[maemo-developers] OMAP 2420 / lower level hardware docs?

[From: Jon Smirl]

On 3/11/07, Klaus Rotter <klaus at rotters.de> wrote:
> I am happy enough that Nokia is still producing, selling and developing
> new Linux devices. A lot of other companies, even big ones like Sharp,
> tried Linux on handhelds and drew back. Ok, Sharp still produces Linux
> devices, but they are only sold in Japan.

We are definitely in need of more experimentation with devices like
this. The formula for standard phones isn't working. My phone has a
calendar, web broswer and downloadable apps. I use none of those
features because they are too expensive and hard to use for what you
get on the little screen. My next phone is simply going to be the most
reliable basic phone I can find and I don't care any more about these
other worthless features. Most of my colleagues have the same opinion.

So I'm probably going in the direction Nokia wants with the N800. All
of my fancy apps will be on the N800 and the phone just becomes a
Bluetooth modem. Now I can buy a cheap simple phone (free with my
contract) and put my larger budget into the N800. Linux is key to
allowing the needed experimentation on the N800 to figure out the set
of apps that the public truly wants. Fully open source and open parts
allow the community to continue supporting old devices when the
manufacturer is no longer interested.

While writing this it occurred to me that you could build the N800 in
two pieces. I wonder if you could make a very small basic phone that
could be firmly joined together with the display unit from the N800.
They could share the CPU, battery, etc. Designing a phone like that is
going to require some really innovative packaging.

-- 
Jon Smirl
jonsmirl at gmail.com