Group: Hardware/TODO/TO SORT/Smartphones

From LibrePlanet
Jump to: navigation, search
(Hardware freedom)
(Added infos concerning the Nexus S)
Line 19: Line 19:
 
!Nexus one
 
!Nexus one
 
!Palm pre(normal,plus or version 2)
 
!Palm pre(normal,plus or version 2)
 +
!Nexus S
 
|-
 
|-
 
!Non free firmwares
 
!Non free firmwares
Line 38: Line 39:
 
*Wifi(libertas_sdio)
 
*Wifi(libertas_sdio)
 
*Maybe others?
 
*Maybe others?
 +
|{{butyes}}:
 +
*Wifi
 +
*Bluetooth
 +
*NFC: Near Field Communication
 +
*MFC: Multi Format Codec (hardware video encoding/decoding)
 
|-
 
|-
 
!Modem can be flashed
 
!Modem can be flashed
Line 43: Line 49:
 
|{{butyes}}<ref name='n900modemflash'>Nokia Updates are capable of flashing the modem firmware, in fact unpacking the PR 1.3(The version of the nokia Update)update with [http://www.nopcode.org/0xFFFF/ 0xFFFF] shows that the modem firmware was flashed,also some modem properties changed between PR 1.2(The version of the nokia Update) and PR 1.3(The version of the nokia Update)</ref>
 
|{{butyes}}<ref name='n900modemflash'>Nokia Updates are capable of flashing the modem firmware, in fact unpacking the PR 1.3(The version of the nokia Update)update with [http://www.nopcode.org/0xFFFF/ 0xFFFF] shows that the modem firmware was flashed,also some modem properties changed between PR 1.2(The version of the nokia Update) and PR 1.3(The version of the nokia Update)</ref>
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|{{butyes}}
 +
|{{butyes}}
 +
|
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|-
 
|-
Line 49: Line 57:
 
|{{yes}}
 
|{{yes}}
 
|?
 
|?
 +
|?
 +
|
 
|?
 
|?
 
|-
 
|-
Line 56: Line 66:
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|{{butyes}}
 +
|
 +
|Needs to be deeply checked, seems not (it seems that the RIL has to send audio to the modem)
 
|-
 
|-
 
!GPS under modem's control
 
!GPS under modem's control
Line 63: Line 75:
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|{{butyes}}
 +
|Needs to be deeply checked, seems not (it seems to be attached via serial interface to the SoC)
 
|-
 
|-
 
!Free Bootloader
 
!Free Bootloader
Line 70: Line 83:
 
|?
 
|?
 
|Some work has been done(must check status,not usable yet,abandoned?)
 
|Some work has been done(must check status,not usable yet,abandoned?)
 +
|?
 
|-
 
|-
 
!Modem can access the main CPU memory chips
 
!Modem can access the main CPU memory chips
Line 77: Line 91:
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|{{butyes}}
 
|??
 
|??
 +
|{{butno}} (the connection is over different SRAM)
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
Line 88: Line 103:
 
!Nexus one
 
!Nexus one
 
!Palm pre(normal,plus or version 2)
 
!Palm pre(normal,plus or version 2)
 +
!Nexus S
 
|-
 
|-
 
!USB host
 
!USB host
Line 95: Line 111:
 
|possible, untested, unpowered
 
|possible, untested, unpowered
 
|?
 
|?
 +
|possible, untested, perhaps unpowered
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
Line 107: Line 124:
 
!Nexus one(Replicant)
 
!Nexus one(Replicant)
 
!Palm pre(normal,plus or version 2) (FSO+SHR)
 
!Palm pre(normal,plus or version 2) (FSO+SHR)
 +
!Nexus S (Replicant)
 
|-
 
|-
 
!Data connectivity
 
!Data connectivity
Line 115: Line 133:
 
|3G working in replicant
 
|3G working in replicant
 
|3G working in SHR(not tested by me)
 
|3G working in SHR(not tested by me)
 +
|doesn't work yet
 
|-
 
|-
 
!Hardware features support
 
!Hardware features support
 
| See [http://wiki.freesmartphone.org/index.php/HardwareComparison The FSO page about the supported hardware features]
 
| See [http://wiki.freesmartphone.org/index.php/HardwareComparison The FSO page about the supported hardware features]
 
| See [http://wiki.freesmartphone.org/index.php/HardwareComparison The FSO page about the supported hardware features]
 
| See [http://wiki.freesmartphone.org/index.php/HardwareComparison The FSO page about the supported hardware features]
| see [http://trac.osuosl.org/trac/replicant/wiki/Replicant_2.2_Status The replicant page about the supported hardware features]
+
| see [http://trac.osuosl.org/trac/replicant/wiki/ReplicantStatus The replicant page about the supported hardware features]
 
| See [http://wiki.freesmartphone.org/index.php/HardwareComparison The FSO page about the supported hardware features]
 
| See [http://wiki.freesmartphone.org/index.php/HardwareComparison The FSO page about the supported hardware features]
| see [http://trac.osuosl.org/trac/replicant/wiki/Replicant_2.2_Status The replicant page about the supported hardware features]
+
| see [http://trac.osuosl.org/trac/replicant/wiki/ReplicantStatus The replicant page about the supported hardware features]
 
| See [http://wiki.freesmartphone.org/index.php/HardwareComparison The FSO page about the supported hardware features]
 
| See [http://wiki.freesmartphone.org/index.php/HardwareComparison The FSO page about the supported hardware features]
 +
| see [http://trac.osuosl.org/trac/replicant/wiki/ReplicantStatus The replicant page about the supported hardware features]
 
|-
 
|-
 
!Capable of viewing a video
 
!Capable of viewing a video
Line 131: Line 151:
 
|yes(example Youtube using rstp:// or with the integrated player(not tested) )
 
|yes(example Youtube using rstp:// or with the integrated player(not tested) )
 
|?
 
