OpenFrame touchscreen homephone goes Atom, gets demoed on video, is still a landline phone

We first saw OpenPeak's OpenFrame home phone at CES, where it was sporting various FreeScale and ARM chips under the hood, but it looks like things have changed in development -- the company has been showing off production-ready units built on Atom chips at IDF. OpenPeak says that the ease of building for IA32 sped up development completely, and that only a fraction of the CPU is being used, giving the product room to grow -- probably a good thing, seeing as it supports open application development, rich services, and syncs with your PC and cell phone contacts and calendars. Of course, that still doesn't change the fact that it's a landline phone, and we're just not certain consumers are really clamoring for a $200 to $300 landline phone -- even it does rock a distinctly familiar touch interface. Anyone going to take the plunge when this thing hits in the first quarter of next year?

Read - Wired article
Read - Video shown at IDF

[)law( @ Aug 21st 2008 8:27AM]

Looks real nice,wonder what it can be hacked to do. Also no I don't want it running doom so that I miss phone calls

[Crayola @ Aug 21st 2008 8:41AM]

Note to AMD, please send you anti-monopoly investigators to snoop on this, I smell another Intel coercion. Aww forgot.. Your processor suck.

[Just-uh-Thought @ Aug 21st 2008 9:25AM]

No, their processors do not 'suck, AMD is just going about things the old-fashioned way. they are slow, but when they hit one - they do knock it out of the ball park. You'd do well to remember that . . . . Fanboy . . . .

[Juxtah @ Aug 21st 2008 8:50AM]

The product actually looks and sounds really nice, just a little too expensive for my tastes

[Ozbone @ Aug 21st 2008 8:55AM]

This actually looks nice, and potentially interesting. As a phone though I see a major obstacle early on ... like, how many other people are gonna have one. I'd be aiming for other apps to spur initial interest.

[Harbinger @ Aug 21st 2008 9:12AM]

Put a cheap camera on the large screen already.

[Chris @ Aug 21st 2008 9:15AM]

landline phones can still be plugged into voip services, in fact most voip services that aren't primarily PC based require a landline phone to use them

[Tim @ Aug 21st 2008 9:24AM]

So is it the gadget on the left, right, or both? I'm assuming its the handset on the left; what, then, is the pmp looking device to its side? Or, is it an entire system?

[Rich @ Aug 21st 2008 9:32AM]

I misread the title as "landmine phone". The reality is less interesting. :(

[ipubs bastard child @ Aug 21st 2008 10:01AM]

My landline cost me less than £8. it does exactly what i need it to. Answer the landline calls.


If i need to check the weather or traffic or look at my contacts.. I'll use my mobile, which is usually within reach.

[Brent @ Aug 21st 2008 10:23AM]

I might buy it, depending on whether calls rely on VoIP, which I can't tell from the marketing info.

I keep a landline, and one phone that requires no wall power, precisely because I want one line that doesn't rely on electricity, the Internet, or wireless, all of which can have reliability problems in some (albeit limited) circumstances.

[squirrelking @ Aug 21st 2008 11:19AM]

If it had sip I'd be down for one

[Chris @ Aug 21st 2008 12:14PM]

This is the same phone fabled as the "FiOS Fone", right? If so, it's going to rock harder than your mom at night!

[kojo87 @ Aug 21st 2008 1:12PM]

am i the only person who reads this blog who doesnt get a boner when someone says Atom?

[KilgoreTrout @ Sep 27th 2008 10:44AM]

Just add skype capability and a videocam and I'll order one straight away.