Openmoko publishes schematics for 1973, FreeRunner
updated 04:25 pm EDT, Fri August 8, 2008
Openmoko shares schematics
Open-source cellular phone maker Openmoko today announced that it will supply the schematics for its 1973 phone and the recently unveiled Neo FreeRunner. Before this release, the CAD files were available under a Creative Commons Share-Alike license that allowed product designers to change the look and feel of the device. Now, engineers can freely customize FreeRunners on the outside while programmers can write any applications and programs for the devices.
The published schematics will also allow engineers to add functions offered by external instruments or sensors. The most recent step in opening the architecture of the new phone involved u-blox AG of Switzerland releasing the complete schematics on how its GPS chip is integrated into the FreeRunner phone.
The FreeRunner features a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, two 3-axis motion sensors, 128MB of RAM and 256MB of on-board flash memory complemented by a microSD card slot. A GPS sensor, 802.11g Wi-Fi, 2.5G GPRS and Bluetooth 2.0 support are also part of the phone. The Linux-based Openmoko interface will allow users to download updates that will bring with them more features, including mapping software.
The tri-band GSM Openmoko Neo FreeRunner is priced at $399 and available on Openmoko's web store. North American users will be able to use the FreeRunner on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks. Openmoko announced the schematics will soon be available for download on both openmoko.com and openmoko.org.
