OpenMoko FreeRunner development canceled, staff slashed
By Nilay Patel 
posted Apr 6th 2009 10:53AM
posted Apr 6th 2009 10:53AM
P.S.- Along with the Dash Express, that's now two different FIC-built Linux devices that have met an untimely demise, and not for lack of effort or enthusiasm -- the beginnings of a trend, or merely a coincidence?
Update: OpenMoko pinged us to say that the current FreeRunner will still be produced and components will still be available for devs -- but it won't be succeeded by the planned next-gen model. Check a video statement from marketing VP Steve Mosher after the break.
[Via PhoneScoop]
its a trend becuase these companies dont have mega corps backing them who can afford to take a loss for a few years before obtaining profitablilty, which is why open source hasnt thrived until Android got introduced by a mega corp who can afford to support the platform
Well, that and open source projects use customers for testing and bug reporting, rather than delivering a tested and debugged product.
Because the original iPhone wasn't like that at all...
Well if it wasn't so ugly and they actually RELEASED something maybe they wouldn't have this problem.
They did. I have a close friend with one. It was a great little device, but the software was terrible. While open, they made it a little to complex to get started with it doing basics.
Yeah looks matter, didn't we learn anything from apple over the years?
They've cancelled the NEXT version of the phone (called "GTA03"); the current one is still available. So instead of the old "next" version, the new next thing is the mysterious "project B". In other words, this is the sort of cancellation that probably happens all the time inside conventional companies and we never hear about it; we only know about this because they're doing stuff in the open.
Honestly, I'm getting rather tired of seeing this misinformation spreading through the blogosphere. Thanks “spam from engadget” for correcting it this time :-)
a shame really, because Android is just a pushing platform for Google's Web 2.0 services, it might be open source but that doesn't mean you can modify the firmware as you please and upload it to your Android phone.
there will be various restrictions in place that prevent you from doing stuff that Google or the phone networks don't like unless you fork out for a 'dev phone' and even those might include some restrictions.
really they should team up with a satellite phone operator and make a few phones for them, if they are doing such small production runs anyway. the market for regular mobile phones is *way* too oversaturated
Wow... I remember reading about this in a Popular Science issue in which they claimed it was the 'next big thing' or something like that... apparently not.
Conceptually it's a pretty good device, but it has a few dealbreakers, one of which is obviously the looks, they should listen to the obvious complaints and fix the few flaws already, even though it's hard obviously, with big players working against you, but there are devious tricks to deal with that though, get the right contacts and backing by people with some push and some pull too, money isn't even #1 in these cases.
I could see this coming a mile away. I always felt it was going to go nowhere. And, now, with the recession, it did die.
Unless this thing had major financing it was always going to end up like this.
Is a pitty, was a very nice device in principle just was let down by too many things like looks.
As "spam_from_engadget" already said, the FreeRunner isn't cancelled, it is on sale since Q2 2008 and stays on sale. The device that was the planned successor has been cancelled lately, due to the fact Openmoko wanted to make it a mass-market device and they currently lack the ressources to do so. Please correct this misinformation, as you have to imagine OpenMoko as a week flower, that needs some sunlight and water. What you do to it with this misinformation is putting it into room without windows.
(If you have some Openmoko news, and are unsure whether they're correct (as there have been lots of press errors in the past) and have no time for in dept research, feel free to contact me (or read my blog). I am no part of Openmoko, but a involved and usually well informed person.)
The entire article:
OpenMoko CEO Sean Moss-Pultz recently said at a conference that the company has discontinued work on the follow-up to its FreeRunner open source Linux handset. The FreeRunner is meant for developers, who could buy a kit along with the device to help them design software and applications for it. The follow-up handset, known internally as the GTA03, aimed to improve upon the FreeRunner. The original FreeRunner only sold about 10,000 units. Moss-Pultz said that it has reduced its staff by 50% in a bid to survive. It is now concentrating efforts on a new product (rather than the GTA03) that is not a mobile phone. Moss-Pulz said that OpenMoko will continue to support the FreeRunner, and hopes to make phones again at some point in the future.
Key points:
"The FreeRunner is meant for developers"
"The original FreeRunner only sold about 10,000 units."
"It is now concentrating efforts on a new product (rather than the GTA03) that is not a mobile phone"
"hopes to make phones again at some point in the future."
Sounds pretty dead to me...
Two words:
Mobile WiMax.
They can't afford LTE/carrier issues, and 3G is so 2004 (and so nonexistent in many developing nations, where a lot of open source geeks live).
Please let OpenMoko have figured this one out. Please.
So, wait. This didn't kill the iPhone? But all my Apple hating, Linux Fanboi friends said it would crush the iPhone.
It seems you just can't trust anyone anymore.
For the moment I'll link to a video version of the whole story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d8Tsvj2TdQ
Steve Mosher VP Marketing Openmoko.
