It appears that the GPS drivers for the GTA01 have finally been released and the legal terms reported with the chip provider have been resolved. Hopefully we will see a lot of cool applications pop up as a result of this, since location driven services are some of the most exciting things the Neo1973 could offer. A good WarDriving application with integration into Google earth would be a start...

Here is an of a integration of wordpress, Google maps, and a mobile phone GPS to create a pretty interesting blog. I can't imagine doing this because of the rampant female groupies this site has acquired </sarcasm>, but it is a pretty cool idea for someone that never lies to their spouse or doesn't care for privacy.

Anyway instructions for install can be found here or read after the jump:

Read the rest of this entry »

This was part of a post today from one of the developers of the OpenMoko:

"Unfortunately, a hardware bug in power management with GTA02v4 has required a fifth revision of the hardware for GTA02. It's a bit of a shame that the release will be delayed even further, but I'd rather have good hardware later, than something broken right now."

So it seems like we may be having to wait a little while longer than Christmas for the GTA02. He also goes on to talk about how the project is going as well as the growing community of OpenMoko enthusiasts. Read the post here.

I just stumbled across this video from October browsing OpenMoko news, and it would probably be a good departure from all the Android related news lately.

The most exciting thing I found in this video was the sexy looking prototype in the picture of what looks like a possibility for the next hardware iteration. The OpenMoko isn't the prettiest phone right now, especially when compared to the iPhone, but it looks like after GTA02 they are going to start trying to attract a broader audience with a black sleek phone. Unfortunately he didn't really discuss it, but and it had a little banner over it that said top-secret, with 2008 below it. So hopefully in 2008 we will start hearing some stuff about possible new hardware for the platform from FIC. As cool as the OpenMoko is, I always wished it had more of a modern look, and as the Software matures it seems the Hardware will to...

He quickly discussed how OpenMoko is different from iPhone and why comparisons are not really valid since the goal for each is so different. Probably a good move since I doubt we wont be outnumbering iPhone users anytime soon...not even entering that race is the best way to win it. Luckily a lot of people recognize how powerful open source tools are and will be drawn by the ability to create, so the OpenMoko will attract a whole other kind of consumer.

The last part talks about the Neo1973, and where they got the title. The name comes from the year the first cell phone was developed in 1973, and Neo is derived from the idea that this is the new cell phone. Groundbreaking title...No...Conveys a good meaning...Yes. Oh and sorry Matrix fanboys...it officially has nothing to do with the Matrix.

Anyway check it out...the hardware mock up has gotten me really excited for the future of the project.

Google released the Android SDK today and a cool video showing it off. Unfortunately this confirms my suspicion of an "open source" implementation that has quite a few strings attached. Based off impressions around the blog world, it sounds like there is no ability to build native applications, and everything must be developed in a java sandbox. The Linux kernel and native libraries are just there to run applications on top of Google’s custom JVM Dalvik which is optimized for running on embedded hardware.

This is dissappointing for those expecting something revolutionary, since it is already possible to develop java applications for mobile phones. I am sure everyone who has ever played a mobile game is aware how responsive and fast java applications are, and it is unfortunate that Google chose to only allow developers to make applications with this platform. More Impressions here.

As far as Android running on the Neo1973, I have not seen any proof but will post as soon as I do.

A lot of media attention has been given to the announcement of Google's Android and this site is no different, but I figured I should a post comparing and contrasting OpenMoko and Android. Off the bat, you might have noticed that I appended a little version 0.1 to the title of this post. This is mainly because a lot of what I am writing if going off pure speculation related to the facts that the public and the media know. I have read a lot of posts on other blogs comparing the two, and anyone searching "OpenMoko Android" on Google blog search can check it out other opinions for themselves. Ironic using Google to search for these opinions...

Anyway my first take is that Google is truly committed on hopping on the open source bandwagon, if not for publicity more than anything. One can see with the recent announcement of OpenSocial and Android, that the approach Google is taking to the future of software is open source applications will lead to innovation, community involvement, and cross platform integration.

Almost every major Web 2.0 company (Digg, Facebook, Google) has taken this approach with release of open source APIs, and it seems open source is one of the biggest buzzwords currently, replacing blog or Web 2.0, but how does all this relate to the open source phone market?

