[Neo1973] Just feedback: Congratulations to your OpenMoko Amsterdam-presentation ; )))))

Sat Nov 11 19:22:49 CET 2006

Salve Sean!

By writing this email I saw on the webpage, 
that you already started two new mailinglist :) great!

So again (for the other new list members) congratulations
to your bright/great presentation in Amsterdam and all people
who worked on the idee to convince FIC to start/support openmoko
with the neo1973 hardware ;)
I'm shure that many people were waiting for a free smartphone + SDK
like your project for a very long time.....
and due the power of the GSM provider, I though this will take
1-2 or more years. But what these provider didn't understud yet,
which power such a smartphone - useable like a PC - has
which power a mobile server shell (ssh), smart client/server connections
has.
Such a open smartphone is a very good reason to use GPRS data services
 - *not* rining sounds.... ;)

Sean Moss-Pultz schrieb am Samstag, den 11. November 2006 um 17:08h:
> Thanks again for your support. Sorry it took so long to get back to
> you. I'm  six feet under in emails and hardly breathing :-)

This sounds great, that you got much (positive) feedback. :)))

Again IMHO your slide #6 was the most important one:
----------------------------
Oh and well, one more feature.
An adaption of my favorite command in all
of computing.
root at filebuntu:~# apt-get install _
----------------------------

There is so much power/potential with this:

Smartphone = small portable PC + GSM/GPRS

when the user, the comunity got the freedom
to develope and use software like with a PC.
The PalmPilot was a succsesstory because of:

- SDK made it easy to develope software:
  a lot of free or professional software is
  avalable
- you can switch for on application to another
  and back - continues with at the same point
- even systemhacks were possible

But I don't want to go into details - the most important
think for openmoko is to build a community:

   - one or more public mailinglists
     (you just started it :))))
   - wikiwiki for ideas and documentation
   - CVS (sf.net?) for documentations

   (and a simuationsoftware for local install
   and maybe online to use with webbrowser und 
   java with FreeNX)

You know about "Nupedia vs Wikipedia"? 

   Nupedia was a Web-based encyclopedia whose articles were written by
   experts and licensed as free content. It was founded by Jimmy Wales and
   underwritten by Bomis,with Larry Sanger as editor-in-chief. Nupedia 
   lasted from March of 2000 until September of 2003, and is mostly known 
   now as the predecessor of Wikipedia.              

   Nupedia was not a wiki. It was characterized by an extensive
   peer-review process designed to make its articles of a quality
   comparable to that of professional         
   encyclopedias. Nupedia wanted scholars to volunteer content for free.
   Before it ceased operating, Nupedia produced 24 articles that completed
   its review process (three articles also existed in two versions of 
   different lengths), and 74 more articles were in progress. 

No one thought that one person could programm an OS himself,
but no one thougt about the power of cooperation - made possible 
by internet, mailinglist and wikiwikis - so the world have been
surprised by Linux and the Wikipedia.

Again, congratulations to the great, long wanted step for
an open linux smartphone plattform which will be cheap enough
(due massproduction) that even students like me could by one.
This is step 1.

Step second is to start a community.

Don't get my wrong - I'm conviced that you know about this,
and I don't to nag you YOU should set up a mailinglist and....

No, take an example with Linus or Jimmy Wales - your power,
and even when you are not alone, when you are 10 or 50 developer
for openmoko is limited, the real power is behind "apt-get", 
the reason for the succsess of Linux and the Wikipedia is 
to be open as early as possible and to find an efficient system 
that good ideas didn't got lost - and even small hacks could 
become small bricks of an realy huge building/system.

Even when you got thousands of interesting ideas and feedback now
- please focus on the most effiencent steps. ;)

> > For your webside, please give more details if the
> > Neo1973 already incude Bluetooth (which version?)
> > and if the USB Port (1.1?) could be both, device
> > and _host_?

> As for USB, it has both device and host mode.

:)))
This is great beause that makes the smartphone
equivalent to PC/Laptops and every developer who
says "a camera/wifi..." is missing can use USB
to have a hardware plattform with cheap external
hardware for "playing" for demonstrating that it
a smartphone with "...." is very usefull and for
the mass marked it would be realy interesting
to produce a special smartphone model with 
internal "..."

With a hostmode we could plug _directly_:
- USB-Memorysticks (copy form 1 stick to another "on the road")
- Cryptotoken like Schlumberg/Cryptoflex eGate 32k
- USB2Serial
- another Neo1973 we want to flash a new kernel
- Audioadapter (for DJ's or professional recording...)
- printer
- Keyboard
- IRDA
- Silent vibra Alarm
- would WiFi/WLAN work with USB 1.1?
- a camera
- a scanner
- ...
- a lot of very usefull USB peripherie....

> At this point, we're not 100% sure bluetooth will be in the final version.

This is a very important point.

