OpenMoko - open source Linux-based handset on its way
Nec picked up on my point about open source smartphone/handsets and commented thus:
wait for neo1973 and openmoko.
will be available in mid february (hope so), with being around 350$
neo1973 and openmoko were linked to openmoko.com.
I had a look at the PDF presentation given, I believe, by Sean Moss-Pultz of OpenMoko. The first slide reads:
Open, but not as usual.
How to disrupt an industry, but make more money for everyone.
Got my attention…
Flicked on a few more slides….
I’ve got two big itches.
That I’ve been wanting to scratch for years.
• I can never upgrade or customize my phone. I have to buy a new one every few months if I want some new (software) feature to work.
• Mobile platforms are proprietary and scattered. Developers have no easy way to create applications and deliver services that span all users.
Ah, now you’re talking… Another slide …
Instead we build a mobile phone that
• Has only the most basic features
- easy phone dialing
- easy messaging
• And great hardware
- beautiful screen
- nice to hold in your hand
- easily expandable memory[paraphrasing]… and Linux
The user interface looks rather nifty –
Very exciting. I’ll wait to see when this is available and buy one. That’s exactly what I’m after — estensible, properly open… very interesting indeed.
More please! More of the same! By the way, do check out the OpenMoko presentation — it’ll take a wee bit to load, but it a) gives a lot of info and b) looks extremely good.
Yup this is a great project.
Nokia/Maemo and Pepper Computer (and to a certain extent the OLPC project) are doing the same thing.
I love this concept.
My big question for OPenMoko is ‘Will it extend to 800×480 rich browser environments. (ultra Mobile PC’s)
This one is on my radar.
Steve.
Posted by Steve Paine on January 11th, 2007 at 5:38 pm.