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The different functions of any computer are often manufactured by different vendors, and each requires a separate instruction set. The instruction set may be compiled into the OS, or it may be external to the OS in a driver. The latter is the more common method these days, but the driver doesn't always work in a new version of the same OS. It depends on whether it used undocumented or deprecated system calls, for example.
In the case of the iLiad, it uses a different display controller than most other e ink devices on the market, developed by iRex themselves, and only iRex has the source for the driver. Their source isn't compatible with Linux 2.6, apparently, and I doubt very much that it would work as-is with Symbian. And it may also be dependent on the CPU of the device. So far, iRex has not released the source for the proprietary parts of the iLiad OS, including their custom drivers. So another OS on the iLiad would be quite a project.
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