With the feedback from reader of the Neo1973 news:
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/80714 
http://www.heise.de/mobil/newsticker/foren/go.shtml?list=1&forum_id=107975  
and
http://www.pro-linux.de/news/2006/10448.html  

I got the impression that the lake of Wifi and your feedback
"He expects a follow-up model to offer both WiFi and Bluetooth."
makes many interested user/hacker think - I don't to want to
order a "early bird" I will wait for the Bluetooth and Wifi
version.
And a broadcom announcement 
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS7357900819.html  
will make others make wait for hardware with good
video playback power.....

Wifi
   Wifi is IMHO not _so_ important - many people think about the
vision to use Voip via Wifi - but a friend of mine was on
the VON Europe Autumn 2006 in Berlin this week and he reported
that on guy from Nokia reported that they have still problems
with the high powerconsumtion of Wifi in combination with the
sip protocoll - their mobile devices reaches only 20-30 minutes
talk time.
And for data connection - does somebody know if USB 1.1 is
fast enough to use USB Wifi adapters?

Bluetooth
   GPRS traffic is e.g. in Germany still very expencive -
open hardware (beside of the interests of the GSM provider)
would make possible to have cheap data connections and phonecalls
with the Neo1973.

Without Bluetooth a lot of developer could say - I would prefer
a Linux PDA - but the composition 
open linux smartphone = PC + GSM/GPRS + USB + Bluetooth
is very powerfull.
The free access to the bluetooth stack would make possible to
use headsets, maby car-kits, bt-keyboards and cheap connection
to e.g. Asus WL-500 with a BT usb-stick....

Phoning via Bluetooth with the same interface, with the same
device as with GSM - to hack a Handover for Bluetooth to 
Bluetooth/GSM cell (one day)....

And to reduce communication cost for the developer - datarouting
via bluetooth - even when the Phone become more expensive
without Bluetooth it is not so smart to start openmoko hacking
now....

> > What do you think about a centralised sales promotion of Neo1973 in
> > Europe/Germany?
> > Together with an Linux organisation, publishing house (heise/linux magazin)?
> > E.g. one short period to order the Neo1973 with 1GB micro-SD for a real
> > good price?
> 
> This would be totally kick ass. How do you want to proceed?

The salesman trick is that this is a unique chance for the buyer
to buy or order **now** ;)

And the aim to start shipping when we reach e.g. 1000 or more orders 
brings everbody who ordered one device to promote this, to ask friends 
- a friend with the same hackable device is a great motivation to hack 
together or to show him - "last night I programmed this....."

And a known number of devices in the hand of linuxer, of hacker will
make this device more attractive that it is not "mayfly" - forgotten
next month.... with no interesting software or everythink must be
compiled yourself...

   ----------------------------
   Oh and well, one more feature.
   An adaption of my favorite command in all
   of computing.
   root at filebuntu:~# apt-get install _
   ----------------------------

Debian is working well because there are many maintainer 
- openmoko needs a critical mass and when the people could see
it is less important if the CPU has 266 MHz instead of 400MHz,
when they see that the power of this devices is 
- the community 
- the software
- the documentation 
- the SDK for it.....

And when they understand that the NEO1973 with GPRS and A-GPS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-GPS   
has much more potential than a normal Linux PDA or mobile
- when they see that with intelligent Client/Server solutions,
with intelligent routing (via Bluetooth at home) we can have
less (expensive) datatraffic...
It can become beside of "no wifi, no special video chip..."
a very populare plattform and the startingpoint of many devices
based on openmoko.

Bluetooth
   I understud that the mass production of the FIC-GTA001 makes the
cheap price for the NEO1973 possible and that Bluetooth is not
so important for the mass market - but couldn't have the FIC-GTA001
just a circuit board with the solderconnections for a Bluetooth
chip and a centralized sales promotion (order and pay first)
would make it possible to produce x000 parts of FIC-GTA001.B 
with Bluetooth?

With Bluetooth I would be 100% shure that the Neo1973 is a device,
that I want to have. ;)))

###Some thoughts about a sales promotion:

- the salespromotion would convince more people that the NEO1973
  is not another Vapurware like:
  Filewalker from http://www.invair.com/ (Vapurware since 2002)

- makes openmoko more populare 
  with the annoucements, with word-of-mouth recommendation 

- a (online/apt-get installable) emulation (maybe with a VoPI sipclinet
  for phone functions) would support development but also the sales 
  promotion

- an anoucment of a sales promotion e.g. "order till 1. March 2006"
  will make linuxer think to wait and to do not buy a new mobile/pda
  now

- a fixed date and a sales promotion with special price and hardware
  (e.g. _with_ bluetooth, with 1GB memory...) would give a unique chance
  to order now (instead of waiting....) 

- You and I have thought about the unused potential power of a mobile
  since years and we do know "smartphone = mobil PC + GSM/GPRS",
  but other user/programmer?
  The openmoko.org webpage could stress with examples what potential
  a neo1973 with openmoko that no PDA and no mobil offer to use (yet).

  This examples could be used also for an article when one or more
  big IT/linux magazin annouce a sales promotion
  (linux magazin, linux journal, heise C't....)

