Hi,

I was wondering about how similar - on a hardware level - these devices are. IIRC they are all based on the same reference platform?

the 770 and N800 at least are based around different series of TI OMAP processors, but have some similar components. I think the only similarity that the 7710/9500 and the 770 and the N800 is that they all seem to have ARM cores.

The 9500 runs the Symbian 80 operating system, not Linux.

The 7710 was a Series 90 phone, running the precursor of Hildon.
The 9500 runs Series 80 (no touch screen) and is a phone as well.
The 770 and N800 have different processors. Neither has a phone.

Frankly, I see more similarities between my toaster and my Jack Russell terrier.

What? You put edible items into both and they both po[o]p out inedible stuff?

Nah. I promised Shirley I'd slip her in somewhere.

(No, Shirley's my dog's name. The toaster's called Butch)

(And no, by "slipping her in" I wasn't referring to Butch)

That's some dog you have there

It was just some very idle speculation on my part. I was not really interested in the software, it was the hardware stack i was curious and wrong about. A bit more digging on my part gave me:
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdacomp...2=894&id4=1094

Oh well

My idle speculation - as you may have guessed - was the suitability of Maemo Linux as a platform for existing phones with similar internals, preferably ones that have been end of lifed. Not that Nokia would ever go for it, but i was thinking of it as a cheap way to respond to Android. One of those crazy ideas that might just work.

It has lots of interesting ups and downs as a crazy idea. No need to build and test a new device if the hardware is similar enough to something with an existing Linux stack. It could grab some Linux mobile phone developer mind-share from the Google android crowd, or be used to work with them. Create after market revenue from charges for OS upgrades at Nokia service centres. Arguably greener as recycling is good PR. Operators would have convulsions though and it might cannibalise some n800/n810 sales.