Openmoko Neo FreeRunner

Wow, a lot of smart phone news lately. Yesterday another really interesting phone was released called the Neo FreeRunner for use with Openmoko. The actual phone is made by First International Computer a Taiwanese computer and components manufacturer. The Openmoko project was started by the founders of FIC. The about section of the site describes the project as:

Openmoko is open.
Open to life, desire, function, and simple beauty. Never closed, perfect, or complete. An empty vessel, ready to be filled with your ideas.

Openmoko is truly Open Source, even the physical phone is open—anyone can download the actual CAD files and design their own phone. Openmoko has a GNU/Linux OS base. This project almost has a pro hobby feel to it, something you can build, design, and program from the ground up. The current developer phone has all the bells and whistles you would expect from a touch phone.

Size and Weight
4.75 x 2.44 x 0.73 inches
6.5 ounces (185 grams)

Display
Touch Screen
2.8″ VGA (480×640) VGA Screen

Speed
ARM9 @ 400 MHz
2D/3D Graphics Acceleration

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

Power
Removable 1200 mAh battery

Memory
128MB SDRAM
256MB NAND Flash
microSD Slot

Input and Output
Input and Output
2.5 mm audio jack
GPS external connector

Hardware Highlights
Wi-Fi (802.1 1b/g)
AGPS
GPRS (2.5G not EDGE)
Bluetooth 2.0
3axis Motion Sensors (2)

Software Highlights
Openmoko GNU/Linux-based
100% FOSS on CPU
GNU/Linux development tools

(specifications are from OpenMoko website)

You can already get the developers version of the phone, and it costs around $400. You can order it in Canada through Koolu or you can order it from the Openmoko site. Koolu says due to large demand it will take 2 to 3 weeks to ship, so obviously this phone has a market.

I think it’s great to see more phones like this. It should greatly help innovation, along with Googles Android and now even Nokia’s Symbian being opened up. I will definetly keep my eye on this one, there is also a consumer level phone on the way.

See Wired for more information in Openmoko Neo FreeRunner on Sale July 4 and Design Your Own Cellphone With OpenMoko.