Wow.. they're EMBRACING open-source for their version of Android. HUGE respect from me on that! I'll have to keep an eye on Samsung for my next Android purchase, methinks!

http://www.androidcentral.com/samsun...ode-developers

That read like a love letter to me.

This is awesome!!

yummy! if only the captivate and vibrant had hardware keyboards like the epic....it's what all the kool kids want

Time for Nokia to step up, methinks.

It's got TV-out via headphone jack, a six-axis accellerometer (!!!) and 5mp camera (no flash, though.. grr), small SMALL form factor.. I mean, really, with the exception of the lack of camera flash and keyboard, if they open-sourced its drivers and they're allowing the community to fix bugs and problems FOR them, it's easily an N900 killer.

Let's put meego on it then.

And by "let's" I mean you lot.

I would like to think that having a physical keyboard figured into most people's consideration when they bought the N900. I certainly wouldn't buy something without one and hence no N900 killer.

"... a download link to the open portions of the Captivate and Vibrant source code .."

I haven't looked, but wording sounds like not all of it is opened - I would be very much surprised if any manufacturer can fully open source the whole OS.

Are they? When I read "open portions", it tells me that it isn't all open source, which is the same situation with the N900. I think you need more information about what they have released before you can claim it is an N900 killer.

It is still good news for open source, tho.

What about all the 770/N800/N810/N810WE people that either preferred to make it lighter without a keyboard (the way MOST phones are being done these days) or couldn't care either way, or even still would prefer it but for all the advantages would even give it up? You're assuming, while I'm leaving open the possibility of a series of other combinations of N900 owners (or those of us who preferred to wait for something better).

I, for one, wouldn't mind a keyboard but I'm just as happy without one. (Hell, I barely use the one on my Droid except only when I'm ssh'ing around because it's just easier that way.) Hell, on both my N800 and my Droid, if I'm going to be deep into typing a lot, I usually just unfold my pocket-sized folded, full-size unfolded, bluetooth keyboard.

Yeah, agreed there. My initial reaction was elation but I've since settled back down to my cynical seating position and I'm skeptically re-reading the wording and waiting to hear more details. Still, I like that they at least have put themselves into the position of embracing the open-source community. Not that we didn't already hear this sort of speech before from Nokia.

I like to imagine the Penguins from the Madigascar movie eying this suspiciously and saying, "Wait and see, boys. Wait and see."

I guess they would have to select parts on that basis, or use their purchasing clout to "encourage" vendors to open licence their drivers. Samsung seems like they are in a good position to do that. Unlike Nokia.