A rough guide to mobile open source

What is Openmoko?
Openmoko is a mobile Linux project that is quite unlike its rivals. Almost everything involved in the creation of an Openmoko phone (the most recent is the Neo FreeRunner, pictured above) is open source, from the operating system to applications to reference designs.

What are the pros?
The completely open nature of the project has led to a dedicated following in the developer community, many of whom are also excited by the lack of domination by big-name companies.

Now into their second iteration in the FreeRunner, Openmoko handsets are starting to find some uses. A notable example is the NeoPwn project, which is turning the FreeRunner into a mobile, network-penetration tool.

The FreeRunner's touchscreen and GPS also mean the open-source community is getting to play around with and innovate on the current essentials for a mobile phone. The results of such experiments will feed back into the Linux kernel.

What are the cons?
Openmoko is, by the standards of the mobile-phone industry, an incredibly niche proposition. The FreeRunner, while an improvement on its predecessor, the Neo 1973, is still fairly clunky when compared to an iPhone.

The limited production runs on Openmoko handsets also mean they are relatively expensive and can be hard to obtain. While it may prove productive in the future, the Openmoko project is currently for hobbyists only.