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Forget iPhone, Hail OpenMoko, the True Revolution

libervis.com — This may seem like a bold statement. Apple's just released iPhone is not only very attractive, but includes some impressive features and specifications. Enter OpenMoko, an attractive phone that beats Apple hands down on openness. It is based on open hardware specifications and uses Linux, meaning 3rd party apps goodness.

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  • schestowitz, on 10/12/2007, -8/+18Here's another good comparison:

    iPhone vs OpenMoko: The open alternative

    "An option that is US$150 cheaper, with no service provider contract required."

    http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1321

    Apple has the iPod hype going for it.
    • DoctaStooge, on 10/12/2007, -18/+26Along with the fan boy customer base.
    • Iffrat, on 10/12/2007, -14/+5apple has fanboi's???
    • InsomniaSlim, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Don't forget the interface design... which is what impressed me. But I suppose that can be reproduced.

      ... oh, and there are the sensors which drive that interface. I don't think this thing will have anything close to those.

      But I made my PPC 6700 look and behave like the iPhone using freeware, so I guess I saved myself a boatload either way.
    • ExposeIT, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13Why do the best open source projects have such *****, unprofessional names?

      Seriously, if OpenSource movements had some sort of branding process they would be infinitely more successful.
    • snypa, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Still, the iPhone seems substantially better in terms of features, even with the heavy price tag. I mean, no camera? Yes, if you want to take pics, use a camera, but still, £180 ($350) for a phone lacking a main feauture that even some £50 phones have. And no way does that looks better than the iPhone, which isn't all that itself. And USB 1.1, wtf?
    • gravis86, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14HAHA! Moko is Spanish for "booger." What a great name. :)
    • glasgowm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This was on the frontpage last week. I would search and post the link but apparently Digg's search is down 'cause of a high traffic load.

      Either way, the firmware doesn't look anywhere near as good as the iPhones.
    • taintparty, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11Yeah, firmware that forces you to do only what Apple allows is key. I can't see how Apple gets so much love, they're MS but more stable, that's it. If MS had a lockdown on hardware, aside from a giant antitrust suit, Windows would be just as stable as OS X and actually isn't bad now. Apple is king of DRM and proprietary lock-in, yet people eat Jobs' crap out of the toilet. They use Chinese slaves to make iPods and probably the iPhone, yet no one cares.

      The iPhone does less than a PS3, yet no one balks at the price and flames Apple for making a FREAKING PHONE $600. But a PS3, high-def gaming platform, HD movie player, runs Linux, runs MythTV, gets mountains of crap because it's $600. The iPhone will never be close to as capable as the PS3, as it doesn't allow 3rd party apps, yet no guff over the $600 tag. Digg readers are sheep for trendy crap, yes the iPhone is trendy crap.

      Japan laughed at it because we're so impressed with stuff they've had for years.
    • glasgowm, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1taintparty

      Your comparison of Windows to Mac OSX is ***** and you obviously have no clue about how computers work


      ---
      You act as if the PS3 advertised it ran linux etc..

      Do you not think the iPhone will get unlocked? of course you will be able to run VoIP, 3rd party apps, etc on it.

      The reason everyone here hates the PS3 is because there is a competitor on the market (xbox) that has almost identical features (processer speed,etc) yet is almost double the price.
    • snypa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@glasgowm

      But there are phones cheaper than $600 that do more than the iPhone (leave out that touch bidniz)
    • RastaMahata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@gravis86

      it's "moco", with a "c", not a "k", pedazo de carne con patas!
      Sorry, had to quote the puss in boots from shrek.
  • jeanmaxime, on 10/12/2007, -14/+11Where is the revolution? Open source ? The article doesn't mention any feature.

    And it's ugly... http://www.openmoko.com/pixels/FIC-neo1973.png

    But it still can be a good product
    • ScornForSega, on 10/12/2007, -3/+34Well, if you don't like the UI on the OpenMoko then you can change it! That's the beauty of GNU.

    • monkeyrun, on 10/12/2007, -18/+11Cool, so open source would allow me to modify the ugly as sin hardware design too ?
    • InsomniaSlim, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9RTFA: the screens are mockups. The damn thing doesn't HAVE any features.
    • ZaNkY, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6@monkeyrun
      In theory, yes. Just provide your own foundry :)
    • ThatsUnpossible, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13FWIW, I won't be buying an iPhone, as I don't want Cingular, but let's get real here.

      The iPhone is better looking. It's smaller (in every dimension), yet the screen is larger. It's lighter, and yet has 62x the memory of the openmoko. Sure, throw a 2GB SD card into the openmoko to bring it up to half the space of the low-end iPhone, or a quarter of the space on the higher end. (Don't forget to add ~$40 for that upgrade.) iPhone has a 2mp camera, vs. no camera in the openmoko. It has the latest iPod functionality built in. It has USB 2, versus ancient USB 1.1. It has Wifi and EDGE, neither in the openmoko.

      OpenMoko is open source. That's great, and many people will be able to do some cool things with it and will find that alone makes it more valuable.

      But not the majority of people...

