Engadget confirms that S60 is pretty much untouched by at&t – and at least their crapware can be hidden. But the real point is summed up with these words – …let’s not forget — you’re getting one of the sexiest smartphones ever made for a penny shy of a hundie, so really, what do ya got to complain about?
TuxMobil writes “Bad news for FreeRunner fans: development of the first Open Source smartphone will be discontinued. (English translation via Google) OpenMoko executive director Sean Moss-Pulz said at OpenExpo in Bern (Switzerland) that the number of staffers will be reduced to be able to stay in business. OpenMoko had high intentions: the offspring from Taiwanese electronic manufacturer First International Computer (FIC) wanted to produce an Open Source smartphone. Not only with Open Source software pre-installed, but with free drivers and open specifications of the hardware components. This would give programmers as well as users complete freedom. Up to now the manufacturer has produced two models, the first has sold 3,000 units and the second one 10,000. Both models were targeted primarily to developers. From the beginning, OpenMoko had to fight with different problems. The smartphones came onto the market after a huge delay. Some phones came with construction defects. Also, changes in the team slowed down the development. Software development for the current smartphone will be continued but with fewer resources, Moss-Pultz said. He still hopes the community will support the FreeRunner.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
We in the US love to complain. Take this week’s introduction of Skype for the iPhone. The mobile VoIP client appears to be a pretty solid offering, letting you not only chat with your Skype buddies, but also make voice calls–as long as you’re using …
Since Tuesday, Skype for iPhone has been downloaded more than a million times—that’s a rate of six downloads a second, according to the company. All this despite the fact the software only works via the iPhone’s Wi-Fi connection, and not AT&T’s 3G network. That restriction has angered some, who have argued that the practice is anti-competitive.
Apple recently ordered 3.2 Megapixel camera sensors for the iPhone, in addition to 5 Megapixel camera sensors for a product reported to launch late this year.
OLPCs are a great idea, but it’s the cell phone that’s really changing the developing world.
Forget Street View, there is a far more subtle – and pervasive – invasion of your private life being carried out – this time through your mobile phone. A week before, Google had, without any fanfare, released 11 software applications for mobile phones that spell a fundamental change in our lives.
Macworld is reporting that an internet advocacy group has asked the FCC to investigate whether the WiFi-only restriction on the Skype for iPhone app is in violation of federal law. “Since its release on Tuesday, Skype for iPhone has been downloaded more than a million times — that’s a rate of six downloads a second, according to the company. All this despite the fact the software only works via the iPhone’s Wi-Fi connection, and not AT&T’s 3G network. […] The letter cites the FCC’s Internet Policy Statement (PDF link) which states that ‘consumers are entitled to run applications and use services of their choice’ in order to ‘preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet.'”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Hugh Pickens writes “A Pew study last year found that only 38 percent of rural American homes have access to broadband Internet, compared to 57 percent in cities and 60 percent in the suburbs. All that could be about to change with the announcement that Verizon plans to start introducing a new wireless network in the 700 MHz spectrum in 2010. ‘The licenses we bought in the 700MHz auction cover the whole US,’ says Tony Melone, a Verizon Wireless VP. ‘And we plan to roll out LTE [high-speed mobile service] throughout the entire country, including places where we don’t offer our [current] cell phone service today.’ Because the [700 MHz] spectrum is in a lower frequency, it can transmit signals over longer distances and penetrate through obstacles, and because the signals travel longer distances, Verizon can deploy fewer cell towers than if it used spectrum from a higher frequency band, which means it can provide coverage at a lower cost. President Obama’s administration is well aware of the high-speed Internet divide that exists today, and as part of the overall economic stimulus package passed by Congress, the government is allocating .2 billion for projects that bring broadband Internet access to rural towns and communities.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Everybody loves the idea of cheap VoIP calls on cell phones. Everybody, that is, except for wireless carriers who charge usurious fees for voice and data plans. Cellular providers around the globe are placing restrictions on Skype for iPhone and other Internet phone services, and that’s bad news for consumers.
