Linux Phone

[darthpenguin]

Hi all.

I'm a big Linux fan and have been using it on my desktop for a while now. I'd really like to take Linux with me everywhere. I have already installed Rockbox on my iPod and I love it. Not only does it work well but it is different from everyone else. And I like being different. I'd like to take this further and install Linux on a mobile device. Like a blackberry or an iphone. An all-purpose device that has cell service, wifi, camera, media player, web browsing, etc. I know that Android is based on Linux but I want something slightly more custom/obscure/unique. Something that no one else has. maybe something that supports packet injection so I can crack wifi. I don't mean to do anything illegal or malicious. I just want to impress my friends.

I'd like to install Linux myself so... What mobile devices are supported by Linux? Blackberry? iPhone? htc? How easy is it to install Linux on a phone? What flavors of Linux are available / taylor-made for mobile devices?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[MASONTX]

Welcome to the forum.

[elija]

There are plenty of tutorials about installing Android on an iPhone. I'm considering it myself!

[darthpenguin]

That's kinda cool. I didn't know you could do that. Is Android completely open source? I'd prefer to go with an open source solution instead of jail breaking the iPhone OS. Is Android free to download? I've heard some good things about Android but it is kinda popular, u know, comes installed on many phones. I like Linux because it is different. What other Linux-based cell phone OS's are available? I'd like to look at all my options.

Also, Which iPhones will Android work on? I can't afford a new phone. Can I get a used 2G or 3G?

Thanks.

[elija]

It's not illegal but if you got it on a contract, you may have to wait for that to run out before you have a go. Got mine on pay-as-you-go and the free internet offer has just run out so I'm going to have a bash and if I break it go for an android

[Rubberman]

I have an unlocked Android phone (Google Nexus One) that's pretty good. It is fully open source, and you can get an emulator from Google that allows you to develop and test applications for the phone on your desktop before you download them to your phone.

[waterhead]

I think that what you are looking for is referred to as a MID (Mobile Internet Device). You can see some Android versions here:

Apad - iRobot Apad Android Tablet PC Computers - Beats iPad

When it comes to operating systems, you need to understand how these products differ from a PC. Almost all smart phones and MIDs use an ARM processor. Linux was basically designed for Intel/IBM type processors. A MID would have the OS embedded on a chip, not a hard drive. Android was specifically designed for this. There are some Linux distros that may have an ARM fork, but it may not work on all ARM processors.

I have been toying with the Android-SDK, and am not very impressed. It does not appear that you can install regular Linux applications. They first must be ported to the ARM architecture.

There is a solution on the horizon. I also have been toying with a x86 port of Android, Android-x86. I tried it on a Eee PC 900, and the wireless doesn't work. I have read that Intel plans to release a x86 version of Android this summer, but I don't know if it is affiliated with the Android-x86 project.

Another solution is the MeeGo distribution.

MeeGo

It is a joint project by Intel and Nokia. It was formed when the Intel Moblin and Nokia Maemo operating systems were merged. I tried the initial release on my Eee PC 900, and everything worked great. It is an actual Linux distribution, so it can be modified in the same manner.

[ryokimball]

As waterhead mentions, there are some "other" Linux-based phones out there. If you have a spare $600 check out Nokia's flagship n900: Maemo software | Nokia › Nokia N900 mobile computer

From what I understand, Android is a Linux kernel running a Java environment and many little Dalvik virtual machines. I don't know how much deeper 'rooting' a machine gets you, but in general it seems the buck stops at the Java layer.

For your purpose, I would go with Android. The phone I've been drooling over for a while, the DROID, is now free with a new contract to Verizon: Welcome to our Wireless World Now i'm wanting the DROID X, which is a DROID on steroids.

But back to agreeing with waterhead (or at least taking what he's said and running with it --no offense, @waterhead) I think you're trying to jump into deep waters. I don't think it's bad, but you should pay attention to the fact that embedded systems (which cell phones are) are significantly different from desktops. If you really want to just look cool, grab a darned good Android phone, download a neat background and a few good apps (there are packet sniffers and SSH terminals for it), maybe gut the thing and give it a fresh, custom paint job. If you're wanting to impress me, you'll probably want to start with something like a Beagle Board (BeagleBoard.org - default) or maybe a Pandora (OpenPandora), then learn a good deal of programming near-machine level.