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Loading ...We’ve seen many gadgets utilising open source applications, but we haven’t seen them truly embrace open source as a platform for their product. Now that’s all going to change with FIC entering the smartphone market with their new FIC-GTA001. FIC is focusing on common usability at this moment such as MP3 support, GPS systems and GSM, however all those basic features and functionalities can be added to and extended with the involvement of the open source community. FIC will provide the SDK for developers to hack new features into the phone.
It doesn’t stop with transparency of design; FIC are aiming to establish a community space of users and hackers to improve the phone’s functionality with their own software. There will be an archive of applications, similar to Debian’s APT, where users can download whichever programme they require (or merely desire) from the repository to their phone wirelessly.
The community space will also allow programmers to contribute to the development of the phone by submitting applications to the repository as a free or commercial download. It kind of reminds me of Linspire’s click and run, except without the subscription fees.
Check out the next page for hardware details…
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The only thing missing from this cell phone (and the reason I’m not jumping on board) is WiFi. Add WiFi and you would have me hooked. When it was first /.’d it was rumored to have WiFi.
Is anyone aware if you can somehow expand it to include WiFi capability?
there will be wifi soon :)
If it’s here, or promised, by February I’m game. My current phone has about that long (I hope) before it finally beats the ghost.
I need WiFi and GPRS for when I’m not in range of any networks. If it gets those, I will be so hooked.
This is so sick. As we all seem to agree, it needs Wifi to truly be a killer. Maybe its already in there? Specs seem scarce. Lets see what happens!
Thanks for everyone’s response. Yes, I too had the same questions and concerns about 3G support as well as WiFi. Please keep in mind that this is indeed the first version so all the bells and whistles will not be on it. That being said, we were told that the second version should have WiFi.
The only thing i miss is a Camera on the back, when it had one i would be the first person who buy it :D
Imagine being able to get NEAR your house, and then all outgoing calls switch over to your wifi voip, or if it sees a unsecured wifi, it could give you the option to use voip instead. Off the top of my head I can think of about 10 features that no other phone can give me right now. Picture what XBMC did for the Xbox, open-source hardware can be made to do anything if the cpu is right.
One last thing, am I reading that right? It has more ram than storage space?
Slashdot shows the price will be USD 350.00 for the dev. edition later this month. would be sweet if the public version (avail. Jan 07) woul dbe in that range. I’d buy one..
Great Thing!!!
If there will be WiFi, 3G, UMTS? onboard i’d buy one!
Forget that … I’d buy some for the whole company if they come out with a WifiG Bluetooth2 version! The other OS (who’s real name I shall not utter here) has failed us spectacularly and cannot be relied on in the real world on a _daily_ basis. I hope open source development is the way to go.
I’ll definitely get one when it’s out, i like the freedom and customization on this phone
Wifi and a camera would drive me crazy with eager to obtain this beauty ;)
I like it, in fact it’s probably one of the phone i’ll get when it comes out.
great it’s open source, we will get tons of hacks on it
I am definitely going to be purchasing this phone the day it becomes available. I think it’s an amazing step in the right direction with cell phones. Can’t wait to get my hands on and tinker with it.
FIC WIFI CAMERA = PERFECT
Try Zuiko for taking photos. Please no camera…
Sound absolutely Crazy … I’ll wait 2 Wifi
Looks like you guys have a major competitor… Apple iPhone… Must have been a devastating blow
Salva, you’re confused. :) This is an open phone with GPS and a 640×480 display.
I wish for a modular phone.
But I would buy this phone with wifi and a camera.. The design isn’t very nice though, it looks like a plastic food storage container. Needs a little more ‘tech’, without going overboard. And please give it a non slip finish.
I wonder what’s up with the multi touch though. I had a touch screen years ago and wondered what could be done with the effect, but if Apple patented it…
I’m hoping for an FIC product release via open source channels.
Say hello to the new iPhone, with Wi-Fi, and much much more. Aple has the patents, so it looks like this product is gnna be in trouble soon.
“Say hello to the new iPhone, with Wi-Fi, and much much more. Aple has the patents, so it looks like this product is gnna be in trouble soon.”
You was heavily intoxicated while writing this right? Because this one was rather moronic.
Hope the sobering up did the trick and that you’re laughing of it now. Anyway, Apple’s iPhone lacks a lot of things, like battery capacity, as every other gadget made too fancy for it’s purpose. Maybe some Tesla Coils or a portable nuclear powerplant does the trick?
Would also love to get my hands on a Trolltech Green Phone.
“Looks like you guys have a major competitor… Apple iPhone… Must have been a devastating blow”
You can’t even leave your house with it, why bother to waste money? Or should I drag some kilometres of cable along with the charger?
Um, how do you guys plan to buy this phone? It doesn’t look like FIC sells any non-computer components in the U.S.
Does anyone know where one of these can be purchased?
it is not out yet, but very close to hitting distribution channel :) we’ll have a full review of it soon as fic is almost ready on sending us one unit
omg… omfg… your the biggest fucktard in the world. I mean honestly…. he made an excellent point in saying that APPLE HAS PATENTED THE EXACT SAME TECHNOLOGY… and you respond by bashing its battery capacity???? its not even going out til june ur so ******* stupid omfg go kill urself plz die die die
Finally a phone that does not waist space with a camera. I will buy this phone that is for sure.
It has everything that i want although wifi would be nice to have on board too.
Looks a lot like the iPhone concept but than developer friendly. The iPhone does win it on looks though.
This looks like the next generation of smart phone’s: no space wasting keyboard when you can have a touch screen that can transform into any keypad you like.
it will be well worth it, affordable and expandable :) i’m going to put up a review once we got our unit in
no camera please, camera will take alot of space, and will make the price go higher, WiFi is a good idea but no camera, and AI wtf is ur problem?
i agree, camera will make it bulky, and Al learn some respect before you speak
Anyone know when this will come out? im eager to get my hands on one! WIFI>camara
I will get one !
Sounds like a promising phone.
Hopes it makes it to the market …
Open source is absolutely the way to go.
Bash the iPhone all you like, but at least it actually *exists* — how’s the battery life on that non-existent phone of yours, friend? ;)
This looks like vaporware to me.
You can add wifi by plugging a mini wifi card into the usb slot.
I want one if for no other reason than Apple (which does generally produce excellent product) has alienated me (and many) by signing an exclusive service agreement with ATT/Cingular. This is against the very nature of Open Source which provides the end user with almost unlimited options and choice. Shame on Apple for supporting (creating) a defacto Iphone service monopoly!! jbd
Umm, as this phone was concepted before the iPhone, doesn’t that mean that they might have nicked stuff from here?
Sorry, I don’t really care about open source, but I do care that an interesting product seems to have been plagerised
Yes I agree with Jeff.