      In addition, yeah it might ship in February, vs the iPhone in June. But the iPhone is meant to be feature complete when it ships. The OpenMoko is meant to be a reference device that people will add features and bug fixes to over time. Even then, will it ever have the advanced functionality of the iPhone? (Without multi-touch, no.)
    • engwar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I used the Linux-based Zaurus for a few years. If I ever had to reinstall the software for synch-ing (after reinstalling Windows for example) it was a royal pain to get it to synch again.

      My point is that Linux-based devices are great if you have the knowledge or time to futz with them. Perhaps the OpenMoko developers will make it a bit more 'plug-and-play' ready that the Zaurus was.

      Whatever you're feelings for the big boys, Windows-based and Apple devices are more likely to 'just work'.

      And as far as the comment that...

      "If you don't like the UI on the OpenMoko then you can change it! That's the beauty of GNU."

      Some of us DON'T live in our parents' basement and no longer have time to write software to fix a crappy UI.

      P.S. Anyone want to buy a used Zaurus?
    • drizek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1You had a nice list of advantages the iphone has over the neo, but you forgot to do the reverse:

      -"OSX" in the iPhone will use up 500mb of space, leaving only 3.5GB of storage.
      -A 1GB microSD card is $15, making it very cheap to upgrade the storage
      -There is no need for the neo to support USB2, it is a lot easier to transfer data to it from an SD card reader than it is to transfer it over USB with a program like iTunes
      - It has GPS
      - It has a much higher res LCD making it much better for web browsing (640x480) and looking at pictures
      - It wont get scratched after two weeks

      The only disadvantage I see in the openmoko that I actually care about is the lack of wifi, which is why I wont be buying one. I will wait 6 months or so for the new model to come out.
  • vanesta, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Real photos of openmoko, it looks cute
    http://www.slashgear.com/openmoko-interface-im-loving-it-173496.php
    • exsst, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7You're going to regret saying that, Female.
    • Hickeroar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yaknow...this reminds me of one of those games that everyone is waiting for because it introduces something really neat and next-gen into the mix...and then when it comes out everything else just falls flat on its face.

      It's a great idea with absolutely craptastic implementation.
  • skunkworker, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8OpenMoko looks like any other average hanheld OS. Bland and Trying to cram alot of features in no space.
  • wvdavis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Site is down!
  • V1ncent, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8This isn't wikiality - a revolution that no one knows about isn't a revolution.
  • MBX1, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7what an ugly phone & ui...

    looks more like a tamagotchi-gameboy or a long ice-hockey puck. yuck.
    • EvilTesdall, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4yeah its really ugly....kinda reminds me of an iphone...
  • fusioned, on 10/12/2007, -5/+9Just because a phone runs Linux does not make it better by any means.

    Case in point: Trolltech's Qtopia Greenphone
    • evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The Greenphone is currently only for developers.
    • leinir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Bad example: Greenphone is a development tool, not an end-user device.
  • Kale, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Whoever did the presentation did a good job.
  • splendid, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Site down, duggmirror didn't catch it in time. Sounds interesting however.
  • RozzleDozzle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5That thing is ugly, I'm sorry. The interface is...bleck. Black and Orange? Is it Halloween? Still, has nice features, but im shallow, so aesthetics are important to me.
  • iamorlando, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2LOL, Moko sounds a lot like bugger in spanish
  • Loudigi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I don't care how cool any of these phones are, MOKO sounds alot like MOCO which is Boogers, Mucus in Spanish. So what do I look like holding Open Mucus? Where is the RESEARCH?
    • EvilTesdall, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0spain - no one cares about spain.....
  • libervisco, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Apologies for the site downtime. We really need to go dedicated with our hosting or something.

    This is the second time Libervis Network got dugg underground. :(
    • libervisco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's up now, but I guess that's because the story has been taken off the digg front page.
  • ImTheDarkcyde, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Sounds like a linux fanboy trying desperately to win over iPhone fans

    all this has on the iPhone is its not locked, and even with the iPhone that won't be a problem for long
    • Phocion55, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"Sounds like a linux fanboy trying desperately to win over iPhone fans"
      I love how you use "fanboys" with Linux, but "fans" with iPhone. Let's completely forget that last week Digg was flooded with 30 articles per day about Mac creaming their pants about how awesome it's going to be.

      "all this has on the iPhone is its not locked"
      Good enough for me. Sold.
    • Hellmark, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Even with unlocking the iPhone, it still isnt easily taken elsewhere. $600 if you get it with plan, but $800-$1000 range if you buy it without a contract. On top of that, the only option of other services you can take it to in North America is T Mobile. Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltel, US Cellular networks do not use GSM, which is all the iPhone supports. A non GSM version isnt coming out any time soon, since Apple has an exclusive contract with Cingular to produce only for them, and Cingular isnt switching.
  • MysticMaven, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Oh and it also beats it in size

    http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/smartphones/sizemodo-iphone-vs-openmoko-neo1073-229294.php

    Wil O'Neil geeks, if you don't like Apple then why do you bash it so much? It sounds like jealousy to me. Just buy something else and get on with your life.
  • Arch4ngel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Specs:

    http://www.openmoko.com/press/index.html#preliminary_specification
  • Beaver6813, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1http://www.duggmirror.com
  • choopie911, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3So....its open source, but lacking everywhere else?
    • Phocion55, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2No, you're 100% right. It DOES lack something.......

