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Surely an old android smartphone can do all this better than a hard to replace/repair UNIX "internet-in-a-box"? Old Android phone: 1. Has screen - (strong, te

by brador 5y ago

Surely an old android smartphone can do all this better than a hard to replace/repair UNIX "internet-in-a-box"? Old Android phone: 1. Has screen - (strong, tested, replaceable). 2. All the Android apps. 3. Wifi hotspot functionality + FTP + server hotspot. 4. MicroSD slot for massive and switchable data store. 5. Solar powerable, with removable and replaceable battery. 6. Touch friendly, kid friendly, low IQ requirement UI/UX. 7. Easy to code to extend functionality any way you like. Any old Samsung would be great, S4 was good and less than $50 a shot used with an OLED 1080p screen.

mdorazio 5y ago
I think you're misunderstanding the point of this. It's not meant to be a device that people directly interact with. It's meant to be a local server that anyone nearby with a wi-fi connection can tap into regardless of broader internet availability. In that way it's likely to last much longer since it can be placed somewhere safe and not run the risk of being stolen/fought over/dropped/smashed/etc. and the end point used by the local population doesn't matter - a chromebook, second-hand android phone, whatever.
- deleted 5y ago
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tehbeard 5y ago
Ignoring the other comments point that this is meant as a server rather than a direct kiosk, lets smash each of these points. > 1. Has screen - (strong, tested, replaceable). Broken/scratched/hard to read in sunlight/draining power. > 2. All the Android apps. All the android apps for that old version of android, presuming they work without a wifi connection. > 3. Wifi hotspot functionality + FTP + server hotspot. Very dependant on the phone make/model, and server/hotspot wouldn't be that performant. > 4. MicroSD slot for massive and switchable data store. Again, very dependant on the make/model. > 5. Solar powerable, with removable and replaceable battery. Solar power I will give you, but you'll be hard pressed to find a phone suitable as server/hotspot with a removable battery. > 6. Touch friendly, kid friendly, low IQ requirement UI/UX. That's very dependant on the app developers if we go with point 2, I know plenty of apps with terrible UI/UX. > 7. Easy to code to extend functionality any way you like. Not on phone, you can maybe automate stuff with the likes of Tasker (see counterpoint 6 about UI/UX though) To really extend it you'd need a PC at which point... just use the PC? Or a pi.
desktopninja 5y ago
Your thoughts are in the right place. Reuse old Android devices for this purpose. Could be one very phat app :)
_carbyau_ 5y ago
Not sure that a few of your points are relevant for a large part of the intended operation but I do like the idea of using old Android hardware though! The idea is to have a low power server for anyone to interact with over the wifi. If you could grab an old android phone, install IIAB app, configure as desired then put where you want - this would allow so many more non-technically savvy people to be able to build/deploy it. Depending on the phone it also could be easy to ruggedise with a case or maybe the phone itself might have waterproof ratings too.

by brador 5y ago

mdorazio 5y ago

I think you're misunderstanding the point of this. It's not meant to be a device that people directly interact with. It's meant to be a local server that anyone nearby with a wi-fi connection can tap into regardless of broader internet availability. In that way it's likely to last much longer since it can be placed somewhere safe and not run the risk of being stolen/fought over/dropped/smashed/etc. and the end point used by the local population doesn't matter - a chromebook, second-hand android phone, whatever.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

tehbeard 5y ago

Ignoring the other comments point that this is meant as a server rather than a direct kiosk, lets smash each of these points. > 1. Has screen - (strong, tested, replaceable). Broken/scratched/hard to read in sunlight/draining power. > 2. All the Android apps. All the android apps for that old version of android, presuming they work without a wifi connection. > 3. Wifi hotspot functionality + FTP + server hotspot. Very dependant on the phone make/model, and server/hotspot wouldn't be that performant. > 4. MicroSD slot for massive and switchable data store. Again, very dependant on the make/model. > 5. Solar powerable, with removable and replaceable battery. Solar power I will give you, but you'll be hard pressed to find a phone suitable as server/hotspot with a removable battery. > 6. Touch friendly, kid friendly, low IQ requirement UI/UX. That's very dependant on the app developers if we go with point 2, I know plenty of apps with terrible UI/UX. > 7. Easy to code to extend functionality any way you like. Not on phone, you can maybe automate stuff with the likes of Tasker (see counterpoint 6 about UI/UX though) To really extend it you'd need a PC at which point... just use the PC? Or a pi.

desktopninja 5y ago

Your thoughts are in the right place. Reuse old Android devices for this purpose. Could be one very phat app :)

_carbyau_ 5y ago

Not sure that a few of your points are relevant for a large part of the intended operation but I do like the idea of using old Android hardware though! The idea is to have a low power server for anyone to interact with over the wifi. If you could grab an old android phone, install IIAB app, configure as desired then put where you want - this would allow so many more non-technically savvy people to be able to build/deploy it. Depending on the phone it also could be easy to ruggedise with a case or maybe the phone itself might have waterproof ratings too.