Linux-based Smartphone Launched in China

[Andy Sjostrom]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://slashdot.org/articles/03/12/16/002226.shtml?tid=100&tid=126&tid=137&tid=163&tid=193' target='_blank'>http://slashdot.org/articles/03/12/16/002226.shtml?tid=100&tid=126&tid=137&tid=163&tid=193</a><br /><br /></div>From Slashdot.org: "This news item at LinuxDevices provides photos and specs of a new Linux-based smartphone being launched today in China. The device, called the E2800, sells for about $600, and targets business users, offering PDA functions, touch-screen, handwriting recognition, a camera, and memory expansion to 512MB through an SD memory card, the article says. The device's manufacturer is a Shanghai company named E28. The E2800 is a 900/1800MHz, GSM/GPRS class 10 device based on dual ARM9 processors, running embedded Linux with a 2.4-series kernel. Other recent Linux-based mobile phone announcements have been Japan's NTT DoCoMo's 3G phones and Motorola's A760." <br /><br />If you follow the link to LinuxDevices, you'll see some images of the E2800. What do you think? Linux in smartphones?

[Mike Temporale]

I think the average user could care less what the OS on their mobile phone is. In fact if you asked a random selection of people (say walking around the local wal-mart) what OS is on their phone, I think you would get some funny looks followed by "Nokia", "Samsung", "Sony Ericcson", etc...

Most people buy the phone based on the features and the price. Does it do email? Does it sync with my work computer? Can I get on the net? Does it have a web browser? Color screen??

The geeks amoung us know a little more and know what we like.

Personally, the phone looks a little too thick. Linux is gaining momentum, but still has a long way to go before it's user friendly. Even then, there are so many different "flavours", everyone is making their own versions. To me this smells like the same problems Palm developers are having with device drivers. You can't make one that works across the different versions.