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Linux Smartphones On The Rise

Posted by timothy on from the mwa-ha-ha dept.

nostriluu writes "I know, some people want their cell phone to just be a cell phone. To those people, I suggest a second hand phone. For those of us who want to cram as much functionality as possible into a device we are going to bother carrying everywhere, there is the promise of the Linux Smartphone. I've had a P800 for over a year now and while it's great (although a brick), I can't wait for a Linux based device to bring the culture of openness and upgradability, as opposed to the intentional obsolesence and $10 for every little utility someone reinvents for "closed" devices."

3 of 202 comments (clear)

  1. benefits by the+arbiter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The benefits are twofold, and the same as they are for computers:

    1. It's gonna bring the price down, no question. Lots of proprietary software in those little handheld phones.

    2. Better security. No better way to iron all the bugs out than opening up the source.

    And maybe some cheaper ringtones while we're at it. I'd love to be able to do my own, rather than buying them at $1 each.

    --
    Boycott everything - they're all trying to fuck you one way or another
  2. First things first by the+pickle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You Europeans and Asians have it so good. You can actually get the P800 or P900 with a service plan there, so it doesn't cost $1000.

    Rots of ruck with that here in the US, despite the fact that three major carriers have GSM networks that would work just FINE with the P-series.

    I say we worry about getting providers to let us Americans have the *current* crop of smartfones before we worry about whether Linux will be on the next generation of them...

    p

    --
    In Korea, long hair is for old people!
  3. "Bringing the culture of openness..." by JessLeah · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "I can't wait for a Linux based device to bring the culture of openness and upgradability"

    Um, what? There is no guarantee that a Linux-based system will bring any sort of "openness" to anything. NEWS FLASH: Corps don't like Linux because it's open. Corps like Linux because it's free (AS IN BEER). It would be trivial to produce a Linux-based phone with a JVM that runs closed-source Java apps that you buy at $10 a pop, or even closed-source C/C++ apps written with a commercially licensed copy of Qtopia or the like...

    --
    Honey, I shrunk the Cygwin