Sleek Linux smartphone hits shelves in Beijing

Motorola's newest Linux-based smartphone reached electronics stores and online retailers in Beijing today. The A1200 is a triband GSM/EDGE phone with a stylish, ultra-slim design. It runs MontaVista Linux on an Intel PXA270 (Bulverde) processor, and has been approved by the FCC for US operation. details

Mot should open up its Linux phones, article suggests

Motorola's use of Linux in mobile phones complies with the letter but not the spirit of the GPL, a Newsforge editorial by Nathan Willis suggests. Willis believes Motorola should help the open source community add value to its Linux-based phones. details

Motorola's "Chameleon" Linux mobile phone interface unveiled

Mobile-review has published a lengthy Russian-language article focused on the new "Chameleon" interface in Motorola's Linux-powered Rokr E2 music phone. The article contains over 294 screenshots, many of which are self-explanatory, even to those who do not read Russian. details

Motorola debuts next Linux-based smartphone

Motorola's next Linux-based smartphone will have a slim, lightweight flip-phone design similar to its Razr phones. The A1200 was debuted by fashion designer Vivienne Tam at a Dec. 26 Shanghai press event. It has been registered with the FCC, suggesting it may soon reach the US. details

Linux-powered music phone gets rave preview

The Linux-based Motorola Rokr E2 fixes what was wrong with the original, non-Linux-based E1 model, according to a short yet effusive online review of the device that also includes an ample photo gallery. details

Mot taps Linux for next-gen music phone

Motorola will base its second-generation music phone for US customers on Linux, along with USB 2.0, a normal (non-iTunes) mp3 player, built-in FM radio, and SD card storage. details

Motorola aims new Linux phone UI at replacement market

The user interface (UI) on Motorola's latest Linux-based mobile phone includes concessions to mainstream interface design aimed at increasing appeal in the replacement market, writes MobileBurn editor Michael Oryl in a brief review of the UI found on a prototype of Motorola's forthcoming high-end, WiFi-enabled A910. details

Motorola 680i earns mostly positive review

The E680i is a pretty good phone with glaring problems, writes OS News editor Eugenia Loli-Queru in a detailed, information-rich review. Poor battery life and power-level indicator, lack of native applications, and poor camera/video playback are balanced by quick startup and stability, she says. details

Motorola readies tri-band Linux/Java phone

Motorola will ship another Linux/Java phone in Q4 2005. The E895 is a tri-band GSM cameraphone with a 1.3 megapixel camera, large TFT/LCD display, Bluetooth, and rich Internet, multimedia, and web capabilities, Motorola says. Details

Motorola readies tri-band Linux/Java phone

Motorola will ship another Linux/Java phone in Q4 2005. The E895 is a tri-band GSM cameraphone with a 1.3 megapixel camera, large TFT/LCD display, Bluetooth, and rich Internet, multimedia, and web capabilities, Motorola says. Details

Details emerge on Motorola's cool Linux MP3 cameraphone

Motorola has revealed further details of its newly revised Linux-based MP3 player and cameraphone. The E680i adds support for stereo bluetooth audio connectivity, an improved interface with full HTML browser, and user-upgradable storage, Motorola says. Still lacking is quad-band GSM support, which would increase US usability. details

Motorola re-spins MP3-playing Linux cameraphone

Motorola will re-launch its multimedia-oriented tri-band Linux smartphone in the Asia Pacific this month. The E680i offers 2GB of file storage, a VGA camera with 8x zoom, a QVGA touchscreen, and support for bluetooth headphones and other peripherals. details

Motorola launches two Linux smartphones in Japan

DigiTimes is reporting that Motorola launched two Linux-based smartphones in Japan today, and one based on Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003. Motorola expects two percent growth in the smartphone market before 2005, when smartphones will represent 10 percent of the total market, the article says. details

New storage technology heralds upgradable smartphones

SanDisk Corporation has introduced a new line of fingernail-sized removable Flash memory cards that it hopes will become a de facto industry standard for providing user-upgradable internal as well as external storage in the coming wave of smartphones. "TransFlash" cards will debut in smartphones from Motorola. details

NEWS FLASH: Finally, a US Linux smartphone

US mobile phone customers will at last gain the option of a Linux-based handset later this year, when operators begin offering a high-end Motorola Linux/Java smartphone aimed at business professionals. The A780 will roll out globally in early Q4, reaching select US regions before 2005, according to Motorola. details

