Reactions From Other People to News of OpenMoko

[Ben F-W]

Bryan Fink wrote:
> Answers of the, "So I know exactly what my phone is doing at all times
> - no secrets," variety typically get you labeled paranoid.  Answers of
> the, "Because I will be able to modify absolutely anything about it,"
Really interesting thread, Bryan - and definitely worth thinking about, 
because the 'pitch' to different types of people (developers, early 
adopting consumers, businesses, mass market) will certainly have to vary!

I'd make one comment on the quote above. I agree that most people would 
tend to dismiss unspecified fears ("this bit of hardware might be doing 
something behind my back!"). But if you tie that to a more specific 
example, it might help to get the concept across. I usually point out 
how the priorities of end users and those of operators differ: and it's 
the operators who are the manufacturer's biggest customers. For example, 
some phones put "Send an MMS" above "Send an SMS" on a menu: very few 
MMSs are sent in comparison to texts, but the operators are keen to 
encourage take-up. Or another example: there's no technical reason why 
you can't use any MP3 you've transferred to your phone as a ringtone. 
But allowing that would limit a lucrative market, so most phones prevent it.

It'd be interesting to start collecting ideas of potential ways to 
express the benefits to different types of customer: who would be most 
interested in what type of message? When I get a minute over the 
weekend, I'll add some thoughts to the wiki (which might need a 
'Marketing' section...).

Cheers,

Ben