Qualcomm Adopts Linux for 3G Handsets 84
quan74 writes "According to an article at MacNewsWorld, it seems Qualcomm is the latest to add Linux to its handheld devices. 'By introducing Linux on the MSM, Qualcomm supports manufacturer partners who wish to leverage existing Linux applications, third-party developers and application catalogs to reduce their software development costs and improve time-to-market.' What I found interesting is that Linux will be the first third-party operating system supported by Qualcomm."
Other mobiles (Score:1, Redundant)
Risks? (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't think we're too far off from having spyware for mobile phones that sends advertising SMS messages to everyone in your phone address book. Or even calls everyone and plays a pre-recorded message. As these things become more ubiquitous, they'll be a larger and larger target.
Re:Risks? (Score:1, Interesting)
In the past months, our developers have prepared Spybot-S&D for the next platform that is currently getting endangered. Spybot-S&D for Symbian cell phones is sitting here on our hard disks, and we planed to release it as RCs along with the 1.4 RCs, and - if everything runs smooth - the final along with the Spybot-S&D 1.4 for Windows final.
from the Fantastic SpyBot S& [safer-networking.org]
Re:Risks? (Score:1)
Re:Really? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Risks? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Risks? (Score:1)
Re:Risks? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Risks? (Score:5, Insightful)
- The keyboard is flimsy, hard to type on while holding the phone, and because it's on the reverse of the number keypad, when you type on it you often press buttons on the reverse side, causing the whole phone to wobble.
- The camera button and the "connect to the internet" button are right next to each other, on the side of the phone and exactly the same size and shape, making it very easy to get press the wrong one.
- Handwriting recognition is pretty poor. As it uses the whole screen to recognise handwriting, if you try to tap on a button while recognition is enabled and slip slightly (like, if you're walking around with your *mobile* phone) you end up typing a full stop instead of activating the button.
- Most of the on-screen UI is far too fiddly to use "in the field". Sitting at a desk it's fine: on a crowded, bumpy train I keep activating the wrong functions.
Personally, I can see a huge market for somebody like Apple to do to the smartphone market what iPods have done to the MP3 market: produce an elegant, easy-to-use smartphone with all the functionality, but actually designed with usability in mind.
Re:Risks? (Score:1)
Interesting... SonyEricsson was formed as a joint venture between Sony and Ericsson. Sony was supposed to bring expertise in design of consumer electronics and Ericsson the radio engineering expertise. It seemed like a good idea, because earlier Ericsson phones had a reputation for solid radio performance but zero usability (to say nothing of being one of the ugliest on the market).
Looks like SonyEricsson still has a long way to go.. How do we like the sound of SonyEricssonApple? Or maybe AppleEricssonSon
Re:Risks? (Score:2, Funny)
sigh, more marketing nonsense (Score:1, Informative)
except they are locked into Linux, unless the phone will let me choose wether i want to run Windows,Solaris,Mac,QNX,Symbian,Java etc etc
why cant they just use plain english?
the "article" reads more like a press release drummed up by some marketing droid than any insightful commentary about OS'es
Difference in total cost.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Difference in total cost.. (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Difference in total cost.. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Difference in total cost.. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Difference in total cost.. (Score:5, Informative)
In Qualcomm case, you may end up saving lot. Qualcomm has just ported Linux to their _Cellphone_chip_, which means you don't have to buy another CPU to run the smartphone OS on. On The otherhand, Windows will still need another CPU, increasing Power consumption, weight and material costs.
In other cases, it depends on the platform you are developing for. For example if you don't have an MMU in your hardware, you simply can't run windows. OTOH if you are just basing yourself on one the most popular reference designs with windows already available, windows is likely the cheapest route. But once you start creating something more exotic and unique, it becomes more blurry and depends on case-to-case basis.
However, Qualcomm going Linux is fascinating for a totally unrelated point. Before this, their BREW platform has been the most DRM-encumbered development platform. There is no way to run code not signed, distributed and billed by Qualcomm on their BREW handsets. This might be a relatively large move from completely proprietary to more community friendly.
Re:Difference in total cost.. (Score:1)
Re:Difference in total cost.. (Score:1)
i mean whats the point of "buying" a product if they still own it?
Re:Difference in total cost.. (Score:2)
In gsm networks, you can actually buy a cellphone without a plan (ie, SIM-free), in which case it is clearly yours. However, I think that in cdma2000 networks, there is no SIM, so the phones are much more tied to the operator.
