Motorola last month quietly shipped its first Linux-based RAZR2 V8 phone “bound for North America,” in its words. Additionally, the world’s third-largest handset vendor (Motorola was passed up by Samsung this year) is offering new “MotoMAGX” tools supporting native Linux third-party apps.
Motorola Ships US Linux Mobile Phone, Native SDK
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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this is great news!!! so many possibilities.
Let’s hope they don’t make it as difficult to access the “protected” features of the device as they do with their Java implementations. Their signing process nearly drove me insane.
If, however, it is more like Windows Mobile native development, where you are basically free to do as you want and just have to pass testing, I say hooray.
yeah, that thing with only allowing signed apps to f–king access some parts of the api is a menace, whomever is responsible for such crap in the various companies needs to be fired immediately, and pay back all his paychecks..
In Symbian world of signed software:
I don’t think you need TCB or AllFiles capabilities. You can sign software with most caps for free (as a freeware).
If you need advanced capabilities, the software must be tested for any bugs in the testhouse (unless the developer has an agreement).
The good thing is that most people are not able to sign pirated software which requires advanced capabilities with developer certificates – at least getting the dev cert with e.g. MultimediaDD or DRM is much harder.
If need some symbian- or manufacturer-approved capability and have good business reasons for it you’re likely to get it.
Edited 2007-08-08 05:29
Now they just need to be released here and i will for sure be signed up for one. always liked the motorolas.
if it had next-g support then with all the linux apps you could use with it would make it a great support tool for on call people.
just think you could add a nagios app to monitor a nagios server and grab details from it
Edited 2007-08-07 21:51
It’s not a RAZR2, but Motorola already has the RIZR (or, apparently, ROKR) Z6 slider on the market. I don’t think any US carriers are offering it now, but their new Linux and Java based interface is already being sold. From what I’ve read (I’m in the market for a new phone&plan) it’s similar to, but overall significantly better than their old UI.
…, however, it does look nice /yes I’m being sarcastic/.
Any word on which carrier(s) will have this phone?
You should be able to get an unlocked version like many of their previous phones.
I haven’t been excited about a phone since the Blackberry Pearl (which wasn’t that long ago but I no longer have it, sad story).
This is very impressive. If it works well, I think I’ll have to get one.
Anybody have any clue what sort of pricing we can expect? Particularly interested in an UNLOCKED phone
Eugenia, any plans to review this puppy when it’s released? That’s one review I look forward to!