SMS is required + fix for battery drained isse (was: 2007.11 snapshot available)

[Shawn Rutledge]

On Dec 4, 2007 5:45 PM, Bernhard Kaindl <bkaindl at ffii.org> wrote:
> Maybe it is enough for the US, but if you define the average European
> mobile phone user a part of "mass", then you are wrong and yes, text
> text messaging (SMS) is an absolute requirement for European mobile

Plenty of people use SMS in the US too, especially teenagers.  More
would use it if certain GSM carriers didn't charge extra for each
individual message, both sending and receiving (shame on you TMobile
in this regard).

> Besides, the SD card is not very practical to use if you do not have
> a way to exchange from the outide without hasse (means: whithout having
> to remove the back cover, battery, sim card and have both SIM and SD
> mounted in this fragile way). So I agree: Mass Storage mode for the

I agree wholeheartedly but if we're talking about hardware mods, I
could come up with quite a laundry list:
- slide-in SIM slot (like A1200) rather than any of the kind with
flip-over covers; or one that's accessible from outside, like an SD
card
- SD slot accessible from outside is mandatory (maybe even full-size
SD if there could be space - like E680i)
- make it as slim as possible (half as thick? well I'm dreaming) but a
little wider is OK if necessary (bigger screen is fine too)
- get rid of that hanger hole
- make the touchscreen flush with the front, not recessed
- stylus storage
- multi-touch
- quad-band
- two buttons on the front for call/answer (green) and
hangup/back-to-main-menu (red), backlit
- NFC radio (near-field communications)
- wifi (but that's planned)
- sane GPS chip (but that's planned)
- antenna jacks for the radios (WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS)
- work with existing USB charger cables (detect the resistors in them
and go to 500mA)

The Motorola A780 has the best slot for a MicroSD that I've ever seen
on any device.  It acts just like a regular full-size SD slot - push
the card in to install, and push again to make it pop back out.  It
pops out far enough that you can easily grab it.  And the slot is
accessible without removing the back cover (although there is a little
rubber cover over that area, to keep it clean presumably).  The SIM
slot could potentially be built like that too.

I guess the goal hasn't been sexy hardware, just hacker-friendly,
right?  But before being sexy it could at least have really excellent
usability.

> Either the 500mA charging has to be available at all times (also
> when the battery is is completely empty), or a charger which is
> able to instatanously power-on the Neo so that there is no
> interruption in phone use when the battery is completely drained
> must be provided.

At least, if everyone insists that it's dangerous to draw 500mA
without asking (even though so many devices do just that), we could at
least have an easily accessible menu to turn on the 500mA charging
(but it's a pain to do that every time you plug in to charge).  Or
detect the resistors embedded in USB charger cables.  Or FIC could
sell chargers which are smart enough to answer when the Neo tries to
ask for 500mA (both AC kind and 12V kind).  A desktop charger would be
nice (but I assume some existing Nokia ones from ebay will work?  I
haven't tried yet)