Creating a real usable phone using OsmocomBB

[Peter Stuge]

Harald Welte wrote:
> > I'm not sure if there are any modems based on Calypso chipset, but
> > even a phone serving as a modem may suffice in some cases.
> 
> I don't think thre is much point to that.

Don't be so sure. I've met competent engineers who have very weird
issues with their M2M equipment being suddenly unreachable on the
network without the modem reporting any error status.


> Sierra, Cinterion, Wavecom and others have a well-established market,
> and their products do very well in adressing that markets needs.  I
> don't see what OsmoocmBB would bring that they'd require.

This is also not neccessarily for us to see. I think it's an
interesting and relevant parallell track. There's no reason *not* to
do it when it is *easier* than the other things we want to do, is my
reasoning somehow.


> The target user for the "OsmocomBB based phone" would be primarily a
> "free software enthusiast", i.e. somebody who likes Free Software
> for the fredom that it has.

Also not neccessarily the only market we have. By now it's easy to
customize your smartphone with tons of apps and so on, but regular
users also like to change technology to fit them now and then. OK, it
could be argued that they fall under the definition of free software
enthusiasts, but the people I think of usually don't.


> And such users are interested in real telephones, notin modems for
> embedded systems.

Maybe they have laptops and would like to use open source internet
connectivity as well. In Berlin there's e.g. never 3G service
available anyway, so 2G-only may be fine.

Just because it's not for me or you doesn't mean that noone else will
not want it. :)


//Peter