Linux-powered iPhone killer goes on sale

[MacBytes]

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Category: Opinion/Interviews
Link: Linux-powered iPhone killer goes on sale (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20070711155215)
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Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)
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[imagineer2000]

Even on the OpenMoko (http://www.openmoko.com/) site there is not much detail. I doubt the browser experience will match Safari on the iPhone, as Apple did a lot of tweaks to Safari. The interface is not nearly as elegant either. It is good to see someone trying to reach the higher bar that Apple set.

[adam.tropics]

This project has been active for quite a while now, and isn't one of the rushed out responses to the announcement and release of the iPhone. As with many things open source, it has some good and it has to be said honorable intentions pushing it along, and judging from their mailing list, some of the most enthusiastic people behind it. I hope they do well, though with all the good intentions in the world, I am sure profit figured there somewhere too!

[nagromme]

Goes "on sale" for developers, apparently, but the consumer version (which will have different specs and probably price) is not ready yet.

I'm all for *NIX over Windows Mobile though :)

[mainstreetmark]

Even on the OpenMoko (http://www.openmoko.com/) site there is not much detail. I doubt the browser experience will match Safari on the iPhone, as Apple did a lot of tweaks to Safari. The interface is not nearly as elegant either. It is good to see someone trying to reach the higher bar that Apple set.

Well, the mess of different and faked interfaces required to do the web2.0 "applications" in iPhone is far from elegant.

Like everyone else on the block, things will improve when developers can make their own apps, but Apple appears to have a hard enough time keeping the apps THEY have written from crashing.

[mkrishnan]

It would be interesting to see if the OSS community could find a way to actually start selling an unlocked GSM phone that was capable of working on USA GSM networks.... The specs seem nice, generally, although, following Apple's lead, I'd prefer if it didn't have a stylus. But not bad. Interesting.

[nbs2]

Goes "on sale" for developers, apparently, but the consumer version (which will have different specs and probably price) is not ready yet.

I come to you, oh wise ones, with a question -

Are the devloper prices usually close to or way off from consumer prices (also, higher/lower?)? The phone seems nifty, and with some good press, unlocked at $300 would be tough to beat.

[LaDirection]

Yeah, so killer no one has ever heard of it.

[mkrishnan]

Are the devloper prices usually close to or way off from consumer prices (also, higher/lower?)? The phone seems nifty, and with some good press, unlocked at $300 would be tough to beat.

From the OpenMoko wiki (http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Neo1973).....

"Phase 2" (GTA02, "Mass Market")

GTA02 (AKA: The Mass Market Neo1973) is on schedule to go on sale in October. It will have the following new hardware components:
* 802.11 b/g WiFi
* Samsung 2442 SoC
* SMedia 3362 Graphics Accelerator
* 2 3D Accelerometers
* 256MB Flash
* 1700mAh Battery
* Faster CPU - S3C2442/400

We will sell this device through multiple channels. Direct from openmoko.com, the price will be $450 for the Neo Base and $600 for Neo Advanced.

[nbs2]

From the OpenMoko wiki (http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Neo1973).....

:o

450 and 600 seem a bit steep, especially if Apple opens up the iPhone. The only real advantages would be the unlockedness and the opensourciness. Seems to be a fair steep price to pay for those two features indeed. the included 512MB just doesn't seem to cut it...

[mkrishnan]

450 and 600 seem a bit steep, especially if Apple opens up the iPhone. The only real advantages would be the unlockedness and the opensourciness. Seems to be a fair steep price to pay for those two features indeed. the included 512MB just doesn't seem to cut it...

Agreed... If they were $450 and $600 with the same 4/8GB that iPhone offers, maybe the unlocked, open nature would make up for the general seeming inferiority of the functions. It's particularly worth noting that it is not even clear that this device will have EDGE, let alone HSDPA. The specs call for GSM/GPRS and do not say much about what this "TI Calypso" chipset can do (http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Category:Neo1973_Hardware#GSM.2FGPRS). :eek:

GSM/GPRS
The GSM (including GPRS) modem is Texas Instruments Calypso based.
Connected to: S3C2410 UART1 (full-uart, RxD, TxD, CTS, RTS), /dev/ttySAC0 in userspace

However, you do have to factor in that they just don't have the economies Apple does... remember just how shockingly much of the flash memory market Apple consumes, and how that leads them to have much better pricing on that than anyone else. Although, it is interesting that it's going head-to-head against Apple prices that have 50% margins built in. :p

However, I think it's just like everything else in the OSS community... they have to be commended for the effort and the development they're putting in without the financial gains that motivate companies like Apple.

[defeated]

hardly an iphone killer, But I can see myself getting one, even at $450, after all, its totally unlocked, there is no string attached. fits me well.

