Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] I saw an OpenMoko phone today...

["Jonathan King" <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On 11/9/07, Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED> wrote:
> I think the developer phones have been out for awhile, right?  The
> wifi-enabled phones are supposed to be out in a month or two.

I am not sure. This person would have been a potential developer.

> I'm really interested in the OpenMoko phone (OpenMoko is the OS and the
> phone is really called Neo1973).

Yes, this was a Neo1973 and was evidently the next-to-final version.

> I can deal with a small screen if it has
> high resolution (e.g., a small 640x480 would be good for me).  What does
> the Neo1973 have, and what does your Blackberry have?

I don't know the number of pixels, but it is a *very* high res screen.
My blackberry is probably 320x240 or slightly better; I'm not sure.
What my BlackBerry does have is a usable keyboard, which the Neo does
not (in my opinion)

> The iPhone has a multitouch screen.

Yes, and that part of it does rock.

> I think the Neo1973 won't have that.

It didn't seem to.

> Multitouch is very cool on a small device.

Actually, I think you would have needed a somewhat larger screen to
pull it off. And there is no way you could have used fingers to type
on the Neo touch screen, which would be pen/stylus only.

> I can live without it though,
> at least for another year or two! (sorta like hi-def)  ;-)  I will want to
> see what developers can put together for the phone before I buy one.  It
> should be easy to get ssh running on it, for example, and I will want
> that, but is it available now?

I believe so. Getting just apps to run on it wouldn't be a big issue;
rather it's getting apps appropriate for the size and kind of device
this is.

> Related to your comment on keyboards:  I just received a collapsing
> mini-keyboard for my Treo 600.  It's very nice.  I paid only $60 (it used
> to list for about $200).  I'm impressed with the design.  I don't have a
> lot of use for it but I will use it for email sometimes when traveling
> (where my laptop can't get wifi or where wifi costs more than I want to
> pay).  I think it will be the thing of the future for the smallest
> devices.  Now we just need a way to make screens unfold too.

That's doable with technology we have, in monochrome anyway. My
fantasy idea was to ignore the idea of having a foldable LCD screen,
but rather to have a very small projector (about 1/4 the size of the
current tiny ones) and a small foldable bright white screen. You would
lose the touch interface, but then a foldable keyboard and a mouse
give you something useful and (as you point out) not needing wifi.

> And, of
> course, a way to make our batteries last longer.

Battery life on the Blackberry is awesome, that I must say.

> I'm actually pretty excited about OpenMoko and the Neo1973 and I look
> forward to buying one!

It's definitely an interesting idea. I think the phone is much smarter
than the interface at the moment, though, and there's a lot of that
going around. But because this is an open platform, there is more
promise for the future.

jking

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