OpenMoko Vs Android

For those who lauded Google's explosive entry into the mobile phone market riding on the Android platform - the sheer weight of Google's push must seem enough to set things on fire. That and their market savvy in garnering a lot of strategic support for the platform up front.

But if being an open source platform for developers was a big factor in getting the 'wow' in for Google, then think again. OpenMoko has been kicking around for almost a year and with the release of FreeRunner Google's right to the title of Open Source Champion in the mobile phone market may be in serious jeopardy. OpenMoko gives you access not just to the API, but to the software implementation and even the bare metal - pretty much all there is to the concept of a mobile phone other than the cellular network. If you haven't already looked into it, think twice before starting to develop on Android. As for me, I'm waiting to see Android running on the FreeRunner... (as of the last reading, Google's implementation of Android has been compiled for ARM processors that are incompatible with the FreeRunner's specs)

Dave's thoughts on this issue

Happy news! The Android platform has been successfully run on the OpenMoko phone - http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Android This is absolutely sensational for those looking for the ultimate in open solutions...