tinkerphones

ProjectManifest

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Table of Content

About this project

(was, warum; wozu)

Project Goals

The goal of the OpenPhoenux project is to provide a platform for the community driven and independent hardware and software development of future smartphone platforms that are as free and open as we can make it.

This includes Free and Open software, well documented hardware and open discussion.

It continues where the Openmoko project did end.

Reason (Why does the world need OpenPhoenux?)

this project was originally triggered by a lot of complaints by the Openmoko GTA02 users that everything (CPU, GPU, Wireless) is so slow and far behind state of the art. Since we felt that we can dramatically improve that by building on the OMAP3 based BeagleBoard and using some off-the-shelf UMTS modem module, we started the GTA04 project as a motherboard replacement. Soon it became clear that a long lasting success of the project needs to deliver complete devices. Consisting of complete hardware, software and services. This is what the OpenPhoenux project aims to be: a roof and central point of contact for all the individual activites, being GTA04-Hardware, QtMoko, SHR, 3D case designs and §D printing etc.

Why develop and produce our own devices? Why not buy $DEVICE from $MANUFACTURER and get it opened?

  1. $MANUFACTURER is not willing to provide schematics and documentation - unless we pay a lot of money
  2. $MANUFACTURER may change the device hardware for production optimization - and we are the last ones to be informed
  3. $MANUFACTURER may have choosen chips for which there is only a non-open driver - we try to avoid this (as good as possible)
  4. $MANUFACTURER may not have all features (e.g. sensors) we would like to attach and program

Community Contributions and participation (why should I contribute?)

Just hanging around and discussing

Plain discussion without contributing a single line of code is a very imporant part of a project. It helps to get new ideas, find clarifications, understand what others don't understand in the same way. Please let the core team and others know through the mailing lists what you need and see as improvements. Add entries to the "Issues" list.

Contributing Code and Wisdom

  • write your own Applications
  • publish them through the SWI

Openness

Although hardware development is being done by a small team hidden from the eyes and influences of the public, the software is free and open source. Starting from the boot loader (U-Boot) over the kernel (Linux) to graphical user interfaces (e.g. SHR and QtMoko). And we are even working on the last pieces and bits of non-free firmware (e.g. WLAN or 3D-Graphics acceleration).

Donations

Funding such a project isn't easy since we are small and therefore don't have the purchasing power to get down the price for the components. Donations may help to reduce the sales price of an OpenPhoenux a little for those who can't afford it and otherwise would have to switch to a non-free device.

Other contributions

Rules

  • there aren't many rules
  • everything is allowed to say as long as it is kept friendly
  • what we don't want to see is illegaly leaked information (beyond legal reverse engineering) or links to such information

Licences

  • hardware schematics and user manual are open (CC)
  • u-boot, kernel, user-space software is under GPL or similar open source licenses

Supporters

so far Goldelico plus some generous (>1000 EUR) donators (C. and W.)

Infrastructure

servers, domains, source archives

Organziation

formal/informal who elections, influence on future etc.

Community Events