, with the higher population density, it would actually be more economical for the US to provide these so called "newer technologies" than Australia, for instance...