Build your own Linux or Windows CE-based smartphone – seriously

We gotta admit, the thought has cross our minds. Sometimes we can’t help but think that we could design a smarter smartphone than some manufacturers out there. Enter the Compulab EM-X270 do-it-yourself smartphone kit – while they don’t give us all the tools to make the best smartphone out there (you still need an enclosure/case to make it look spiffy), they do give us the necessary guts to make a decent (damn decent, we’d say) smartphone.

Compulab’s EM-X270 smartphone kit starts at $122 and includes an Intel Xscale CPU (up to 520Mhz) with your choice of Linux or Windows CE pre-loaded. The embedded mobile computing platform includes 128 MB SDRAM/512 MB Flash Disk, Cellular voice and GPRS modem, graphics controller supporting STN and TFT panels with 800 x  600 max resolution, WiFi 802.11b, SD / SDIO / MMC socket, and even an on-board Sirf-III GPS chipset! There’s no 3G, but with all the licensing pitfalls that come with the technology, we can’t really blame Compulab for leaving out that bit of tech. Oh, and for some extra cheese you can add a hugely awesome 3.5-inch VGA (!) display!

Fancy yourself a smartphone designer/engineer? Grab a handful of C-notes and head on over to Compulab’s website to grab your very own Compulab EM-X270 DIY smartphone kit – and make sure you get that 3.5″ VGA screen, will ya?