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Linux Smartphones Race To Be 1st In U.S.

Posted by timothy on from the buy-a-smaller-a-tux dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The race is on for first mover in the domestic US Linux smartphone market! Last week, Motorola announced a new Linux-based business user smartphone that's expected to ship to US customers by the end of 2004. Meanwhile, Chinese phone maker e28 will debut its latest Linux-based smartphone at LinuxWorld this week, and will soon begin distributing it in the Chicago area. Both devices are pretty cool. The quad-band Moto phone features a 1.3 megapixel camera, Intel's latest cell-phone chip, and fancy sync software that (currently only) works with Microsoft email servers at this point (others pending). e28's phone is an upgrade to its previously announced e2800, which became the world's first commercially available Linux phone when it shipped in China in August, 2003 [Slashdot discussion]. Interestingly, e28 was founded in 2002 by the former president of Mot's Asia Pacific cell phone division -- the world's largest mobile market."

3 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. bah by gotpaint32 · · Score: 4, Funny

    A linux based phone that only works with M$ mail... What is the world coming to!

    --
    Nuclear war would really set back cable. - Ted Turner
  2. Re:I'll buy it if.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I want to upload my own programs. And none of them are written in Java.

    I agree. I've written some good software in COBOL, and I'm not going to waste money on a cell phone that can't run COBOL. I also don't feel recompiling that code, so it must be compatable with the 15 year old VMS machines on which it was originally compiled.

    Don't try to push anything else on me! I'm not going to try to learn anything new or embrace any technologies that can make my life easier!

  3. More wishes by leuk_he · · Score: 2, Funny

    * megapixel camera
    Set you standard higher, 2 Megapixel with optical zoom & nightvision! also having the possibilty to recod movies.
    * MP3 player (4-20gb please)
    And usb, so i can use at as a plug & play hard disk for any pc. Must also play mp4 movies?
    * Gaming platform (c++ or symbian)
    & java !
    * IR remote (saves having a table full of them)
    & IR interface to laptop in case it does not have BT, or wifi.
    -small form factor. (PDA?)
    -must have moneydetector (to detect false money), that is a UV + IR lamp.

    -ringtones... it is a phone?!