The First ELSE is a brand new smartphone, running on a Linux-based operating system. It’s not Android, but it’s still a powerful set up, and we’ve got all the details on the handset, due 2010, right here. Do we really need yet another smartphone platform?
Briefly demoed at an event in Japan last month, the First ELSE has just had its full official launch in London this morning. On the hardware front, we’re promised a powerful handset (Yes, it looks like a Nokia N900 minus the keyboard) packing a 854×480, 3.5-inch screen, 5 megapixel camera, 3.5mm audio, 16GB of onboard storage and GPS, but the company behind the ELSE, Emblaze Mobile, claims “it’s not a phone”.
Rather, it’s simply a carrier for the new software, “ELSE Intuition”. It’s been crafted in partnership with Access, who you might remember from back in the day as Palm OS’s owner for a while. It promises a clever dial graphical menu UI (Unfortunately called “sPlay”), over the air cloud backup, multitasking and its own media store. Emblaze says it’s been designed for use with one hand only in mind, thanks to a persistent side bar of controls (search, scroll, etc).
Emblaze, soon to be called, ELSE, says the First ELSE Linux phone will arrive in the second quarter of next year, and while network partners are still MIA, a spokesperson confirmed that the company is already talking to major networks in both Europe and the US. But given the fact Emblaze has chosen to debut it here in the UK, it suggests we’ll be seeing it again come next year.
Out Q2 2010 | £TBC | Emblaze
