NanoNote Goes Wireless 83
dvdkhlng writes "Even though completely copyleft, the NanoNote hand-held platform failed to get the attention of many due to its low specs and the lack of wireless connectivity. The objective to keep things open had its price, and wireless technology is a mine-field of patents and NDAs. Now, a few gifted hackers designed an add-on card to bring wireless to the NanoNote. It's not what you would expect; WLAN compatibility was sacrificed, going for the less encumbered IPv6 over the 802.15.4 standard instead. The resulting dongles won't win a prize for the highest bandwidth, but excel at simplicity, energy efficiency and manufacturability. Want to see the ugly details? Designs, source code and production documentation are published under open source licenses."
Scale (Score:1)
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You can't think of a practical use for a small handheld device with a screen, keyboard, and wireless networking?
Have you heard of this ancient device called a BlackBerry. Or a much newer thing called an iPhone (without the hardware keyboard)?
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music or video player for Ogg or an offline Wikipedia or MIT OpenCourseWare appliance
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The NanoNote is not my ideal solution, but I really wish everyone with a smart phone would stop assuming that everyone else also has one. By the end of the year, only half of the cellphones will be smart phones and not everyone even has a cell phone. On top of that, even if you have a smart phone, you don't necessarily have a data plan. I'd have to guess that right now, probably only 20% of adults actually have a smart phone and data plan.
The good news is Android SmartPhone turnover (Score:2)
In three years, all those new Android SmartPhones will be discarded for something new, and the millions of old ones can be repurposed as educational tools for people in materially poor countries. So we can write educational software for Android *now* and just assume the networkable platform will be free in three years to essentially anyone anywhere wanting education. More on that idea:
http://listcultures.org/pipermail/p2presearch_listcultures.org/2009-November/006250.html [listcultures.org]
Re:Scale (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm pretty sure most people already have a small, handheld device in their pocket which can do all of those things, and more, and which has a better screen, better connectivity, more storage, and far better support.
Do they have them for $100?
Seriously, I could think of a few things to do with this, and I'm not all that creative.
Wikipedia in a hand-sized device (although there was that other Wikipedia handheld thing), basic word processing, email and webmail, Telnet / SSH access... Hell, it's running linux, so you could have all kinds of useful utilities on the silly thing as a sysadmin.
Yes, most First World Geeks (and some Second World Geeks) have PDAs and Smartphones, but for underprivileged geeks? Young hackers (in the correct sense of the word) interested in learning basic computer/electrical engineering and code modification? I couldn't afford an iPhone when I was a kid (still can't, really) but this? I could have swung this and had an absolute ball mucking about with it.
Yes, it's not a Smartphone. But it's nothing to just scoff at.
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I got a phone that runs linux for well under â100 on contract, and it has more than enough space for Wikipedia. It has word processing, email, webmail, telnet & ssh access, samba, etc. etc. etc.
You can buy old second-hand phones for well under $100 that can do all of this, too. Prices for these devices have tumbled.
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I realize that a lot of people consider the contract that make smartphones affordable are evil... but you know what? I'd pay for voice and data on my phone anyway. Arguably without the contract I'd have more freedom to move to different networks to squeeze a few more pennies out of my bill every month, but practically I don't think I'd move that often. Most of the major players charge similar amounts for equally mediocre service. If I was really on the ball I doubt I'd save more than a hundred bucks or
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Funny how it doesn't work like that here in Australia.
$0 upfront, $59 p/m - no difference to a normal $59 BYO plan.
I think I'll stick with my subsidised phone.
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Don't know what shitty part of the world you live in, but here in the UK, yes you do. From day one. The carriers have to separate the phone from the contract, otherwise they are responsible for the phone. Which means (amongst other things) if they break the contrac (usually by an unfair change in the terms) you get to cancel at no penalty, and keep the phone.
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It looks interesting, but not so much for it handheld features, but for the size. I have been looking for a while for a micro sized cheap motherboard that can support Linux, networking and either serial or USB connectivity. Oh and being light enough on energy requirements that a solar panel is enough to power it. If it could support Apache httpd and Java then that would be big plus.
Sure there is the Adruino, but I want something that is a step up. Then again, maybe I have underestimated what the Adruino can
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If you want Apache and Java, you're way over Arduino's capabilities. I think a SheevaPlug (1.2GHz ARM, 20W max (usually less), $100) is more suitable for that purpose.
