New Linux phone speeds up apps development

The Linux mobile market is set to explode with the second open-source-based phone now on sale over the Internet, opening the door for developers to build their own applications.

The Neo1973 is the first mobile phone to be designed to run the open-source operating system OpenMoko. Officially launched to developers on Monday, it is the second fully accessible Linux phone on offer after Trolltech released its Greenphone last year.

The touch-screen GSM phone, made by First International Computer, boasts Bluetooth 2.0, integrated assisted GPS, microSD-based expandable storage and a Samsung Electronics processor. For US$300, applications developers can buy a base kit, including the phone and its standard accessories, while the advanced kit -- a so-called "Hacker's Dream Box" costing US$450 --also includes a debug board and cable, tools and a ruggedised case.

In the so-called "mass market" phase of the Neo1973, a new version of the phone will go on sale in some retail stores later this year, adding 3D graphics acceleration, a beefed-up processor and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi to its specification list.

Mobile Linux is slowly gaining traction, with two industry groups -- the LiMo Foundation and the LiPS Forum -- banding together operators and manufacturers to organise standards. Some manufacturers, such as Motorola, already base the operating systems for some consumer handsets on Linux, but the mobile open-source movement has, however, been criticised by some for being too fragmented to be effective in the higher-end smartphone arena -- the market being targeted by the Neo1973 and Greenphone.

David Meyer reported for ZDNet UK from London