OpenMoko is a Linux mobile device , which uses linux as his official operating system , its also a geeks mobile for who does not know that , can change the operating system with no restriction , installing another linux distro or even Android !
with linux comes the power of package management , or Add and remove programs from online repositories and mirrors . what is amazing about Linux Package management is checking for updates , new release and notify the user if he needs to update some package , files or apps .
OpenMoko has lunched a software directory for the apps those supported by Openmoko phones , so far it contains some categories for the active apps submitted there , however there is no scientific applications or medical ones .
installing packages is pretty easy , either downloading from source or installing using Openmoko package manager , which make it very easy and simple way to install and keep update the packages !
Why there is No much apps yet ?
well in my opinion there are 3 reasons so far :
1-Limited number of medical and health care users .
Openmoko itself has very limited users base , also its not the favorite handheld by doctors even the geek doctors or who are using linux as their primary OS !
2-Market demands :
Market now require simplicity , and Openmoko ain’t that simple for simple users , especially doctors who are looking to save their time .
3-Competitions :
iPhone , Windows mobile devices and the new Palm WebOS , are the competitors , especially when iPhone is getting popular day after day and Windows mobile has a very good history in medical Apps and health care users usage with experience as well , and the new Palm WebOS which i personally believe will exceed the expectations in matter of months .
Conclusion :
Openmoko may be not the favorite or even the good option for doctor but at least it provides the proper support for Open-sourcing the medical and health care handheld applications which will lead to more freedom , so as far as linux people are concern about freedom i believe all what Openmoko is more support !!!
