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Trolltech, makers of the open-source, cross-platform application framework Qt and the Qtopia Linux mobile OS, has added a piece of hardware to its software development kit (SDK). The new Qtopia Greenphone is a camera phone that programmers and handset manufacturers can use to create, test, and modify their Linux-based mobile applications on a working GSM/GPRS device.

Packaged with the Qtopia Phone Edition SDK and a suite of programming tools, Greenphone has many of the communication functions and features found in today's sophisticated smartphones, including a modem, drivers, interface specifications, and desktop sync software as well as a preloaded Linux kernel. However, it gives developers the freedom to customize and extend or even re-flash and replace its onboard firmware, as well as installing software updates and new components from the Qtopia community Web site.

Shipping in limited quantities starting in September, Greenphone is intended to serve as a reference for creating an open Linux platform to compete with other mobile OS platforms. According to Trolltech, Motorola and other manufacturers have already shipped more than four million Qtopia-based mobile phones.