Discussion: what are your dreams for the Openmoko Community

Benjamin Deering ben_deering at swissmail.org
Mon Apr 30 00:59:34 CEST 2012


The infrared thermometer on my GTA02 has been very useful and it is not 
something that the iphone guys have.  I will probably not be doing any 
soldering on my GTA04 for a while, but it might be something interesting 
to add to GTA05.

I think the BMP085 in GTA04 is something the iphone guys don't have.  
Getting some clues for the upcoming weather is very useful when you are 
completely without signal.

A threaded/prepared camera hole for attaching a microscope or telescope 
lense would be nice.

This is probably best done over USB, but it could be done over an I2C 
adc converter
     volt-meter
     ph meter
     ohm-meter


GPS that reliably gets a fix and displays in an app such as foxtrotgps 
while driving and hiking.  I can wake the phone from suspend and find 
our location on the map before my friends who are using a paper 
map.(GTA02 does not do this)

GPS app is able to download map tiles from my home server if I find 
myself outside of the area I planned to be (GTA02 does this)

Phone tracks barometric pressure overnight while camping to give an 
indication of the upcoming day's weather. (my GTA02 does this, most do 
not, GTA04 does)

Phone is able to play pre-downloaded podcasts or radio over headphones 
or speakers in the evening(GTA02 does half of this - headphone issues)

Finger-friendly email(qtmoko does this, noone else has it yet)

A web browser that works well enough to buy something online using the 
phone (from a site where I have not purchased before) (noone has this yet)

While driving I can hand the phone to a passenger who is tech-savvy but 
not familiar with openmoko.  They are able to wake, unlock, dial, start 
gps, start browser without much coaching from me. (qtmoko is closest, 
but noone has this yet)

I take the phone from my pocket, wake it up, and take a picture faster 
than I can take off and open my backpack, take out my real camera, and 
take a picture. (not sure if anyone has this)

I can enable an option so the phone makes noise when it associates with 
a tower(noone has this)

I can reliably write an SMS, click send, and know it will be sent next 
time the phone has signal(I don't think anyone has this)

I can enable Wifi tethering that a friend with a non-linux laptop can 
use(noone has this)

I can keep most of my data on a dmcrypt partition that is decrypted 
after entering a pin in a gui login screen(noone has this)

I can boot from NAND into an OS that runs at low brightness with 
everything but GSM turned off, access to contacts on my SIM, a dialer, 
ability to answer, SMS (aurora is working on this)

Turn off the tv at my table at the resturaunt using IR (limited range is 
ok - the TV is at my table, not accross the bar)

Plug phone into my car-stereo usb port, stereo sees a mass storage 
device with my music on it. (GTA02 does this, but file-system corruption 
follows)

Reliable accelerometer screen rotation with bigger keyboard in landscape 
(this works sometimes on SHR)

GPS program displays heading information from a digital compass, but 
position information from the GPS (multiple gpsd instances?)

Easilly switch music output between loudspeaker, headphones, FM transmitter.

An app to transmit arbitrary RDS (the text on FM tuner) while iterating 
over frequencies

PGP encrypted voip (http://zfoneproject.com?)

Make a small change to a python/perl program using full screen 
transparent terminal keyboard.

Show my friends pictures I have taken on the phone by dragging from one 
to the next.

Using GPS, compass, gyros, accelerometers, camera to display an 
augmented reality view of the night sky


There is about 20 minutes worth of ideas, but I will keep thinking.

Ben

On 04/28/2012 05:52 AM, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller wrote:
> It has become a little quiet here in the last weeks so that I
> really fear about the spirit and status of this community.
>
> So what are your dreams with respect to open mobile handhelds?
> What would you like as future hardware? What to see in software
> distros? Anything else? What missing piece are you waiting for?
>
> If we exchange these ideas it may be possible that we all
> work together (with smaller and bigger contributions - everyone
> as he/she likes) to fulfill them...
>
> Otherwise I guess we have just to consume what Apple, Samsung,
> MS-Nokia and others are confronting us with in the next years.
> May it be open or closed as they like.
>
> Or is this where we see our future? Or am I completely wrong in my impression?
>
> Phew - a lot of questions and so early in the morning :)
>
> Nikolaus
>
>
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