libera/#maemo/ Wednesday, 2019-09-25

brolin_empeyIt seems strange that a Fast Ethernet PCI Express controller exists as a product considering that PCI Express is newer than Gigabit Ethernet but I guess low cost is very important to designers of low-end notebook computers with a >=14-inch display that is a pathetic TN AMLCD of only around 1280×800 , not even 1920×1080.03:07
brolin_empeyThe Galaxy Note 4 (SM-N910W8, Snapdragon variant for Canada) my father uses with the stock Android OS 6.0.1 keeps unexpectedly rebooting while in use, like my x86 Geeksphone Revolution did with the stock Android OS 4.2 .  I do not know if this is a common issue but if it is then maybe I should not recommend the Galaxy Note 4.03:12
bencohbrolin_empey: it might be a royalty thing07:22
brolin_empeybencoh: You mean a royalty is required to sell a product using Gigabit Ethernet or at least the Gigabit Ethernet brand?07:23
KotCzarnyhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mudita/mudita-pure-your-minimalist-phone07:42
KotCzarny:)07:42
brolin_empeyI have not yet opened the link but a Nokia 1011 from 1992 is a minimalist GSM telephone.07:51
bencohbrolin_empey: something about gigabit mii/phy not being royalty-free and/ordesign being cheaper07:53
brolin_empeyOK, I opened the link.  It is strange to use a 3840×2160 27-inch flat-panel display in 2019 to see an animated image using the GIF with lots of posterisation due to the 8-bit colour depth as if I was still using Netscape Navigator 4.x in the late 1990s or early 2000s on a <=19-inch CRT video monitor.08:27
brolin_empeyThat page looks bad on a high-pixel-density display because it uses low-pixel-density raster images of text and drawings instead of actual text and vector graphics.08:28
brolin_empeyI mean it is a video converted to a GIF animation;  the use of the GIF limits the colour depth to 8 bits as if it was still the 1990s.08:32
brolin_empeyAnyway, that computer looks like an Apple iPod 3G or maybe earlier but with an e-ink display instead of a monochromatic LCD.  They kept mentioning GSM before they mentioned UMTS/HSPA and LTE so I initially thought their product was a super anachronism that only supports the earliest digital cellular network, from the early 1990s, in 2019 even though apparently some countries have already phased out GSM.  Proposing that this computer will simplify the life of09:00
brolin_empey the user seems contradictory because they suggest using a notebook computer as a Web browser because this computer lacks Internet connectivity.  How does requiring a user to carry at least two computers with them instead of carring only one handheld computer with them simplify anything?  Notebook computers are almost as redundant as a dedicated digital still camera for my use case because I can do everything I need to do on a computer while I am away from09:00
brolin_empeymy stationary computer workstation at my home or office on my handheld computer, which can use a normal USB keyboard in addition to a Bluetooth keyboard and can drive an external display at up to at least 3840×2160 if I bought an adapter or cable.  Also, using T9 or similar styles of predictive text input is a major regression in usability compared to predictive text input on a touch screen that learns from how/what the user writes.  Also, apparently this09:00
brolin_empeycomputer lacks an integrated camera;  is the user expected to still carry a dedicated camera with them in addition to a notebook computer and a handheld computer and, consequently, have to manage at least three batteries instead of only one battery?  Also, I see no mention of the word “map” so I guess the user is expected to carry another computer or paper book with them instead of using a handheld computer for navigation.  Good luck trying to memorise09:00
brolin_empeydriving directions if you are somewhere that uses a writing system that is foreign to you so you cannot read the signs while driving.  Speaking of writing systems, does their OS even support Unicode because all of the available natural languages use the Latin alphabet for left-to-right text.09:00
brolin_empeyWhoever wrote the part suggesting that the user use a Web browser on a notebook computer seems to not realise that new models of smartphones with an integrated hardware keyboard are still being released, such as the FxTec Pro1 or however they write their name.09:04
brolin_empeyI guess this product could be described as Nokia Series 40 for a new generation, heh.09:09
brolin_empeyI also see no mention of a non-volatile memory card other than the SIM or equivalent;  maybe the hardware designer is an Apple fan?09:10
brolin_empeyI also see no mention of SIP support so I guess you cannot use this computer as a telephone if you have Internet connectivity but not cellular connectivity.  Also, proposing that using USB tethering with a notebook computer instead of connecting the notebook computer to a Wireless LAN access point on the handheld computer simplifies the life of the user seems laughable considering that using USB tethering seems more likely to be problematic in practice than09:14
brolin_empeyconnecting to a Wireless LAN.09:14
brolin_empeyEspecially if you do not even have the cable required to connect the handheld computer to a notebook computer, in which case you could still connect the notebook computer to a Wireless LAN!09:16
brolin_empeyIf I wanted to be sexist then I could mention that women are listed as responsible for marketing and some type of design role for the team/organisation developing this product.09:18

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