OpenMoko is making everything much simpler. While waiting for Android or the new open Symbian mobile OS, they have released their FreeRunner smartphone, which has a Linux based OS and it’s said to be open in hardware and software.

OpenMoko’s open platform will pretty much let you do whatever you want with their new handset. As long as you know what you are doing in terms of mobile OS and applications. With this Linux platform the FreeRunner will have, you will get lots of options to choose from and this might be strange to cope with at first. After all how many of us get buyers block when facing too many supermarket choices? But why not being able to choose from more?

If you get an OpenMoko smartphone you will be offered three software stacks to work with. The original OpenMoko software was built on top of GNOME Mobile and Embedded technologies with the GTK+ toolkit included.
A different stack has been built on top of Trolltech’s Qtopia mobile environment while the third software stack will be based on FreeSmartphone.org APIs.

So on the FreeRunner you will get a choice of software, some minutes and SMS messages and unlimited data. I am speculating on the plan’s details but I am sure you will have three software versions to choose from.

But don’t mind me trying to explain to you which is which. Get a FreeRunner for a test drive and choose the perfect OS for you. Further more, if you are a developer or programmer, I am sure you already have an idea of what I am talking about, and can’t wait tweaking your favorite
OS on your next OpenMoko handset.

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Now that Google has celebrated Yahoo’s blown deal with Microsoft, they can go after Verizon Wireless.

This carrier’s bid on the 700Mhz bandwidth has been the winning bid and Verizon will make full use of it. What they aren’t respecting, according to Google, is the open access rule. Open access means that all applications and all devices, whether or not provided by the owner of the bandwidth, have to be able to function freely in any newly acquired bandwidth.

Verizon hasn’t disclosed yet what they are preparing for that spectrum but if their policy is to limit access to if the hardware/software isn’t purchased from them isn’t exactly fair. I don’t know what Google is pursuing this but clearly whatever Verizon has in mind, Google wants to be in it somehow. Is it the GPhone?

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