Motorola has announced the A760, a smartphone that runs a version of the Linux operating system. This offers the capabilities of a multimedia handheld and will be able to run applications written in Java.
The A760 has an impressive feature set. It comes with a set of PIM applications, plus the ability to wireless synchronize with a desktop computer. In the multimedia realm, it offers an integrated digital camera, video player, and an MP3 player.
As a mobile phone, it runs on GSM/GPRS wireless networks for both voice and high-speed data services. It includes a speakerphone and advanced messaging.
It also offers a color touch screen and Bluetooth wireless technology.
The A760's Linux operating system is being developed by MontaVista Software, which specializes in embedded OSs.
Though Motorola has yet to release all the details on the hardware, it seems quite likely A760 will use Motorola's own microprocessors. Last week, the company unveiled the i.Smart smartphone reference design, which includes Motorola's i.MX family of processors, the new name for the ARM-based Dragonball MX1 and MXL chips.
At this point Motorola has only said this device will be available in the Asia Pacific region later this year. It is not known when it will be available anywhere else or what it will cost.
The A760 is Motorola's first handset demonstrating the company's commitment to basing all its future smartphones and handsets on the Linux operating system. The company has been flirting with Symbian for some time but, at this point, it begins to look like Motorola has dropped even tentative plans to make devices based on the Symbian OS.
Categorized as: Symbian, Motorola, Microsoft, Linux, Smartphone, Palm OS, Palm, Windows Mobile, Software
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