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Re: [News] Gizmos too complicated; 50% return rate

__/ [ The Ghost In The Machine ] on Tuesday 12 September 2006 20:00 \__

> In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Hadron Quark
> <qadronhuark@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>  wrote
> on Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:44:32 +0200
> <87ac55htdr.fsf@xxxxxxxxxxx>:
>> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
>>
>>> __/ [ The Ghost In The Machine ] on Tuesday 12 September 2006 18:00 \__
>>>
>>>> Apologies for not having a reference but this was on
>>>> KCBS this morning; apparently cell phones, Blackberries,
>>>> and other such gizmos have a 50% return rate as they are
>>>> getting way too featureful and complicated.  I'll admit
>>>> I'd have to dig; the website (www.kcbs.com) isn't being
>>>> horribly helpful.
>>>
>>>
>>> While on that note, it's worth mentioning that mobile phone engineers
>>> favour Linux (once its merits are realised) because it's a 'one size fits
>>> all'
>>
>> Err, but they currently dont favor Linux. Who on earth told you this?


Just one among many studies.

Whitepaper assesses Linux in the mobile phone space

,----[ Quote ]
| This EDC whitepaper examines the progress and prospects of Linux in the 
| mobile phone market, examining major vendors, application development 
| trends, geographic factors, and Linux drivers/inhibitors.
| 
| [...]
| 
|     * A sharp rise during the Spring of 2006 in the number of mobile 
| application developers targeting Linux...
| 
|     * The "widening" field of mobile Linux stack vendors, characterized
| as pureplays, diversifiers, and dabblers
| 
|     * Mobile developers across all major geographic regions are "equally
| compelled" to write applications for Linux, despite the relative shortage
| of devices in North America, as compared to Asia and, to a lesser extent,
| Europe.
| 
|     * OEMs, VARS, integrators, and department-focused enterprise
| engineers are most likely to target Linux, while ISVs (independent software 
| vendors) and "corporate-wide" enterprise engineers are less likely to do
| so.
| 
|     * Linux use in wireless devices has grown much faster than predicted,
| and, allowing for some inhibitors such as a lack of cohesive standards,
| the future for Linux in mobile phones is "brighter than ever"
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS5855050534.html

One proof is enough for a troll. There are many more I could cite if you were
worth it. You and your vain, abominable messages, which I can still see when
you get fed (don't worry, I'm extending my killfile for the Three Stooges:
Gary, DFS and yourself).


> Mobile phones are funny beasts.  At the user level, they
> are a display screen, microphone, speaker, antenna, and
> a bunch of buttons to push (or maybe a touch-screen).
> Does it matter whether they run Linux, FreeBSD, OS/9,
> Symbian, Windows XP Embedded Edition, or some proprietary
> crud that is only known to the manufacturer?


The proprietary bits are often what's used to block and eliminate features.
*smile*


> Not to the end user.  They just punch the buttons.
> 
> http://www.technewsworld.com/story/36946.html
> 
> suggests Microsoft is "poised to dominate the mobile phone OS market",
> and that was as of 2 years ago.


The only victim will be Symbian, say the experts. Some analysts predict that
Linux will reign that space. It has too many large backers such as Palm,
Orange (provider, not maker), Motorola, Nokia, among many other (probably
over a dozen known brands).

Have a look at this item from this afternoon.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060912/tc_nm/retail_japan_mobile_dc

        Mobile commerce seen as future for Japan retailers

It seems like expansion of Linux in the mobile space would, just as I all
along believed, lead to its immediate penetration. And if you can be Big in
Japan, then you can make it everywhere. The Japanese know technology and
choose what they like. They are still in a boycott state when it comes to
the XBox 360. They await the Nintendo Wii and the PS3, both of which run
Linux.


> However, there's also
> 
>
http://www.cellular.co.za/news_2004/may/050404-symbian_to_dominate_mobile_phone.htm
> 
> which suggests Symbian will dominate the mobile phone OS market.
> My brain is beginning to hurt.


That's strange. I wonder if these opinions are somehow entwined with the
agenda of the companies in question.


> For its part PalmSource is announcing a Linux-based mobile
> phone OS:
> 
> http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS4663700447.html
> 
> The diagram is rather interesting -- but probably not all that
> useful except as a very high-level summary.  However, it's
> clear they're using Gtk, and possibly Gnome, for the GUI; this
> makes it *independent* of kernel and they could slap it onto
> Windows XP tomorrow, using either wxGtk or Gtk with Windows
> capabilities.


It's indeed Gtk. The photos taken last year made it rather evident. I'd love
to see a KDE phone (not Trolltech's Qt-based Qtopia). Imagine yourself
virtual desktops in the wallpaper... and Compiz/XGL. Maybe in 5 years... I
hope that Palm recuperate with this Linux transition. I have been with them
for over 4 years and my PIM data is more or less locked in (albeit
KOrganizer hauled it and made it exportable as, e.g. ical). I can read it in
my PHP-based Web calendar, which might come handy one day.


> (Why they'd want to is a question only they can answer.  I've
> not tried to build Gtk on Windows.  The Gdk and X underlayers
> are not explicitly shown -- and X may not be present at all.)


Never tried programming in GTK for Windows, but it's beyond possible. When
installing the GIMP under Windows, for example, one needs to install GTK
first. And it seems rather complete. I used to program with GDK and GTK. I
can't remember the API's, but it's GPL'd so everyone can benefit from the
work. And judging by the search/usage logs, some people do.

http://schestowitz.com/Projects/kmdupdate.html


> http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS5566717572.html
> 
> suggests Symbian is dominating the market currently, with
> 76.2% as of July 2005.  Linux is in second place, with
> Windows Mobile and Palm OS tied for third.  However, there
> is a disclaimer: apparently Pocket PC Phones are not taken
> into account.  (I know Vodaphone has one, for example; I've
> seen their ads.  It's about the size of a Flash stick, and
> plugs into a USB port.  No doubt part of it *is* a Flash
> or ROM stick, with autoload.)

Let's not forget the following, which engineers find to be a hoot. *smile*

http://www.trolltech.com/products/qtopia/phone_edition/greenphone/greenphonespecs

Best wishes,

Roy

-- 
Roy S. Schestowitz    
http://Schestowitz.com  |  Open Prospects   ¦     PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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