Portrait of a Linux iPhone-killer wannabe

By David Haskin, Computerworld, 08/02/07

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In the race to be the first "iPhone killer," the most unlikely but perhaps most intriguing candidate is based on a new Linux platform with the peculiar name OpenMoko.

Major mobile phone vendors are tripping over themselves to release devices to compete with Apple's iPhone. LG Electronics Inc. has its Prada, High Tech Computer Corp. has the Touch, and Samsung Group will release its Ultra Smart F700.

However, OpenMoko comes from a low-visibility Taipei-based company, First International Computer Inc. (FIC), which is best known for manufacturing laptops for vendors such as Hewlett-Packard Co.

The first phone based on the OpenMoko platform, FIC's Neo 1973, is currently available to developers, with wide release expected this autumn. Can a relatively unknown vendor using a new Linux platform succeed in such a highly competitive market?

"The likelihood of this product becoming mainstream is very low," said Ken Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner Inc. in Stamford, Conn.

However, Sean Moss-Pultz, primary architect of OpenMoko, disagrees. In an interview, he didn't refer to the Neo 1973 as an "iPhone-killer" -- the media and bloggers have been doing that. However, he did say he expects the device, with its iPhone-like touch screen, to be a hit. That's because application developers will have complete access to the system.

"Most of the [Linux] consumer devices don't give developers access to low-level hardware stuff," Moss-Pultz said. "We want [developers] involved in the most fundamental parts, such as the kernel and device drivers."

That, in turn, is leading to a flurry of development that will make the device so feature-rich and customizable that it will be compelling for both consumers and enterprises, Moss-Pultz said.

The first attempt

Even without a flock of busy developers, the Neo 1973, with its expected price of $300 for an unlocked version, should be attractive, Moss-Pultz said.

He said the device will work over Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) cellular networks (AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile in the U.S.), although the first version will support only older, modem-speed General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) cellular data access. By contrast, the iPhone has been criticized for only supporting enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) cellular data technology, which is significantly faster than GPRS but slower than 3G.

For more enterprise computing news, visit Computerworld. Story copyright Computerworld, Inc.

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