2007-07-24 07:11:57
Erik Larkin, PC WorldMon Jul 23, 8:00 PM ET
The Neo 1973, the first phone to use the open-source, Linux-based OpenMoko
mobile operating system, has techies abuzz in anticipation of its October
consumer release.
Though the phone's large, touch-screen display might evoke comparisons with the
iPhone, OpenMoko's approach to software is the exact opposite of Apple's. Apple
doesn't allow third-party software to run on the iPhone (Web 2.0 sites
notwithstanding), ostensibly to maintain the company's hallmark smooth and
controlled user experience.
In contrast, OpenMoko's success may largely depend on whether the open-source
community gets involved in writing new programs or inducing some of the
multitude of existing Linux programs to work under OpenMoko.
The Neo 1973 is available now for $300 as an early, not-fully-functional
developer release for hackers eager to see what they can make it do. When it
ships in the fall for an expected $450, it will come unlocked rather than
through a particular carrier, so you can choose your own cell phone company
(with a GSM network) and plan.
The phone sports a 2.8-inch touch-screen display that works with finger taps or
a stylus (though it does not match the iPhone's multitouch capabilities). It
uses the GSM cell network and the unfortunately slow GPRS data network. It has
built-in GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, and supports microSD memory cards. (A full
list of the specs appears at the end of this story. To compare the OpenMoko
specs with those of the iPhone and five competing handsets, see our handy
chart.)
We got in touch with OpenMoko to ask some techie questions about the "hacker's
iPhone." Here are answers from Sean Moss-Pultz, acting president.
PCW: Are there any plans to upgrade the Neo to use faster data networks?
OpenMoko: We plan on going 3G next year. This first device uses existing Gerber
designs from our feature phones to lower the costs. Remember that this is an
unlocked, nonsubsidized phone. So $300 is actually incredibly cheap. We thought
this was super-important, to help with early adoption.
Adding 3G would increase the cost by more than 80 percent.
PCW: Are the 3D accelerometers [which help phones know if they are changing
position] meant to support an ability to determine when the phone is held
horizontally or vertically, and adjust the display accordingly?
OpenMoko: Well, this is one possible usage scenario. It's a totally open
device. I'm sure people will come up with stuff that we've never seen before.
You can see one example of a simple program that will use these accelerometers.
PCW: Will the GPS hardware support full navigation programs, and be able to
provide turn-by-turn directions based on current location? If so, will such a
program ship with the phone in October?
OpenMoko: We put GPS functionality into the Neo 1973, because when your phone
knows its location, it can adapt its behavior in significant ways, without even
a hint of artificial intelligence.
There are quite a few people who are working on navigation applications in the
mobile space. Some of these are quite good now. I'm sure we'll see something by
October. But we're not working on anything. Navigation, in a way, is boring to
us.
We want to make devices that are location-aware. We want all the applications
to know their current position. For example, if you have a to-do list that is
location-aware, your Neo could notify you of all your pending tasks when you
walk in to work or go to your favorite supermarket.
When devices know their location, they can start learning about us instead of
[our having to] learn about our devices.
PCW: Is there a planned list of applications that will ship with the consumer
version in October? In particular, which Web browser, e-mail client, and
calendar will it ship with?
OpenMoko: Yes, we do have a list.
As for particulars, we write the interface ourselves, but a lot of the base
code comes from existing FOSS [Free and Open Source Software] projects. E-mail
will be based on the TinyMail framework. Our browser is based on WebKit (the
same stuff that Safari is using).
PCW: Can Firefox and Thunderbird, theoretically, run on the OpenMoko platform?
What about add-ons and plug-ins?
OpenMoko: Firefox and Thunderbird are really heavy. Technically they probably
could work. But it wouldn't make much sense. They would just be too slow.
We're working on some very lightweight programs that will be more optimized for
both the processing power and the screen size of mobile devices.
PCW: Will developers need to write new applications for the OpenMoko platform,
or can they theoretically recompile existing Linux applications, as techies
currently enjoy doing for the various Linux distributions?
OpenMoko: OpenMoko uses lots of existing FOSS, such as the Linux kernel, the
GNU C library, the X window system, and the GTK+ toolkit, to name only a few.
So yes, within memory and resource constraints, these existing applications
should work with minor porting efforts.
Neo 1973 Specifications
As listed by Gizmodo, and confirmed by OpenMoko:
4.75 by 2.44 by 0.72 inches 2.8-inch VGA (480-by-640) TFT screen Samsung 2442 @
400 MHz SoC SMedia 3362 G graphics accelerator Global Locate AGPS chip Ti GPRS
(2.5G, not EDGE) Unpowered USB 1.1 Touch screen MicroSD slot 2.5mm audio jack
Two additional buttons 1200-mAh battery (charged over USB) 128MB SDRAM 256MB
NAND flash Bluetooth (2.0) Wi-Fi b/g Two 3D accelerometers