With all the press lately on the iPhone I figured it was time I offered up some alternatives. In other words, I'm not going to walk you though it, if you want details see Engadget's coverage. (Which is top notch)
OpenMoko
OpenMokoThis is one I just discovered earlier today. It seems to be (according to the press release) an "open source" phone.
Open mobile communications development platform and phones will create explosive growth of mobile applications to rival the diversity and size of the massive ringtone market and foster new income models for carriers.And it seems to be a really exciting new product, kinda reminiscent of the "greenphone" (which I'll discuss later). This is definately one to watch. [More pictures here]
GreenphoneThe Greenphone, is an open source Linux-based phone, that will pretty much do, well whatever you want to develop it to and with specs like the touch-screen, a 312mhz processor, GSM, Bluetooth, and a 1.3 megapixel camera, that could be an awful lot.
Already GAIM, has stated developing for it (Well Qtopia rather). And soon to be countless others. But at the moment it's more for developers and very early adopters, especially since there is no real carrier support, and I'd be surprised if there ever was. It also support a hefty price tag for features that can be found in a standard 60$ cell, it clocks in at $695 USD.
There's also bound to be a decent buzz over it soon as it was at CES January 8th, for a hands-on demo.
Windows Mobile Devices
Already GAIM, has stated developing for it (Well Qtopia rather). And soon to be countless others. But at the moment it's more for developers and very early adopters, especially since there is no real carrier support, and I'd be surprised if there ever was. It also support a hefty price tag for features that can be found in a standard 60$ cell, it clocks in at $695 USD.
There's also bound to be a decent buzz over it soon as it was at CES January 8th, for a hands-on demo.
Windows Mobile DevicesNow with all this talk about smart phones (as well as PDA's) I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention Windows Mobile 2003 (Pocket PC 5) devices. (Pictured above is the Motorola Q)
Windows mobile is a fairly robust platform who's main benefit at the moment is compatibility, no one offers more (except maybe Palm) and with the slew of apps and the phones being shoved down our throats at the moment it's pretty hard to ignore (blackjack anyone?). It's definately a viable option, it might not be a pretty as the iPhone but it is indefinably usable. (Skype!)
And with the Opera browser, and messenger programs available for it, it's a pleasant experience.
Windows mobile is a fairly robust platform who's main benefit at the moment is compatibility, no one offers more (except maybe Palm) and with the slew of apps and the phones being shoved down our throats at the moment it's pretty hard to ignore (blackjack anyone?). It's definately a viable option, it might not be a pretty as the iPhone but it is indefinably usable. (Skype!)
And with the Opera browser, and messenger programs available for it, it's a pleasant experience.
Now out of all the phones I've mentioned, WM is th only thing really available for consumer use (for now anyway). It has all the options you're familiar with if you're and XP user. Plus if you can grab one along with a 3g service, it's a damn nice ride (I'd suggest Sprint, they've got the speed) and you can't really go wrong with one, just as always make sure you test it for about a week and see how it feels in you hands.
And if you are lucky enough to grab an iPhone when it ships, let me play with it for about and an hour. And if you're looking for someone to take your SIM card model phone off your hands, give me a buzz!
Now Playing: Yasunori Mitsuda - Balto
And if you are lucky enough to grab an iPhone when it ships, let me play with it for about and an hour. And if you're looking for someone to take your SIM card model phone off your hands, give me a buzz!
Now Playing: Yasunori Mitsuda - Balto
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