OpenMoko is the name of the first open source platform for mobile phone development. It stands for “Open Kommunication” and is also the name of the firm that came with this concept. Trough a partnership with FIC the new smartphone Neo1973 will be developed based on the OpenMoko standardizations.

The two firms believe that today’s mobile phone market is a chaos and they are trying to set this new concept as a call for standardization. For the average user this means a computer-like situation where parts and software are following certain specifications. This will lead to the possibility of porting applications between different brands of mobile phones. The two developing company’s see the possible applications market exceeding today’s ring tones market if their idea becomes reality. From my point of view I can see myself benefiting from an opportunity like this as I would not have to change my calendar software every time I change my phone. Yet I am not sure the market will follow this trend as mobile phone makers always followed only their interest.
You have in this picture the beautiful FIc smartphone that will be the first to benefit from this platform. The device will include a 2.8″ TFT screen displaying a resolution of 480×640, a touchscreen, an USB 1.1 connection module, AGPS navigation module, a mini SD slot 128 MB of SDRAM and 64 MB of memory. The power will come from a 1200 mAh battery that will be charged using the USB connector. There are no details on the software yet, but all the regular smartphone applications should be included.

The FIC NEO1973 was first presented last autumn in Amsterdam but, according to a press release, it is to be available on the market even this month. I am sorry to say that at (this moment) we have no information on the pricing of the product or on the exact release date, but you can always return here for more information as we will provide more details as soon as they will be available.

Filed under Mobile phones, Portable Media