notes and views on crm, social media, and the human side of information technology

Make your own handset

This might be taking mass-customization a bit too far: OpenMoko is releasing CAD files of their phone case to anybody interested in … manufacturing their own cell phone. The home-use (?) 3-D printers are supposed to be $2500 or so but I suppose this won’t be a big thing until we collectively move to the Diamond Age.

Still, I totally adore this radical move, being a radical evangelist and all, and am holding my breath a bit. Up until very recently, the phone industry (and telco in general) has been fragmented and controlling & backward-facing as if it didn’t really want to live in the 21st century. Then came OpenMoko, missed a couple of deadlines, and Android came with its promise of an open platform, and now OpenMoko is taking the lead again and opening up what’s left of the phone (except perhaps the bits of proprietary hardware that might still be waiting for the right moment).

It might not be *the* thing mobile customer have been waiting for (until those 3d printers, nano-based, sit next to your espresso machine). But it’s one of those things that get you thinking: what’s next? What are these guys thinking? They sure as hell got my attention now.

Additional reading

March 5, 2008 | Filed Under Open Source 

comments

Leave a Reply