OpenMoko unlocks Neo Phone industrial design

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PRESS RELEASE
March 4, 2008
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For Immediate Release
Contact:
Pat Meier-Johnson
415-389-1700
Pat Meier Associates PR
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Openmoko
Unlocks Neo Mobile Phone Industrial Design

Unrestricted
download of CAD files for Neo branded phones available at
openmoko.com lets developers design their own mobile phones
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OpenMoko FreeRunner mobile phone
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0018Uxn-RgHAaa79qkthzheZmjvFDKG0b...,
TAIWAN - March 4, 2008 - Openmoko,
creator of the first completely open mobile computing platform,
expanded the meaning of Open Source by posting the industrial design
sourcefiles for its Neo branded mobile phones. Industrial
design artists now have the same freedom as software engineers.

Openmoko's
source code was freed in February 2007, allowing complete
transformation of its mobile phone software. Now, by publishing mechanical
CAD files, Openmoko frees industrial designers to fundamentally redesign the Neo
 branded mobile phones to fit their vision and
market needs.
Some already have.

Exploded CAD of OpenMoko Neo phone
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0018Uxn-RgHAaZDClhupnfYya84ItsBUZ...
a New Generation of Product Designers

Openmokoposted the Neo CAD files on its site without fanfare. Within days,
Guillermo Sureda-Burgos (www.sureda.org.), visiting instructor of
Industrial Design at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, said: "I
am amazed at the depth of your commitment to open design. This must
be the first time in history that a company has opened its
intellectual property to this extent.  Openmoko's
revolutionary posting of the CAD files gives a whole new generation
of Industrial Design students incredible insight into how it's done
as well as an opportunity to contribute with new concepts."

Openmoko
posted the CAD files at  http://downloads.
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0018Uxn-RgHAaaY60dctJNrXRFzn2daNe...
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0018Uxn-RgHAaaY60dctJNrXRFzn2daNe...
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0018Uxn-RgHAaaY60dctJNrXRFzn2daNe...
a ShareAlike
Creative Commons license, thereby establishing
a
community where designers and developers can share concepts about the
next generation of Open Source mobile computing devices.  Openmoko
encourages developers and designers to build their businesses by
leveraging the Openmoko FOSS and CAD resources to speed development
of new mobile products.

Because
of the overwhelming response by developers and industrial designers
to the initial  posting of the Neo 1973 CAD files, Openmoko has
committed to opening the CAD files for the design of the upcoming Neo
Freerunner mobile phone before the phone even hits the market.

Sharing
A New Vision of the Design Process

"Openmokoprovides one more key to anyone who wants to unlock the mobile phone.
With these drawings, developers and designers will be able to create
their own open phone from the inside out," said Lawrence Lessig,
Founder and CEO of Creative Commons. "By releasing the CAD files
for the
exterior of the phone under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license,
Openmokois unlocking what is a typically closely guarded secret in consumer
electronics companies and putting it under a free license so others
can build upon their work legally."

The
decision to release the files that describe the physical shell of the
device was driven by the community of Open Source developers. The goal was to enable
changes to the case
that go beyond mere cosmetics and address the fundamental needs of
specific vertical markets by modifying the phone from the inside out.

"Open
Source development encourages contributions from a diverse,
imaginative, and creative software community. Unlocking the CAD files
for the Neo cases empowers the industrial design community
to share and contribute their unique designs," said OpenmokoHead of Developer Relations,
Michael Shiloh. "And, with ready
access to benchtop CNC machines and 3D printers, people will build
these designs, even in single quantities."

The
Neo series of open mobile devices is currently being sold to
developers and educational institutions worldwide through Openmoko,
the independent subsidiary of Taiwan electronics giant FIC. Dedicated
to providing a totally FOSS mobile computing platform for development
of mobile consumer electronics communication devices, Openmokoprovides the community
with the software sources, and now the
industrial design drawings, while FIC offers the manufacturing
services for the next generation of breakthrough consumer electronics
products.
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About
Openmoko

Openmoko
is the commercial and community driven effort with a mission to
create open mobile products that empower developers and consumers to
personalize their devices, much like a computer, in any way they see
fit. Openmoko is dedicated to helping innovators bring freedom and
flexibility to consumer electronics and vertical market devices.

For
the latest information about Openmoko, visit www.openmoko.com
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0018Uxn-RgHAaZDClhupnfYya84ItsBUZ....

About
Creative Commons

Creative
Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that
promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works,
whether owned or in the public domain. Through its free copyright
licenses, Creative Commons offers authors, artists, scientists, and
educators the choice of a flexible range of protections and freedoms
that build upon the "all rights reserved" concept of traditional
copyright to enable a voluntary "some rights reserved" approach.
Creative Commons was built with and is sustained by the generous
support of organizations including the Center for the Public Domain,
the Omidyar Network, The Rockefeller Foundation, The John D. and
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation, as well as members of the public.

For
more information about Creative Commons, visit
http://creativecommons.org
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0018Uxn-RgHAaYrtUunS6GJ-cEH_dE_Ji....

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Press
Contacts:

Company
Contact:
Steven
Mosher
Vice
President Marketing
steve@openmoko.com [mailto:steve@openmoko.com]
408.313.9284

Public
Relations Contact:
Pat
Meier-Johnson
Pat
Meier Associates Public Relations
patmeier@patmeier.com [mailto:patmeier@patmeier.com]
415.389.1700
415.717.9677 (mobile)

Creative
Commons

Jon
Phillips
jon@creativecommons.org [mailto:jon@creativecommons.org]
Community
and Business Development Manager Creative Commons

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