Openmoko today named the first distributors for its open-source smartphone platform.
The list includes German companies Pulster, Golden Delicious Computers and TRIsoft; Bearstech in France; and IDA Systems in India. All of the distributors are experienced in dealing with custom and educational or industrial handhelds.
The shipping version, Neo FreeRunner, was announced early this year and includes basic developer tools. It is available in 850 MHz and 900 MHz versions for a suggested retail price of $399 (less in quantity or for educational institutions). Computer-aided design files are also available to help developers build accessories, graphical user interfaces and virtual models.
Distributors for other regions will be announced in August at the LinuxWorld Expo in San Francisco, officials said. A consumer version is expected later this year, with consumer-grade software expected next year, according to Openmoko’s e-commerce site.
Openmoko was first announced in 2006. Other open-source mobile phone platforms are more focused on the software side, such as Google’s Android and the LiMo Foundation. Also, Nokia recently said it’s buying out and will open-source the Symbian operating system, while the Linux Phone Standards Forum advocates industry standards.