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Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

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Re: Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

#91

Post by Steltek »

dobbsbob wrote: post #38
fingerprinter wrote: post #31

cough Ubuntu cough In all seriousness, if he means smartphone from a hardware perspective, I might actually agree. The startup costs there are crazy high. But, if he means software, no. Ubuntu is doing it and doing it very, very well. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it. All Android using hardware manufacturers are crazy to continue with Android now that Google owns Motorola. Look at the Moto X. Nothing can…

Another reason you can't make new smartphones is lawsuits. I imagine Ubuntu OS will be sued out of existence by patent trolls should Samsung adopt it. They don't have an army of lawyers like Android/Google.

Rather than vocally adopt it, wouldn't the better plan for Samsung to silently allow their phones to play well with something like Ubuntu? The community will try to build up Ubuntu OS to a usable level without Samsung expending significant resources. They have their Plan B without opening themselves to any liability in the short term.

Re: Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

#92

Post by MatthewPhillips »

gnaffle wrote: post #65
untog wrote: post #64

Curious that the article doesn't mention the word "patents" once. That's what stops you from even starting to build a Smartphone of your own - you'd violate dozens of patents and be sued into oblivion. The only reason manufacturers are able to do it now is because they all have portfolios of their own and are in a state of cold war with everyone else.

Most things needed to make a smartphone is covered by FRAND patents. Software patents are of course a problem for anyone working in the software industry, so that's not limited to smartphones.

I work in the software industry and have never once worried or even thought about patents in the things I work on. It really depends on what field you work in.

Re: Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

#93

Post by gwu78 »

I don't want a "smartphone". I want a handheld computer, the size of a "smartphone", with a cool form factor like a "smartphone". But, it needs to have Ethernet ports, USB ports, SD card slots, CF card slot, etc. An RS232 serial port would be nice too. I want versatility: inputs and outputs. I do not need to connect to any cellular networks. I do not want a closed source baseband operating system, SIM cards, etc. I want an open source bootloader, like U-boot. And I don't want to be forced to run Linux. It has to run BSD, too. So, I don't need to build a "smartphone". I only need to build a handheld computer.

Re: Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

#94

Post by voltagex_ »

pgreenwood wrote: post #82
matthewmacleod wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really believe this market exists. And even if it does, I expect it's tiny - otherwise, manufacturers would be targeting it.

Last night I had dinner with my parents. They lamented that they could not find a phone for my elderly grandmother. They just need something that just makes and receives calls, is dead simple, has (very) large buttons, and is loud. Where is this phone? We have an ageing population.

Something like http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/mobile-phones/telstr...?

(There was one with larger buttons, but I can't find it)

Re: Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

#95

Post by dllthomas »

gwu78 wrote: post #93

I don't want a "smartphone". I want a handheld computer, the size of a "smartphone", with a cool form factor like a "smartphone". But, it needs to have Ethernet ports, USB ports, SD card slots, CF card slot, etc. An RS232 serial port would be nice too. I want versatility: inputs and outputs. I do not need to connect to any cellular networks. I do not want a closed source baseband operating system, SIM cards, etc. I w…

I want a handheld terminal for a belt-mounted computer. A belt can easily support quite a bit more battery, for hard core computation, longer-range transmitting, and GPS.

Re: Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

#96

Post by some_guy_there »

pgreenwood wrote: post #82
matthewmacleod wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really believe this market exists. And even if it does, I expect it's tiny - otherwise, manufacturers would be targeting it.

Last night I had dinner with my parents. They lamented that they could not find a phone for my elderly grandmother. They just need something that just makes and receives calls, is dead simple, has (very) large buttons, and is loud. Where is this phone? We have an ageing population.

While this might not be the exact answer you were looking for, but people can buy a cheap android phone and put this launcher.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=name.kunes.and...

Re: Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

#97

Post by ThinkBeat »

victorhooi wrote: post #74
ThinkBeat wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is very true. I do feel that the best phones out there today as far as sales maybe the iPhone and the Samsung S4? Will in 5 (?) 10 (?), be like the first iPod, big clunky and obsolete. And the huge phone makers of yesteryear: Nokia, Blackberry etc are now small. I can easily see in a 10 years period a a new player entering the market with success. (if they can keep from being bought by the big 3). Facebooks phon…

What's wrong with the existing PC OSes? =). In the free/open space, we already have fifty billion variants - Linux, the various BSDs (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD), GNU Hurd, ReactOS, OpenSolaris, Haiku etc.)... Do you want more? I mean, I get the whole diversity thing, but after a while, I suspect you get diminishing returns...

I didn't actually know that GNU Herd was stable yet so that is actually cool I will install that later on (VM)

We do have a lot of great Unix inspired operating systems and they are doing an amazing job. I count OS/X in that category too, though its debatable.

Then we have Windows, the big giant. I would really like to see them do a Windows NT Squired, NT NT, a new generation that can break compatibility.

Haiku I am a little excited about. I remember how cool the BoBoxes were many years ago when I saw a demo. How far ahead of Windows it was back in those days.

Dont forget about LoseTheOS/Temple. I dont care what people say about the genius who made it. Its a crowning achievement. It is exciting because it isnt, and was never intended to be a be all do all OS for everyone. It has a purpose.

I would like to see more in Plan9.

Re: Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

#99

Post by hankcharles »

The one possible exception to the rule outlined in this piece is probably Xiaomi. They have successfully cornered a really meaningful market, specifically middle class Chinese that is responsible for a big push in revenue. I believe their phones currently run on Android, but with a very strong revenue stream and probably government support where they need it, in time I wouldn't be surprised if they round out their own platform.

Re: Why You Can't Build a Smartphone

#100

Post by TillE »

pdenya wrote: post #84
Pxtl wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Samsung made a line called Galaxy Player. The cheapest one was $150 and sported a 3.6in 480x340 pixel screen, at a time when you could get an iPod Touch for $200. There expensive one, the Galaxy Player 5, cost more than Apple's offering. And they all ran Android 2.3 Similarly, there was Archos. They made a whole family of Android player devices at the 2.3 era, and where infamously buggy. Sony made the Walkman Z as a…

I used to think well of Sony but my PS3 has lowered my opinion of them as much as the issues with Sony laptops that family members own. I'd love to see them invest in quality and turn things around but I don't expect them to. It's like they've lost the ability to think through the whole experience so even their nice products have extreme low points.

They still make the best reasonably-priced studio headphones in the business, the MDR-7506. It's a fairly old design at this point, though.
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