Open Mobile Gadgets

2010-05-12T04:04:40Z

98.179.29.76: Perl layout

This is a description of a project to create an open software, open hardware mobile communications device. Initial iterations will be very simple, but will progress to having full smartphone-like functionality and beyond.

== The Open Mobile Gadgets Architecture ==

Here's a quick block diagram of the device that I want to build. More details to come about the specific hardware implementation.

[[Media:Open Gadgets Architecture.pdf|Open Gadgets Architecture (Block Diagram)]]

If you're interested, contact me (chazegh @ flashmob.com).

--
[[User:Chazegh|Chazegh]] 14:12, 26 January 2006 (PST)

== the Open Phone ==

: Is this the same as the "Open Phone" ?
:: [http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/etel/2006/09/05/the-complete-open-phone.html "The Complete Open Phone"] by Matthew Hamrick, 2006-09-05
:: ''("Matthew Hamrick is the co-founder of the Silicon Valley Homebrew Mobile Phone Club ... Matthew ... proposes a truly open mobile phone platform.")''
: Even if it is not, would it be a good idea to join forces, share resources, etc. ?
: Is it really possible to build a cell phone with "reasonable" weight and battery lifetime using mostly generic hardware (a FPGA, a Kilocore, off-the-shelf ADCs and DACs, etc.) and lots of software, rather than hard-wiring everything with custom hardware?
: ... See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software-defined_radio wikipedia:Software-defined_radio] ...
: --[[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] 13:01, 24 September 2006 (PDT)

* Nope... this isn't the same as the "Open Phone" stuff I'm doing.
: But... "Complete Open Phone" is more of a concept than a project really. So if you're designing mobile-phone like hardware that you release with an "open" license like [http://creativecommons.org/ Creative Commons] or [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html Gnu Public License], to be used with "open" mobile phone software like [http://familiar.handhelds.org/ Familiar Linux] or [http://libgsmc.sourceforge.net/ LIBGSMC], then you're doing the same thing I'm talking about.
: I'm the first person I know who's called for opening up hardware and software for mobile devices. I hardly belive I'm the first person to come up with the idea, though. It's a good idea and given the number of highly capable geeks out there, it's an idea that you won't be able to put "back in the box." In other words... "Complete Open Phone" is just the name I came up with for a "movement" that I and other people have been working on (people like [http://surjpatel.com/ Surj Patel] (who runs [http://opencellphone.org/ the Open Cell Phone] site.), [http://www.seattlewireless.net/~casey/ Casey Halverson] up at Seattle Wireless, and Nathan and all the gang at [http://sparkfun.com/ SparkFun].) And now that I've finally browsed over here, I can tell other people that the "Open Circuits" community are also interested.
: Some of us at the [http://hbmobile.org/ Homebrew Mobile Phone Club] are (in our copious spare time) designing and building "open" phone designs. We're more interested in building phones than web-pages, unfortunately. But, I'm hoping to have the time over the holidays to post a few pictures and designs. You'll find more information at the [http://hbmobile.org/wiki/ Homebrew Mobile Phone Club Wiki] and we'll probably post instructions at the [http://www.instructables.com/ Instructables web site]. Heck, we'll probably also post some designs here, that what it seems to be setup for.
: --[[User:msh|msh]] 07:41, 18 December 2006 (PST)

* I'm interested in putting together an open phone too, but I'm more into a basics first-grow later using the GSM Module from Telit, the GM862-GPS. My idea is to use just the module by itself, code in a very basic "operating system" using the module's python capabilities, and a Nokia LCD that they have in sparkfun. I wish to buy this module because I think that every cellphone should have GPS capabilities even if it's an add-on. I also like this module because you can use it from the start without a lot of external components (it's got a battery charger, IIC, SPI interfaces, AT Command set, integrated SIM reader, etc etc).
: I *do* have a problem to create the PCB and buy/place some of the components, so, would any of you guys interested in collaboration with this project ? I can come up with the initial desing/PCB and we can go from there. One of the ideas is to have the module as an add-on to the Palm TX pda. I intend to use a gumstix later on too maybe (if I don't go the TX way). Let me know if you're interested. BTW, shouldn't a *discussion* on this page be more interesting ?
: --[[User:Diogownunes|Diogownunes]] 08:36, 18 December 2006 (PST)

* Yup... we probably should move this stuff to the discussion page. I have one of the Python enabled modules, but I've got to admit, I never thought to use its capabilities. I'm currently developing a "build your own SMT prototype board" course for the [http://techshop.ws/ TechShop], and I'm also going to post some of it at [http://instructables.com/ Instructables]. It's likely not going to be ready until mid-January, though. I don't know that I can help too much more than that, though. One of the things I'm currently working on is the "[http://www.hbmobile.org/wiki/index.php?title=Albion_Project Albion]" phone. It's a successor to TuxPhone. When the design and debugging is finished, I'm going to post everything to the web and possibly make a few boards that are populated with the SMDs (so the only thing you have to add is a power brick, telit module, gumstix, keypad and LCD.

