MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Open source Linux phone will beat iPhone to market

mogui · 02-22-2007, 01:38 AM

The FIC Neo1973 is the first phone to run the OpenMoko software platform. This platform is Linux based. You can find the OpenMoko wiki here.

This page tells what OpenMoko is intended to do -- be the first open-source GSM phone software stack. They say, "OpenMoko is supposed to run on all kinds of Linux-capable mobile phones. The first fully supported OpenMoko phone is the FIC Neo1973." Also see here for inside and outside photos of the Neo1973.

Interestingly, under the section Applications/Reader, there is the skeleton of a set of design criteria for the e-reader software. See here for details. You may want to contribute. I entered some of my thoughts about file format support.

As this software platform runs on a capable processor and has a PDA-sized screen (VGA 640x480, 2.8") one might consider it as a software platform for an e-reader. I wonder if there is a company out there who is thinking of building a generic reader hardware unit. At US$350 for the Neo1973, some of us might want to pick one up to use as just that.

The idea of an open-source embedded linux platform for small devices is not unique to OpenMoko. See here for more similar approaches. The beauty of the Neo1973 is that it is designed from the ground up to be open and hackable. Are you listening iRex?

02-22-2007, 01:38 AM	#4
mogui eNigma Posts: 503 Karma: 1335 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Philippines Device: HTC G1 Android FBReader	OpenMoko open-source Linux software platform The FIC Neo1973 is the first phone to run the OpenMoko software platform. This platform is Linux based. You can find the OpenMoko wiki here. This page tells what OpenMoko is intended to do -- be the first open-source GSM phone software stack. They say, "OpenMoko is supposed to run on all kinds of Linux-capable mobile phones. The first fully supported OpenMoko phone is the FIC Neo1973." Also see here for inside and outside photos of the Neo1973. Interestingly, under the section Applications/Reader, there is the skeleton of a set of design criteria for the e-reader software. See here for details. You may want to contribute. I entered some of my thoughts about file format support. As this software platform runs on a capable processor and has a PDA-sized screen (VGA 640x480, 2.8") one might consider it as a software platform for an e-reader. I wonder if there is a company out there who is thinking of building a generic reader hardware unit. At US$350 for the Neo1973, some of us might want to pick one up to use as just that. The idea of an open-source embedded linux platform for small devices is not unique to OpenMoko. See here for more similar approaches. The beauty of the Neo1973 is that it is designed from the ground up to be open and hackable. Are you listening iRex? Last edited by mogui; 02-22-2007 at 01:56 AM.