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DoCoMo to Use Linux on Phones
highwaytohell writes "News.com.au has an announcement that NTT DoCoMo in collaboration with NEC and Panasonic have developed a Linux based software platform for third generation cell phones. 'The main advantage of the new platform will be easy integration of advanced multi-media applications and efficient use of software,' NEC spokeswoman Akiko Shikimori said." This was first reported about a year ago, but the platform looks to be mostly done by now, and a new press release timed to remind us of its impending release.
Q: How can you tell the Titanic is sinking?
A: They keep rearranging the deck chairs, and reassuring us that the ship is too big to sink.
See what I've been reading.
That thing's been around forever. That's the nice thing about Linux -- you think "Gee wouldn't it be nice if FOO" and when you look, FOO has been around forever.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Emacs jokes aside, what would be really nice is to have some scripting language backing these phones so I could have the phone be a little smarter about fr'instance when to interrupt me.
(def ring-loud-p (caller)
"Checks whether the phone should ring LOUD"
(if (and (eq 'girlfriend caller)
(> 10 (getAmbientNoiseLevel))
t
nil)) )
--
Absolutely Normal
The phone is becoming the portable 'thing' you have with you. I know I like to watch some TV on train, take a photo or video snap and send it to a mate (especially helpful when giving directions), and lets face it... Without a dose of neopets while in the doctors waiting room, I'd get much more irritated than I do. :)
:)
Are they useful?
For some, probably not the majority.
But it's still a good thing.
The worst that can happen is you don't use the features, or buy a vanilla phone. No harm.
Ok, this is the PERFECT opportunity to introduce and deploy SSL to the telephony world. OpenSSL could first be used to secure (and authenticate) mobile to mobile traffic, then mobile to wireline and even wireline to wireline via inexpensive linux-based SSL "adapters" that could go between your POTS jack and telephone(s). The telephony world could use a good dose of end-user-empowering crypto.
That's a sweet lookin phone, but I think DoCoMo's primary motivation is to keep the cost of the phone down. Using Linux goes a long way towards lowering the cost, which means mo money for DoCoMo! It also means they have a very flexible platform on which to base future phones. If you make your money selling OS licenses for low end devices like cell phones, cameras, and PDAs, Linux is going to make your life a living hell!
To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
I use my phone for making phone calls, not watching movies. How many people do YOU know who need "multi-media applications" on a phone?
;)
Humm, I was watching real-tv news on my phone at lunch while I waited for my meal, also watched the news in a waiting room this week.
During my boss's meeting I was browsing CNN news and local news.
I did it, because I could. I also have SMS pages, and email pictures I take on the phone.
Connect via Bluetooth for my wireless headset.
Depends on your job, but the phone also has video conferencing so I can see servers and cable wiring remotely, comes in handy when we have smart hands (techs working on misc hardware).
I use it, most people at my work use it. OF course I work for a telco, and we have lots of cool phones.
"When will the Japanese make their phones compatable with the rest of the world?
People on Slashdot complain about the U.S. being isolationist when it comes to cell phone technology. It's worse in Japan."
No it's not!! What universe have you been living in? DoCoMo has been trying to get into the American market for years. It's our own fault for pressuring our government to impose high import tarrifs so we can hold our heads high buying 2nd gen crap "made in the USA". Why in God's green Earth would the Japanese want to downgrade their phones to be compatible with "the rest of the world". As it stands, DoCoMo's i-Mode technology is spreading quite well in parts of Europe, China, and Korea.
Also, I know for a fact that AU (I think Vodafone bought them last year) has a phone that is capable of roaming pretty much anywhere in the northern hemisphere. I'm also fairly certain that DoCoMo offered a phone with those capabilities, but I had no desire to pay the extra mony and just stuck with my D505i which STILL blows away most of the phones here in the US, even though it's 2nd Gen 2G tech in Japan. I plan on returning to Japan in 2 years and I guarantee my first act after finding a place to live will be to re-acquire a real phone.
Calling Japan isolationist when it comes to cell phones is like calling Italy isolationist when it comes to Lasagna. If you already produce the best in the world, what exactly do you need to import?
I've dirtied my hands writing poetry, for the sake of seduction; that is, for the sake of a useful cause. --Dostoevsky
Indeed on any hunk of modern portable technology with a decent screen and enough storage, some reasonable amount of processing power, would suffice. The point is lots of folks already carry cell phones around with 'em so why not go that extra 20% and build this functionality into 'em?
Sure you may not want it. Or you may not realize you want it. Or you may never have any need for these features.
But consumer demand appears strong, this appears to be a profitable direction to the carriers & cell phone manufacturers, so where's the huhu? We can still buy (heck, at this point they're about free) a simple no-frills phone so no loss there.
But yeah, at least for me, I'm interested in someday moving to a feature-phone. For now I'll stick with my ancient super-reliable StarTac and last-generation PocketPC but in a year or two, with a bit more maturing, I could see morphing 'em into a unified package of tele-conferencing/multimedia entertainment/handy-dandy reference source with Web/IM/RSS/GPS (m-o-u-s-e-!)
Heck, with 2 GB SD cards coming down in price so fast I'm tempted to get one just to have a portable copy of Wikipedia on hand.
So Joe Schmoe - there may not be a compelling reason. 'Course, could say the same thing about an iPod too. Or camera phones. Or text messaging. Or a computer in every house. Or high-speed internet.
Guess we'll find out.
I don't read ACs: If a post isn't worth so much as a nom de plume to its author then I wont bother either.
Emacs jokes aside, what would be really nice is to have some scripting language backing these phones so I could have the phone be a little smarter about fr'instance when to interrupt me.
Future S60 phones might ship with Python out-of-the-box; Now it's still in beta phase.
See, the Symbian world isn't as closed as some people think. It's also not as open as some people (managers) think, but that's a different story...
Save your wrists today - switch to Dvorak