They've already released the CAD files for modding the case into a lobster phone (please, someone?), and now the OpenMoko folks are going all the way with their Neo Freerunner Linux smartphone, opening up the schematics for all to see and use under a Creative Commons licence. This includes not only the full schematics for the phone's PCBs, but also for the individual chips inside, for seeing exactly how the GPS ties into the system, for instance. The Freerunner phone itself is still mostly a developer's tool, so this move makes a lot of sense for that crowd. Full details follow.

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The OpenMoko Neo Freerunner we caught back in January will be available to order on July 4th. That makes the Linux-based cellphone a perfect birthday gift for Uncle Sam, assuming he's into shell commands. It'll run US$400, press release after the jump. [OpenMoko]

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The OpenMoko Neo Freerunner has been in the making since before the Jurassic period, but it looks like official word has now been released regarding the final pricing details. The Linux based mobile phone will retail at US$399 for a single unit and US$3690 for a pack containing ten handsets.

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OpenMoko is taking its open philosophy a step beyond its Linux soul and has released the CAD (computer-aided design) files for the Neo1973, allowing you to design and create your own body for the phone. The catch for selfish bastards is that it's under a ShareAlike Creative Commons license, so you've gotta make w/ the show and tell if you whip up a pocket-size Second Coming. [OpenMoko]

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The Gadget: OpenMoko's just-announced Neo Freerunner, which is the mass-market version of their previous Neo 1973 phone.

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OpenMoko today announced the Neo FreeRunner, a mass-market version of the Neo 1973 open-source phone, and will be showing it off at CES next week. The phone will have the same "overall look and feel" as the developers' product, but it has a faster 500MHz processor, 3D graphics, and a new lineup of open-source mobile apps. It's a GSM tri-band world phone with either 850MHz or 900MHz on the low end, and it has 802.11b/g as well for hotspot action. Oh, and it will also have motion sensors for gesture-based activity. Pretty cool stuff, but as yet, there's no pricing or availability announced. Stay tuned, or jump for the press release.

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Today we learned that the seductively interactive Dash Express GPS navigator is using the OpenMoko open-source mobility platform that led to the Neo 1973 smartphone. This makes the Dash the first product based on OpenMoko's GTA0X reference design, and the GPS hardware was designed to Dash's order by OpenMoko and its parent company, FIC. Did we need one more reason to love this thing? Well, we got it. (There's a press release down below.)

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The official website for OpenMoko, the open source Linux-based phone dubbed the "hacker's dream," went live today. We groped an early base model back in February and had a righteously detailed breakdown of the latest details last week. Now that the site is live, you can order a developer preview phone kit from their store for the expected price of $300 for the base model or $450 for the advanced kit. Product Page [OpenMoko] Thanks to Stephen for pointing out the dud site link...

With all of the hullabaloo last week surround the iPhone, we nearly missed an update on the anti-iPhone, the world's first open-sourced Linux mobile phone known as the FIC/OpenMoko Neo 1973. The phone has more internal flash memory and integrated Wi-Fi. It will be ready for customers in October, available in $450 and $600 configs (a bit higher than the $350 we quoted you in February). On July 9th, 1,000 development kits will be comin' straight outta China, with more on the way. The hardware specs have been jacked up, too. The unlocked GSM phone Neo 1973 will be sold on the mass market with the model number GTA02. It will be $450 for the Neo Base and $600 for Neo Advanced. Here are the original specs:

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