[SC.LUG] openmoko

[Richard Smedley]

On Tue, 2007-07-10 at 09:03 +0100, George wrote:
> Richard Smedley wrote:
> > Has anyone else ordered their FIC Neo1973 yet?
> 
> I have been looking at it as well as the Trolltech Greenphone (which I 
> prefer the look of) as I could do with a new phone however I don't think 
> I can justify getting one. I need a phone to be a phone - and it won't 
> be being a phone if it's "in pieces" while I fiddle with the kernel :)

The TrollTech `phone looks neat, but the proprietary software
puts it at a significant disadvantage compared to the OpenMoko :-/

> I'm also unconvinced that this is going to lead to anything other than a 
> niche market. A lot of phone companies like to restrict the capabilities 
> of the phones they supply on contract - it's not as bad over here as it 
> is in America but they still like to remove certain pieces of software. 
> Some also restrict the accounts so that they can only be used with the 
> phone that was supplied via the IMEI number. As the way the market works 
> you get the phone from the same people who supply you with the 
> connection I can't see them going for an open platform - especially when 

Well, we'll have to wait and see here. Anyway, a niche telephone
market is still several million sales, so the economics may work
out for them.

I have to say I'd be optomistic, were I at FIC. It's plain that
not everyone on the planet will get a computer, but that the
reach of mobile telephones is near-universal, and smartphone
demand will probably grow quickest in emerging economies.

For phone-as-computer, Free Software gives the user distinct
advantages that make it more than a niche. =o)

> the cost of a Symbian licence makes up about £1 of the cost of a £200+ 
> phone.

The cost is only a part of the pain with proprietary software :(

> I will however be after an OLPC laptop as soon as they go on available - 
> I think these have potential :)

<AOL>me too</AOL> ;)

 - Richard

-- 
Richard Smedley,                                         rs at m6-it.org
Technical Director,                                     www.M6-IT.org
M6-IT CIC                                        +44 (0)779 456 07 14

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