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> Do they have them for $100?
Sure, why not?
Checked eBay lately, you can get yourself a 7" Android tablet for like $65.
NanoNote has many virtues, but being cheap and "accessible" (third world, blah blah blah), is NOT one of them. On the contrary, it is WAY overpriced for what it is. And likewise so, this new wireless addon - 41 Euro, for god's sake, and you were saying something about students and poor children?
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The trouble is... the Zipit Z2 is cheaper and actually has wireless networking built in, so most people wanting to hack on a cheap handheld computer in this form factor just buy one of those and load Linux onto it.
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It would be a perfect place to keep your Bitcoin wallet. You could carry it around in your pocket to keep your bitcoins safe from hackers.
In fact, I'm surprised the summary didn't read something like Potential Bitcoin wallet goes wireless. In Bitcoin news today, Bitcoin experts said that Bitcoin uptake of Bitcoins could increase with the addition of Bitcoin wireless to a device which might, potentially, at some point, be used to store Bitcoins. Asked to comment on the development, a Bitcoin-using Bitcoin promoter replied "Bitcoin Bitcoin Bitcoin Bitcoin. And furthermore, Bitcoin."
its not selling well (Score:2)
cause you cant find the thing for sale anywhere
besides if you could would you? I mean I might give up to 40 bucks for this toy that will end up in the junk bin a year later
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Yes, it can boot an open source OS out of the box.
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Can that open source OS do anything his blackberry OS can't?
This sounds like an excellent open source hobby kit, but a practical device it does not appear to be.
Nope (Score:2)
"a practical device it does not appear to be."
A practical device is PRECISELY what it is.
It is designed for embedded systems and low-cost distributed networks.
Tell me what is your definition of the word "practical"?
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Can it do anything my Blackberry can't?
It runs the software that you write, and you don't even need any SDK for that. Out of the box it runs Lua, Python, Tcl, Octave, Scheme, gForth, Emacs-Lisp, Shell Script and who knows what else. There's even a GCC toolchain package available, if you need it. If you're satisfied with the software that vendors throw at you or allow you to obtain via their managed app-store, than maybe NanoNote is not made for you.
End users aren't interested in writing software (Score:1)
It runs the software that you write
Most end users aren't interested in writing software.
If you're satisfied with the software that vendors throw at you or allow you to obtain via their managed app-store
At the moment, this appears to describe most end users. And without a distinct feature that appeals to a lot of end users, don't expect to see this device on store shelves. And without store shelves, don't expect to be able to buy this device with cash.
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I know, man. If it isn't in Best Buy it just doesn't exist! Fuck people who make niche hardware for thinking they can try!
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its not even on google dingbat
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I just searched "nanonote" in google and it was the FIRST GODDAMN PAGE OF HITS.
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your too god damed busy being a fucking troll to bother with that, you just give me shit
Shit you deserve, for being so thick. If you clicked on the first link there's a "buy now" link at the top of the page.
if your "selling" a product fucking make it where people can find it, if you dont go fuck yourself and your story about how its not selling well
They've put it exactly where they wanted it. "Not selling well" was put in by the article submitter. But please, continue being an idiot.
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Hey, well if you had rubbed your two brain cells together at the start, maybe I wouldn't have been so snarky
Oh well.
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yea i see the home page, and some news links, a couple of videos but where do you buy it?????
Right here. [sharism.cc] They're $99. Wifi will cost you [qi-hardware.com] about $30-40 (but isn't copyleft).
(Got that link from the provided link [qi-hardware.com] in the article above.)
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cause you cant find the thing for sale anywhere
Yes, one can. [sharism.cc]
besides if you could would you? I mean I might give up to 40 bucks for this toy that will end up in the junk bin a year later
The cost is $99.
I agree that it might very well end up in the junk bin a year later, but I believe that is the point behind the device. It is not an end product in itself; it is meant to be experimented with, . Developers and students are meant to start from here and make something else. ~ musically_ut
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cause you cant find the thing for sale anywhere
Yes, one can. [sharism.cc]
Original poster still has a point: The cheapest shipping option from Sharism to the U.S. is ~$24. and there are no U.S. vendors that sell them. (That I've found.)
It's not exactly the most accessible product ever.
