Reactions From Other People to News of OpenMoko

[Andrew Loughran]

If anyone needs examples of how phones connect behind ones back, I can provide a fair few.

I had the O2 XDA Orbit.  It looks like a smashing phone, but the software on it lets it down massively.

The carrier have changed the software's functionality, so even when you disable GPRS connection (like putting the phone into flight mode, but with just GPRS) the software turns it back on.  This led to a bill of £26 after just 5 days of having the phone.  Needless to say, the phone went back, and I'm now sitting on my hands until I graduate from Uni, carry on my professional career, and hopefully get my hands on the neo1973 in September.  I must say, the experience with integrated GPS was probably the best thing about the phone.  I had to visit a client - the GPS took me to the nearest car park, then I was able to use walk mode to find my way right to their front door.  I had a handheld GPS before, which one couldn't really use to the same extent.


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

--
Andrew Loughran
ZRMT Solutions