Trolltech is announcing the Qtopia Greenphone, the first open Linux mobile device for application developers. Greenphone enables commercial and open source developers, in-house software developers and handset manufacturers to create, modify and test Linux based mobile phone applications on a working GSM/GPRS device, making the applications easier to build and faster to bring to market.

Greenphone will be offered as part of a complete software development kit (SDK) and includes Trolltech's Qtopia Phone Edition, a comprehensive application platform and user interface for Linux-based mobile phone. Although not intended as a commercial mobile phone, Greenphone has many of the communication functions and features found in today's sophisticated smartphones. Developers can exploit these features and functions in developing their own unique applications.

Greenphone is the first in a series of open mobile devices the company plans to make available in cooperation with its partners. Greenphone is a functioning mobile camera phone with the capability to re-flash the applications of the device.

Greenphone, as part of a SDK, comes packaged with Trolltech's Qtopia Phone Edition. Unlike a normal mobile phone, Greenphone's application software is "opened" for developer creativity. Combined with Qtopia Phone Edition licensing, a developer has the freedom to create and then integrate and test the results right on the device. Full documentation and a highly productive suite of tools are provided for customization and extension of Qtopia Phone Edition. Qtopia is used in 52 different device types of which 11 are mobile phones models. To date, there are more than four million Qtopia-based mobile phones in the market including mobile phones from Motorola, ZTE and Cellon.

The Greenphone includes one year of Qtopia Phone Edition support and software upgrades, and can be re-flashed with new software components and new software versions from Trolltech's community website, via its mini-USB port. The device comes preloaded with a Linux kernel and includes a modem, drivers, a telephony integration module, interface specifications and desktop sync software.

Greenphone will be available mid-September in limited quantities only.