== OpenMoko ==

According to [http://openmoko.com/press/ this press release], "2006.11.7: OpenMoko Announces the World’s First Integrated Open Source Mobile Communications Platform"
The [http://openmoko.org/ OpenMoko Development Community Server] looks like it's not quite online yet.
[http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/blogs/iphone_vs_openmoko_free_software_on_your_cell_phone someone else writes about OpenMoki].

http://wiki.openmoko.org/ is a wiki.

== TuxPhone at OpenCellPhone.org ==

http://opencellphone.org/ is a wiki.

== GSM modules ==

* XT56 GSM modem from Siemens
* [http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=gsm "gsm" stuff at SparkFun] (currently GE863 Module with GPS; and GM862 Module with GPS, and some antennas)
** GM862-GPS GSM Module and GPS receiver from Telit.
* GM862-GPS, GE863-GPS supported by user forum with more than 6000 members [http://www.roundsolutions.com/forum Round Solutions forum]
* GSM, GPRS, EDGE UMTS modules and GPS modules [http://www.aldacom.com Aldacom]
* GPRS/GSM modem from Rabbit Semiconductor [http://mouser.com/rabbitsemi][http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?handler=fnp]
* Printed circuit board with GSM and GPS module and DC/DC power supply programmable in Python [http://www.roundsolutions.com/aarlogic/index.htm Aarlogic C05]
* Printed circuit board with GSM and GPS module and DC/DC power supply programmable in Python [http://www.gsm-modem.de/tracker-gps.html Tracker on Python]
* PCB with GSM/GPS module, SD card, embedded Linux PC and free of charge Code in C for GPRS camera and Tracking device [http://www.roundsolutions.com/aarlogic/index.htm Aarlogic C10]
* PCB with GSM/GPS module, SD card, embedded Linux PC and free of charge Code in C for wireless camera and tracking device [http://www.gsm-modem.de/gps_tracker.html Linux based tracker]
* PCB with GSM and GPS module and DC/DC power supply programmable in Basic and C [http://www.aldacom.com/gsm-gps/gps-tracking.html CN4-M]
* PCB with GSM and GPS module and DC/DC power supply programmable in Basic and C [http://www.gsm-modem.de/gps-tracker.html Tracker based on ATMEL ATMEGA 162]
* GSM Modules from [http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/overview.jsp?nodeId=02XPgQ7508 Freescale]
* GSM Modules from [http://focus.ti.com/analog/docs/rfifcomponentshome.tsp?familyId=367&contentType=4&DCMP=TIHomeTracking&HQS=Other+OT+home_p_rf_if Texas Instruments]
* ...
* ''(Add to this list)''

== other concept phones ==

* "[http://www.richardbanks.com/trends/?p=9500 Folding phone] ... transforms [into a] speaker system with a graphical visualizer around its faces. Neat, and exactly the sort of innovative design I’d like to see in future phones." -- Richard Banks
* ...
* ...

== alternate keyboards for mobile phones ==

Near the end of
[http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/fac/Thad.Starner/p/030_10_MTE/twiddler-novice.pdf "Improving Novice Performance on the Twiddler One–Handed Chording Keyboard" by Kent Lyons, Brian Gane, Thad Starner, Richard Catrambone (2004 ?),
there's a picture of a prototype mobile phone design that has slighly-modified keys to enable much more rapid text-messaging.

If an adequately open-source mobile phone were already available, these people could have already tweaked the software and be using their proposed technique already.
Rather than speculating that ''it "seems to be a viable mechanism for text entry on future mobile devices"''.

What is the best way to start collaborating with alternate-keyboard people?

- I would suggest you start by integrating USB on-the-go functionality (USB host functionality); that way, you only need an adapter to use any USB-based alterna-keyboard. You may also be able to then integrate the keyboard into the device as an attached USB-connected device with little fuss.

- FWIW: http://luke.dashjr.org/tmp/code/hhkeys.html (optimized for thumb typing Perl)

== other ways people are improving mobile phones ==

* [http://blogs.america.gov/science/2009/07/24/a-mobile-phone-microscope-to-diagnose-disease/ "A mobile phone microscope to diagnose disease"] by Daniel Gorelick, 24 July 2009 ... talks about the [http://blumcenter.berkeley.edu/global-poverty-initiatives/mobile-phones-rural-health/remote-disease-diagnosis CellScope for Disease Diagnosis].
* [http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/03/medical.imaging.device/index.html "Invention turns cell phone into mobile medical lab"]
* [http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/04/29_cellphone.shtml "Engineers harness cell phone technology for use in medical imaging"] by Sarah Yang 2008
* [http://www.bitpim.org/papers/phonespecs/ "FAQ: Where do I download cell phone specifications?"] as part of the [http://www.bitpim.org/ BitPim project], which is open source software that runs on a PC connected with the appropriate cable to a cellphone. The BitPim software can upload, download, and backup phonebook, calendar, and other information on some cell phones.

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Open Mobile Gadgets