Are there any real Linux phones out there?

MurdersLastCrow · 2011-05-04 00:15:09

So far as I know, the N900 (which I don't really want) is the only bonafide Linux phone out there that runs GTK and Qt applications. I'm kinda' sick of waiting for GTK and Qt to be fully ported to Android, especially considering how hackish it will probably feel. I like the idea of using E17/MeeGo/MatchboxWM, or even KDE mobile on my phone. Since Android Dalvik will allow running Android applications on any platform, I'd much rather have Linux with Android applications available than Android with GTK and Qt sort-of-availablish-maybe.

Even if it's an MID that requires a SIM card, I'm just really interested in having true Linux in my pocket. Android can only get you so far without feeling hampered (and a little dirty, for those like me who would rather have open software specified explicitly in the Android Market). So, any hardware that can suit these needs, or may very soon be able to? If there's some way to get X-compatible drivers on my EVO (unlikely, I'm sure), I'd also be up for any information on that. I'm asking here because I've researched a lot and really have no clue if any such thing exists. Thank you for your responses.

vinayv · 2011-05-04 04:56:45

Well, there is (or should I say was) Neo Freerunner.. You can read about it here: http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Neo_FreeRunner

I have it personally for the past 2.5 years.. Overall, I should say I am satisfied with it. Only gripe is that it does not have 3g. So, for the past few months, I have stopped using it as a daily phone. I use Nokia E63 since I want 3g.

Battery life is good for one day with moderate usage. For light usage it can even last for 2 days..

vinayv · 2011-05-04 05:00:18

Best part of Freerunner is that I can run whatever I want.. There are so many distributions.. SHR and QTMoko are the ones that I most frequently use. You can even install a full debian system on it and install whatever applications you want (from the >30k packages in debian)
Android (1.x) can also be run on this.

But you should be ready to get your hands dirty.. This phone is strictly for experienced linux users though.. Newbies would not have the patience to customise the phone and make it work the way they want

Last edited by vinayv (2011-05-04 05:01:44)

answer_42 · 2011-05-04 10:12:16

Hey,
The best thing about the Freerunner is really, you can install whatever you want, e.g. Archlinux. But I must admit, I had some problems with the microphone...and in comparison to modern smartphones it hasn't so much functionality.

Sebastian

hoobastank · 2011-05-04 10:33:28

Do you think that new model will come with extra functionality in the future? Coz in my opinion Android doesn't let me be free as real Linux as.

vinayv · 2011-05-04 11:45:20

Unfortunately the OpenMoko company could not withstand the recession in 2008-09.. So, the company let go of most of the developers and abandoned all future versions/models of this phone.. (The next version of FreeRunner was rumoured to have larger touchscreen, 3g, better battery, etc).

Anyway, some of those OpenMoko developers got together and founded another company Qi - http://en.qi-hardware.com/wiki/Main_Page
They have similar philosophy as OpenMoko had, i.e., completely open and free hardware.. They have come up with handheld MIPS based mini laptop - Ben NanoNote.. They might design a Linux phone in the future.. Keep an eye on them..

The OpenMoko company itself is into other devices now, like the WikiReader.. Not sure if they will ever get back to designing an open phone..

Last edited by vinayv (2011-05-04 11:46:13)

hoobastank · 2011-05-04 14:08:43

Well which operating system lets us to be more free? Andorid (dont like Google's attitudes), Meego, Bada or something else that I dont know?

MurdersLastCrow · 2011-05-04 22:16:09

Well, let's be honest here- you don't need to run any closed source code on Android. There are only two issues I have with Android- first of all, you have to do a lot of research to find out if a program from the Market actually is open source, and there is no way to compile a program from source, rather than using an APK binary (so far as I know, unless you're installing non-graphical applications).

The other issue is that Android applications are using a completely different platform than the traditional GTK/Qt infrastructure we are used to. In some cases, it's necessary due to the form factor and expected functionality. But in most cases, if you control the size and exposure of the widgets, GTK and Qt should function perfectly fine on a small device.

So you can take away the closed Google applications and install your own open source applications, and use CyanogenMod to ensure you have a completely open Android... but I won't lie that there has been difficulty in recent times with Google keeping the newest versions open, and that it's not really popular to have an open source category in the Market at the moment (the Market itself may be a closed application, I believe, although there may be alternatives, and you can just get the APKs yourself).

So, obviously, it would be favorable to have MeeGo or something close to it to run with Alien Dalvik or something like that on top, although it would be disingenuous to say there is no way to have a completely free Android phone.

I'll keep an eye out on these guys. To be honest, I'm very close to designing and building my own phone at this point. I'm sick of waiting for someone to take the reigns and get us a pure Linux distribution on a phone- at least I can have my very own. Just need to find a good chipset to cram all the hardware into.

Issue for me is that Linux has won big in the mobile market, but using a version that has done questionable things to the nature of what we hold dear in the Linux community. It's very much an odd situation, to both be proud and disgusted at the same time, with tainted hope. But of course, we still have control with Android, even if it's popular for people not to care about the source code in the mobile dimension. We'll see where it goes.

AlexS · 2011-05-04 23:49:20

Well, the N900 was the best shot so far, but we know how things went with Nokia. I have decided not to buy a phone for the next few years, until a real Linux phone (re-)appears. At the moment I'm using old smartphones that people discard to get the next shiny thing, and try not to get too involved with the phone (coding, etc).

vinayv · 2011-05-05 06:14:57

MurdersLastCrow wrote:

I'll keep an eye out on these guys. To be honest, I'm very close to designing and building my own phone at this point. I'm sick of waiting for someone to take the reigns and get us a pure Linux distribution on a phone- at least I can have my very own. Just need to find a good chipset to cram all the hardware into.

Finding a good chipset and right hardware is the tough part.. Software wise, there are atleast quite a few options to run linux as it is..
My personal favourites:
1) SHR - http://shr-project.org/ - Has been ported to run on variety of devices - http://shr-project.org/trac/wiki/Devices
2) Hackable:1 - http://www.hackable1.org - Based on debian; implements the Gnome mobile platform.
3) QtMoko - http://qtmoko.org - Simple, stable and easy to use; based on debian

MurdersLastCrow · 2011-05-05 06:22:30

Oh my- what useful information you have there. I'm totally digging e17's mobile interface, and I think it may be the perfect fit for me. I usually pass up e17 on the desktop due to having KDE around, but on mobile it makes SO much sense. It would be very interesting to set it up on an iPhone 3GS. Ironically enough, the iPhone may be one of the best documented devices for hacking after they ported Android to it, but if I can get my hands on an HD2 that might be more beneficial than toying with the hardware on such a base level. Thank you for the resources- I'm well on my way, now.

Arch Linux

#1 2011-05-04 00:15:09

Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#2 2011-05-04 04:56:45

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#3 2011-05-04 05:00:18

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#4 2011-05-04 10:12:16

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#5 2011-05-04 10:33:28

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#6 2011-05-04 11:45:20

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#7 2011-05-04 14:08:43

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#8 2011-05-04 22:16:09

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#9 2011-05-04 23:49:20

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#10 2011-05-05 06:14:57

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

#11 2011-05-05 06:22:30

Re: Are there any real Linux phones out there?

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