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By
Thomas Claburn
OpenMoko
, an initiative to develop an open mobile
smartphone
backed by Taiwan-based First International Computer, today began selling its Linux-based Neo 1973 phone to developers.
Though it lacks the polish of
Apple's
![]()
iPhone, the Neo 1973 is more revolutionary.
When Apple CEO Steve Jobs first announced the union of phone and
iPod
in January, he came armed with superlatives. "iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone," he declared.
Leaving aside the issue of whether the iPhone is indeed magical -- early reports that Apple has sold some 500,000 to 700,000 units suggest widespread enchantment -- critics of Apple's device say the revolution has not been realized.
"But the iPhone is -- so far -- not a product that will turn any industry inside out," wrote Columbia law professor Tim Wu in a
Slate.com essay
on the day of the iPhone's release. "Seen as a phone, the iPhone is striking. Seen as a small computer, it's limited, and compromised by the existing business models of the
wireless
industry. Saying the iPhone is a pointless gadget is a bit too strong. But it isn't yet a revolutionary device."
Wu's criteria for a revolution: "a 3G phone that works with any carrier and supports third-party apps." The iPhone is not a
3G
phone; it runs on the decidedly slower
Edge
network. It works only with AT&T's network in the United States. And its support for third-party apps is limited.
The discontent expressed by Wu and others is not so much a rejection of Apple's innovation -- the iPhone is full of Apple goodness -- as dissatisfaction with the capricious limitations imposed on iPhone users by Apple's much derided partner, AT&T.
For example, the iPhone may only access AT&T's network for "(i) Internet browsing; (ii) e-mail; and (iii) corporate
intranet
access..." No
VoIP
for you. AT&T explicitly says, "Except for content
formatted
in accordance with AT&T's content standards, unlimited plans cannot be used for uploading, downloading or streaming of
video
content (e.g. movies, TV), music or games." Fun, where permitted, carries a surcharge.
As consumer telecom advocacy group TeleTruth
said
recently, "Putting the iPhone as pretty-telephone-bauble aside, the real story is about the control of the wireless networks and devices and how anti-customer most of these services have become."
OpenMoko aims to foment a real revolution by giving control to the customer, as least inasmuch as is possible on closed carrier networks. "OpenMoko is an
open source
![]()
mobile communications movement on a mission to create a platform that empowers people to customize their phone, much like a computer, in any way they see fit," said Sean Moss-Pultz, architect of OpenMoko and product manager of First International Computer's mobile communication business unit, in an e-mail.
Why buy a Neo rather than an iPhone? "While Apple delivers a polished experience, it's an experience that is exactly how you they want you to have it," said Moss-Pultz. "In other words, users really have no freedom to change the device if they don't like the way Apple chose to make things. OpenMoko is the anti-iPhone."
OpenMoko's Neo 1973 includes a 2.8-inch VGA touch screen; A-GPS for location and navigation services; GSM850/900/1800/1900 compatibility for network support in Europe, Asia- Pacific, Japan, Africa, and the United States; an application manager for adding, updating, and removing applications; "push" (BlackBerry-style) e-mail, contacts, and calendar synchronization through open source software company Funambol; and the OpenMoko Software Developer Kit for application development.
Two consumer versions of the Neo are planned for release in October, one for $450 and the other for $300. Support for 3G networks is planned for 2008. OpenMoko plans to promote certain popular certified applications on its devices, with more esoteric programs left to the discretion of users.
本文来自ChinaUnix博客,如果查看原文请点:http://blog.chinaunix.net/u/22778/showart_337053.html |
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