Dual-mode Linux phone ships in France
Jun 12, 2006 — by LinuxDevices Staff — from the LinuxDevices Archive — 2 views
French MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) and WiFi hotspot operator Neuf offers customers a dual-mode handset based on Linux 2.6.10 this month. Neuf's “Twin” phone supports GSM and WiFi, and offers worldwide VoIP calling at standard mobile rates through Neuf hotspots and CPE (customer premises equipment).
Neuf's “Twin” phone closely resembles Wistron Neweb's GW1
Neuf claims to have 32,000 WiFi hotspots around the world. It also offers home Internet access, and operates a virtual GSM network in France by leasing time on network infrastructure owned by other companies.
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Neuf's “Twin” phone appears to be a rebranded version of Wistron NeWeb's GW1, which was expected to enter production this quarter. Along with Linux, the GW1 is based on Qtopia 2.2, the first version of Trolltech's graphical application stack for mobile phones to feature support for voice-over-WiFi.
Additional details about the Neuf Twin:
- Triband GSM phone
- 802.11b WiFi
- 4 hours in-use battery life
- 200 hours standby under GSM, 50 hours under WiFi
- 176 x 220 TFT display with 262K colors
- Email client (POP3, IMAP4)
- 300 contacts
- MP3 player
- Hands-free operation
- Opera 8 browser
- Calulator, watch, calendar, voice recorder
- 4.2 x 1.8 x 0.75 inches (106 x 45 x 19mm)
- 3.6 ounces (95grams)
Availability
Neuf will offer two plan options for its Twin phone. The first, priced at 200 Euros and available in mid-June, will provide an unlocked version of the phone for use with other operator networks. The other, starting in mid-July, will provide the phone for 1 Euro, when purchased with a broadband contract with “Neuf Box” access equipment. This option features unified Internet/mobile phone billing. Additional details (in French) can be found here.
[Thanks to Nicolas Stefani for letting us know about this story.]
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