[conspire] (forw) Re: [ILUG] Android gone Free

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Daniel Gimpelevich (daniel at gimpelevich.san-francisco.ca.us):

> From what I heard before T-Mo picked up Android, it was already like 
> that. This, if anything, ensures that OpenMoko is NOT dead in the water. 

Interesting points.

I rather liked this response to the original poster, though, which
suggests a different approach:

 From: Michael Watterson <watty at eircom.net>
 To: john.looney at gmail.com
 Cc: Irish Linux Users Group <ilug at linux.ie>,
        David Dolphin <David.Dolphin at skynet.ie>
 Subject: Re: [ILUG] Android gone Free

Android is not about a Linux phone
It's not about openess
It's not about installing your own (I've built a handset with VOIP, it         
just takes HW that is documented).

It is all about having a CLOSED platform, a google alternative to Java.
Android is only incidentally Linux. It could be WinMo, Symbian etc.. the
important bit got Google and what the apps run on is the custom Google
version of Java.

If you want an Open phone build your own or buy OpenMoko. A Symbian
phone is more open than Android.

The simplest solution HW & SW wise is a VOIP handset with an                    
EDGE/3G/HSDPA modem module (some will even let you do ordinary voice            
calls and SMS via analogue I/O and Modem commands). Real phones have a          
baseband CPU and don't use a Modem. You need a phone stack for them for
GSM, GPRS, EDGE, 3G and HSDPA.  This  is a  lot more than the  "Radio           
Drivers" which are  simple.  If you examine  phone  you can usually  see
what  RF chips are used and  setting the  TX and RX frequency , power,
TX/RX is  fairly easy for your own custom Radio System.  Doing it
compliant with GSM/3G is NOT a "Radio Driver" issue, but a phone                
protocol stack issue for the baseband or DSP/Baseband  CPU.

Some phones have SDR, DSP chips to implement IQ based demodulation and
Modulation. These chips may include a CPU or use a separate CPU for the         
phone protocol stack.

Years ago I did a lot of ISDN and also analogue trunk protocol
signalling. All this stuff (3G/GSM) is documented. You could in theory
write your own stack. However if you don't mind paying an extra $200,
buy a micro sized Modem Module that is essentially a PCB version of             
functionality of E220 USB modem etc or Sierra 850 and a general purpose         
ARM + LCD + Touch screen (plenty available) and add Linux. No phone
stack needed. No RF drivers needed.