[plug] Motorola Rokr Z6, Z8, Z10 and other Linux Phones

[Adam Davin]

Hello Tim, 

On Sat, 31 May 2008 09:31:58 +0200
Tim White <weirdit at gmail.com> wrote:

> This MAY seem off-topic, BUT i'm relying on the fact that this phone 
> runs Linux, yes, you heard me, this one runs linux.
> 
<snip> 

> So the Rokr Z6 caught my eye, running Montavista Linux. It's quad
> band, a requirement of mine for travelling, but that's about where
> the goodness stops in terms of bands. It's not 3G, UMTS, HSDPA or
> NextG. Which is just a pain in the rear end. It does have EDGE, so
> I'm not left out in the cold.

<snip>

I have a Z6. The phone itself I find fantastic but there are some
caveats. I don't use all the functions (play tetris every so often, send
messages, use camera, listen to music)

It doesn't have radio. Not a big drama as it has a micro SD card which
I think supports up to 2gb. It plays MP3 and from memory a couple of
other formats but I only really use the MP3 side. 

Another niggle is that whilst it runs linux, Motorola have digitally
signed the important compressed file systems, so whilst some of them
can be altered, others can't as the phone will reject the replacement
CFS if it does not produce the correct signature. 

There is a reasonable size group hacking away at this phone but it is
very much hampered by motorola's actions above. Motorola are, from my
understanding, providing little or no support in the community efforts. 

Last time I checked, it is not possible to sync the phone to a linux
desktop. Also Motorola has broken the USB Mass storage protocol(?) so
that the phone does not register as a mass storage device. 

Thankfully it is not difficult to get the MicroSD card out (just take
off the back) and you don't need to remove the battery or turn off the
phone. So to load anything on, I just remove the card, load it on and
then put the card back in. 

Text prediction is truely awesome and the "dictionary" learning is
wonderful. No more "add to dictionary" you just type the word in the
message and it remembers it. It even remembers and predicts for
commonly used phrases and sentences.. 

Overall I think the phone is great. Syncing would be nice but it is not
a deal breaker for me, as is the mass storage thing. The community is
still plugging away at it and they are making some advancements in
certain areas.. probably time I checked back to see if they have gotten
any further.. 

Let me know if you want any more info.
 
Hope this helps.. 

-- 

Adam Davin
Byteme IT Services
Mob: 0422 893 898
Fax: 08 9493 4462
Email: byteme-its at westnet.com.au