July 4, 2008 isn't just our nation's 232nd b-day -- it's also the day the highly anticipated Openmoko Neo FreeRunner cellphone will be available to anyone who wants to take a gander at the latest attempt to take the open Linux platform mainstream.
Will it work? If you gently take your eyes to a few discussion forums around the FOSS community, you'll witness overall controlled excitement -- after all, they get to play with some real hardware that's designed just for them (and will keep them from thinking about Google's open Android OS for a few days -' BTW, where is that first build already? Jeez).
But we can understand the anticipation for the FreeRunner -- the openness of the unit really beckons. And since the CAD files are also publicly available under a Creative Commons license, anyone can change the physical look of the phone. Do you want a really rough exterior for the security market? Stainless steel, maybe? Go ahead and try.
But the key here is that out of the box, any Regular Joe should be able to use it fairly easily.
The Openmoko Neo FreeRunner comes equipped with a GNU/Linux OS base, and a core system for dialing, SMS and recording contacts. It currently does not include a camera, but it wouldn't surprise us if it is somehow modded into one. In about a month, a brand new software suite will be released that will provide location-based applications, and cause the GPS manufacturers to have another uncomfortable group gulp moment. (The Garmin Nuvi smolders in anticipation, I presume.)
The FreeRunner will come in two versions at first: 850MHz or 900 MHz
Tri-band GSM. It packs in 128MB WSDRAM and 256MB NAND of flash memory,
and includes a 2.8-inch VGA touch screen (at 480 x 640), Wi-Fi at 802.1
1b/g, AGPS, and GPRS 2.5G. And it of course has Bluetooth 2.0
connectivity, plus a couple of 3-axis motion sensors.
The FreeRunner will prove another good training ground for the Linux system -- inexperienced Linux users might allow a few hiccups in a new desktop PC, like an Everex, but the cellphone's system needs to be clean, and consistently useful. And of course the platform will inevitably allow developers to come up with some cool new stuff.
So if you want to move beyond the narrow confines of the Windows Mobile operating system, or Nokia's Symbian OS doesn't float your boat, you might want to try this one out. We'll give it our own trained look in the next few weeks.