Hi-Mobile.net sent us in an unlocked iPhone for testing. We used the iPhone for almost a month now and it's time to write an editorial-type article on the... unlockiness of it all.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2005-11-14
Well, that's a bit rude to call it a joke. And you have some of your facts wrong.
There IS a company behind OpenMoko, and there are actual usability engineers being paid to work on it. It's still an unfinished product, but compared to most phones out there it's looking quite good already.
Too bad you didn't get to see the iPhone in development, before it was ready.
Member since:2005-06-28
I know that there is a company behind it, but the development of the software is an open affair. And usually these open affairs never create a platform that it's a joy to use. Too many people with different opinions under different bosses creates no coherence at the end. Personally, I would not wait or use the OpenMoko.
Member since:2007-01-29
Well, for you (as for many other GNOME users) that might be correct, as you say:
But 1) building a pretty UI on top of a working and powerfull embedded platform is way easier than getting the base stuff working and
2) there are geeks like me who have no problem with whatever interface a device has, as long as it gives access to the FEATURES (and maybe is customizable) in there (heck, give me a shell on my phone and a tiny keyboard
.. So openmoko might seem a joke to you now, but at the moment it is officially 'for geeks only' anyways..
I'm pretty sure though within a year there will be at least one openmoko device which makes GNOME users happy aswell. And has a standard headphone jack, too.
Member since:2005-07-06
IMO, the OpenMoko thing is a joke and it won't be truly ready for at least 2 more years. It does not have the coherence that can derive by a single company working together and doing some real usability studies.
You know, some people are going to get slightly uncomfortable with that, but I have to agree with you. I would absolutely love to buy one of these phones, and I don't like Apple controlling what I install, but the software they're using will be out of commission for the foreseeable future. Your only bet to getting it to do anything today is to install Qtopia.
I blogged about it in fact the other day:
http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/10/25/the-openmoko-joke/
Nokia and Symbian appear to be going with big widgets, but it's about more than just usability (and being like the iPhone). Having a bigger screen and less keys allows them to basically put more on the phone elsewhere.
Microsoft have also been guilty of going down the same road with Windows Mobile, simply because they think that the Windows desktop and the start menu are so cool then they must work on a phone. They don't.
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:
2005-06-28
IMO, the OpenMoko thing is a joke and it won't be truly ready for at least 2 more years. It does not have the coherence that can derive by a single company working together and doing some real usability studies. I blogged about it in fact the other day:
http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/10/25/the-openmoko-joke/