During the last week Openmoko has had two great events. First the embedded system conference, ESC and second, the OpenExpo in Bern. Those events could not have been more well timed for us because we had two major announcements to make: a thrust into the embedded systems market and the announcement of a new device, not a phone but an entirely new open device. The launch into the embedded systems market is a case of the market finding the manufacturer. We designed the FreeRunner as an open phone. After it launched we started to receive requests from customers we never dreamed existed. Innovators who wanted to change the case or add in additional hardware. People who wanted to resell the phone with their software added. The collective creativity outside the company, dwarfed the creativity within the company. Our customers truly are an army of Davids. To seize this opportunity we decided to open up our CAD files, and open up our schematics. That way these new found markets can develop for themselves products that we don’t have the resources to develop. So, over the next few months you’ll see us make a more focused effort in this market space. As a platform for embedded development, nothing compares to the FreeRunner: Open schematics; Open Cad; Open hardware; Open software.
At OpenExpo we had a keynote speech in the business track. This gave us the opportunity to explain some of the change in focus we’ve made in the past month. Our CEO Sean Moss-Pultz delivered the presentation and I’ll take some space here to explain in a bit more detail the background behind these exciting changes: Sean discussed three things:
1. Our successes.
2. Our mistakes.
3. Our challenges
It’s vitally important when addressing the challenges of the future to assess and understand your past success. Openmoko launched its first developer phone in July of 07 and the FreeRunner shipped in July of 08. Sales tripled. Not only did we build a phone we built a company and distribution network in the process. We also helped others build their own businesses around the FreeRunner. Our takeaway lessons were as follows: Open Products can be successful in the marketplace; being open multiplies everyone’s business opportunities. For our mistakes we identified these: Open Product design is very hard as there is a tendency to make too many changes. Our culture is not authoritarian. We also tended to view hardware with a “software” mentality, as something that could be easily changed or patched.
Our challenge going forward is to seize the opportunity we see in the embedded space and push forward the cause of open hardware. And we had to make some choices about how to spend the balance of 2009. There were essentially three projects going on inside OpenMoko: ongoing support of FreeRunner; Development of a follow on product, the GTA03 and development of project “B”. From a resources standpoint we could pick any two. Given the traction we see in the embedded space and given our passionate commitment to current FreeRunner owners and developers it was easy to pick that project. 9 months after launching FreeRunner with tremendous support from the community the product is coming into its own with a diverse set of distributions that run on it, from android to debian. Then comes the choice between project “B” and the GTA03.
There were two paths:
A: Fulfill our promises on FreeRunner and launch GTA03
B: Fulfill our promises on FreeRunner and launch project B.
We will talk more about project B in the coming months, but these salient facts guided our decisions
1. GTA03 was in constant flux as a design.
2. GTA03 schedule was consequently always slipping.
3. The resources required for GTA03 are 3X those required for Project B.
4. OM doesn’t have 3X resources
So, we picked plan B. Focus on supporting the FreeRunner and launching the more modest project, project B. That decision entailed putting GTA03 on hold and rethinking how we do that product and that business in a better way: learning from our mistakes and building on our success. It also meant restructuring engineering and sales and marketing.
Now comes the question, what about GTA03? how do we get there? And when? and what is it?
First, we attend to the issues that still remain with the FreeRunner. Second we complete project B. When we've done that, then we get to eat dessert. Essentially, we agreed with the case made by users on our community list. They asked us:”How do expect us to buy a GTA03 when the FreeRunner is not yet consumer ready?” We also listened to our distribution partners. They wanted to know how they could continue to sell the FreeRunner when the GTA03 was “just around the corner.” And finally, we listened to our engineers. Since all of our sales are to people who understand engineering, their opinion about market viability is very important to us.
All of those arguments said the GTA03 as defined made no sense. As it was defined, it is dead. So how do we get to a new GTA03? Two requirements: continue to improve the FreeRunner; deliver on project B. What is GTA03 and when do we get there? There are a number of independent volunteer efforts out working at defining the GTA03 and working at refining or revolutionizing the business model to make it possible. Going forward we are going to open those efforts entirely. Our community has consistently asked for a voice in the up front design decisions, so we will build a mechanism to try to make that happen. Again, whenever we see a challenge or an opportunity our first reaction is to rely on our strength. The community. They have never let us down.
Specifically what can the community do to help with this challenge and seize the opportunities we are presented with?
1. Move FreeRunner code upstream.
2. Stay involved or get involved.
3. Continue work on applications and distributions
4. Buy a FreeRunner.
5. Get involved in GTA03 discussions. The list will appear on Openmoko.org in the forthcoming days.
How hard can it be to make a great looking phone running Android?
Android has a great company behind it (Google), is web-centric (the future) and is free. The only thing missing is a must have smartphone design.
I really don't wanna knock the open source effort, but from what I've seen, these gadgets have an unfinished look and feel to them.
I'm sure the name didn't help much. Moko means booger in Spanish..