Re: [gentoo-embedded] Android phones

[wireless]

Christopher Friedt wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:34 PM, wireless <wireless@×××××××××××.com> wrote:
>> Can the gentoo embedded, openmoko, or any other
>> embedded linux stack run on the (verizon) Android
>> (verizon droid) phone?
>
> yes.
>
> my suggestions would be to
>
> 1) cross-compile busybox statically for armv5tel
> 2) push the busybox binary (and symlinks) to the device using adb
> 3) download a gentoo stage3 filesystem for armv5tel
> 4) extract the filesystem to a suitable memory card
> 5) log in to the device using 'adb shell'
> 6) execute '/bin/ash' (the busybox shell)
> 7) mount proc sys dev -o bind to your memory card, where the gentoo
> root is installed
> 8) chroot to the gentoo root filesystem
>
> If you do that, you'll have android and gentoo 'running' on the device
> at the same time. I'm not sure how easy it is to do all of that on a
> Motorola Droid, and you might need to make some software modifications
> to start the adb (android debug bridge) service on the device.
>
> You can of course do the same with an OpenMoko filesystem image
> instead of a Gentoo filesystem image. Unfortunately, you won't be able
> to use the framebuffer while Android is using it (AFAIK).
>

Nice to know.

>> Isn't the Android(2.0) phone just somebody's Linux
>> stack? If so, is it an open/hackable embedded
>> linux stack for an Arm?
>
> I would suggest that you ask Motorola to release the source code for
> their Droid Linux kernel. Aside from that, all of the available source
> and documentation for Android is at http://source.android.com . Note
> that most of the 'good' Android apps are not open source - they (e.g.
> Google, Motorola, HTC) can get away with that because the userland is
> made available under an Apache-2.0 license.

I do not think I'll be leading the charge here.
Just looking for folks that I can follow on
putting eGentoo on a cell phone, with wifi and
compatible with Verizon.

> If you really want to experiment, then try to modify the Droid boot
> loader so it will boot into your Gentoo root on /dev/mmcblk0p1 or
> something instead of /dev/mdtblockX (where Android resides). You'll
> probably want to check out mtd-utils to do that. Warning: You'll most
> likely void your warranty by doing so, and you might end up with a
> bricked device.

I do not think the DROID phone is what I want,
after looking more closely... However, I am wedded
to Verizon, for a variety of reasons, so the cell
phone I choose should run Gentoo and work with
Verizon and WiFi.

> IMHO - the best (current) device you can use for a hackable handheld
> is the Nokia N900 - I wish I had one myself.

I do not see much about this phone on Verizon's
wireless plans..... I could consider T-mobile?
I'm not sure about how good the T-mobile coverage
is in Florida?


James