Most of you probably watched the keynote where Steve Jobs finally showed us the iPhone. And I must say, I immediately thought "I want one". Until I started investigating the device more thoroughly.
Granted, the iPhone is a wonderful device that seems to do everything you ever wanted to do: play music, watch videos, browse the web, ... It's user interface is as beautiful and simple as you'd expect from an Apple design. It's got more storage than your computer did not all that long ago. It even runs Mac OS X. Priced at $499 it's not even that expensive for so much more than a smartphone. It's perfect!
Or is it? First thing I read was that the Mac OS X inside the phone is much more limited than the real thing, which was to be expected for such a small device. It's also not possible to create and use third party applications.
Now, I'm a big fan of Apple and Mac OS X, but when I buy a smartphone, it's not because I want to send email on the go, or browse through my addressbook. It's because I want to see how far I can push such a small device. I want to develop software for the thing. As long as I'm not sure that's possible, I wouldn't even consider buying something that expensive.
This is where the Neo1973 comes in. It's a linux based smartphone produced by First International Computer, with open software and hardware (except for the GSM and GPS components). It runs a new flavor of linux, OpenMoko, which claims that it will be compatible with the popular OpenEmbedded packaging system used in Familiar, OpenZaurus and JLime.
It's specifications seem promising:
- 200MHz Samsung ARM9 core (System-on-chip)
- 128MB RAM
- 64MB ROM in the device
- mini-SD card slot
- 2.8" 480x640 LCD screen (285ppi!)
- GPS built in
- GSM
- GPRS 2.5G
- Bluetooth 2.0
It's due in February, and will be available worldwide for only $350!
More information can found on the OpenMoko wiki, http://www.linuxtogo.org/gowiki/OpenMoko/.