The end of a hide and seek game

Have you ever asked yourself "why can't I just send this ringtone through bluetooth" or "why can't i synchronize my phone with "? You are not alone! When buying a cellular you are facing two problems: first, in most cases you cannot try before you buy. You may have the chance to take a glance at the device you wish to buy, but thats it. Often you will rely on the oppinion of your friends and colleagues and just buy it in the hope that it will fit your needs. Second, the user interface may have been replaced by your operator. They want to make money with it, so you have a "push-me-and-you-will-pay-5-dollar"-button now instead of a button leading you right to the "create a new short message" screen. For the same reason some other functions have been disabled completely like playback of simple MP3 files. With DRM your operator can make money, again. These are the common problems when buying a new mobile phone. But what if you are interested in changing the behaviour or look of your phone completely? Lets say you are a user interface designer and you like to play around with such devices. Most of the devices don't allow you to change it in this way or the manufacturer of the cellular restricts you with an adhesion contract. Simply stated there is a need for a device which lets

• * developers do whatever they want with it
• * consumers free choice what they want to do with it

As a result, developers need access to every detail of the hard- and software as there are:

• * hardware device driver information
• * APIs
• * a non-restrictive license
• * developer support
• * debugging hardware

Consumers on the other hand need to have a free choice of what they want to install on the device and how they want to use it. Luckily we can now say: the pain is over! There is a new device on the market that has all these benefits and more! It is called Openmoko. It is truely open, from the operating system with its hardware device drivers through the layout of the board inside up to the construction of the casing. Developers are now able to turn this device into what they need, e.g. a medical device or a device ofr an interactive exhibition guide. Consumers are now free to choose their flavour. There will be hundreds of free applications, free skins, free flavours of operating software and a large community helping you out if you need support. Since the openness of this device also leaves contraints in creativity and possibilities behind there will be many innovative functions available. Be the first to have an intelligent phone that recognizes to mute itself in a meeting or to raise the volume when you are standing at a railway station. Be the first to fully utilize the potential of your mobile phone device. The Openmoko is equiped with two accelorometer sensors: play games like the marble labyrinth. Connect it to the internet by wifi, bluetooth or USB-cable. Know where you are with the built in GPS. Here are some videos that give you an impression about the Openmoko: A video showing the web browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btY2SFVrOsc A video showing the media player: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BUMhJKlxJA More information about the Openmoko Freerunner phone can be found here: Community wiki: http://www.openmoko.org Manufacturer site: http://www.openmoko.com By the way, the manufacturer is offering a discount on the device when ordering in groups by ten. I am very interested in this device. If you are interested in mobile computing or just need a phone that works the way you want this may be a chance for you to get this device for a cheap price. If you are interested, please add yourself to the wiki of openmoko: http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/GroupSales#Bremen or http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/GroupSales#Bremerhaven In any case: Free your phone! :)