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First North American OpenMoko/FreeRunners Arrive

holdenkarau writes "The North American OpenMoko FreeRunners are starting to arrive. It would appear that the OpenMoko still has problems with some 3G networks, including AT&T. Although, in my own personal completely unscientific test, 2 out of 3 AT&T SIM cards worked. Check out the unboxing of a complete FreeRunner (along with debug board) and my experience getting the FreeRunner up and running. Or a direct link to the pictures for those of you bored with text. If you feel brave enough to take the plunge, you can buy your own FreeRunner from the OpenMoko store."

18 of 180 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Pictures by holdenkarau · · Score: 5, Informative

    Take them OF the phone, not WITH the phone!

    The phone actually has no camera, so the pictures were taken with a kodak digital camera. I'm not very good at takeing pictures I'll admit.

  2. I was about to order one by jacquesm · · Score: 5, Informative

    When I realized it did not have a camera. While a hackable phone has immense appeal having to lug around a second phone or camera is really too much a of a hassle. Oh well, we'll just wait for release II I guess.

  3. CDMA areas in 4 years? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 4, Informative

    Lots of North America is only served (or well-served) by CDMA networks. Hopefully, with Verizon embracing LTE for its next network build-out we'll finally have compatible transcontinental coverage. Next, the world.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    1. Re:CDMA areas in 4 years? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 4, Informative

      hopefully CDMA areas are GSM in 4 years!

      Hey, at least click the link I bothered to include. :)

      First, 3G GSM adopted the W-CDMA air interface. Now, the traditionally-CDMA carriers are adopting the 3GPP's new IP-based protocol with an OFDM air-interface. The old definitions are just confusing at this point, but the upshot is the standards are converging. LTE allows for integrated fail-over to older tech, so the carriers don't have to have a build-out completely done on day 1 - they can do it incrementally and the phones will work as people move, but technically a Verizon user could roam on an AT&T tower.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    2. Re:CDMA areas in 4 years? by TooMuchToDo · · Score: 2, Informative
      I'm trying recall the name of the project that is the open radio system. With something such as a general radio and an antenna to handle multiple frequencies, couldn't the phone use either GSM or CDMA?

      *google*

      Ahh! http://hpsdr.org/

      The term I was looking for was software defined radio.

  4. Who is aware of the Neo Freerunner by GeneralSunTzu · · Score: 2, Informative

    Buddy, this is nonsense. Am located in Belgium and have ordered three days ago a Freerunner from Germany, likely to be shipped after the 25 July.
    On behalf of the European geeks,
    GeneralSunTzu

    --
    The Force actually is with me.
  5. Re:American MVNOs? by holdenkarau · · Score: 2, Informative

    Here is the link I was looking for: http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=824482 For the most part it looks like they should work, but *shrugs*

  6. 3G network... by Etherized · · Score: 5, Informative

    OpenMoko still has problems with some 3G networks, including AT&T.

    This claim is misleading - the device has no UMTS radio, so of course AT&T's 3G network isn't supported. What's really happening is that some people who have "3G" SIM cards are having trouble accessing AT&Ts GSM network.

  7. Re:Audio? by Hannes2000 · · Score: 3, Informative

    the webbrowser currently available through the repositories is quite a pain in the ass. the rendering is butt-ugly, scrolling is only possible using scrollbars, zooming is only possible using the tiny zoom-buttons and the keyboard didn't show up when I focused the textfield at google. but I'm sure things will get better soon.

  8. Re:and I'd want to buy it why? by Tony · · Score: 5, Informative

    First and foremost, because you control the software.

    Secondly, the iPhone is *much* more than $200. That's the subsidized price. By the time you finish with the contract, you've spent quite a bit on your iPhone.

    Really, though, you'd only want one right now if you wish to hack on it. There's no reason to get one as your regular phone if you're not a hacker. The software stack is still in its infancy.

    Mine is supposed to arrive in a week. I'm pretty damned excited. I figure it needs some good games, like Nethack.

    --
    Microsoft is to software what Budweiser is to beer.
  9. Re:Only ATnT? by TooMuchToDo · · Score: 2, Informative
    Looks like I was wrong:

    http://www.openmoko.com/product.html

    * GSM
    o Tri band 850/1800/1900 MHz
    o Tri band 900/1800/1900 MHz

  10. Re:Only ATnT? by tchuladdiass · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, they have two models -- 900/1800/1900, and 850/1800/1900. Both will work with t-mobile. AT&T uses mostly 850, so the second model is the one you'd want if you are on at&t, or if you are on t-mobile and want to roam to 850-only areas.

  11. Re:and I'd want to buy it why? by pinkstuff · · Score: 2, Informative

    In New Zealand the iPhone is NZD$200, if you take that option then you are tied to a 2 year contract. How much is this contract? $250 a month! So over two years the iPhone will have actually costed you NZD$6,200. I think I will get a FreeRunner...

  12. Re:There are hardware issues with GPS this iterati by holdenkarau · · Score: 3, Informative

    Before you send it back check out this thread, it seems like there might be a simple work around.

  13. Re:3 Minutes boot-up time - No more questions by Boogaroo · · Score: 2, Informative

    Blackberries take 3 minutes to boot up too, so it's certainly not a unique issue.

  14. Beware of GPS problems by efalk · · Score: 2, Informative

    I received mine yesterday. By evening, I found out that the GPS wouldn't lock on unless I used an external antenna. By this morning, users had discovered that the GPS works fine if the memory card is removed, pointing to probably electronic interference behind them. If they don't find a field fix for the problem, I'll have to send mine back because I bought it for the GPS applications that I would write for it.

  15. Re:Android? by alphabeat · · Score: 2, Informative

    Only via crazy hackery unbeknownst to man. The Freerunner uses ARMv4 and Android requires ARMv5 [1]. Note that this article is for the older Neo1973 but the same applies. [1] http://benno.id.au/blog/2007/11/21/android-neo1973

  16. Re:Only ATnT? by storkus · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually that's not quite true: while most of AT&T's markets are 800/850, there are a few, such as here in Phoenix, that are 1900 only--Alltel has the
    A side and Verizon the B side. There are also a small number of markets where T-Mobile aka the old orange Cingular network, operates on 850 only: I
    believe the largest is in the Great Lakes area.

    What I'd like to know is that, with the proliferation of quad band radios, why they didn't use one of those instead?

    Mike