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OpenMoko – The Anti-iPhone

Touchscreen, WiFi, MicroSD Card slot for expandability and not bound to any carrier. Oh, and it runs Linux. The OpenMoko project is producing the first open-source hardware phone which will go on sale for $300 and $450 on July 9th.

There will be two models, the Neo Base and the New Advanced. Both are mainly geared towards developers, as the Debug Board and the guitar pick for opening the device in the Advanced package show. The consumer version will go on sale in October and will cost around $450.

In contrast to the iPhone, though, this device will be wide open for developers. The interface isn’t quite on par with the iPhone, but looks better than most other phones and comes with a 2.8 inch screen (480×640) and a Global Locate AGPS chip. It will also have a USB port for expandability and development. For those who hate the AT&T Edge network – no worries, the phone only uses GPRS and no 3G support is anticipated for now.

The hub for more information about the project is the OpenMoko Wiki.

The details are behind the fold:

Neo Base – everything the mobile application developer needs to enjoy the benefits of the first freed phone, the Neo 1973:

• Neo 1973 (GTA01B_v4)
• Battery
• Stylus
• Headset
• AC Charger
• Phone Pouch
• Lanyard
• SanDisk 512MB MicroSD Card
• Micro USB Connectivity Cable

Neo Advanced – everything the mobile device hacker wants to get down and dirty with the first freed phone, the Neo 1973:

• Neo 1973 (GTA01B_v4)
• Battery (2x)
• Stylus
• Headset
• AC Charger
• Phone Pouch
• Lanyard
• SanDisk 512MB MicroSD Card (2x)
• Mini USB Connectivity Cable (2x)
• USB Host Mode Cable
• Debug Flex Cable
• Debug Board v2 (JTAG and serial console)
• Ruggedized Toolbox with shoulder strap
• Guitar Pick (for opening case)
• Torx T6 screwdriver

Preliminary Specification

Note: These are _not_ final. But since we’ve had so many questions on our mailing lists,
it’s probably best to post them in one place:

Hardware

• 120.7 x 62 x 18.5 (mm)
• 2.8″ VGA (480×640) TFT Screen
• Samsung s3c2410 SoC
• Global Locate AGPS chip
• Ti GPRS (2.5G not EDGE)
• Unpowered USB 1.1
• Touchscreen
• micro-sd slot
• 2.5mm audio jack
• 2 buttons
• 1200 mAh battery (charged over USB)
• 128 MB SDRAM
• 64 MB NAND Flash
• Bluetooth 2.0

Software

• Dialer
• Contacts
• Application Manager
• Calendar
• More…

Technorati tags: iphone, anti-iphone, openmoko

[...] I am invested in iphone, I honestly must say I love open source software and the OpenMoko project. read more | digg [...]

The phone doesn’t seem to have the level of quality as the iPhone, but its a good project nonetheless and hopefully developers will embrace the project more and more as time goes on.

Looks quite similar to the iPhone to me. Gotta say that the interface sure looks a lot cooler. Never cared for the candy coated look of mac osX. Also of note is how much cheaper the Moko is than the iPhone. The fact that it has GPS should also be considered a significant improvement.

[...] a guitar pick so you can ply open the case. Developer version goes on sale for $300 on July 9th.read more | digg story 0Comments Posted by admin in [...]

[...] a guitar pick so you can ply open the case. Developer version goes on sale for $300 on July 9th.read more | digg story 0Comments Posted by admin in [...]