|?
 +
|yes(WebM playback works with the integrated player)
 
|-
 
|-
 
!Capable of playing music
 
!Capable of playing music
Line 140: Line 161:
 
|yes
 
|yes
 
|?
 
|?
 +
|yes
 
|-
 
|-
 
!Web browsing
 
!Web browsing
Line 150: Line 172:
 
|yes
 
|yes
 
|?
 
|?
 +
|yes
 
|-
 
|-
 
!mail client usage
 
!mail client usage
Line 158: Line 181:
 
|k9(obtimized for the screen), capacitive screen + software keyboard for writing mails makes it very slow
 
|k9(obtimized for the screen), capacitive screen + software keyboard for writing mails makes it very slow
 
|not tested(claws mail)
 
|not tested(claws mail)
 +
|Android mail app works well, k9 should also work, capacitive screen + software keyboard for writing mails makes it very slow
 
|-
 
|-
 
!IRC
 
!IRC
Line 164: Line 188:
 
|yes(yaaic), great integrated hardware keyboard(very fast)
 
|yes(yaaic), great integrated hardware keyboard(very fast)
 
|yes(irssi under xterm(else there is a Tab key issue)),great integrated hardware keyboard(very fast), xchat not very obtimized for the DPI
 
|yes(irssi under xterm(else there is a Tab key issue)),great integrated hardware keyboard(very fast), xchat not very obtimized for the DPI
|painful with the software keyboard(used with fingers since the screen is capacitive => very slow) (bluetooth keyboard is better but require a non-free firmware, and a [table|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_%28furniture%29])
+
|painful with the software keyboard(used with fingers since the screen is capacitive => very slow) (bluetooth keyboard is better but require a non-free firmware, and a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_%28furniture%29 table])
 
|?.has an hardware keyboard
 
|?.has an hardware keyboard
 +
|painful with the software keyboard(used with fingers since the screen is capacitive => very slow) (bluetooth keyboard is better but require a non-free firmware, and a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_%28furniture%29 table])
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
Line 193: Line 218:
 
*HTC Dream
 
*HTC Dream
 
*Nexus one
 
*Nexus one
 +
*Nexus S: early stage of development, no official image yet and no telephony
 
*Other phones : work in progress
 
*Other phones : work in progress
 
|-
 
|-

Revision as of 07:59, 27 July 2011

Introduction

First let's define a smartphone,

A smartphone[1] is a phone with at least 2 processors:

  • one where runs the operating system(like Android,GNU/Linux etc...), it is usually called the Application processor
  • another that interface with the GSM network(for instance it reads the sim card,interface with the GSM tower etc...). It is usually called the baseband.

Historically both processors talked to each other trough a serial port, with AT commands(also known as Hayes command set ).

While freedom is possible on the GSM processor too,we will focus on freedom on the Application processor(because it's illegal to run modified GSM processors on carrier networks and also very dangerous)

Possible Free SmartPhones target comparison

Hardware freedom

Openmoko Freerunner Nokia N900 HTC Dream Nexus one Palm pre(normal,plus or version 2) Nexus S
Non free firmwares No Yes:
  • Wifi(wl1251_spi)
  • Bluetooth(broadcom)
  • camera(many components)
  • DSP(note that the CPU and mplayer do a better job than the DSP but consume more battery)
Yes:
  • Wifi(wl1251_sdio)
  • bluetooth(broadcom)
Yes:
  • Microphone
  • Sound card
  • WIFI(bcm4329)
  • Maybe others?
Yes:
  • Wifi(libertas_sdio)
  • Maybe others?
Yes:
  • Wifi
  • Bluetooth
  • NFC: Near Field Communication
  • MFC: Multi Format Codec (hardware video encoding/decoding)
Modem can be flashed Yes Yes[2] Yes Yes Yes
Modem can be unpowered Yes Yes ? ? ?
Audio path under modem's control? No No Yes Yes Needs to be deeply checked, seems not (it seems that the RIL has to send audio to the modem)
GPS under modem's control No Yes Yes Yes Yes Needs to be deeply checked, seems not (it seems to be attached via serial interface to the SoC)
Free Bootloader Yes No ? ? Some work has been done(must check status,not usable yet,abandoned?) ?
Modem can access the main CPU memory chips No (the connection is a serial link) No (the connection is an HSI link) Yes Yes ?? No (the connection is over different SRAM)