Motorola announces another Linux/Java phone

Motorola has announced its third mobile phone based on Linux and Java software. The A780 is expected to ship in Q4, 2004, and will woo enterprise and home users with features such as a PDA-like quarter-VGA color touchscreen, claimed 240Kbps GPRS data download speeds, Bluetooth networking and synchronization, PDF and Microsoft Office file viewing, a 1.3 megapixel digital camera, mp3 playback, 48MB of removable TransFlash storage, and more. details

Motorola licenses multi-format browser for smartphones

Picsel Technologies has announced that its Picsel Browser was licensed for use in forthcoming and currently shipping Motorola smartphones, including those based on embedded Linux. Picsel says its browser can display and edit a wide variety of popular file formats, through unique file format conversion technology. details

Interview with Mot exec suggests Linux smartphones by year end

Business Week has published an interview with Michael Sudol, general manager of Motorola's Linux phone division, discussing Motorola's decision to use Linux in some smartphones. The interview suggests Linux-based phones will appear on the global market -- possibly including the U.S. -- just before the Holidays. details

Motorola licenses third-party USB network stack for Linux phones

Motorola has licensed Belcarra's USBLAN networking technology for use in its Linux- and Java-based smartphones, Belcarra reports. USBLAN will enable Motorola's "mobile-PDA-MP3-embedded camera phones" to network with desktop computers running a variety of operating systems, according to Belcarra. details

Motorola readies music-oriented Linux mobile phone

Motorola has announced several new multimedia-enabled mobile phones supporting music and video playback, including one new device based on embedded Linux. A version of the Linux-based Motorola E680 could see US distribution. details

More details emerge on Mot's new Linux smartphone

More details have emerged on the Motorola A768, a Linux-powered smartphone targeting enterprise customers now shipping in China. The A768 is essentially a revision of Motorola's first Linux-based smartphone, the A760, with new VPN, video, and other capabilities. details

Motorola launches enterprise Linux smartphone in China

Motorola has launched an embedded Linux powered A-76x-series smartphone in the China marketplace, with VPN capabilities and productivity software targeting enterprise customers. In addition to phone features, the A-768 offers a PDA, browser, MP3 music playback, full-motion video recording, speaker phone, finance utilities, and more. details

Mini-review of Motorola A760 Linux phone

MobileBurn.com editor Michael Oryl has posted a mini-review of the Motorola A760, the first in Motorola's pending line of embedded Linux based mobile phones. The review is generally negative; Oryl was unable to test the signal quality because the phone's dual-band GSM 900/1800 capabilities are not supported in North America. However, he tested (and disliked) the user interface, and found the screen to have a "ruddy" quality. Softkey shortcuts are "counterintuitive," and video playback is slow and choppy, according to Oryl. He also reported problems using the A760 with a headset. details

Motorola selects Qt/Embedded for the A760 Linux smartphone

Trolltech has announced that Motorola's much anticipated A760 smartphone will be based on Trolltech's Qt/Embedded application development framework. However, the device will not make use of Trolltech's Qtopia Phone Edition, which Trolltech has pre-released to select customers but not yet formally shipped. details

Motorola touts multimedia and Java support in Linux based phones

Motorola says it will deploy mobile multi-media solutions from RealNetworks in its Linux and Java based mobile phones. Additionally, the company says it has received certification on the latest Java standards, for which it will offer developer tools and support. details

Motorola touts multimedia and Java support in Linux based phones

Motorola says it will deploy mobile multi-media solutions from RealNetworks in its Linux and Java based mobile phones. Additionally, the company says it has received certification on the latest Java standards, for which it will offer developer tools and support. details

A760 -- Mot's first Linux phone

The A760 represents the first fruit of Motorola's strategy to base many high-end phones and connected devices on a software platform comprising Linux and Java.The unit integrates MontaVista's Linux Consumer Electronics Edition and interconnects through IR, Bluetooth, or a USB cable. It integrates a PDA-style personal information manager, speakerphone, Internet access, a camera, instant text messaging, and music and video players into a small device that has been compared with the Handspring Treo in size and shape. The A760 is one of nine devices launched by Motorola prior to the Taipei International Telecommunications & Networking Show in Taiwan.