[nagromme]

I come to you, oh wise ones, with a question -

Are the devloper prices usually close to or way off from consumer prices (also, higher/lower?)? The phone seems nifty, and with some good press, unlocked at $300 would be tough to beat.

I for one have no wisdom to bring :D But I assume the consumer price will be different because they say the hardware itself will have different specs/features.

I've never heard of a "developer model" phone before, so don't ask me :)

[SPUY767]

Yeah, so killer no one has ever heard of it.

Real killers have to be like that. Freaking Ninja style.

At any rate, we all know that from this point forward, any phone that does more than make calls is goin to be billed as the "iPhone killer." Problem is, that just like iPod killers, I think we're going to find that their kind of hollow upon further inspectction. I just wish that these dillholes would opt to use the word "competitor" instead of killer. That alone would make me smile.

[Cybergypsy]

Not for me ..it ugly

[Nym]

Damn! That must be one of the most ugly cell phones I've EVER SEEN!

iPhone Killer? ROTFL!

The Nokia N95 fans must also be laughing with this :)

[kuebby]

I don't know, it's not that bad looking to me. I read about this in Popular Science and it sounds like a great idea.

[iAmLegend]

That phone is hideous.

[spydr]

I don't see it having much impact on iPhone - this clunky thing for $450 with no real memory in it? Oh yeah it is unlocked and what good is it here in US with the two major GSM providers being AT&T and T-mobile with the latter having a lousy(ier) coverage and unfriendly data plans? I don't see that "unlockedness" and open source support compensating really that much.

MOKO won't make much of a even a wannabe killer.

[7on]

I don't see it having much impact on iPhone - this clunky thing for $450 with no real memory in it? Oh yeah it is unlocked and what good is it here in US with the two major GSM providers being AT&T and T-mobile with the latter having a lousy(ier) coverage and unfriendly data plans? I don't see that "unlockedness" and open source support compensating really that much.

MOKO won't make much of a even a wannabe killer.

$5.99 unlimited data unfriendly? And T-mobile has the same coverage as at&t since their agreement with cingular to roam on their towers.

Not to mention the Neo1973 will have GPS and unlocked phones are a must have for people who go to other countries. Unless you want to pay AT&T's $1.99 international roaming or T-mo's 99¢ international roaming.

Open Source is great because there's no hacking involved. I'm sure 90% of the threads on MR are about iPhone hacking. With the Neo - there is none of that. Just people creating apps.

The developer preview model is so that the community can create apps and have them ship with the consumer version

[zap2]

I'm sure 90% of the threads on MR are about iPhone hacking.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:


ya...sure

[emptyCup]

I'm all for *NIX over Windows Mobile though :)

All I know about it is what I read here (http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q3.07/B10AE668-EAD3-46DC-A042-5EF3461D63EF.html) but apparently it is just a Windows Mobile phone with a Linux shell laid over it.

Also, according to the article, T-Mobile's GSM in the US is on a non-standard frequency so, while you are free to choose any provider you wish, the phone is only compatible with AT&T.

[jonnylink]

oops

[jonnylink]

the included 512MB just doesn't seem to cut it... Interestingly though it uses a microSD card for it's storage. Currently microSD cards can go up to 2GB, but if they use the microSDHC cards it is possible to go up to 8GB (http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/12258/1103/).

EDIT: Apparently they do support microSDHC (http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Neo1973_Hardware#microSD-Card) so they could have as many as 8GB of storage on one card

It would also mean that you could carry much more than an iPhone *if* you are willing to carry around extra cards.

The phone itself looks alright, but the UI looks dog ugly. It being unix though, I am sure there will be all sorts of themes for folks to use.

I'll be watching with interest, though at this point I'd rather get an iPhone... which I also won't be doing anytime soon.

[uNext]

At this point the only iPhone killer alive is the speculation behind
An actual iPhone killer.

Apple set the bar high.

I have a treo 680 and a curve and going back to those phones
it feels like ging back in time to dos for cell phones.

You cant compare nothing out there now to the iphone.

If apple one day releases mobile versions of their software
to be used on the iphone you can consider the cell phone market apples turf.

[Papajohn56]

This article has Digg frontpage written all over it. Why? It has two words: "Linux" and "iPhone"

[7on]

All I know about it is what I read here (http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q3.07/B10AE668-EAD3-46DC-A042-5EF3461D63EF.html) but apparently it is just a Windows Mobile phone with a Linux shell laid over it.

Also, according to the article, T-Mobile's GSM in the US is on a non-standard frequency so, while you are free to choose any provider you wish, the phone is only compatible with AT&T.

Lie. T-mo uses the standard 1900mhz and 850Mhz. Last I heard they were having probs with AT&T sim cards because they had non-standard bits in them.

[twoodcc]

i think it looks ugly