Linux News: Mobile

Google Bends a Little Toward Nexus One Customers
February 09, 2010

Google has cut the early termination fee of its Nexus One smartphone from $350 to $150. It has also introduced customer support for the ordering and shipping processes. However, these moves are not as expansive as some users would like. For one thing, T-Mobile's early termination fee, which is separate from Google's ETF, reportedly would still apply.

Phone-Hater Linus Torvalds Blesses Nexus One
February 09, 2010

Google's Nexus One phone is a winner, according to Linus Torvalds, founder of the operating system it's based on. "I generally hate phones," explained Torvalds, who is known as "the father of Linux," in a blog post on Saturday. "At the same time I love the concept of having a phone that runs Linux, and I've had a number of them over the years," he wrote.

Open Symbian: New World Order or Big Yawn?
February 08, 2010

It's not every day that a major operating system gets opened up, never mind one that leads the global market in its category. So, when the news came out last week that that's just what the Symbian Foundation had done -- and four months ahead of schedule, no less! -- it was hard not to get excited.

Eyeing Android, Symbian Opens Up
February 05, 2010

When the Symbian Foundation announced the opening up of its namesake smartphone platform on Thursday, it caused a major shift not just in the mobile landscape but also in the FOSS world. Announced by Nokia back in 2008, the transition of the leading platform from proprietary code to open source was completed four months ahead of schedule and is the largest in software history.

TweetCaster for Android Gets Almost Everything Right
February 05, 2010

Those who say there are no decent Twitter apps for Android simply haven't found the right one. When the Android Market first opened, you could sign in, watch the handful of new apps being uploaded every day, and generally know everything that was available on the platform. There really were only a couple of Twitter clients. Now there are plenty.

China Gives Android a Pass, as Long as It Keeps Its Nose Clean
January 27, 2010

The Chinese government won't block the use of Google's Android operating system on mobile phones in the country as long as the operating system abides by Chinese laws, a key government official said on Wednesday. "As long as it complies with Chinese laws and regulations, and as long as it has good cooperation with operators ... their use of the system won't be limited," spokesperson Zhu Hongren said.

Boom Times Ahead for Mobile App Market
January 19, 2010

Consumers will spend $6.2 billion in 2010 at mobile application stores, while related advertising revenue is expected to generate $0.6 billion worldwide, according to new statistics from Gartner. Those numbers are expected to rapidly grow within the next few years, the analyst firm predicted: By 2013, worldwide downloads will surpass $21.6 billion.

As Nexus One Goes, So Goes Android?
January 12, 2010

When Google unveiled its wildly hyped Nexus One phone last week, it described the device as more than just another Android smartphone. Rather, it dubbed the new handset as one of an emerging class known as "superphones" and "an exemplar of what's possible on mobile phones through Android," as vice president of product management Mario Queiroz put it.

CES: The Magic Is Back
January 11, 2010

I was at CES last week, and the magic was clearly back in this show. In the past couple of years, CES has been dominated by one device -- making it more like a one-product waste of time. Two years ago, everyone was talking about the iPhone, making many of us wonder if we were at the wrong event. Last year, it was the Palm Pre, which turned out to be a bit of a flash in the pan.

Nexus One: Where's the Revolution?
January 08, 2010

The trifecta that was Apple's iPhone introduction in 2007 was a result of the successful introduction of a software platform and a truly revolutionary device, coupled with a massive surge in the functionality of iTunes. Matching that achievement may never be possible for a smartphone, but it may be possible for something else. The question is, is the Google Nexus One that something else?

Google Nexus Takes Center Stage
January 05, 2010

Unveiling its much-anticipated Nexus One smartphone on Tuesday, Google put it in a new class of devices it dubs "superphones." "Nexus One is where the Web meets the phone," declared Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management. "It's an exemplar of what's possible on mobile phones through Android."

Beyond the Nexus: Does Google Have More Android Goodies Tucked Away?
December 30, 2009

Google will be introducing its Nexus One smartphone device next Tuesday, it appears certain. Not that Google has said as much: All the the company has announced is that it will hold an "Android related" press conference on Jan. 5, a day identified in prior rumor accounts as the Google phone's launch date.

Moto XT701 - aka 'Sholes' - Surfaces in China
December 22, 2009

Motorola appears to be gearing up to release its Android-powered Sholes handset in China, kicking into high gear the many rumors that have been circulating in the U.S. about the device. Dubbed the "Moto XT701," Sholes appeared alongside the previously announced Motorola MT710 on the company's Chinese Web site late last week.

The Barbarians at iPhone's Gate
December 22, 2009

Apple's iPhone may be one of the most popular devices ever to hit the consumer market, but whether it can sustain that success is another question. A recent report from ComScore suggests it may be losing ground to Google's Android platform, even as upcoming mobile browser innovations call into question the future of app stores like the one for the iPhone.

Glasses On, Wallets Out: 3-D's Coming to Blu-ray
December 18, 2009

3-D is definitely not just for cheesy drive-in movies anymore. It's done great box office with animated films, and that big 3-D sci-fi action movie "Avatar" coming out this weekend has won over a lot of early reviewers, at least on a technical level. But one of these days you won't have to go out to a theater to see 3-D movies -- you'll just have to shell out thousands of dollars for a state-of-the-art home system.

Samsung's New Android: It's Fun to Live in the Moment
December 18, 2009

One of the problems with smartphones up to now is that they behaved more like a computer than a cellphone. That's not the case with the Moment, Samsung's new smartphone based on Google's Android operating system. Android's use of a touchscreen for navigation and easy-to-use applications -- a la the iPhone -- brings to the Moment what's missing from many smartphones: intuitiveness.