Re: Apple iPhone warning proves true

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Erich M." <me () quintessenz org>
Date: September 30, 2007 8:10:52 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Apple iPhone warning proves true

Dave,

The OpenMoko mobile linux project is truely unique. They went the other
way round, 180 degrees.

A Taiwan based manufacturer named "First International Computing"
started developing a three band GSM touchscreen handset and gave away
free hardware to a developer community AFAIR in mid 2006. In June 2007
an enhanced series was sold at 300 Euros fo developers worldwide, 450
Euros including testing equipment. Sold out in a week. That should be
around the price of the iPhone in Dollars. Without any strings attached,
of course. And: it is _free_ linux.

Had those 0penMoko gadgets a few times in my hands. There is a shell and
a file system that does neither start with "Nokia" nor does it display
"C:" whatsoever ;)

Display is brilliant, software navigation resembles a bit the "enigma"
image of linux powered sat receivers - hacked nokia d-box and the divine
dreambox from Germany [have one]. That means not only fear and loathing
from good old pay tv but: you can login as root on that sat linux
machine as you can do that at the OpenMoko handyphone. On the dreambox
you sort more than thousand tv cannels by mouseclick as bookmarks. When
 watching tv you use remote control.

mobile:
People who use the OpenMoko phone in Austrian and German GSM networks
reported in July a still poor power management plus numerous bugs.
Nothing disturbing so to say if you consider the "first adapter"
producer is a humble hardware company from Taiwan.

Summary of the features coming in the next version that is scheduled for
this october. Except WLAN all were already included in those I saw.

All GSM-Networks worldwide [85 percent of world mobile market]. WLAN,
GPRS, 2,8 inch touchscreen, GPS, bluetooth, slot for MicroSD-Flash.

3G [UMTS/HSPA] data radios should be next on board, then WiMAX, even if
they dont say it yet. WiMAx is already a big thing in the  East. Forget
Europa, forget the US, pls do look at Asia, if you want to spot WiMAX.

back to SAT:

There are now more linux sat receivers being marketed in Europe and
Asia. Took quite a long time since the first d-box hack. That resulted
in the creation of hardware devices. More than five years, pls compare
that to mobile.

Mobile:
There will be other _open_ linux ready handsets coming, not these
MontaVista/Motorola mobilinux 5.0 RZR new castrats with NSA's SElinux
policies enabled. Neither the already rotting apples administered by St.
Jobs will prevail.

The OpenMoko platform

http://www.openmoko.com/index.html

These OpenMoko people adopted Mark Weiser and - methinks - they mean it
http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/OpenMoko

as to SAT linux
the dreambox official website

http://www.dream-multimedia-tv.de/

less boring than the commercial pioneers are the modders  ;)

http://www.i-have-a-dreambox.com/wbb2/index.php

back to mobile linux

"First International Computing" produces hardware that has been
disappearing in PCs for the past 25 years. The company  is listed on the
Taiwanese stock market. Me - a IT news scribbler not focused on
hardecore hardware stuff - never had heard of that company until i had a
research assignment.

"First International Computing"
http://www.fic.com.tw/

Related stories [in German]

http://futurezone.orf.at/produkte/stories/219038/
http://futurezone.orf.at/produkte/stories/224847/
http://futurezone.orf.at/produkte/stories/219038/

From Vienna, Austria sincerely

Erich Moechel



--
NEW PGP KEY
http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0x007DB429
-.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.-     


-------------------------------------------
Archives: http://v2.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
RSS Feed: http://v2.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com