MacNewsWorld? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:MacNewsWorld? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MacNewsWorld? (Score:1)
Re:MacNewsWorld? (Score:1)
Re:Choose your friends wisely (Score:1, Informative)
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Choose your friends wisely (Score:2, Informative)
CDMA2000 [wikipedia.org]
W-CDMA [wikipedia.org]
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System [wikipedia.org]
Re:Choose your friends wisely (Score:1)
Re:you create confusion to distort the facts... (Score:2)
Yes. Although, the trouble for the mobile phone companies is that most users seem to be happy with making phone calls, sending SMS and (strangely enough) downloading ring tones and are more or less apathetic to network technologies. If I remember correctly, th
Re:pardon me, IS-54 (Score:2)
T
Re:Choose your friends wisely (Score:1)
It's all about getting there first (Score:1, Insightful)
If your competitor has a product on the market already, you have a hard time. First mover advantage is a very real thing.
FOSS is so well understood and documented that you can produce products much faster than if you have to depend on proprietary products. This is especially so if you have to integrate more than one such product. Being proprietary is all about keeping secrets and that, by its nature, makes your job much more difficult.
Re:It's all about getting there first (Score:3, Interesting)
No it doesn't. Nothing you said makes any sense at all. Linux, compared to other products that may be used, is not "so well understood and documented that you can produce products much faster". It's all a matter of what your development team already knows. Linux is unlikely to be easier to work with than other products made specifically for the purpose and keeping secrets does not require extra work. Linux has been around long enough alread
Its the perception, not the reality (Score:3, Interesting)
Linberg wasn't the first to cross the Atlantic, but most people think he was, most of those who know he wasn't (such as me) have no clue who was first.
I once worked for a company making routers years before Cisco started, yet Cisco has convinced everyone they were first. (I don't think this was intentional on their part) That company often introduced a new technology that Cisco released about a year latter. We never went anywhere though, while Cisco made billions.
First is interesting. It is usefu
Re:It's all about getting there first (Score:1)
Both platforms had advantages and disadvantages. In general, Microsoft has *far* better documentation, and is simpler to get up and running (MS basically provides a step by step guide to the things you need to do, and it has pretty much minimised them).
Linux is more difficult to get started with as the documentation and instructions on what to do do not really exist for embedded products (the parent i
....it's handheld devices. (Score:3, Informative)
Its is a posssessive adjective, something belongs to it. The computer crashed again. Its program is wrong.
Mastering the natural language can be as hard as mastering C++. But it's all precision symbol manipulation necessary to understand subtle meanings.
Feel free to mock my intelligence for forgetting the 'address of' & operator or messing up the pointer structure, but I don't want to hear anything about being a grammar Nazi. I only do this to keep people from knowing that you were smoking sinse in 4th grade instead of paying attention in English period.
Re: ....it's handheld devices. (Score:1)
"sinse"? As in sensimilla? Meaning no seeds?
I am having trouble following your lesson due your to use of misspelled slang.
Re: ....it's handheld devices. (Score:3, Funny)
Re: ....it's handheld devices. (Score:2)
but why the hate for cannabis users?
Re: ....it's handheld devices. (Score:2)
huh? (Score:2)
In what way does proper spelling aid the transportation of cannabis to the lungs?
If you're going to spell the stuff you should at least try smoking it.
Just rolls of the tongue... (Score:2)
3G (Score:1, Funny)
I'd hope a cellphone could take more acceleration than that (what happens if you drop it on concrete)
Re:3G (Score:2)
Discussion of the rapid deceleration left to the student as an exercise.
good (Score:2, Interesting)
at least I think it is them that manufacture the card.
I think we start throwing our weight around a little bit - where if these companies are going to use open source to make money then how about making some drivers for the everday devices - i.e. why doesn't ibm make a dvd player for linux that can ship with their laptops. I know I would buy one if that was the case.
Try again... (Score:1)
Qualcomm? Handsets? (Score:2)
That's why Kyocera's first phones seemed so similar to existing Qualcomm handset designs - Because they WERE Qualcomm handset designs.
Aha, from TFA (Score:2)
It'll be up to the handset manufacturers (who buy from Qualcomm) whether to actually use such support or not.
This kind of surprises me, most of the really high-end handsets use ARM-based processors (Intel XScale or TI OMAP) instead.
Re:Aha, from TFA (Score:1)
Hey Boss! (Score:1)
I'm sure Qualcomm feels honored... (Score:5, Funny)
I think this is dandy! (Score:1)
It's fluff talk hehe, but hey, Linux will get a shot on some nice portables besides showing up every blue moon on some PDA by Sharp.
I love the description... (Score:1)
Jeez! It's like Buzzword Bingo [betterworkplacenow.com] all over again! (no time to find the Dilbert reference, though)