Trolltech announced that Qtopia Phone Edition has been ported to the Neo1973 mobile phone from FIC and open-source software provider OpenMoko and has been GPL'ed. Now, in addition to Trolltech's Qtopia GreenphoneT, developers have an additional reference platform and form factor for development and testing of new mobile Qtopia applications. Read on for more and a short Q&A with Benoit Schillings, CTO of Trolltech (also of BeOS fame as one of the original Be, Inc. engineers).
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2006-07-16
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The stock OpenMoko software which ships with the Neo1973 is very incomplete and pretty much useless, so you cannot use the Neo1973 as a day-to-day phone with that software according to http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Developer_preview.
Now that we have Qtopia on the Neo1973, does that mean the Neo1973 is a useful phone and I can use it in the real world?
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Just tried calling and being called as well as sending/receiving SMS - it works!!! MMS currently only via HTTP (which is not that widely supported), unless you compile Qtopia with a 3rd party WAP stack. Didn't try browsing/VoIP yet, but they should work.
Playing asteroids with touch only is tough, though 
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2006-09-30
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If that's gonna be picked up by the community it's going to be big news for all of people considering neo purchase.
With all the respect to mobile gnome, qtopia is way more mature.
For trolltech it's also a very smart move (unless they planned to seriousely profit their reference which would be really silly).
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Does running Qtopia on Neo1973 mean replacing OpenMoko, or can they live side by side?
Since both are open source, I realize that anybody could take the two and make them one. The question is rather if they, out of the box, run on a common embedded Linux distribution.
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I like the fact that things are moving for linux in the mobile arena, but they keep saying they are for developers only...
I wonder how far away the day is when the geeks like me who aren't developers per se (though I do know some rudimentary Ruby through self teaching...)will be able to play with it as well and get to have some fun...
Until then, I guess I will just enjoy the pictures of the cool looking little phones...
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So far it looks like this day will be Chrismas: (see "Phase 2")
http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Neo1973
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2005-08-12
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This phone is actually shaping up nicely, with the Trolltech PE it could actually turn into a very usable device, fairly quickly. Only thing its missing in GPS. $450 is a bit steep for this type of device though, I hope they don't price themselves out of the market like the Palm Folio did. You need market penetration before you can charge a premium, and at $450 this is premium pricing.
Edited 2007-09-18 15:02
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I can't think of anything more premium at the moment than a completely open cellphone platform. Its a nice looking touchscreen phone too. I am willing to pay extra for a phone that is just UNLOCKED, so its not a leash for the often unscrupulous phone companies to control me. A phone that I could choose my own applications and content is a dream come true. The last link to mobile freedom would be the open spectrum Google was pushing for earlier this year. The freedom to REALLY choose a provider, or even BECOME a small time service provider. That would change the Rules of the game. Mobile companies would then begin to have to compete for customers, instead of simply luring them into contracts that are not in the customers interests.
Edited 2007-09-18 15:46
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It does have GPS. From http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Hardware:AGPS
"he AGPS chip in the Neo1973 is called Hammerhead, and it is the same chip used in TomTom one devices..."
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2006-01-10
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I think on this side are some screenshots:
http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Qtopia_on_Neo_1973
Do anybody know of other screenshots?
What I don't like on OpenMoko is, that all feels big and fat. (The icons and so on there)
It seems that the clock of Qtopia have slim hands. But the rest feels fat.
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2006-01-10
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Here are other screenshots of Qtopia on other phones.
There it looks not so fat:
http://www.botch.com/~mpilone/projects/tipper/images/snapshot1.png
http://www.lucid-cake.net/osx_qpe/index_en.html
http://www.futurebytes.ch/world-of-mobilephone/qtopia-greenphone-li...
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS8030785497.html
http://www.wide-eye.de/pda_sl5500.htm
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Here the youtube videos, where Qtopia on OpenMoko is shown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW5q8SpY7t4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOG_mtSEMgs
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