Linux Powered NEO 1973 Great iPhone Alternative

The $300 Linux-Powered iPhone Killer Arrives

After seemingly endless delays, the OpenMoko phone is here. The first version of the NEO 1973 mobile phone, which carries the Linux kernel inside and is not locked to a specific network, is available for purchase from OpenMoko.com. It’s not as jaw-droppingly pretty as the iPhone, but it shares a design philosophy — no buttons, just a screen — and it’s ready to be loaded with any number of open-source software applications. (Though, according to Gadget Lab, so is the iPhone).

The base version of the NEO sells for $300. It has a 2.8″ VGA touch screen, a micro SD card slot, a USB port and 2.5G GSM quad band capability.

Keep in mind that this unit (the GTA01) was pushed out early so developers could begin writing device drivers, custom GUIs and some cool apps for the phone. The next revision (GTA02), which will be available starting at $450 in October, will be ready for the mass market. It will have wi-fi, 3-D motion sensors and added graphics accelerators. So this phone isn’t exactly an iPhone killer — the next one will be a contender. AptUsTech has a nice comparison of the NEO 1973 and the iPhone.

When it comes to devices, more choice is almost always “a good thing.” But will consumers respond to the NEO? We all know developers are going to dig this phone. But what’s more important to consumers — a super-sexy status item that’s locked to one carrier and one set of functions, or a less sexy look-alike with a fully free and open software system?

At the same time a very interresting phone has been launched on the market : the Neo 1973

From an user point of view, the two phones share the same design — no more buttons only a tactile screen. While the iPhone has a wonderful user interface that is very polished (as usual from Apple), the Neo 1973 is more conservative with a more traditional interface comparable with an existing PDA.

The main feature of the Neo 1973 is openness. All the hardware is documented, and the software is open source. This contrasts greatly with the iPhone which is as closed as a bank vault. The only way to develop software on iPhone is to build web services designed to fit well on the screen or to use javascript with limited access to the iPhone resources. Trillian just did this and developed a chat application for the iPhone.

But without access to the bare metal, the applications will be limited, and the control remains in the hands of Apple. Of course there is attempt to reverse engineer the iPhone software so a preliminary shell can be run.

On the other hand, the Neo 1973 gives you a total control of the software, a SDK is provided at www.openmoko.org you can also download an emulator and try your software without the real hardware.

Hardware Comparaison
The hardware of the iPhone is not known for sure but several reports give a close idea of what it is.

No doubt the hardware of the iPhone is more advanced, but the next revision of the Neo 1973 should bring improvements:

• 802.11 b/g WiFi
• Samsung 2442 SoC (400MHz and Camera interface)
• SMedia 3362 Graphics Accelerator
• 2 3D Accelerometers
• 256MB Flash

The main missing function of the Neo 1973 is the camera, but the hopefully the next version will provide it. As an interim, an external USB webcam could be used.

The GPS opens a lot of possibilities, I bet SMS bloging with ubiquitous geographicall positioning will be one of the first mainstream application.

What to do with a Neo 1973
I spoke about shared phone and product adaptation in a precedent article with this phone you can adapt the software to your exact requirements. You can have a phone booth application complete with accounting. Or you can monitor easily a truck or a boat and optimize delivery and pickup.
With the good screen resolution it’s also possible to use it as an e-book reader, or as a web browser with better readability than the iPhone.
Please post your ideas in the comments below and have a look on the existing projects.

How much and when
The Neo 1973 is available now, for a price of $300 you can order it on the web.
The price is high for personal use in developping countries but it’s a great tool for community based phone and we can hope it will lead a open movement in the closed world of GSM phone.

The Neo1973 is the first phone designed to run OpenMoko. It is a phone that can be used with any GSM operator, and it is manufactured by FIC who instigated the OpenMoko project.

If you just received a Neo1973 here are some suggestions for getting started.

Neo1973 Hardware and Disassembling Neo1973 have more information on the hardware.

See OpenMoko, OpenMokoFramework, MokoMakefile and Development resources for more information about source code.

The Neo Base costs $300, the Neo Advanced costs $450.

Neo Base — everything the mobile application developer needs to enjoy the benefits of the first freed phone, the Neo1973:

* Neo 1973 (GTA01B_v4)
* Battery
* Stylus
* Headset
* AC Charger
* Phone Pouch
* Lanyard
* SanDisk 512MB MicroSD Card
* Mini USB Connectivity Cable

Neo Advanced — everything the mobile device hacker wants to get down and dirty with the first freed phone, the Neo1973:
* Neo1973 (GTA01B_v4)
* Battery (2x)
* Stylus
* Headset
* AC Charger
* Phone Pouch
* Lanyard
* SanDisk 512MB MicroSD Card (2x)
* Mini USB Connectivity Cable (2x)
* USB Host Mode Cable
* Debug Flex Cable
* Debug Board v2 (JTAG and serial console)
* Ruggedized Toolbox with shoulder strap
* Guitar Pick (for opening case)
* Torx T6 screwdriver

“Phase 2″ (GTA02, “Mass Market”)

GTA02 (AKA: The Mass Market Neo 1973) is on schedule to go on sale in October. It will have the following new hardware components:
* 802.11 b/g WiFi
* Samsung 2442 SoC
* SMedia 3362 Graphics Accelerator
* 2 3D Accelerometers
* 256MB Flash
* 1700mAh Battery
* Faster CPU - S3C2442/400

We will sell this device through multiple channels. Direct from openmoko.com, the price will be $450 for the Neo Base and $600 for Neo Advanced.

Adds to the Phase 1 phone:
2D/3D-Graphics-Accelerator
2 Accelerometers (model and number is uncertain)
Faster CPU - S3C2442/400
WiFi: Atheros AR6K (see also [2])
Above from [3] and other sources
There will be no changes in the housing. [4]

5 Comments »

1. […] Trusted Log […]

   Pingback by Musings of a Wired Pig 2.0 » Linux Powered NEO 1973 Great iPhone Alternative — July 10, 2007 @ 02:58

2. No one wants to write their own applications. Supply a phone with a polished set of applications then the geeks can code anything additional. The linux community just doesn’t get it. People want easy to use over expandable. Get the UI and out of the box applications right. Take a tip. Copy the commercial guys like iphone or symbian. Don’t reinvent the wheel. The mass market is quite happy with those. And at the end of the day for a consumer device it’s the consumers that matter, not the developers.

   Comment by Saif Ahmed — July 10, 2007 @ 03:50

3. End users will get for free and easily (the neo1973 will update its soft automatically) all the new software they want. Who said it’s not targeted to the end user ?

   Comment by MickTaiwan — July 15, 2007 @ 18:07

4. How practical a wifi browsing device is openmoko?

   Comment by macewan — July 24, 2007 @ 23:13

5. I think that this makes so much sense. Look at how successful FireFox has been - in a large part to the extensions that you can add to it.

   A device that allows you to download and install custom apps is a fantastic idea. Think of how businesses can use this to develop custom apps for Sales tracking, contact management and more. Developers will follow the lead of the consumers.

   I have been waiting (here in Canada) for the iPhone - now I wonder if the Neo 1973 is really what I need.

   Comment by Procellous — August 28, 2007 @ 18:49

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