There are other exciting developments in the mobile arena than the iPhone. No, really.

I wrote about OpenMoko in March this year, and recently heard from one of the NZ developers on the project, Paul Eggleton, with an update as to what's happening.

Paul writes:

Phase 1 hasn't quite started yet due to some production delays, but I suspect that some announcements will be made very soon regarding that. The software has improved, but many parts of it are still at the development stage. Hopefully when the Phase 1 devices are made available we'll see more developers getting involved. Updated phones with hardware fixes were sent out to Phase 0 developers including myself earlier in May.

Things are moving forward by the looks of it, albeit with some hiccoughs. I'd say it makes sense for FIC and OpenMoko to hang on until the worst of iPhone Fever has subsided and reality's set it, before launching.

Paul also sent me a link to a presentation by FIC product manager Sean Moss-Pultz, who is driving the project there, and Harald Welte, an Open Source developer paid by the Taiwanese company to work on the software.

The presentation took place in Taipei, Taiwan, at the TOSSUG there:

It's almost one and half hours long, with parts in Chinese, so you may wish to fast-forward a bit.

Update

Sean Moss-Pultz has more on the actual configurations:

Starting July 9th, we will launch openmoko.com and start taking orders.
We're going to have two configurations:

Neo Base -- everything the mobile application developer needs to enjoy
the benefits of the first freed phone, the Neo 1973:

* Neo 1973 (GTA01B_v4)
* Battery
* Stylus
* Headset
* AC Charger
* Phone Pouch
* Lanyard
* SanDisk 512MB MicroSD Card (2x)
* Micro USB Connectivity Cable

Neo Advanced -- everything the mobile device hacker wants to get down
and dirty with the first freed phone, the Neo 1973:

* Neo 1973 (GTA01B_v4)
* Battery (2x)
* Stylus
* Headset
* AC Charger
* Phone Pouch
* Lanyard
* SanDisk 512MB MicroSD Card (2x)
* Mini USB Connectivity Cable (2x)
* USB Host Mode Cable
* Debug Flex Cable
* Debug Board v2 (JTAG and serial console)
* Ruggedized Toolbox with shoulder strap
* Guitar Pick (for opening case)
* Torx T6 screwdriver

The delays have been expensive for us and annoying for you. We've decided that instead of setting up a complicated return or tracking system to remember who gets a discount for GTA02, we going to give you _all_ a discount on GTA01.

We're going to sell the Neo Base for $300. The Neo Advanced will be $450.

GTA02 (AKA: The Mass Market Neo 1973) is on schedule to go on sale in October. It will have the following new hardware components:

* 802.11 b/g WiFi
* Samsung 2442 SoC
* SMedia 3362 Graphics Accelerator
* 2 3D Accelerometers
* 256MB Flash

We will sell this device through multiple channels. Direct from openmoko.com, the price will be $450 for the Neo Base and $600 for Neo Advanced.