Ever wonder what the world would be like with open-source software being at the center of all the coolest handsets, from slimphones to semi-smartphones? Although we'll bet Symbian, ACCESS and Microsoft would love to keep their own mobile operating systems to themselves in a way, there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon for open-source to make its way to mobile of all shapes, sizes and prices. That new software stack in a slick new Sony Ericsson or Samsung handset could one day be drive by a completely open OSS platform under auspices of the Linux GPE project, known as GPE Phone Edition. This marvel will be an open source project with specialties built-in for the mobile operating system environment. The question is -- will manufacturers take a second (and third) look? It looks like fans can try a fully-functional version of this in-process OS using a virtual phone environment on your PC.