OStatic

If Android Won't Do, Consider the Alternative Alternatives

The fateful day has arrived for the first Android-powered phone. This Google-backed open phone will likely be sufficient for a large number of users -- if not in its first incarnation, certainly within a few models and revisions.

But it certainly isn't the only open phone. It isn't the first by any means, and it has another competitor hot on its heels.

Some more pioneering souls might forego the tamer Android for the Neo FreeRunner or the upcoming NeoPwn.

Both phones are powered by free and open software. Both are recommended for users who are comfortable with the inner workings of Linux. Many of the Neo FreeRunner features are stable enough for daily use with Qtopia, according to OpenMoko, the manufacturer. OpenMoko is also developing and welcomes community contributions to the OpenMoko Om platform.

The NeoPwn is based on the OpenMoko platform, for the standard phone/GPS functions -- and additionally runs a customized version of Debian Lenny from a microSD card. It is a phone, but it is also a network auditing/pocket penetration device running Linux network security tools with a "phone friendly" GUI. What makes this device exciting is how it clearly illustrates the potential of open source phones. Not everyone who is considering an open phone will need to do network auditing, but the fact that it is a possibility -- now -- makes the promise of the open phone platforms so much more concrete.

Android will no doubt steal the limelight today. But with the OpenMoko offerings, and the progress made by the LiMo Foundation in bringing a number of handsets to market already, an open phone doesn't have to be Android by default.

• Android
• google
• openmoko
• LiMo
• debian
• NeoPwn
• Neo FreeRunner
• Qtopia
• OM 2008

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