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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."
While I certainly don't advocate the inclusion of cameras in cell phones, if the sole purpose of this device is to make phone calls, is a touch screen or linux OS really necessary?
Oddly, a lack of a camera may give something like this a push into certain businesses where cameras are not allowed on the premises.
We? Who do you think you are speaking for?
Many of consider our phones to be communication devices. Voice, data, video, whatever. I don't maintain separate computers for email, web browsing, and personal web serving, why should I want to carry separate devices for talking or texting?
Besides- lots of Linux programs are multipurpose to the extreme (is there anything Emacs can't do?).
I use my phone's camera as a mobile scanner. works perfectly well.
So this thing can't do GSM 1900 which is what T-Mobile uses, correct?
Can anyone shed some light on the following statements, taken from:
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/08/23/apple-iphone-vs-the-fic-neo1973-openmoko-linux-smartphone/
(after several points wraps up:)
"...OpenMoko therefore isn't a new âoeopen phone,â it's merely a version of Linux designed to run on a specific vendor's proprietary implementation of Windows Mobile. Buying an FIC phone to run OpenMoko is like buying a Dell Windows PC to run Linux. You're not changing the world, you're merely funding development of Microsoft's platform while giving yourself the opportunity to work with community software."
I don't understand the differentiation or point made regarding the serial port connection to the the GSM/GPRS run by proprietary Nucleus OS -- is this like a BIOS for the hardware instead of an OS? Is it a problem with proprietary drivers?
Perhaps more important, how does this compare to other Linux based phones out there?? Does this help the community in general, or is it really vendor specific?
On that note, Emacs is known to be working on the OpenMoko. One of the primary reasons I'm getting one -- a phone that runs Emacs.
http://lists.openmoko.org/pipermail/community/2008-July/021774.html It seems that GPS doesn't work very well with a microSD card plugged in ... and this appears to be a hardware issue. If this is the case, I am thinking about sending the package back when it arrives (it's scheduled for tomorrow via UPS).
It'll cost an arm and a leg to send it to the US and back otherwise (from Canada, thanks to UPS and customs).
I just got mine, and all I have to say is....
game over!
This is not just a phone. It is a handheld Linux based router! It has a full stack via USB, and in the other direction via the GSM. It is open source hardware, using open source software. I hope a few of you realize what I am talking about. I don't think a device like this (this small, and compact) existed which has this functionality. Routing.
After testing three different sim cards I finally got it to work with ATT. (G3 Fireball, not the one with the round contacts on the back, the one with the square contacts on the back it ends in G 4003 or something to that effect, its posted on the openmoko wiki.
Mark this post, this is the beginning of the end my friends!
Will Android run on it?
What access does it have to wireless data connections?
Towards the Singularity.
How do you correct the distortion caused by not aiming the camera exactly (compared to a real flatbed scanner) square-on to the page?
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz