Comments on: Rumor: OpenMoko Android Phone In November? http://phandroid.com/2008/10/29/rumor-openmoko-android-phone-in-november/ Android Phone News, Rumors, Reviews, Apps, Forums & More! Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:40:22 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: michft http://phandroid.com/2008/10/29/rumor-openmoko-android-phone-in-november/#comment-4720 michft Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:50:25 +0000 http://phandroid.com/?p=655#comment-4720 These are not new Hardware, they have been around since August and are still in software Development. (Read buggy and unusable) I would not buy one today (I did in August) because: The software at its present rate will NEVER settle, this month it's the Android tangent, last was the FDOM redesign, the month before was Gentoo/Debian, the month befor it was QTopia. There is no keyboard, any work is done through real computer/ssh. Woe betide when sshd is not set up properly. Time for a reflash. There is no stylus inbuilt, just a stupid "extra" 4in1 heavy laserpointer, which scratches the screen if kept in the same pocket. The CPU will not work with all Android functionality, it's ARMv4T not ARMv5 so will always be porting rather than just working. ARMv5 is mimimum for android. The battery life SUCKS, I can run for 12 hours with minimal extras, if I turn on the WI-Fi and GPS then the phone dies in 4. This is not getting better but worse as the kernel features get bigger. Wading through the 2 year old wiki that is a MESS to find out how to confgure anything when the instructions are different for the NEO1973 and NEOfreerunner is also a nightmare. If you want a PDA/Phone get something else. If you want a USB networkable gadget to do something phone connectable (eg use the phone as SMS router connected to power and a network) then this is very configurable, if you can find the instructions anywhere. These are not new Hardware, they have been around since August and are still in software Development. (Read buggy and unusable)

I would not buy one today (I did in August) because:

The software at its present rate will NEVER settle, this month it’s the Android tangent, last was the FDOM redesign, the month before was Gentoo/Debian, the month befor it was QTopia.
There is no keyboard, any work is done through real computer/ssh. Woe betide when sshd is not set up properly. Time for a reflash.
There is no stylus inbuilt, just a stupid “extra” 4in1 heavy laserpointer, which scratches the screen if kept in the same pocket.
The CPU will not work with all Android functionality, it’s ARMv4T not ARMv5 so will always be porting rather than just working. ARMv5 is mimimum for android.
The battery life SUCKS, I can run for 12 hours with minimal extras, if I turn on the WI-Fi and GPS then the phone dies in 4. This is not getting better but worse as the kernel features get bigger.
Wading through the 2 year old wiki that is a MESS to find out how to confgure anything when the instructions are different for the NEO1973 and NEOfreerunner is also a nightmare.

If you want a PDA/Phone get something else.

If you want a USB networkable gadget to do something phone connectable (eg use the phone as SMS router connected to power and a network) then this is very configurable, if you can find the instructions anywhere.

]]> By: Bagha http://phandroid.com/2008/10/29/rumor-openmoko-android-phone-in-november/#comment-3824 Bagha Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:54:18 +0000 http://phandroid.com/?p=655#comment-3824 Openmoko's FreeRunner was the real Linux phone before the G1 showed up. It's got really great specs (640x480 display!), and it's great to hear that they're going to join the Android league. Openmoko’s FreeRunner was the real Linux phone before the G1 showed up. It’s got really great specs (640×480 display!), and it’s great to hear that they’re going to join the Android league.

]]> By: Gnur http://phandroid.com/2008/10/29/rumor-openmoko-android-phone-in-november/#comment-3793 Gnur Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:16:32 +0000 http://phandroid.com/?p=655#comment-3793 Untill some time ago, I believed it would be impossible to run it very smoothly, but it seems that when the source was releaced it would become possible: http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Android Untill some time ago, I believed it would be impossible to run it very smoothly, but it seems that when the source was releaced it would become possible:
http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Android

]]> By: Vinc http://phandroid.com/2008/10/29/rumor-openmoko-android-phone-in-november/#comment-3786 Vinc Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:48:14 +0000 http://phandroid.com/?p=655#comment-3786 The GTA02 or FreeRunner is a real device. I have a couple here in my office. It's a very open, very geeky smart phone. We have one flashed with Openmoko software and one with Qtopia (completely different). It doesn't have its own keyboard like the G1 but should or could support a BT keyboard and I think most folks get to a command line via ssh on wifi or USB. Check out the very active community at openmoko.org or check out the online store at openmoko.com. I think Android will run very differently on a FreeRunner compared to a G1. The processors, etc. are very different. Vinc The GTA02 or FreeRunner is a real device. I have a couple here in my office. It’s a very open, very geeky smart phone. We have one flashed with Openmoko software and one with Qtopia (completely different). It doesn’t have its own keyboard like the G1 but should or could support a BT keyboard and I think most folks get to a command line via ssh on wifi or USB. Check out the very active community at openmoko.org or check out the online store at openmoko.com. I think Android will run very differently on a FreeRunner compared to a G1. The processors, etc. are very different.
Vinc

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