I am predicting a new buzzword "Mobile 2.0" will start to make its rounds as new open source software stacks start to proliferate the market place. Even though OpenMoko or Android are not the first, they seems to be getting the most hype. The difference in between the OpenMoko and Android is the financial interests of not only Google, but the other 30 major mobile technology companies that have already signed on to back Android in the near future.

Google will make money with the project no matter what, since they are preaching a phone that integrates well with the internet and with their services.This is a godsend to many people, including myself, because Google is integrated deeply into our everyday lives. It must be noted that the more we use Google and it's services on the internet, the more money they will make. Such is not the case with the OpenMoko, due to the complete independence of the entire project from big-telecommunications.

It is the idea of carrier customized Android that comes bundled with a phone when purchased that separates it from OpenMoko. Since it is open source, a partner company could lock it down to the current mobile situation and it's in their financial interest to do so. Completely losing revenue on ringtones alone would be enough to justify that. Can anyone argue that the iPhone cannot use your library as ringtones due to anything but carrier limitations and profit potential for sales?

With the OpenMoko we will not have to worry about issues like these. If a software feature is wanted or needed, it will only be a matter of time before someone ends up taking the project into their own hands. An example of community ingenuity with the closed source iPhone, with hackers working on it since the day of release to unlock it and install their own software.

In terms of information collecting, what better platform to get information on people than on their mobile phone. It is the one device that over 3 billion people take with them everywhere, and depend on for entertainment, communication, and productivity. I am not spouting crackpot big brother theories, but if you think about it this seems extremely viable to a company where context advertising is based on each user it makes perfect sense.

you may have recently text messaged a friend mentioning a desire to see a new movie, than while checking your Gmail on Android, you notice on a banner that the movie is playing at 7:00pm and 10:00pm at a local theater. This could bring context sensitive ads to the next level. Again with OpenMoko you really don't have to worry about corporations watching your habbits to learn more about you an effectively market towards you. I am not saying this will be the case with Android, but most of Google's other services use things like this to justify their cost of development since they are offered for free to the consumer.

One thing that cannot be argued is that Android may really become the vehicle that changes the big-telecommunications closed world into something more accessible for everyone in the future. OpenMoko has achieved a somewhat cult following like most Linux products, most of it due to the media's coverage of the first totally open phone. Google's announcement still hasn't made waves near as big as the iPhone since they did not show a shiny new OS specific phone, but I think that the attention will come as the first phones start shipping with it installed.

I am excited to try out the product, and cannot wait to see all the innovations that google will include. For my true open source mobile experiance, I haven't seen or heard anything that makes Android anything near an OpenMoko killer, but rather something that helps further the truly open source ideals that the OpenMoko team was founded upon.

Another UI video has surfaced showing E17 enlightenment running the the Neo1973. Enlightenment is a popular UI for desktop distributions of Linux, and it appears someone was able throw it onto the Neo with impressive results. It's responsive enough, but it looks like complete dependence on the stylus might turn some people off due to the lack of a stylus holder.

This morning via conference call Google has officially announced an open source linux based mobile phone operating system. This is not the rumored gPhone, but it is a platform to turn many devices into a gPhone. Details so far have been scarce, but it is clear that it will be available for a wide variety of platforms. Could this mean we get a third linux OS option for Neo1973? I think it's safe to assume so.

Integration with all of Google's services makes total sense for a phone, and this could be another step towards a phone replacing laptops and desktops for productivity and other activities. Its also safe to say that "Android" will show the same amount of polish that everyone has come to expect from Google products and it will be very interesting to see how they apply their "Dont be evil" philosophy to the traditionally evil and restrictive telecommunications market.

Among the other people that attended the conference were representatives from HTC (high power handset manufacture) and T-Mobile. More partnerships are expected to be announced. When questioned on an operators ability to lock down a phone, as most phones are now, Google said it was possible, since "Android" is a open source platform, so essentially any operator can do what they want with it. This probably means we will see a few forks of Android, as carriers modify it to be distributed with their phones. As OpenMoko users, I am sure we wont have to worry about dealing with any imposed restrictions, and hopefully google will have an official untainted distro we can get our hands on straight from the source.

I will write more about this exciting development as information is released, especially once I get some news about how this will specifically relate to the Neo1973. Qtopia, OpenMoko, and now "Android"...looks like its an exciting time for open source mobile phones.

Read the whole transcript here

UPDATE: Looks like the software development kit will be available for download Nov 12th 2007. This is likely a rough developer kit (similar to current state of OpenMoko), but its better than waiting till mid 2008 for the consumer release