Finally, we have on our hands the first beta release of Fennec, the Firefox browser for mobile devices. It’s the milestone number 12 in the development roadmap and its intented for testing purposes, get wider feedback, engage community and encourage add-on developers to port existing add-ons. It’s only available for ‘Maemo’, the Linux OS running on Nokia N810 Internet Tablets.

You can look at all the features in the Release Notes. There’s nothing shocking, but some of them are really inteteresting. I specially like what they call ‘Devices services integration’: click on a phone number to initiate a call and a JavaScript API to get device location.

Anyway, I must confess I’m a bit disappointed by the pace of Mozilla’s advances in its mobile version. Two years ago, Mozilla decided to discontinue the Minimo browser project. It was the first attempt. Some months after, they announced their intention of starting a new project and Fennec development started from the ground up.

From that moment, the release of a stable version has been delayed time over time, and now we have no idea of when we’ll have a version for a mainstream platform (Windows Mobile or Symbian, the only two covered by Fennec).

Let’s hope all the feedback and re-encouraged contributions of the community will help to make Fennec a reality as soon as possible. Otherwise, it could be too late for them, as all WebKit-derived browsers take the market.

Via ObservatorioInternetMovil
Links ReleaseNotes SevenClick SevenClick

Yes, you read correctly.  Although it may seem incredible, a few days ago a research group had succeeded porting the Linux Kernel 2.6 to work in an iPhone.

The OS uses OpenBoot to allow users to choose the OS they want boot (Linux or the iPhone OS).

At the moment, have ported:

• Framebuffer driver.
• Serial driver.
• Serial over USB driver.
• Interrupts, MMU, clock …

Things to add:

• NAND.
• Wifi.
• Touchscreen.
• Sound.
• Accelerometers
• Support for Baseband.

The Dev Team have a lot of work, but it is a breakthrough. It even sounds like they are thinking about porting Android in the near future.  Will they Port Windows Mobile?

Via Engadget Mobile

LiMo, the Linux Mobile Platform founded by Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Samsung, and Vodafone has just released seven new phones. This increases the number of available phones running LiMo to 21.

Over the new phones, the Motorola Motozine ZN5 stands out thanks to his 5MP camera with Xenon Focus and KODAK Imaging Technology, achieving shots with an unusual level of quality which you can share through WiFi.

These phones demostrate that LiMo has a promising future. Another important move that point this out is that Texas Instruments, member of the Open Handset Alliance (Android), joined the LiMo Foundation as a board member on April. So a war has begun and LiMo is out and armed, precisely on a fragile moment for the Android platform, as its development seems a bit stuck.

Via The Register
Links LiMo Foundation, Open Handset Alliance, Motozine ZN5, Kodak Imaging Technology

OpenMoko Freerunner came out past July 4th, after some months waiting for this new release of the most open cellphone in the market. We have talked about it a couple of times.

As Neo 1973, the target of Neo Freerunner is mainly developers and hackers more than mainstream users.

It includes some very interesting features:

• AGPS
• WIFI
• 3axis Motion Sensors
• 2,8” touch screen VGA (640×480)

… but lacks some others like 3G and camera.

Anyway, the release seems to have been succesful since OpenMoko’s web store has sold out the GSM 900 model. OpenMoko also has a handful of distributors, but no data about availability is provided.

Link OpenMoko

This news has gone unnoticed but in really specialized blogs. Openwave’s mobile clients business has been acquired by Purple Labs. This includes Openwave’s browser and client messaging products including all code, patents, customer contracts and the engineering team.

Openwave was the leading mobile browser vendor few years ago. But his business has vanished as WAP has been fading away and mobile versions of desktop browsers (Webkit, Opera) has appeared on the scene. This explains the low price of the acquisition: just $30 million.

Purple Labs is a French company backed by European venture capital firms and is the only independent software vendor with a complete Linux solution for mass-market 3G phones. The deal will provide them not only the technical assets but an entry point to very important customers.

A very insightful analysis on this topic, as usual, on VisionMobile.

Via Moconews
Link VisionMobile

Next 6th of May, HTC is going to present his new phones.

Among them we can probably see a mobile booted Android and the other ones booted Windows Mobile interface Manila (new version of TouchFLO).

Moreover, they could surprise us with a new model with two different version (with and without sliding QWERTY board, the far left model and the far right of the second row in the picture).

