[PLUG] Linux Friendly Smartphones

chris (fool) mccraw gently at gmail.com
Tue Oct 14 00:02:42 UTC 2008


On Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 16:39, Rich Shepard <rshepard at appl-ecosys.com> wrote:

>   Palm has a firmware upgrade to the 700p that fixes the problem, along with
> some other issues. However, the upgrade can be applied _only_ via computers
> running WinXP, W2K, or Mac OS X with Palm's desktop software installed. They
> have _no_ linux support whatsoever. This bothers me as I've used Palm OS
> PDAs and Smartphones since 1995 or so, and with linux (jpilot) since 1997.
> So, no fix from Palm.

i've been using a pilot since '98 (about 6 palm III/IIIx's over the
course of 8 years and a treo 700p now) and unfortunately they've
always suffered this problem--the rom update utility was always a
windows or mac utility.  the one time every two years (more in the
middle, when i was going through used palm III's at the rate of one
per 8 months) that i had to upgrade the ROM, i always needed a mac or
win machine to do so. as in 1998, so in 2008.  there was never a
*need*, strictly speaking (as you see, your phone still works..) but i
do like the later revs of palmOS esp on the old kit.  as you say,
everything else for the pilot is better under linux--i have fixed more
than one horked device by doing something like dumping and restoring
all the memos or contacts after some minor edits, for instance.  i
love being able to back everything up with a single command, and
restore to another device with absolutely no hassle.  the two or three
times i really tried to use palm's windows or mac software to do
synchronization, it was so un-unix-like that i felt like an imbecile
and screwed things up thoroughly.  pilot-link Just Works, and is
intuitive.


>   Verizon Wireless's fraud busters were able to talk me through changing the
> encryption codes so they could turn outgoing call capability from my phone
> number back on. However, this does not upgrade the firmware, only let's them
> block all calls made from a phone claiming to be mine, but with the old
> code.

weird.


>   I don't need a replacement right away since the Treo 700p is only about a
> year old. But, I would like to learn what linux-supporting smartphones (pda
> and telephone is all I need; no music, pictures, TV, or anything else
> needed). I've nothing against Verizon Wireless (they were very helpful today
> as they have been ever since I bought cellular service with AirTouch), but
> they do charge $60 per month for 'Net access (Web only, I believe) which I
> wouldn't use enough to justify the cost.

just for the record, sprint's all-you-can-eat internet is $20 a month.
 i realize this is largely a moot point since you'd have to abandon
your contract and buy a new phone, but i use google maps/mail and ssh
frequently, and even use my phone as a modem sometimes for that cost.


>   Please suggest such a cell phone and share your experiences with it.
> Compatibility with pilot-link and jpilot is almost a necessity.

I think you'll have a hard time finding a non-palm-device that
pilot-link works with, unfortunately :(

luck++;



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