Build your own linux gsm cellphone

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Surj Patel is trying to figure out how to build his own linux gsm cell phone. He showed me the parts at foocamp. It’s really cool, the pieces are there it just needs to be put together. Some interface added, some embedded linux experience, a gumstix box using uclinux, some interface, a bridge to buttons, etc… If you’re building it yourself you can add cool stuff like wifi and make it use sip where it can pull it off.

After some innovation and gpl’ing the results then somebody will pick it up and have a manufacturer in asia build them.

There are linux cell phones, but they aren’t open. Open hardware and telephony could be really cool. Given the evilness of carriers i think this is the kind of project which can only come out of the free software community. Just look how danger took a cool product and let it get crushed by the telco zombies. With no company to pressure, perhaps cool mobile devices can grow. That and today almost everything in a computer and mobile device is commodity anyway, it’s doable to make it happen without a professional team.

For those wondering, sparkfun has kits that let you buy what you need for the gsm part of your own cell phone.