Is a FreeRunner sufficient for me?

Brolin Empey brolin at brolin.be
Thu Jun 18 13:17:44 CEST 2009


2009/6/18 arne anka <openmoko at ginguppin.de>

> > I never need to use suspend on my Nokia 6103b.  I do not think it even
> > has a
> > suspend mode  — at least not one the user can activate.
>
> that's the difference.
> the nokia is nothing but a phone -- and as such it's mostly suspended (or
> "standby").


I disagree.  My Nokia is much more of an embedded computer than only a
phone.  It supports multiple predefined tasks in addition to plain phone
functions, such as recording video, audio, photos, games, SMS, alarm clock,
countdown timer, stopwatch, calendar for appointments, todo lists, and so
on.  I might agree with you if we were discussing a much earlier (1990s or
even 1980s) phone, but a Series 40 Nokia phone is much more than just a
phone.  I do not have any specific examples of earlier phones because my
Nokia 6103b is my first cell phone:  I started using it in 2008.  However, I
suppose it is kind of like comparing a basic, touch-tone, corded phone to a
modern, consumer corded or cordless phone:  the basic phone truly is nothing
but a phone.  It has no display, no redial, no hold, no speakerphone, no
volume control, no speed dial, etc.  The older ones even have a real,
mechanical bell instead of an electronic “ringtone”, which is not a ring in
the original sense of a mechanical bell.  OTOH, the modern consumer corded
or cordless phone has a display with the date and time, caller ID, received
call history, speed dial, phone book, redial, hold, speakerphone, volume
control, etc.  Some can even use different ringtones for different callers.


>
> the fr otoh is a full fledged computer, offering phone functionality. you
> probably don't want your computer to go into standby after a few secs,
> won't you?


I agree that the FreeRunner is more of a general-purpose computer than a
Nokia phone, especially since the user can reimage the FreeRunner, use a
CLI, etc.

However, even if my Nokia enters standby mode after a few seconds of
inactivity, this does not bother me because it is invisible to the user:
the phone is instantly usable in its previous state, even after hours of
inactivity.  This is much different than standby mode on a desktop computer
with at least 1 GiB of main memory, where there is a noticeable delay when
leaving standby mode.


>
>
> if suspended the battery lasts about 48 hrs, maybe more. it's not that
> great, though, but work is still going on to extend that.


Can I still receive phone calls while the FreeRunner is suspended?


>
> but with the most common scenario, ie having access to a power source
> every few hours or constantly (office), you can recharge when necessary.


To be practical, this battery life is acceptable because I fit this most
common scenario.  However, (what I have been told about) the FreeRunner’s
battery life still seems poor compared to my Nokia, for example.
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