Re: [Fsuk-manchester] Advice on mobile phones please

[Dave Love]

"Tim Dobson" <address@hidden> writes:

> You could save yourself having to read this email by reading
> http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Neo1973:_GTA01Bv4_versus_GTA02_comparison
> instead.

They hide some of that info reasonably well...  I had actually read
stuff on openmoko.org, which didn't make me confident, and I don't see
anything there now to inspire great confidence.  I seem to remember
that the `consumer' version was supposed to be available already.  I
do note that someone does claim to have got dialing working recently.

> Sorry but you are a little confused here:
> The current version; a developers prerelease(code named GTA01), does
> not contain wifi.
> the Mass Market device, "GTA02" is due to go on sail at the end of
> december.

I guess I'll believe it when I see it sailing as a decently usable
device, given the info I've seen, but I'm not an expert, and certainly
don't want to argue about it.

> That platform sounds quite stable to me, there are vmware [yuk!]
> images to look at if you want, i believe, but the operating system, i
> have utmost confidence in.

I'm surprised, given what's on openmoko.org, especially the planet
bit.  Do you have inside info?

> However, I understand what you are saying about usability of ssh on a
> platform with no "real" keyboard, but i think this is always going to
> be a problem, and not one just linked with this platform.

I don't actually know how usable a keyboardless system is.  I figured
a keyboard was a good move, especially as I don't know what you lose
in cost/reliability with a touch screen.

> i think you are really getting the wrong end of the stick about the
> software, as I understand it while it was relatively unstable during
> the development period, now it is quite stable.

The post which says that dialing works is dated Nov 3.  It's doubtless
fine as a toy (not meant pejoratively), I'll just be surprised if it's
a useful device I'd want to spend money on before the end of the year.

> However we will see at the january or febuary fsuk-manc meeting when i
> should have my phone....

Let's hope so.  I'm always glad to have skepticism proved wrong, but I
have decent statistics on it at this stage...