Today, every phone you get is a piece of proprietary POS that governs exactly what applications can run on it and essentially creating monopolies for phone applications. Sure, hackers will always find a way to put linux on it and put whatever they want in the end (anyone see what they did with the Apple TV), but what if a phone was designed to allow the end user to customize it?
Enter Openmoko, a version of linux targeted at phones. And not those old ratty ones from 5-10 years ago that can only call people (like mine), but ones that have gps, cameras, and even touch screens. And some companies are realizing the market for a phone that allows the user to tinker with it.
The Neo1973, made by FIC, will be out soon sporting the openmoko operating system and it will be competing with the new Apple iPhone.
I'm sure many people are rolling their eyes at this and thinking that their's no need, and up until recently, I would have generally agreed, but I have come to appreciate the need for non proprietary drm portable electronic devices. I own a 5th gen apple ipod. Other than it's inability to add applications to it (which I felt was moot for an mp3 player), it was limited in what audio formats it could handle. I would have loved it if it could have handled ogg vorbis, so that I could have not had to even venture into copywritten formats, but of course, why should it handle any formats that aren't backed by a company that is in all likelihood paying them to not support the competition. On top of that, it can't handle FLAC, which I REALLY wanted to use. In fact, of the formats it supports the only one I could find that wasn't lossy was WAV!
In conclusion, I think open alternatives are incredibly important, not only in computers, but in all electronics. And this new version of linux in phones is awesome.
Click the picture for a link to the site.
Enter Openmoko, a version of linux targeted at phones. And not those old ratty ones from 5-10 years ago that can only call people (like mine), but ones that have gps, cameras, and even touch screens. And some companies are realizing the market for a phone that allows the user to tinker with it.
The Neo1973, made by FIC, will be out soon sporting the openmoko operating system and it will be competing with the new Apple iPhone.
I'm sure many people are rolling their eyes at this and thinking that their's no need, and up until recently, I would have generally agreed, but I have come to appreciate the need for non proprietary drm portable electronic devices. I own a 5th gen apple ipod. Other than it's inability to add applications to it (which I felt was moot for an mp3 player), it was limited in what audio formats it could handle. I would have loved it if it could have handled ogg vorbis, so that I could have not had to even venture into copywritten formats, but of course, why should it handle any formats that aren't backed by a company that is in all likelihood paying them to not support the competition. On top of that, it can't handle FLAC, which I REALLY wanted to use. In fact, of the formats it supports the only one I could find that wasn't lossy was WAV!
In conclusion, I think open alternatives are incredibly important, not only in computers, but in all electronics. And this new version of linux in phones is awesome.
Click the picture for a link to the site.
n A2 or A3. It runs a modified Linux kernel (with source available), with just a closed-source firmware. Since I started mucking with Linux, I've actually begun to despise Apple, just because their products are so unavoidably closed. 
)) 