It still doesn't do anything useful (Score:1)
It still has low specs and poor design, except now it has an ugly dongle (that makes it harder to carry without breaking it) that doesn't connect to anything people actually use. Tools have to solve problems and this doesn't solve anyone's issues other than a very, very, very tiny minority of open fanatics. If it's not a tool, it's a toy, and these don't seem like much fun.
In the mean time, the rest of the world has cell phones that are more powerful, have better displays, better input devices, and roughly
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I think I gleaned the true meaning of your blather.
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No, I'm pretty sure the only insane asshole involved is you.
Arduinos solve problems and are successful, despite being nice hardware. SheevaPlugs solve problems and are successful.
If people want to design and play with these for the fun of it, more power to them, but it's poorly conceived and will never be very successful at reaching the hands of hobbyists and they shouldn't be surprised when they fail. As I told the other gentleman, if they're dedicated to open hardware, they'd be better off creating open
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If people want to design and play with these for the fun of it, more power to them
Except your post basically comes off as "they should never have bothered, because they're dirty zealots and it's been done better by others and I don't find it interesting."
it's poorly conceived
How so?
will never be very successful at reaching the hands of hobbyists
It's been around since 2009 at least and hasn't died yet. Maybe it is, and you're just making things up?
As I told the other gentleman, if they're dedicated to open h
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Im a hobbyist, and i still don't see the point of this thing where there are far more useful devices for less out there.
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The problem, as stated, is that it lacks wireless capability, which is something that is largely the point of portable devices. By not supporting a protocol that users can find (how many people do you know with 802.15.4 connections in their homes?) they haven't solved that problem. This creates a larger obstacle to getting the product into the hands of users, which is their primary goal, yes?
If you're not going to make a compelling portable product, why not make a compelling non-portable product that doesn'
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It's not worth a hundred bucks considering what you can get under a hundred bucks these days, e.g. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/7-touch-screen-lcd-google-android-2-2-tablet-pc-w-wifi-camera-tf-arm-v5-349-79mhz-70053 [dealextreme.com] or perhaps http://www.dealextreme.com/p/7-0-tft-lcd-android-2-2-via-8650-cpu-wifi-umpc-netbook-white-349-79mhz-2gb-3-usb-sd-lan-70761 [dealextreme.com].
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You can get a very capable Android cell phone from any of the major providers for under $100 these days. I've not been under contract since 2006 or so and I was able to get one with a second generation snagdragon processor and unlocked world capability for $150, but I'm also on a small provider that actively tries to avoid being evil.
It might be OK for the three applications you listed but I think you'd be disappointed by the media that the CPU can support and by how clumsy playing games would be on that t
Wait... (Score:1)
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The NanoNote has a USB device controller, but no USB host controller. So you can connect it to a PC and run ethernet over USB, but you cannot connect other devices directly to the NanoNote.
Misleading - WiFi already supported (Score:2)
From their wiki: http://en.qi-hardware.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_in_Nanonote [qi-hardware.com]
This section shows the availability of Wi-Fi connectivity in Ben NanoNote.
Up to now, Ben NanoNote is able to use Wi-Fi devices based on the KS7010 Wi-Fi chip from KeyStream.
KeyStream was a small Japanese startup (about 30 people) focusing on mobile Wi-Fi chips, their first and only main product being the KS3021 RF chip and the KS7010 Wi-Fi baseband chip. They were acquired by Renesas in April 2009, and are now continuing as the KeyStream bran
"ben" nanonote (Score:2)
The product's full name is the Ben NanoNote.
Interestingly, "ben" is also the measure word used in Chinese for books, which speaks to the usability of this device as an e-reader.
wo you san ben shu --> I have three volumes of books.
wo you yi ben NanoNote --> I have a NanoNote.
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Interestingly, "ben" is also the measure word used in Chinese for books, which speaks to the usability of this device as an e-reader.
Yeah, now that I realize I have to learn Chinese to understand it, it's even less useable than I thought!
And it still won't get any attention (Score:3)
Guess what? It still has low specs, and it still lacks wifi. I'd never heard of the NanoNote, and I'd never heard of 802.15.4. Now they're combined into a single product that no one will be interested in. I guess that's an improvement, right?
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From the Qi-hardware wiki, one of the group's goals is to provide:
Well that's great, except it's 2011 and they've made a portable computer that lacks wifi. Do we really want people associating "open source" with "less capable"?
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It's based on Ingenic JZ4720, a little endian MIPS processor with many integrated peripherals.