Funambol Synchronizes with Google Android
U.S. firm Funambol announces an Android version of its Open Source mobile sync application for the new Google/T-Mobile G1 phone.
The new Funambol Android Client synchronizes the contacts from a Google gPhone with a Funambol Server. Currently available in an "early version," the final release is promised to ship when the first Android G1 mobile phones become available. The G1 device had been announced just days ago at a press release with the development trio T-Mobile, Google and hardware maker HTC. Funambol considers the speed at which their Android integration occurred to be proof of the talent of the Open Source community.
The mobile application enables users to sync with, and share contacts from, other applications, mobile devices, desktop software such as MS Outlook, web mail such as Yahoo and Google Mail, and Internet providers such as AOL. Funambol calls this capability Mobile"We" to differentiate it as a "Rest of Us" application from Apple's MobileMe in not being limited to Mac and Me email addresses only. The company considers itself having opened doors for the G1 phone. As Funambol CEO Fabrizio Capobianco asserts, "The Google Phone is a great example of how the mobile industry is embracing open source, but at the same time, it's also more open for Google than other software and services." He self-confidently describes how things will now become really interesting for G1 phones: "[The Client can] help gPhones realize their open source potential by enabling them to sync a wide range of content with virtually any source."
The current version of the Funambol Android Client is available for download from the Funambol forge page. The finale version should come out when the G1 phones ship and the Android market is open for third-party applications through Google and T-Mobile. Future releases should support further mobile content such as calendars and push email.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.
-
Linux Kernel 6.14 Released
The latest Linux kernel has arrived with extra Rust support and more.
-
EndeavorOS Mercury Neo Available
A new release from the EndeavorOS team ships with Plasma 6.3 and other goodies.
-
Fedora 42 Beta Has Arrived
The Fedora Project has announced the availability of the first beta release for version 42 of the open-source distribution.
-
Dash to Panel Maintainer Quits
Charles Gagnon has stepped away as maintainer of the popular Dash to Panel Gnome extension.
-
CIQ Releases Security-Hardened Version of Rocky Linux
If you're looking for an enterprise-grade Linux distribution that is hardened for business use, there's a new version of Rocky Linux that's sure to make you and your company happy.
-
Gnome’s Dash to Panel Extension Gets a Massive Update
If you're a fan of the Gnome Dash to Panel extension, you'll be thrilled to hear that a new version has been released with a dock mode.
-
Blender App Makes it to the Big Screen
The animated film "Flow" won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards held on March 2, 2025 and Blender was a part of it.
-
Linux Mint Retools the Cinnamon App Launcher
The developers of Linux Mint are working on an improved Cinnamon App Launcher with a better, more accessible UI.
-
New Linux Tool for Security Issues
Seal Security is launching a new solution to automate fixing Linux vulnerabilities.