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Nokia Leaks Phone With Full GNU/Linux Distribution
An anonymous reader writes "It is now clear why Nokia has been so slow with S60 updates: the upcoming N900 just left everything else in the dust. Unlike Google's Linux platform, Nokia is not intentionally breaking compatibility with real distros, choosing instead to bring you the unmatchable power of GNU/Linux on your phone. This is the most awesome device I have ever seen: MAP3 CPU/GPU, 3,5" 800x480 touchscreen, keyboard, Wi-Fi, HSPA, GPS; 5-MP camera, CZ lens, 32 GB storage, SD slot; X11, VT100 terminal emulator, APT package manager. Estimated price without credit: $780 (N.5800: $390, iPhone 3GS: $750). Developers should note that even though the current desktop is still GTK+, Qt will be standard across all Nokia platforms in the near future (less powerful phones will use Qt on the Symbian kernel). Users can download flashing software from Nokia, and patches can be submitted at the Maemo site."
The Pre runs a practically normal Linux distribution. Granted, all the applications are written in Javascript and not some compiled language using C, but I look at that as a good thing.
It's not MAP3.. it's OMAP 3
And the VT100 term emulator is based on gnome-terminal (at least it is in older maemo and I see no reason for them to have written a different one)
I searched for the word "phone" throughout that linked article, and nowhere did it mention things like, oh, talking and listening and dialing. No "3G" or "GPRS" mentions either. The N810 and N800 and (N)700 Internet Tablet models look just like this, but WITH NO PHONE GUTS. A few screenshots look like they have phone features, but it really seems odd that a review/preview just doesn't even mention such obvious things. Maybe it's just Skype for all I know.
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Miniaturization. I can't fit a netbook in my pocket. Close not quite.
UNIX/Linux Consulting
To answer my own questions....
Apparently this device is based on Maemo, from its website; "Maemo is a software platform that is mostly based on open source code" (emphasis mine)
Expect proprietary blobs wherever they can get away with it.
Your problem is that your pockets aren't big enough.
Interesting.
If you are that accident prone why not buy used phones. You know the ones that people chuck in a drawer when they get their next shiny new toy.
Get them unlocked and you are good to go.
My skinflint cousin does it this way.
He then signs up for sim only contracts.
I'd rather be riding my '63 Triumph T120.
Nokia seem to be in compliance with other versions of their linux tablet OS so there is no reason to suspect that this will be any different.
If by some chance it has phone functionality, it will almost certainly be like the OpenMoko phone where the phone functionality is in a blackbox on a seperate baseband CPU.
Yes, Maemo is pretty much a full Linux distribution. You can ssh into the device and ssh out from the device. On the N810 (with a large enough MicroSD card) you can even install a full Debian distribution. It's still ARM, so don't expect it to be as fast as a Desktop, but everything works (mplayer, pidgin, Open Office, VNC client & server, etc).
-- Don't Tase me, bro!
You can use a bluetooth keyboard. You can also use a VNC server on the phone and do your work from a VNC client on the desktop (or just ssh into the device).
-- Don't Tase me, bro!
You must live in the US, where the cost of a mobile phone is heavily subsidized by multi year contracts for wireless plans. If and when Nokia's new model makes it to the US, expect to see it for $199 when purchased with a two year contract from your wireless carrier.
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They don't subsidize the cost of the phone, they build it into the monthly payment.
It would be accurate to say that they are helping the buyer finance the phone, but they aren't doing it at a loss.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
They bought Trolltech and their Qt Extended phone OS last May, which is completely open-source.
If you want to see what the OS is like, go and see one of the forks: QtMoko, Qt Extended Improved, and probably others. I am using QtMoko on a Freerunner and the interface is sweet even if some parts need more polishing.
You're not old until regret takes the place of your dreams.
In my experience, (which admittedly is years out of date) you can't build a phone with a libre radio and expect to get it past type acceptance. There are a lot of very precise regulations on the way a phone has to behave on the air, and in many cases the manufacturer is at least theoretically liable if the device misbehaves. Allowing users to mess with the protocols is therefore widely regarded as a bad idea by manufacturers, carriers, and regulators. When I was doing smart phone development, I was working on a totally proprietary system with no way for the end user to install apps, but we still used dual processors to ensure our app code didn't interfere with the GSM stack.
Obviously, things may have changed since then, but I'm not aware of any phone where the user can get direct control over the radio. If there is an exception to that, I'd love to hear about it.
It's in the garage.
If it works in Diablo, and on N770s, n800s and n810s, the n900 has got you covered. The n900 may be a phone, but with its OMAP processor and MID heritage, the nerd angle is already covered.
You can't just hack together your own code, plug it into the GSM network and expect the FCC to just smile and look the other way.
You can if all GSM/UMTS-related code runs on a dedicated core that communicates with the main core (which runs the apps) through a well-defined interface. The Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi, although not phones, follow the same general scheme: one core to handle audio, Wi-Fi, and power management, and one core to handle everything else.
* You can watch a movie on this phone. The screen on these things (I have an n800) is stunning at 800 x 480. I and some of my relatives have enjoyed full length movies on my n800 and I keep my personal video collection (dv converted to mpeg4) on it.
* word-work? Never heard that term, but I'll assume you're talking about messaging (I hope your not talking about word processing). Many people are quite efficient on each of the various keyboard input setups and this has two of them; touchscreen and pop-out keyboard, so you probably just need practice.
* In case you missed the article the camera is very nice. Carl Zeiss; 5.2 MP. More than enough for "happy snaps".
* Maemo is a very active community (http://www.maemo.org) with lots of great software. So what is it that you want your phone to do? More than likely there is an application to do it.
We (the geeks) have been clamoring for an open platform phone and now it appears we're getting it. I admit that I get excited at the thought of being able to ssh into my phone, run scripts and write programs in Python/GTK and configure pretty much any and every aspect of the device. If you don't, you're probably not a geek and this whole thing will be lost on you.
Are you serious?...
Ehhh...if Nokia owns Trolltech (nvm "if they can change license like that"), they also have access to commercial Qt license...for free.
Why you all can't get over the fact that there were no short-term benefits for Nokia in making Qt LGPL-ed? (long-term, sure, probably...but that's the goal of OSS/free software, right? Right?!)
One that hath name thou can not otter
You can already run your own application on your own phone, officially and for free.
Just use the Open Signed Online service.
the Palm Pre has a standard OpenEmbedded based distro. you can install packages from the OptWare repository. enjoy fully supported, debugged and tested Linux components that are updated on a regular basis--all written by very talented engineers who are committed to getting awesomeness to customers as often as they can. (has Nokia ever released updates as often as Palm has for webOS?)
don't like javascript apps? rip out the webOS window manager and put whatever you want on it. or maybe you want both. you can always switch between the two. the development community has already figured out how to do this.
and the Mojo javascript development environment does have its strengths. it's the first platform since the computers of the 80s where you can hack on it right out of the box.
how could you not love a company that made the contra code an officially-supported way of entering development mode?
symbian has apps for answering (and texting) through your computer using and remotely taking pictures/video.
"Impartiality is a pompous name for indifference, which is an elegant name for ignorance." - G.K. Chesterton
The LHC is like most women; frigid, a bit temperamental, and capable of making things that nothing else can.
Did I miss any salient points?
i'd still keep the n97. i just got one, and i quite like the d-pad, it's quite handy, especially browsing. although the n900 has the separate arrow keys, a d-pad seems convenient.
"Impartiality is a pompous name for indifference, which is an elegant name for ignorance." - G.K. Chesterton
Finland has 10 people?