Portable Processor Display and much much more

[Sean Sheedy]

Have you looked at the OpenMoko handset?  It's Linux based, has Android 
and OpenWRT builds, has open hardware, has wifi, a 640x480 super high 
resolution display, USB-host capability, GPS... no jailbreaking required 
to get root or run right on the metal.

http://us.direct.openmoko.com/products/neo-freerunner
http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Neo_FreeRunner

I have the older Neo 1973 model - looks the same but has no wifi and 
does not work as a phone in the US.  I'm interested in a second round of 
builds for the Charleston and would not mind loaning the phone to 
someone relatively local who wants to evaluate its UI potential.

For $50 more than the phone you can get a Dell netbook and drop Linux on 
it, and if forethought was put into it, the UI could be made to work on 
both the Dell (or any other Linux laptop/desktop) and the OpenMoko phone.

On the FreeRunner with wifi, a web interface and streaming audio might 
allow the radio to be shared on a network.  I don't know if the wifi 
module can be placed into access point mode but that could also make 
things interesting.

Sean AI4ID

jason at thought.net wrote:
> RIM has a similar cost ($50 or so) for API signing keys.  With the keys, though, you do not need itunes/appstore: (or RIM equiv): any website will do for distribution of the JAD files.  That said, I doubt the USB can be a bus master with the exposed API's.
>
> --Jason Wright/AI4JW
>
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Albertson Chris <albertson.chris at gmail.com>
> Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:31:29 
> To: wb4jfi<wb4jfi at knology.net>
> Cc: Frank Gentges<fgentges at mindspring.com>; Tacos<tacos at amrad.org>
> Subject: Re: Portable Processor Display and much much more
>
>   
>> Frank, et al:
>>
>> I looked at building an iPhone app last year, after getting a first- 
>> generation iPhone.  While downloading (and registering for) the  
>> Apple development tools is indeed free, which I have done, I  
>> understand it costs money to distribute an app via the iTunes  
>> library system.  Also, iTunes is the only way to distribute iPhones  
>> apps.  I believe that I was told that it costs $200 to be able to  
>> distribute via iTunes.
>>
>> If that's the case, I don't think I'm willing to spend the time to  
>> develop a free SDR app, but have Apple making money off my hard work  
>> merely to distribute it.  Maybe others feel differently.
>>     
>
> My idea was really simply "why not find some mass produced device?  It  
> would be
> cheape and better built then anything you could make at home.  The  
> iPhone was an example.
> There are likely other devices.  Maybe Nokia or RIM makes somethiing  
> as good?
>
> Back to the iPhone, yes you have to buy in to get the app distributed  
> via Apple's app store but you can avoid paying two ways
> (1) The fee is "per organization" not per person.  So you join an open  
> source "club" that has already paid or
> (2) you distribute it informally any way you see fit.
> #1 is best because few iPhone users would know what to do with a .tar  
> file
>
> Also there is an effort to port a version of Linux to the iPhone.   
> That would over-write Apple's firmware and run on bare hardware but  
> this is still not ready for prime time.  I read it just booted and as  
> yet does not do much more than boot.
>
> Competing with iPhone is Google's "Android". Android is more open but  
> there is as yet not a lot of good hardware
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>   

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