OpenMoko now available in South Africa 👐 Web AddiCT 🇿🇦

The open source mobile phone, OpenMoko Neo Freerunner, is now available in South Africa. When Your Web AddiCT was up in Jozi this week I was lucky enough to meet Nyasha Mutsekwa, CEO of EngineeringIdeas. They have teamed up with Openmoko to distribute the Neo Freerunner to Africa. The Neo Freerunner is an open-source phone, meaning that developers and enthusiasts alike have access to the source code and hardware schematics to customize the device to their hearts content. 😀

Over the next couple of days i’ll be getting my hands ‘dirty’ with the OpenMoko Neo Freerunner to do the following:

Install Google Android on the OpenMoko
Give the OpenMoko the Web AddiCT test.. Twitter
Finding South African Android App Stores for local content
Install MXit Android on the OpenMoko
Find an app that allows you to Facebook on the Neo Freerunner
Anything else you may suggest in the comments

Pretty excited to see what the possibilities are with this open source mobile device. For the more technically inclined who want to get your hands on this phone that usually retails for R5500, Nyasha has agreed to to take R2000 off just for Web AddiCT readers (even more if you act fast). Interested? Post a comment or contact me.

Here are the OpenMoko technical specs:
Size and Weight
120.7 x 62 x 18.5 mm
133 grams

Display
Touch Screen
2.8″ VGA (480×640) VGA Screen

Speed
ARM9 @ 400 MHz
2D/3D Graphics Acceleration

GSM
Tri band 850/1800/1900 MHz
Tri band 900/1800/1900 MHz

Power
Removable 1200 mAh battery

Memory
128MB SDRAM
256MB NAND Flash
1 Gig microSD

Input and Output
Input and Output 2.5 mm audio jack
GPS external connector

Hardware Highlights
Wi-Fi (802.1 1b/g)
AGPS
GPRS (2.5G not EDGE)
Bluetooth 2.0
3axis Motion Sensors (2)

Software Highlights
Openmoko GNU/Linux-based
100% FOSS on CPU
GNU/Linux development tools
Google Android

Question: What do these things all have in common? Everybody know…

👐PayFast Ecommerce Virtual Summit I am excited to announce that I’ll be speaking about The 5 Must Have SEO Tactics for Every Online Seller at SA’s…

👐How To Use Your Phone To Gain Financial Freedom The digital world has gone from offering us huge screens that need to be carried by more than one pair of hands…

👐The jfGi.cc Origin Timeline (updated) This is a journey of multiple ideas spanning from the origins of the first chatbot spearheaded in 2007, ideating and the creation…

Installing Google Android on the OpenMoko | Web AddiCT(s); says:

16 November 2009 at 08:38

[…] waiting ages to give Google Android a test drive on any mobile phone, when I got my hands on the OpenMoko Neo FreeRunner first thing I could think of was installing Google Android. Installing Android on the Neo […]

teroz says:

16 November 2009 at 12:23

hasn’t this project been canned? Would think maemo seems a much more promising in terms of linux on your phone

Rafiq Phillips says:

16 November 2009 at 13:03

No the Project hasn’t been canned. There is actually a very active community improving the various OSes that can run on it.

stii says:

17 November 2009 at 17:35

does it have a capacitive screen? i’m not even interested (no matter how cool nor for free) if it doesn’t sport a capacitive screen. it is simply too frustrating

Google Android Phones available in South Africa | Web AddiCT(s); says:

15 December 2009 at 12:46

[…] OpenMoko Neo Freerunner Is currently the last Google Android phone on the list available in South Africa. Read more about it here. […]

Win a Google Android phone here… | Web AddiCT(s); says:

4 January 2010 at 11:24

[…] year with a little competition. How would you like to win a phone that can run Google Android? The OpenMoko Neo […]

New Year, New Stuff « afro-puffs says:

6 January 2010 at 15:48

[…] straight off the blocks is the fact that WebAddiCT(S) is giving away a OpenMoko NeoFreerunner one of the phones I could very much do with, so I’ll link to @rafiq ’s blog and hope […]