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Motorola A768 Phone Loaded With Open Source
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)"
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
300+ submissions and one was finally accepted. Time to tell the wife and kiddies... :) I've finally made it to the ranks for geekdom. Now, if only someone would sell me their extremely low /. number... something under 5000 perhaps?
The only downside is that it appear to only be available in China right now.
Well I suppose you could learn Chinese, but paying for around-the-world roaming fees will probably screw you.
Slashdot Syndrome: the sudden, extreme urge to correct someone in order to validate one's self.
We in the US are last to get this technology because we embrace it not as fully. We still have lots of landlines and service that isn't as crappy as the ones that I used in London. Europe seems to have less advanced systems, so they are more eager to make the jump away from their crappy POTS. We live in a land filled with mediocre service that people don't hate fullly enough.
Mod "Overrated" instead of replying "I disagree with you," you coward.
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.
Reading Word Docs on my cell phone. Combo devices... Meh
Post: Sigged, for your pleasure.
This is pretty much a continuation of a trend that began a few years ago. We see many embedded devices using open source, particularly linux. It makes sense for many reasons, but the bottom line is that open source is inexpensive (ie free?) and widely used, which makes development more efficient.
The really interesting thing, as I see it, is the integration we will be able to get when many devices run linux. I would love to be able to integrate my cell phone with my pda with my computer with my wireless access point. the possibilities are endless when we converge on common standards.
Although this device might be using "Open Source" software the actual software in the device isn't open. No doubt they obtained commercial licenses from Sleepycat and others so that they could get around having to release their software. Which is a pity because it makes customizing the thing so much harder.
John.
The US is generally last to get new cellular toys because of the lack of a single standard. By letting the market fight it out, the FCC - whilst promoting competition amongst vendors - kinda hashed things up for the consumers.
:(
They did it again with Digital TV too, mandating an arguably inferior standard that isn't used much elsewhere, so that the domestic TV manufacturers would be happy. Now, if they'd gone with DVB-T, prices everywhere around the World for DTV tuners would be lower. Ho hum. It seems the US Government doesn't get wireless. So the population can't, either
There is a certain reliability factor we expect in U.S. equipment. Keep in mind that these fancy Linux phones are bleeding-edge and likely quite unstable compared to your standard PCS or analog phone. Additionally, with the amount of geography we've got to cover, the support for newer technologies just isn't there in our cell towers.
Canada's in an even worse situation, technically speaking. Even though it's easier to deploy wireless than it used to be to get phone service out to rural areas, the towers still require service.
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
As I can speak for Europe (Germany), each kid (12 and up !) here needs the newest toy on the market.
Handys are everywhere - but not mainly to call someone - especially Teenagers are sending hundrets of SMS per month - for 30-40 Euro-cents each !
Photo-Handys and MMS are on their way, the market is growing and growing.
Handys are a definitely a status symbol -
You've got one ? - You're one of us.
You've got that old-styled Nokia Handy from last Season ? You're such a dork !
Spelling mistakes: My is english spoken not tongue of mother.
Namaste
now, not only do i have to deal with people talking on cell phones while driving, i potentially have to deal with people compiling kernels on their cell phones while driving
vodka, straight up, thank you!
The only downside is that it appear to only be available in China right now
Downside for you, maybe. No downside for anyone that lives/works where these devices are used.
Full of open source?
"Please deposit $699 for the next 3 minutes. Thank you for using Cingudarl."
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
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.
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In other words... China has the United States' (or soon will have) population already as a customer in China. Do the math... Do I release it in the US and sell about 50-100 million (wishfully thinking), or do I do with a solid 100+ million Gee willikers what would you do...
Opinionater bastard
MoFscker
Ooooh.. its linux.. oooh its not linux.. So fucking what? Is it any better as a mobile phone than its competitors or not? If you buy a phone purely because its operating system is open source, then you are focusing on something immaterial to the function (and styling) of the phone. You could have bought something that suited your needs better if you weren't so hung up on your "open source is best" or "MS is best" dogma!
Does that mean that the phone will run all of the word/excel macro virii/viruses?
Fight Spammers!
There's no point in calling it open source if the sources aren't available. And somehow I doubt that yet another big company embracing open source will actually include the sources with the product.
And loads of other Motorolas - v500/525, v600, a830, a835, a920, a925, amongst others...
Actually, not really. There isn't any SyncML for the Zaurus, which does Linux+Qtopia just like this phone. Whereas a lot of other phones running every other OS does support SyncML. You'd probably have a better chance of your computer talking to a SyncML-enabled phone rather than whatever PIM API Trolltech/Sharp/Mot is using this week.
Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
no kidding. not only did I have a toaster running in 2001, I now have a fridge with a PS2 compatibility mode: which as turns out was a big mistake as now the eggs are always trash talking the frozen waffles about who's best at GTA. It's a bad confluence to have over teched appliances filled with sapient GM foods. Where will it end?
My impression is that Americans aren't used to buying mobile phones themselves, even though it's easy with GSM. This impression comes from the fact that all the US bloggers whom I read always refer to "[AT&T/Nextel/other telco] doesn't offer [latest model] yet".
You make it sound as if it was a natural and logical billing principle; The truth is, in US the cell phone numbers weren't allocated under a separate area code (which is the standard in many countries). A basic principle of billing phone calls says the caller should always know roughly how much the call will cost him. In US the caller cannot see from the number whether it is a cell phone or wired one. Thus the telco charges cell phone owners even when receiving calls (the same priciple rest of the world uses whenever the cell phone is roaming).
About call "plans" (prepaid monthly minutes) you mentioned; That's sick and wrong. The greedy telco makes you pay for calls you are only planning to make. I refuse to ever pay anything but actual calls, billed afterwards by seconds.
Other shotrcomings of cell phone service in USA include the complete lack of SIM cards (separation of service and phone equipment), limited support for SMS and typical half-a-year-minumum service provider lock-in. Luckily number portability is on the way.
Needless to say, I'm European.
UM, the A760 (which has Linux OS base just like the A768) has been released in all of Europe and Asia. Its that neither are available in the US. And considering that there are so few Windows-based phones available in the U.S., Microsoft is probably happy to just have them. Sure... they won't like Motorola doing Linux phones anymore than they like Dell selling Linux instead of Windows, but they're not in a position to be dominant in the cell phone market right now. Studies have proven that embedded Linux is better than embedded Windows and nobody wants their cell phone to blue screen on them. The best cell phones are Java and Linux based. MS will have to fight hard to dominate that market. Of course, knowing them, they're probably about to release a MS Cell Phone that needs a 200 character license key to activate.