Tranza PM328 Linux Phone Released

With Linux constantly gaining ground when it comes to mobile phones, a new Linux-based handset has become available for purchase in China.

The Tranzda PM328 is a pretty slim device, at 16 mm and comes with a series of interesting features including mapping and voice navigation capabilities that will allow users to locate nearby points of interest as well as guide them to their destination with voice prompts.

According to Swiss GPS radio vendor U-blox, the PM328 comes with a LEA-4S GPS receiver module that is renown for its outstanding sensitivity up to -158dBm, small size (1.1 x 0.9 inches) and low power consumption.

U-blox CEO Thomas Seiler stated, "The PM328 offers everything a handset user could dream of, including phone and PDA functionality, several multimedia features and, of course, the latest must-have for handheld devices: a high performance GPS engine that provides accurate, uninterrupted positioning indoors and outdoors."

There isn't a lot of information about the features it includes, but it will come with Bluetooth and USB for connectivity and it is reportedly powered by a single-chip multi-core processor with the baseband processor driving a CDMA transceiver. Newplus, that the PM328 is based on, is available in three versions, one that supports real-time operating systems, one with support for Linux and another with support for Windows Mobile. In the case of the PM328, a Linux core was chosen.

Aside from the Newplus framework, the handset also runs a variety of applications including a Wap browser, PC sync tools, messaging and email clients and PIM software. According to U-blox, the PM328 is now available for purchase in China, although the price was not revealed.