OpenMoko Neo FreeRunner Launches July 4

[BhaKi]

Openness > Open source

But google says it will be 100% opensource when released

Merely providing source of the OS doesn't make the phone an open phone. The more important issue is total control to customers over what really runs on the phone - not just at application level or source code level, but at machine code level and OS level. For this level of control, you need to have
1. A mechanism for booting the phone with whatever kernel (not just Linux) you want it to boot.
2. Programming documentation of the hardware used by the phone down to machine level.

SDK for development and source code of the OS are insufficient substitutes for machine-level documentation. There is no assurance whatsoever from google that the android phone will be 100% documented.

Only open documentation can prevent vendor lock-in and ensure fair competition between OSs. Not open source. What's the use of the source-code when there is no exhaustive programming documentation? Your freedom to tinker with the source-code will be limited to a few areas which don't require hardware documentation.

[audir8]

...option of running Android or the OpenMoko OS was on the table.

Here's a post by someone who tried to run Android on the Neo 1973: http://benno.id.au/blog/2007/11/21/android-neo1973
Android needs ARMv5, and the 920T core used in the 1973 and FreeRunner uses the ARMv4 ISA.

The hardware page has links to all available datasheets: http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Neo_Fr...GTA02_Hardware
There's a group sales page setup on the wiki too which will get you the phone for $369 instead of $399: http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/GroupSales

I would have no qualms about getting one if it had EDGE, but it doesn't, so I'll wait for Android. Patience is a virtue

[joshuapurcell]

I've heard that OpenMoko sold out in a matter of hours on Friday (posted on a mailing list I'm subscribed to) but I have no way to prove it. Did anyone here get one of these phones?