Via: Xataka

OpenMoko FreeRunner was annonunced by the begining of this year. Now we have the first images coming from the Bossa Conference in Brazil, where OpenMoko’s Mickey Lauer talked up the Neo1973 successor.

Some of the new features of FreeRunner are three-axis motion detection, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi 802.11n and a better Samsung processor.

Surely, developers will enjoy this stuff, though … we hardly see OpenMoko targetting the general public.

Anyway, I hope the project won’t fade away despite the Android effect. At least as an educational project.

Via XatakaMovil

Last Monday, during MWC, LiMo Foundation published a number of press notes announcing new members, new devices and reference models and what’s more interesting for us, a SDK strategy!! Don’t forget SevenClick is a company specialized in Mobile Software Development.

The only information I’ve been able to obtain from the long press note is this:

• Native, Java and WebKit SDKs.
• Eclipse based
• Available in H2 2008

By the way, native means Linux. The specifications and APIs have already been disclosed, so we already figure out how the applications will look like. I specially like the Eclipse approach, since this free IDE is available in different Operating Systems, so you can choose your preferred environment to develop.  The Java and WedKit approaches are still a mistery. We don’t know it the Java flavor will be based on JME, but I don’t expect an Android-like approach. It’s just an opinion. Regarding WebKit, we expect a JavaScript engine with an extended DOM containing telephony functionalities. Maybe we are asking too much, but we are only guessing.

Link LiMo Press Note

As we announced last Monday, we have visited Mobile World Congress 2008, and the feelings have been very satisfactory!!! Our expectations for the event have been completely fulfilled.

I was specially interested in one thing: Linux devices. Specially in the longly awaited LiMo foundation devices. Android was also there, but you’ll find more information about it in other post.

LiMo foundation announced last week their plans to launch first devices next Spring. I thought that the announcement promised something impossible to achieve, but then Azingo announced the first LiMo complaint software platform. Things were moving.

And yesterday we were able to touch the first device running this new operating system. And It wasn’t easy!!! LiMo foundation had a small stand inside Panasonic’s stand. Among several NTT DoCoMo devices and a LG mock-up (a strange device running a rolling-demo) we discovered a device presented by Azingo and Broadcom. The brand in the device is Broadcom, and the software has been provided by Azingo.

We were talking to Azingo program Manager, Mr. Abhijit Gupta. He declared the device is planned to be launched next Spring in Asian market. Unfortunately, Europe and USA will not see this device yet.

Also yesterday, LiMo foundation announced the first round of complaint devices with LiMo specifications. Here is the list.

• MOTO U9, MOTO Z6w, MOTOROKR Z6, RAZR2 V8, RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition and MOTOROKR E8 from Motorola;
• NTT DoCoMo FOMA N905i, FOMA N905iμ, FOMA N705i and FOMA N705iμ from NEC;
• NTT DoCoMo FOMA P905i, FOMA P905iTV, FOMA P705i and FOMA P705iμ from Panasonic Mobile Communications, and
• SGH-i800 from Samsung.

Also three reference devices where announced:

• LG LiMo Phone from LG Electronics,
• OPAL(m) from Aplix and
• Purple Magic from Purple Labs.

Along with the device announcements, LiMo foundation also announced that new members are joining the Foundation: These are the names:

• ACCESS CO., LTD
• AMD
• FueTrek
• Open-Plug
• Orange
• Renesas Technology Corp
• Samsung SDS
• SoftBank
• STMicroelectronics

The number of members are growing very quickly. It looks like we are going to see a tough fight between LiMo and Android. The winner? Surely you and me, final users of the technology!!!

LiMo Foundation, a global consortium of mobile leaders delivering an open handset platform for the whole industry, has announced the availability in March 2008 of the first release of the LiMo Platform along with the application programming interface (API) specifications.

 As we announced, LiMo Foundation member Azingo, plans to launch the first LiMo complaint product, Azingo Mobile.  The same day this information was published, LiMo Foundation surprisingly published the beta version of the platform APIs. This specs can be found here (deep programming knowledge needed!!!).

It looks like 2008 is going to see the beginning of what we want to call “Mobile Linux War” between LiMo Foundation and Google’s Open Handset Alliance. Things are getting funny. Have you noticed that certain companies are involved in both initiatives? Maybe these are the most clever ones. Maybe.

Link LiMo Foundation Press Note