      DRM
  • IdanE, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Guys, I'm for open source, or at least open standards. I also want freedom to control my devices and decide what software is on them.

    But this comparison is not like comparing apples to apples. Or apples to oranges. It's comparing a steak dinner with cup'o'noodles !!!

    Yeah, it's $150 cheaper but:
    1. USB1.1 (iPhone has 2.0)
    2. MUCH smaller screen (though @ a higher res)
    3. Barely any multimedia possiblities
    4. Tiny storage (last time I checked, flash costs money, and putting in 4 gigs of it costs more than 64megs)
    5. No camera, which is pretty important today for most people
    6. The iPhone is taking heat for not supporting high speed 3G data nets, and this thing doesn't even have that!
    7. NO WIFI!!!!
    8. 1.5 times the thickness of the iPhone
    9. No multi touch (and since the nice people @ apple patented it, adding it would be kinda illegal).
    10. Looks more like a toy than a hi-tech gadget.

    I'm all for someone besting apple, because they have an amazing toy. And though I'm probably not going to get it (not until they add in faster data), do NOT call anything a revolution unless it does something revolutionary. The high point it GPS functionality, but even that's been done before. being able to put new SW on your phone is NOT a revolution - I've been doing it for years. Maybe linux on a phone ? Nope, done already - MOTO's been selling them for a while.

    BTW, the real revolution apple might start, is that the UI looks more user friendly than I've ever seen, and if they pull it off, maybe we'll get better UIs on out phone. Other than that - no revolutions
  • MrSunshine, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1Rounded cell phones are for girls.
  • mushy99, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Forget this phone and the Apple. All the linux mobiles I have tried are buggy as hell. Don't get me wrong, I am a Linux fan,... always have been and always will be, but on a mobile device, there simply is no point.

    I recentrly purchased an O2 Orbit and it's fantastic.

    Inbuild GPS, Wifi, bluetooth, FM Radio, etc,..... And lods of apps available. You simply can't go wrong with it. As for memory, I installed 2 gigs, plenty for music and GPS maps.
  • naio21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Cool! Apple fanboys vs OSS fanboys! Let's the carnage begins! :-)))
  • tensvb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Like in most open source projects, it seems like the biggest value of this thing is that it's "open source" and "free as free speech". And who cares that it's buggy, slow and ugly? It's open source, fix it yourself!
  • Skizmo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2That thing is UGLY. . .and .. wasn't there already a digg thread about this thing ?
  • BeeWolf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Off the top of my head, what makes the iPhone desieable and revolution are is:

    1. Touch screen user interface wth no physical buttons.

    2. Fully functioning video-enabled iPod

    3. A real web browser and a real email client

    4. Innovative features like "visual voicemail"

    5. Apple fit and finish

    This phone seems to have only one of these things: the touch screen (but does it require a stylus?). It doesn't even have WiFi or a camera, let alone gigs of storage included. The fact that it's $150 cheaper than the iPhone is a testament to the iPhone's value!

    What it does have is "openness," which is a neat feature to six slashdot-reading nerds.
  • waxdart, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Oh yes! I'll forget the iPhone, because I'd rather stay inside and code open source applications for a poorly/sparsely supported handheld device than, you know... use a well-designed phone.
  • bocher, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0when making these comparisons - is anyone actually going to admit that the 'Apple iPhone' (assuming it keeps that name) does NOT exist - it is vaporware!

    There is a reason they kept it in a bell jar at Macworld
  • ramjet10, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0will the iphone eventually get hacked to use user software anyway?
  • jurassic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1And here many pictures:

    http://www.openmoko.com/press/index.html#pictures
  • Lazybones, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The FEATURE of the iPhone is that the interface is easy and it has some superior hardware features such as the multi touch screen large on board storage and a proximity sensor to control the screen.

    Since the Moko doesn't even exist yet, this leaves RIM Blackberry add MS PDA phone devices far ahead and a better comparison to the iPhone than the possible Moko. Actually other than the OS being open there are MS PDA phones with equal or better hardware specs that you can already purchase.
  • michaelGregoire, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Love the concept. Hate the looks. Talk about Fugly.
  • Jarasmen, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1How I understand the article: OpenMoko may not be as cool, pretty, functional, packed with features, easy to use and technologically advanced as the Apple iPhone, but it is based on free software so it's obviously better! I'm not ditching the "openness" (is that even a word?) of this device, but allowing you to customize your phone does not make it uber-awesome. I mean - what ELSE do you need on these phones (though iPhone could use the possibility to install third-party software, which it hasn't - or so I have heard)?

    That said, I'm not going to buy either of these in the near future, as I would need to sacrifice at least one of my kidneys to afford it.
  • DogmaticAtheism, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Whoa, this is way better than the iPod phone. I will definitely be getting this instead.
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