OSDev.org

Hi, finally it's time for me to open a new thread.

I'm curious whether someone of you owns a so called 'smart phone' (mainly talking about those with PalmOS or SymbianOS installed). Did you also try to install software on it, or even develop an app yourself (either functional or just for fun)? Did you purchase it because you needed such a thing as an organizer, or just out of curiosity?

I've just spent quite a lot of money on a new Sony Ericsson P910i, after my old faithful Nokia 8210 finally denied service after almost 4 years. I chose it because I wanted to try a mobile that offers me the same flexibility as a PDA, and, of course, extensible software, and the first piece of software I've added is the Opera browser. I was a bit disappointed by the flexibility of the OS itself, I'm unable to touch or modify the system files in any way, because they are effectively hidden, not even accessible through a remote connection to a PC >:(. Another point is the proprietary protocol the thing uses for the connection to a PC - not even file transfer is possible through an open protocol, you always have to use Sony's software package - which is _only_ shipped as a Windows version. 2nd >:(

But I already have some plans to connect it to my home network, and maybe use it as a bluetooth remote control for other devices ;D.

cheers Joe

Not a smartphone (I don't even own an off-the-mill mobile, good riddance). But I toyed with a HP Jornada 720 PDA for quite some time - I hoped to get a GCC running on it so I could put a compiler in my suit pocket.

Didn't work out, really. The WinCE was just too limited in too many regards. (Hell, the thing did come with a command line interface, but without a registry editor or filetype editor...)

And just when I was making real progress the thing was stolen from my office. :-/ I'm back to carrying a big laptop around. At least it's faster, and running Linux.

JoeKayzA wrote:
I was a bit disappointed by the flexibility of the OS itself, I'm unable to touch or modify the system files in any way, because they are effectively hidden, not even accessible through a remote connection to a PC >:(.

Means that the designers did 50% of their job right. Now, if they got the other half right (i.e., that the thing is so well-configured that it does not need user access to internals), I'd actually congratulate them. It's not as if smartphones are designed to be tampered with, to the contrary...

Another point is the proprietary protocol the thing uses for the connection to a PC - not even file transfer is possible through an open protocol, you always have to use Sony's software package - which is _only_ shipped as a Windows version. 2nd >:(

Again, of course. Those things are buid to cost you money. For software, screen savers, ring tones, games. What, do you think, would the manufacturers think of customers who'd program games for those machines that they would share, for free, via the internet?

We're talking a veritable industry branch here, which is selling units in numbers any desktop HW / SW manufacturer can only dream about...

Solar wrote:

JoeKayzA wrote:
I was a bit disappointed by the flexibility of the OS itself, I'm unable to touch or modify the system files in any way, because they are effectively hidden, not even accessible through a remote connection to a PC >:(.

Means that the designers did 50% of their job right. Now, if they got the other half right (i.e., that the thing is so well-configured that it does not need user access to internals), I'd actually congratulate them. It's not as if smartphones are designed to be tampered with, to the contrary...

If you can't do your job 100% right, at least allow me to do it instead.

If you don't make a decent system, don't hide its details from me.

We're talking a veritable industry branch here, which is selling units in numbers any desktop HW / SW manufacturer can only dream about...

If only they'd stop appealing only to those with an IQ below their age.

Candy wrote: If you can't do your job 100% right, at least allow me to do it instead.

If you don't make a decent system, don't hide its details from me.

That's quite my opinion, too. I discovered however, that there are alternative file managers around that seem to offer the possibility to view the _native_ filesystem tree. The view that the integrated file browser offers is just a filtered one, intended to delete _data_ files or move them from or to a memory card. The problem with this is that I can't even go to the program directory of the installed Opera browser to place a language file there :\. Still have to take a look at how they suggest to do this, the only version I found for download is the english one, and normally you localize it with a language file.

The capabilities of the operating system are by far greater than what you can configure by hand (like, for example, tunneling an IP connection through bluetooth to get access to a LAN - with the shipped config tools you can only setup connections via GPRS).

cheers Joe

I have a Nokia 3230 ( http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,1522,,00.html?orig=/3230 ) with SymbianOS, I use it to surf a little @home becasue i live to far away from the city to get ADSL..
It has a 1.3 megapixel camera that can both take photos and record "movies"..

I have also installed a java xvid player, and on my 256mb memory card i can fit in about 2 full movies..
Other applications:

TurboMSN - Installed..
MP3 players - One preinstalled and a better one as java
Doom - Actually a .wad file loader
Alot of other games
+ FExplorer - To get better control over folders and files in the phone

Anyway, it's great. The only thing that could be better is that it doesn't show up as for example H: in Windows, you have to use Nokias special program to copy files.

Is FExplorer also available for SymbianOS IQU? (AFAIK the nokias are Series60, my sony is IQU, and these are not compatible)

The camera seems good! The biggest problem with mobile phone cameras in the past was, IMHO, that you couldn't use it for high quality photos, thus rendering them almost useless...

cheers Joe