Hardware Features

Openmoko Freerunner Nokia N900 HTC Dream Nexus one Palm pre(normal,plus or version 2) Nexus S
USB host Yes (not strictly needed since no firmwares are needed),limited to ? mA Yes(with 2.6.28 power kernel), limited to ? mA ? possible, untested, unpowered ? possible, untested, perhaps unpowered

Hardware and software capabilities

Openmoko Freerunner(FSO+SHR) Nokia N900(FSO+SHR) HTC Dream(Replicant) HTC Dream(FSO+SHR) Nexus one(Replicant) Palm pre(normal,plus or version 2) (FSO+SHR) Nexus S (Replicant)
Data connectivity GPRS only(hardware limitation) 3G working in SHR 3G working in replicant 3G working in SHR 3G working in replicant 3G working in SHR(not tested by me) doesn't work yet
Hardware features support See The FSO page about the supported hardware features See The FSO page about the supported hardware features see The replicant page about the supported hardware features See The FSO page about the supported hardware features see The replicant page about the supported hardware features See The FSO page about the supported hardware features see The replicant page about the supported hardware features
Capable of viewing a video from Very difficult to impossible yes(with mplayer in command line) yes(example Youtube using rstp:// or with the integrated player(not tested) ) Difficult(need to be rotated before etc...) yes(example Youtube using rstp:// or with the integrated player(not tested) ) ? yes(WebM playback works with the integrated player)
Capable of playing music On speakers only

( sound quality is very bad on headphones because of a capacitor which value is too low )

yes yes(without issues) yes(prevent phone ringing) yes ? yes
Web browsing
  • Very slow with the default browser(eve)
  • uses 100% CPU while loading pages
yes yes yes(with midori, the default browser(eve) is too slow) yes ? yes
mail client usage claws mail claws mail k9(obtimized for the screen), great integrated hardware keyboard(very fast) claws mail k9(obtimized for the screen), capacitive screen + software keyboard for writing mails makes it very slow not tested(claws mail) Android mail app works well, k9 should also work, capacitive screen + software keyboard for writing mails makes it very slow
IRC yes(xchat(need to be configured for the DPI),else irssi), software keyboard used with stylus(medium speed) yes(xchat) yes(yaaic), great integrated hardware keyboard(very fast) yes(irssi under xterm(else there is a Tab key issue)),great integrated hardware keyboard(very fast), xchat not very obtimized for the DPI painful with the software keyboard(used with fingers since the screen is capacitive => very slow) (bluetooth keyboard is better but require a non-free firmware, and a table) ?.has an hardware keyboard painful with the software keyboard(used with fingers since the screen is capacitive => very slow) (bluetooth keyboard is better but require a non-free firmware, and a table)

Operating System/distribution support

FSO+Debian FSO+SHR Meego Replicant
Hardware supported
  • Openmoko Freerunner
  • other?
  • Openmoko Neo 1973 : badly supported[3]
  • Openmoko freerunner: very good
  • htc dream: partial
  • palm pre(nomal,plus,2) : work in progress
  • nokia n900 : work in progress

Details available here

  • Nokia N900
  • HTC Dream
  • Nexus one
  • Nexus S: early stage of development, no official image yet and no telephony
  • Other phones : work in progress
Depend on non-free drivers No Yes 3D driver is required, and no decent free one exist for phones. No
Non-free firmwares Policy ? Not shipped(not redistributable) but promoted,not needed in case of the openmoko freerunner,linux-libre not used Non free firmwares Shipped linux-libre not used,a page details which are needed for what but doesn't tell how to install them(altough it's obvious for the experienced user)
Checked for freedom ??? No but some of its developpers are against proprietary software inclusion[4] contains non-free software No:The main low-level developer supposed that the sources he forked were free(he asked on IRC on the original project channel),

he replaced non-free not-included parts and looks for help on verifying freedom. As he has no experience in replacing firmwares,he's unsure what to do about them.

References

  1. See http://laforge.gnumonks.org/papers/gsm_phone-anatomy-latest.pdf for a more correct definition
  2. Nokia Updates are capable of flashing the modem firmware, in fact unpacking the PR 1.3(The version of the nokia Update)update with 0xFFFF shows that the modem firmware was flashed,also some modem properties changed between PR 1.2(The version of the nokia Update) and PR 1.3(The version of the nokia Update)
  3. From #openmoko-cdevel on Freenode on IRC: Jan 17 14:17:15 <JaMa|Wrk> with state of gta01 support in SHR we can just drop it from supported list :/
  4. From #openmoko-cdevel on Freenode on IRC:
    Jan 14 20:58:10 <mrmoku> GNUtoo|laptop: btw. what about xrandr and rotation on n900?
    Jan 14 20:58:28 <GNUtoo|laptop> do we really need that?
    Jan 14 20:58:44 <GNUtoo|laptop> I mean we would have to modify xf86-video-omapfb
    Jan 14 20:58:49 <GNUtoo|laptop> and write the code ourselves
    Jan 14 20:59:07 <GNUtoo|laptop> the rotation driver of nokia depends on non-free 3d
    Jan 14 20:59:13 <mrmoku> grr