| First ALP Linux smartphone? |
Oct. 10, 2008
 An Israeli firm will ship a smartphone that runs Linux to the Russian market, according to industry reports. Possibly manufactured by Sharp, Emblaze Mobile's "Edelweiss" phone will offer GPS and an unprecedented 854 x 480 touchscreen, while running the Access Linux Platform (ALP), reports suggest.
(Click for larger view of the Edelweiss)
On its website, Emblaze Mobile offers only a spinning 3D Flash image of the Edelweiss, along with a "coming soon" teaser. However, a number of sites have reported that the phone will go on sale in Russia by November. The rumor may have originated on the Russian mobile news site, Mobile Review, which has apparently taken down its initial story about the phone. However, sites such as Engadget have already followed up, listing leaked features for the Edelweiss such as the following:- 854 x 480 touchscreen
- 8GB or 16GB of storage
- 3G cellular capability
- GPS
- Camera (not listed but visible in photo)
 
Emblaze Mobile's Edelweiss
The huge screen dwarfs that of the iPhone or HTC's Android-based G1. The Edelweiss display even boasts higher resolution than the latest version of the Windows Mobile-based HTC Touch HD, which offers 800 x 480 pixels.
ALP application screens
Meanwhile, the sharp-eyed widget experts at Widgets Labs have made the claim, based on a separate photo in circulation that is not available on the Emblaze site, that the phone runs Access Corp.'s Netfront Mobile Widgets, supported by its NetFront Browser. Additionally, Emblaze Mobile earlier announced a "Monolith" device expected early in 2009, and expected to run the Access Linux Platform.
Next up: the Monolith
The Monolith project, which Emblaze Mobile claims is the "ultimate holistic mobile device" was reported on here last October. According to the breathless prose on the Emblaze website, "This Linux based device is not a mere phone, but rather an application centric device that acts as a full blown media and communications center."
The five-year Monolith project involves not only Access, but Sharp, which will manufacture the uber-phone. The device also taps contributions from over 20 third-party mobile technology vendors, says the company. The Monolith will offer an extended-definition touch sensitive display, a high-end camera, and "virtually every wireless connectivity technology known to man," boasts Emblaze. The company goes on to list features including telephony, messaging, personal information management (PIM), push technology, mobile office access, web browsing, mobile media player, and GPS-based location services.
Emblaze Mobile is a subsidiary of the Emblaze Group, a publicly traded (on the London stock exchange) umbrella company comprised of a dozen or so high-tech Israeli companies. Most of Emblaze's constituent companies are focused on enterprise computing markets, with the exception of emoze, a push email service provider, and several companies in the wireless video broad- and narrow-cast markets.
Availability
Emblaze Mobile did not offer information on the availability or pricing of the Edelweiss, but some industry reports say it will ship by the end of October. The Monolith, meanwhile, will ship in the first half of 2009, says the company. Some more information may be found on the Emblaze site, here.
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.
Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.
Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.
Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.
High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.
Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.
Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.
Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed