For example, one hardware bug that has come to light is a problem with the SD card clock signal quietening the GPS receivers sensitivity resulting in very poor performance of the GPS receiver when an SD card is installed. However, within two days of the fault being found, a software and hardware fix has been identified. Two Days! The software fix has already been rolled into the (daily) kernel updates, and the hardware fix has been explained. Even now they are probably working out how to offer the hardware fix to people who have already received their GTA02s. They have noted that new FRs being sent out will have the hardware fix installed. That’s great service. And to those who say “but they shipped it with a hardware fault”; it’s true, but these things happen. It’s a very early release for this phone, but the speed at which they are dealing with the issues as they arise, and the openness with which OpenMoko are being with the community is just breathtaking. Mucho kudos to OpenMoko.

I knew when I bought the phone that there would be problems with the software and that there might be problems with the hardware – it was the risk I was taking by being an early adopter. The measure of the company is how it responds and so far that has been excellent.

The OM2007.2 stack, based on GMAE, is really very good but suffers from performance problems and is (currently) fairly incomplete. It was for this reason that OpenMoko decided to go to the ASU or April Software Update. ASU is also going to be conveniently called the August Software Update when it is updated in August.

The ASU is based on Qtopia phone stack, but converted to work with the X11 server used on the FreeRunner (FR). I’ve downloaded the ASU and found it to be very, very slow. The mix of applications was interesting as it supports both Qtopia and OM2007.2 applications. This is currently where most of the effort at OpenMoko is going at the moment, so its probably the phone stack to use in the near future. However, I found it too slow, and difficult, to use as a day-to-day phone.

The other stack is the FSO, so named because it is being implemented around the FreeSmartPhone.org stack, a set of interfaces that are exposed via dbus. This is what OpenMoko see as the future of the phone system and so is worth keeping an eye on. I’ve not pulled down a copy so I can’t comment on it. Looking at the project on the web it seems to be in its early stages.

So, the OM2007.2 stack is slightly buggy and a bit slow, and the ASU stack is more buggy, very slow, but the near future of the phone. So what can you use on your phone if you actually just want to be able to SMS and make phone calls? That answer, currently, appears to be to Qtopia stack. There is a snapshot at Trolltech’s website which provides a download with a kernel and filesystem for the 4.3.2 edition of Qtopia. And it works very well and is fast. But it only provides a basic phone functionality although you can add packages.

So what I’m going to do is to load the ASU into the SD card, with Qtopia in the main part of the phone and boot into ASU whenever there is an update just to keep an eye on it. The FR makes it very easy to have multiple distributions on the phone at any one time meaning I can have the best of both worlds: a functional phone with Qtopia, and a mobile computer which just happens to have GSM/GPRS/Bluetooth and WiFi communications capabilities.

The packaging for the FreeRunner (or FR as it is being contracted to) is rather good. I had almost expected that it would be shipped in a blister pack, or equivalent, but instead it comes in a small black box filled with high density foam. The FR is the first thing you see when opening the box. Handling the FR gives the impression of solidness; it isn’t ultra light, but then it isn’t overly heavy. It also fits very neatly into my hand, although I’m sure some people would say it is a bit bulky, ugly and 1990′s.

There was a moment of anticipation and anxiety over the first boot of the device. I had been avidly perusing the mailing lists, for which there are hundreds of posts a day, to find out how other people have been getting on with their FRs. There are dozens of software problems and at least one hardware problem. More on that later.

OpenMoko Contents, once the FreeRunner is lifted

The software successfully booted, and registered using my old Virgin SIM card.

Apart from having no idea how to use the user-interface of the GMAE (GNOME Mobile) system I did manage to make and receive a call and send and receive SMS messages. So the basic functionality of the phone works. The call quality is very good, contrary to some other people’s experience, and the performance of the phone is adequate – not quite iPhone 3G speed, but also not too sluggish.

These are only first impressions. I’ve had problems with charging and locking the phone, and the power management in general is a bit hit and miss at the moment. The state of the software is really alpha to beta at the moment. However, I really like the device. I think it has tremendous possibilities and I really look forward to helping to get it to a ‘mainstream’ state, however long that might take.