Prev: unexplained bianry "diff"
Next: wget to save worldnet web pages?
From: Kevin the Drummer on 3 Feb 2010 14:15
I'm searching for a mobile phone with a QWERTY keyboard that's
compatible with Linux. At a minimum I'd like to be able to:

- save and restore my contact list
- upload/download sound files
- upload/download pictures

I started my search on TuxMobil, specifically here:

http://tuxmobil.org/phones_linux.html

It looks like there's a huge number of supported phones. Then
I started looking at wireless carriers and the phones they sell
and support. Specifically, I looked at AT&T, Verizon Wireless
and Sprint/Nextel on their respective websites looking for QWERTY
phones. It looks like each carrier supports dozens of phones.

The problem I'm having is that even though there seem to be in
the low hundreds of Linux compatible phones listed on TuxMobil
and dozens of phones supported by each of the three carriers I
looked at, it seems that there is ZERO overlap. It could be that
the carriers are advertising fancy marketing names, e.g. "Samsung
Magnet", whereas TuxMobil lists phones mostly by model number,
with a few exceptions like "Motorola Rokr E2". Maybe there's
overlap, but the names have been changed?

I had exactly the same problem when searching for a Linux
compatible scanner.

How can I find a Linux compatible phone which I can actually get
and use?

Thanks....

P.S.: If you're using AT&T Wireless in the United States and
have such a phone, please let me know the model number.

--
PLEASE post a SUMMARY of the answer(s) to your question(s)!
Unless otherwise noted, the statements herein reflect my personal
opinions and not those of any organization with which I may be affiliated.
From: Robert Heller on 3 Feb 2010 14:42
At Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:15:30 -0600 Kevin the Drummer <nobody(a)cosgroves.us> wrote:

>
> I'm searching for a mobile phone with a QWERTY keyboard that's
> compatible with Linux. At a minimum I'd like to be able to:
>
> - save and restore my contact list
> - upload/download sound files
> - upload/download pictures
>
> I started my search on TuxMobil, specifically here:
>
> http://tuxmobil.org/phones_linux.html
>
> It looks like there's a huge number of supported phones. Then
> I started looking at wireless carriers and the phones they sell
> and support. Specifically, I looked at AT&T, Verizon Wireless
> and Sprint/Nextel on their respective websites looking for QWERTY
> phones. It looks like each carrier supports dozens of phones.
>
> The problem I'm having is that even though there seem to be in
> the low hundreds of Linux compatible phones listed on TuxMobil
> and dozens of phones supported by each of the three carriers I
> looked at, it seems that there is ZERO overlap. It could be that
> the carriers are advertising fancy marketing names, e.g. "Samsung
> Magnet", whereas TuxMobil lists phones mostly by model number,
> with a few exceptions like "Motorola Rokr E2". Maybe there's
> overlap, but the names have been changed?

Probably. You could go to the manufacturers' websites and try to get a
mapping from marketing names to model numbers.

>
> I had exactly the same problem when searching for a Linux
> compatible scanner.
>
> How can I find a Linux compatible phone which I can actually get
> and use?

This is what I would do:

Print out the list of Linux compatible phones listed on TuxMobil
(just a simple make/model and *maybe* a picture). You may want to limit
it to a subset of models, depending on feature set you are interested in.

Take this printout to your local mobile phone stores (eg Sprint
Store, Verizon Mobile Store, Radio Shack, etc.). And talk to the sales
reps and try to get the make/model numbers off the phones themselves
(assumes that they have in-store demo models) -- it is probably on the
package and/or on the phone (like on the back or under the battery or
someplace like that).

Also: do you have Linux installed on a laptop? Bring the
laptop and see if the laptop and the phone (in store demo) can talk to
each other.

>
> Thanks....
>
> P.S.: If you're using AT&T Wireless in the United States and
> have such a phone, please let me know the model number.
>

--
Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System
http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows
heller(a)deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/

From: General Schvantzkoph on 3 Feb 2010 16:17
On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:15:30 -0600, Kevin the Drummer wrote:

> I'm searching for a mobile phone with a QWERTY keyboard that's
> compatible with Linux. At a minimum I'd like to be able to:
>
> - save and restore my contact list
> - upload/download sound files
> - upload/download pictures
>
> I started my search on TuxMobil, specifically here:
>
> http://tuxmobil.org/phones_linux.html
>
> It looks like there's a huge number of supported phones. Then I started
> looking at wireless carriers and the phones they sell and support.
> Specifically, I looked at AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint/Nextel on
> their respective websites looking for QWERTY phones. It looks like each
> carrier supports dozens of phones.
>
> The problem I'm having is that even though there seem to be in the low
> hundreds of Linux compatible phones listed on TuxMobil and dozens of
> phones supported by each of the three carriers I looked at, it seems
> that there is ZERO overlap. It could be that the carriers are
> advertising fancy marketing names, e.g. "Samsung Magnet", whereas
> TuxMobil lists phones mostly by model number, with a few exceptions like
> "Motorola Rokr E2". Maybe there's overlap, but the names have been
> changed?
>
> I had exactly the same problem when searching for a Linux compatible
> scanner.
>
> How can I find a Linux compatible phone which I can actually get and
> use?
>
> Thanks....
>
> P.S.: If you're using AT&T Wireless in the United States and
> have such a phone, please let me know the model number.

The Palm Pre and Android phones both run Linux. The calender and contact
lists on both automatically sync with Gmail which also syncs with
Evolution.

I have a Sprint Palm Pre. I use Gmail as the intermediary between my
Linux desktop and my phone, if I enter a contact or a calender event in
any of the three places it automatically appears in the other two. You
can also root the Pre and set up ssh which will allow you to ssh into or
out of the Pre and gives you a complete Linux shell environment. The
keyboard on the Pre is pretty tiny but usable for simple things like e-
mail. The Motorola Droid is a larger then the Pre and it has a horizontal
keyboard instead of a vertical one so it's substantially bigger then the
Pre's. Obviously Android phones sync with Gmail so you can keep your
Linux calender and contacts in sync with the Droid that way. I don't know
how much of the Linux env is available on Android systems, maybe someone
who has one can tell you that.
 | 
Pages: 1
Prev: unexplained bianry "diff"
Next: wget to save worldnet web pages?