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NEWS

Open-source smartphone, with WiFi in version 2

We try to stay current with the news, but the following appeared while we were in Serbia for a spectrum workshop, so we didn't find it until just now. From "Cheap, hackable Linux smartphone due soon," LinuxDevices, 7 November 2006:

"One of the world's largest computer and consumer electronics manufacturers will ship a completely open, Linux-based, GPS-equipped, quad-band GSM/GPRS phone direct, worldwide, for US$350 or less, in Q1, 2007.

"First International Computing's (FIC's) Neo1973 or FIC-GTA001, is the first phone based on the open-source OpenMoKo platform.

"Sean Moss-Pultz, an FIC product development manager, introduced the Neo1973 - and OpenMoKo - as the Mystery Guest at the inaugural 'Open Source in Mobile' conference today in Amsterdam.

"Moss-Pultz worked for FIC in Taiwan for two years before founding the Neo1973 project in January. He said. 'I was able to convince FIC that having an open phone makes financial sense for us. Some big company's got to stick their neck out there and say we believe in this, and we're going to do it.'

"Consistent with FIC's dual-OS support policy on computing products, the Neo1973 can also run Windows Mobile. In fact, the phone was co-designed by the Chinese government, for a high-volume Windows-based PHS (Personal Handy Phone) product. FIC has the capacity to ship 100,000 of the phones per month, Moss-Pultz said, explaining its low cost.

"Because OpenMoKo consists exclusively of open-source software, the Neo1973 will ship with a limited feature set, including a dialer, unified SyncML-enabled email/text messaging client, phonebook, and media player, according to Moss-Pultz. However, many additional open source applications will be available through 'feeds,' including 'certified' ones from FIC, as well as those from commercial and community sources, he adds.

"The Neo1973 will also ship with an 'apt-get-like' software manager that makes it trivial to add, remove, and update applications packaged in the OpenEmbedded package format, including 'literally thousands of existing open source applications from the OpenZaurus, Familiar Linux, and Angstrom projects,' according to Michael Lauer, founder of OpenEmbedded and an early OpenMoko developer.

"Moss-Pultz adds, 'Applications are the ringtones of the future.'

"...FIC will distribute the Neo1973 direct, on a worldwide basis, leaving users to add a pre-paid or carrier-supplied SIM chip. Moss-Pultz said, 'One reason I love GSM is that the carrier has no control over the SIM card. From the carrier's point of view, it's like adding a GSM modem PCMCIA card to your laptop.'

"The Neo1973 is based on a Samsung S3C2410 SoC (system-on-chip) application processor... It will have 128MB of RAM, and 64MB of flash, along with an upgradable 64MB MicroSD card.

"Typical of Chinese phone designs, the Neo1973 sports a touchscreen, rather than a keypad - in this case, an ultra-high resolution 2.8-inch VGA (640 x 480) touchscreen. 'Maps look stunning on this screen,' Moss-Pultz said.

"The phone features an A-GPS (assisted GPS) receiver module connected to the application processor via a pair of UARTs. The commercial module has a closed design, but the API is apparently open. Similarly, the phone's quad-band GSM/GPRS module, built by FIC, runs the proprietary Nucleus OS... It communicates with Linux over a serial port, using standard 'AT' modem commands.

"The Neo1973 will charge when connected to a PC via USB. It will also support USB network emulation, and will be capable of routing a connected PC to the Internet, via its GPRS data connection.

"Moss-Pultz notes that the FIC-GTA001, or Neo1973, is merely the first model in a planned family of open Linux phones from FIC. He expects a follow-up model to offer both WiFi and Bluetooth. 'By the time one ships, the next one is half done,' he says...

"As for additional software components, Moss-Pultz admits, 'Quite a lot is there, and quite a lot is not there. We're hoping to change this... That's the main thing I want to push with this phone - it's customizable in any way you see fit.'

"He adds, 'Mobile phones are the PCs of the 21st century, in terms of processing power and broadband network access. It's quite a shame that today, when you buy one, the software is already out of date.'

"More details about OpenMoKo and the Neo1973 can be found in Moss-Pultz's 'Mystery Guest' presentation...

Availability

"The first 'pilot run' of 500 Neo1973s (FIC-GTA001s) will arrive in mid-December. The device will reach general availability in January, and sell direct from FIC for $350. Moss-Pultz adds, 'One goal is give back to people creating this [open source smartphone] revolution. If you're going to hack on it, I'll give you a discount - or something cool."

[Handsets - 16 February 2007]