- a cooperation with a big magazin make it easier to present monthly
  or every 3 month what openmoko has reached inbetween....

- A (well, long) known partner in Europe and less shipping cost motivate 
  more to order 

By owning a Siemens S55 mobile I was realy frustrated what all of the
power of the hardware is unused.... and as Siemens got into trouble with
their mobile devices I thougth about a "Extrem Programming Event" to
start a new chance....
Software development can run very slowly and when economic an GSM
provider has the biggest influence in software developement the result
are rubbish products

But when developers cooperate with normal and power user, with
third-part developers - do brainstorming and hacking together 
a design, solutions and a philosophy could be found that is
realy smart and use the power of the hardware - cares about
the wishes of the users.... in a very short time.
A local OpenMoko "Extream programming/hacking Event" or just a virtual
one - could enthuse user and developer to belive into the power
of that great platform Neo1973 with the openmoko SDK....
And such a fresh wind could convince and enthuse more user and
developers....which will get the fresh wind stronger and stronger...
so that openmoko becomes realy populare :))

Siemens developer support told me (after asking three times)
 "no the S55 has no JSR-82 because the S55 is no PDA" from mobile
to mobile some features and solutions where added, some lost
S55.... now Siemens mobiles are history. 
Someone who protect his hardware that the owner will
use it - someone who avoid external developers to 
create new solution and to use all power of the device
(no Bluetooth api, no api for use the speach cognition of the phone,
 no access to CBmessages, no working IRDA API (S45 was working),
 temperature sensor unused in S35, S45, S55....)
I think it is time that producer of such mutilated, 
restricted, unproductive hardware have to go down - failed.

A smartphone, free as our PCs, has an incredible potential
- it could replase the need to use a PC in many cases...
and with GPRS we could have a comfortable shell with us.....

IMHO a open linux smartphone has more "revolution" potential then
a open wlan router or a hacked DVB-S satellite receiver.

Reports about the A760 made me think it will take 1-2 or more years
till an real open linux smartphone will be there - you work for the
Neo1973 is great! I'm (positiv) surprised and impressed that you and
others had succsess to convinced FIC.

> I'm  six feet under in emails and hardly breathing :-)

This is a real good sign that many understand which power an open
linux smartphone has.

It realy doesn't matter if this phone lakes Wifi, vibration alarm,
IRDA, USB2.0, a fast CPU or a seperate video chip...

There are many ideas a can share what are bad with many mobiles of
today - just with main use phonening (white/black-list filter, 
voicemail on the phone, using localisation (A-GPS) for profile switch
autoanswer to anonymous calls wich are often nagging telesales calls
"you calling anonymous - please enter your accesscode or activate your 
caller ID transmission and call me again - thank you - good by"
having asterisk on the mobile...

Power of Asterisk, openmoko and GPRS for GUI/NEO1973 software 
developing that no other phone offer:

 1. Forward calls from asterisk to your mobile
    normaly you can't transmit the caller ID by forwarding
    BUT with openmoko the GUI could wait for a GPRS transmission
    from the asterisk server when a call from the asterisk server
    came in.
 2. GPRS is to power consumption to have it 24h on. A call from
    the asterisk server with a different ID is hidden, but it is
    activate GPRS on your NEO1973
 3. Call back - you have a cheap GSM contract for data transmissions,
    but call outs are expensive with it - CALL BACK.
    With your normal phonebook GUI of the NEO1973    
    your phone will transit the number you want to call via GPRS to 
    your asterisk server. Asterisk will call your NEO1973 via GSM and the
    number you want to call. Then you will hear that your call will
    be made. In the moment the called one pick up, asterisk says via
    GPRS NEO1973 pick up.
    You only pay for the GSM call back when the called one picked up.

    (1 and 3 are used by the normal telephone GUI.)

Battery managment. I hate my phone because when I traval the phone 
switch off when it has to low battery - ok. But when I need the phone
to announce a delay, to call a taxi or emergency - it has no power
reserve for just one call, just 30 seconds... not to mention 15 minutes.

So when I have a Neo1973 my first crontab would be a small script,
that it will check every 15 minutes if the battery has become lower
then 7% - when there is no phonecall or activity - give a warning
and switch of.
That would be a 10 minutes hack - just a 3 line skript that would
give me so much more comfort with my phone.

So everybody of us has something he realy hate or dislike with his
mobile - together we will have a collection of ideas, hacks, scripts,
programms, skinns.....
that quickly come more powerfull then any mobile developer departement
is.
Phonening, mobil communication (Client server) and localisation with the 
power and freedom of Linux is the great potential of the NEO1973 and
openmoko.

With Bluetooth I'm 100% shure,
that the Neo1973 and OpenMoko
will become realy succsessfull

Best wishes & happy greetings from Aachen,
;) rob

PS:
And to stress which power openmoko with an open hardware
with A-GPS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Geographical_coordinates 

People of the wikipedia are interesting to conect the wikipedia
coordinates to have a GeoInformation.....

And:
A-GPS can tell you about the Busstops...
Comunities can tag locations .....