This year, the iPhone has been all the rage. Rumors flew for years before its release, ads flew after. Everywhere you look you can spot the chic slic shine of the iPhone, from TV, to movies, to the streets of every major city (and everyday more and more outside the city). With the iPhone sweet feature sets, however, come some massive disappointments. Not least among these, AT&T (read: Deathstar) Wireless actually has inflated rate plans specifically for the iPhone. Choosing to purchase an iPhone will not only cost you a premium on initial price (though now substantially less than on release) but also a $20 per month price increase on any given plan. AT&T and Apple’s decision to not only lock the phone but also actively discourage users from unlocking themselves, has left more than a bitter impression of the device’s parents in my mind. In light of this, I’d like to discuss, The Great Hope, the open-source alternative, the OpenMoko.
The Neo1973, produced by FIC, is the first phone designed to run OpenMoko. Released July 9th, it was aimed mainly at developers looking to try out and advance the development of the OpenMoko platform and external apps. It’s stats are fairly impressive, but lack compared to the upcoming consumer-targeted version which is slated for some time around December. This model, currently dubbed the GTA02 (at version 3) has impressive stats compared to just about any phone. Here’s OpenMoko.org’s hardware comparison between it and and earlier revision:
| Feature | GTA01Bv4 | GTA02 |
|---|---|---|
| Sale | Buy now: https://direct.openmoko.com/ | October 2007 (Phase0, unconfirmed) |
| Dimensions (no differences) |
120.7 x 62 x 18.5 mm | 120.7 x 62 x 18.5 mm |
| Weight | 184 g | 184 g (unconfirmed) |
| Screen (no differences) |
2.8″ 480×640 at 285 ppi, | 2.8″ 480×640 at 285 ppi, maybe multi-touch later |
| Storage | 64 MB integrated flash memory (expandable with any size microSD or MicroSDHC memory cards) | 256 MB integrated flash memory.Expandable with any size microSD or microSDHC memory cards |
| CPU | Samsung s3c2410 SoC @ 266 MHz (Source) | Samsung 2442 @ 400 MHz SoC |
| Graphics Accelerator | SMedia 3362 2D/3D Graphics Accelerator lists.openmoko.org announcement | |
| RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Wireless | Quad-band GSM, GPRS Class12/CS4/B 2.5G (Not EDGE), Bluetooth 2.0 EDR | Quad-band GSM, GPRS Class12/CS4/B 2.5G (Not EDGE), Bluetooth 2.0 EDR; WiFi: Atheros AR6K (See also AR6K) (802.11 b/g) |
| Embedded devices | Assisted GPS, 2 buttons | Assisted GPS, 2 buttons; 2×3D Accelerometers |
| Sound | Built-in stereo speakers, stereo handset | Built-in mono speaker, stereo handset |
| WiFi | no | yes |
| Accelerometer | no | yes |
| Software | Extremely buggy. Most software needs to be added or made to work. | Basic PDA included. Software can be created by normal users. |
| Battery | Replaceable 1.2 Ah battery charged via USB 1.1 | Replaceable 1.7 Ah battery charged via USB 1.1 |
| Ready for use | Not really. What to expect from the Developer preview GTA01. | Yes. |
| Price (not including shipping costs and applicable taxes for your country) |
USD 300 (base model), USD 450 including additional development hardware. (All units are shipped from the U.S.) | USD 450 (base model), USD 600 including additional development hardware. |
According to this chart, the GTA02 looks like a pretty substantial contender to Apple’s iPhone. With a smaller but higher resolution touch screen; text becomes more readable and scrolling, less necessary; a MicroSD slot for adding your own storage; a replaceable battery; and the addition of assisted GPS, we see how it stacks up to the iPhone. What makes it unique, however, is the openness of the entire platform.
This phone is free (as-in-speech), will not even be offered carrier-locked or branded, and can be used in any way the purchaser sees fit. Not only will third party apps be allowed to run natively, development is encouraged. Application developer? Write and share your own applications. Not a developer? Run other people’s add-ons. Will there be an update released to maliciously brick your phone if you’re not running on carrier X (see Apple Update Disables Unlocked iPhones)? Never.
Use it however you want, where ever you want (as long as it’s GSM), and to do what you want. As a matter of fact, the OpenMoko software isn’t even tied to the phone itself. You can install the alternative Qtopia interface. See here for a list of phones Openmoko is already supported on, and install it yourself, on other hardware. As they say: “Free your Phone.”
Now, will it be able to compete with Apple’s powerhouse? I can’t say that, but, what I can say is, it should stick around as a great and open alternative for people of all sorts and possibly previously untapped portions of the market. One more thing: you can add this to my Xmas list.
