I disagree. I see smartphones on nearly everybody. Today, I was at a party, and nearly everyone there had smartphones. Mommies, engineers and teachers. <br><br>The key is to make the system easy to use for wide acceptance. Look at the iPod. Stoopid easy to use, but very, very popular. The iPhone takes it too far, taking away functionality in favor of ease of use.
<br><br>The OM can quickly get to a point where it's stable and anybody can use it for common tasks. That's all it needs. The cool point is that it can also be open, so the fix/improve rate will rapidly outstrip closed phones.
<br><br>If the ipkg interface is smooth enough, people will start downloading apps to their phones. Right now they do this through proprietary connected sources. Imagine how quickly viral apps will spread when people get the idea they are allowed to download new stuff to their phones.
<br><br>Freeing the phone to be a platform, not just a crude, limited tool is where this project needs to go. It may seem like a slow couple of years before this really infects our entire culture, but I think it's inevitable now.
<br><br>OM can lead the way.<br> --sagacis<br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 7/29/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Giles Jones</b> <<a href="mailto:giles.jones@zen.co.uk">giles.jones@zen.co.uk</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<br>On 29 Jul 2007, at 22:58, Lars Hallberg wrote:<br><br><br>><br>>> One important point is reputation. If openmoko is known to be a<br>>> geek phone no one else will get interested in it.<br>><br>> And exactly that will happen if it is pushed to the masses while
<br>> not really good enough for the masses. Personally I think we will<br>> have something autumn 2008 or possibly even spring 2008...<br>><br><br>Geeks and techies buy smartphones. other people buy a phone that is
<br>just a phone and have no need for applications on their phone.<br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>OpenMoko community mailing list<br><a href="mailto:community@lists.openmoko.org">community@lists.openmoko.org
</a><br><a href="http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community">http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community</a><br></blockquote></div><br>