(http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/open-moko-software.ars)
I checked the store (http://us.direct.openmoko.com/products/neo-freerunner). The Freerunner version for the GSM 900 network (the GSM network used in Sg.) were sold out...};-( ===== First Look: OpenMoko's Linux-based open smartphone platform By Ryan Paul | Published: July 08, 2008 - 11:30PM CT Last Friday, OpenMoko launched its highly anticipated FreeRunner smartphone, a Linux-based handset that's completely open in both hardware and software, and is designed to encourage third-party modification and customization. Although the FreeRunner's software platform is still incomplete, the device has attracted considerable attention from mobile software developers and Linux enthusiasts. The FreeRunner handset is obviously a powerful tool for prototyping mobile software, but it isn't clear yet whether it's also ready for adoption as a personal smartphone. We won't have a conclusive answer until we get a handset to test, but we decided to take an early look at the OpenMoko software platform to get a glimpse of what it offers at launch. [...] There are currently three separate software stacks that are available for OpenMoko handsets. The original OpenMoko software environment was built on top of GNOME Mobile and Embedded technologies including the GTK+ toolkit. As the FreeRunner launch date approached and the development priorities began to shift towards a stronger emphasis on mainstream consumer adoption, OpenMoko reevaluated its approach and decided to build a new stack on top of Trolltech's proven Qtopia mobile environment. The third stack, which will implement the FreeSmartphone.org APIs, is part of a long-term framework initiative that OpenMoko hopes will eventually ameliorate the problems created by fragmentation and redundancy while still offering developers a full range of choices. Because the FreeRunner is a completely open device, users will be able to choose which platform they want to use. They will also be able to adopt any third-party software platforms that emerge in the future. We have already seen an impressive variety of Linux desktop environments and graphical shells ported to Nokia's Internet Tablet devices, so it is likely that we will see similar innovation on OpenMoko's handsets. Indeed, developers of the KDE desktop environment have already started working on experimental OpenMoko ports. [...] There are a lot of very significant differences between OpenMoko's software stacks and Google's upcoming Android platform. Android takes a more top-down approach and completely eschews native code. Android offers one standardized Java-based API and One True Way to integrate with its platform. Google's approach vastly simplifies development and neatly avoids fragmentation and portability problems, but it also imposes extreme constraints on flexibility, isolates Android-based phones from the existing Linux software ecosystem, and obscures a lot of the inherent strengths of a Linux-based platform. By comparison, OpenMoko's software enthusiastically embraces the power and diversity of Linux but does so at a high cost in performance, consistency, reliability, and ease of development. The OpenMoko platform strategy is clearly still evolving, but it has a lot to offer for developers who want a truly hackable Linux-based mobile phone that elevates freedom and choice. The biggest problem is that none of the three stacks are really fully functional in every respect at this stage of development. There are still gaps in completeness and reliability that will deter end users who want a smartphone that just works. [...] ===== -- Soh Kam Yung my Google Reader Shared links: (http://www.google.com/reader/shared/16851815156817689753) my Google Reader Shared SFAS links: (http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user/16851815156817689753/label/sfas) _______________________________________________ Slugnet mailing list [email protected] http://wiki.lugs.org.sg/LugsMailingListFaq http://www.lugs.org.sg/mailman/listinfo/slugnet
