[Commons-Law] [Fwd: [ilug-goa] Finally, the Simputer (by T Byfield)]

Thu Apr 1 14:40:08 IST 2004

As someone involved with the project perhaps I can shed some light for 
the benefit of the list.

The Simputer Trust has NOT released a new Simputer. The device in 
question is the Amida Simputer that has been released by one of the 
licensees, Picopeta Simputers Pvt. Ltd, in association with BEL. The 
device has been distributed under the same philosophy as that set out in 
the Simputer manifesto which is essentially an open source hardware 
distribution model. As per the licensing model, where the device uses 
Simputer standard specifications, these have been disclosed, but where 
these specifications have been modified, they are not obliged to release 
these specifications for a period of 12 months. Whether or not this 
model will work in the context of hardware is a different question that 
I have argued at different times with members of the list. I am happy to 
get into a more detailed discussion on this aspect from our experience 
with working the model for the past 3-4 years.

The device runs on Linux and has all of the features generic to 
handhelds in its class. I have used it and own one myself and can 
testify that many of the features and concepts that it uses are unique. 
What I do want to make a mention of is that this is a commercial retail 
version of the Simputer that has been released to fill a mass market 
demand for the device. Other versions of the device have been made in 
order to fulfill its "social" objectives though they have not 
(intentionally) been accompanied by the kind of hype that has surrounded 
the commercial launch of the Amida. Even on this commercial launch, they 
have released a sub Rs. 10,000 retail product which was the original 
promise of the Simputer Trust. The colour screen version costs 
significantly more.

Cheers,

Rahul Matthan
Partner
Trilegal

Tel : +91-80-2353-6319
      +91-80-2353-7032
Fax : +91-80-2363-3694

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Simo-Pekka Aalto wrote:

>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject:     [ilug-goa] Finally, the Simputer (by T Byfield)
> Date:     Thu, 1 Apr 2004 05:47:29 +0530 (IST)
> From:     Frederick Noronha (FN) <fred at bytesforall.org>
> Reply-To:     ilug-goa at yahoogroups.com
> To:     ilug-goa at yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>
>
> - ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 20:17:02 -0500
> From: t byfield <tbyfield at panix.com>
> Subject: <nettime> finally, the simputer
>
> slashdot notes the release, finally, of the 'simputer.'[1] the funny 
> thing
> is, it doesn't much resemble the obect of the heartfelt rhetoric about 
> how
> it would be the missing link needed to connect the impoverished rural 
> popu-
> lations of south asia -- at least, they don't figure very heavily in the
> 'gallery' of pictures[2] showing it being used as an MP3 player by an 
> urban
> teenybopper, as a handy CDMA-compatible(!) interface for surfing the net,
> as a way for bourgie housewives to plan party expenses, for busy execs to
> sort their day, etc. with a few exceptions (screen-based hindi and 
> kannada
> keyboards[3] -- 'which you can invoke whenever that patriotic itch takes
> over') it seems to be a pretty generic touchscreen PDA, right down to the
> GUI's iconic buttons: cascading 'stacks' of papers, magnifying glasses
> annotated with +/-, trash/rubbish/dustbin, envelope, a speaker in
> cross-section, question marks, checkbox, and the like. the site also 
> has a
> 'funzone' with links to ('legal!') MP3 sources and the normal litany: 
> yahoo
> mail, WiReD news, ananova, merriam-webster's online dictionary, etc, etc.
> the site also bills the device as able to interpret haptic input:
>
>      All this is possible thanks to the built-in Flip Flop Motion
>      Sensor (geeks bizarrely call it "accelerometer"), again a first
>      for the Amida Simputer.[4]
>
> the product line and pricing are pretty standard, too: three models that
> range from US$240 to $480.[5] as is connectivity: 20 free hours of the
> 'gold' service from the indian ISP sify[6] -- after which 500 hours of
> dialup is ~US$76. a pop3 email account comes free with the two higher-
> end models (the lowest of which is ironically [or not] called the 'en-
> terprise edition'). and only the same two higher-end models include IR
> or USB ports, which presumably would be useful for device-to-device
> communications -- a crucial function, one would think, for users whose
> connectivity is limited by cost or available services. but, really, the
> FAQ[7] says it all, albeit in dodgily polemical terms. for example:
>
>      3. Isn't a Simputer for poor and illiterate people?
>
>      It is true that the Amida Simputer is a very affordable
>      computer, and that it is simple enough to be used by
>      people who no prior experience with computers.
>
>      [...]
>
>      8. Does Amida have MS-Word and Excel?
>
>      Amida's word processors and spreadsheet are especially
>      designed to be of maximum utility to you, wherever you
>      go. e.g., you can use Amida to write and print notes in
>      not only English but also Indian languages like Hindi
>      and Kannada. Or, if you do not want to use a keyboard,
>      you can handwrite on Amida in any language you please.
>      Similarly, Amida has a spreadsheet (Khatha) which is a
>      great tool for personal finances, especially when on
>      the move.
>
>      But if you specifically mean Word and Excel, the answer
>      is "no". We believe that Word and Excel are unsuitable
>      for mobile usage. Think of it this way: Amida heralds a
>      new wave of mobile computing in which word processors
>      and spreadsheets do not have to look like Word and
>      Excel!
>
> afaict, the simputer site is silent on the subject of the OS running
> the device; but the site's screenshots look pretty linuxish, which
> would support past reports about the simputer's development.
>
> it'll be interesting to see how this pans out. Win CE seems to support
> hindi, at least on the level of GUI text,[8] as well as unicode in the
> form of a BMP of ISO 10646;[9] since MS doesn't specify which unicode
> version they're referring to, i assume it's the current one, which in-
> cludes several south asian scripts (bengali, devanagari, gujarati, gur-
> mukhi, kannada, tamil, telugu, etc). so, (many) other issues, the sim-
> puter looks like it's lagging far behind mainstream mobile devices in
> terms of language support. and, to the extent that language support is
> a mirror, however dark, of local prestige, i expect it'll be an uphill
> battle for the simputer: if it's perceived as being more ideological
> than practical (i.e., in step with the dominant face of IT in south
> asia: MS), its second selling point will be that it's locallly designed
> and maybe even locally assembled -- though i wouldn't bet on the latter.
>
> cheers,
> t
>
> [1] http://slashdot.org/articles/04/03/27/1744204.shtml
> [2] http://amidasimputer.com/gallery/
> [3] http://amidasimputer.com/languages/
> [4] http://amidasimputer.com/flip-flop/
> [5] http://www.amidasimputer.com/models/
> [6] http://www.sifycorp.com/aboutus.asp
> [7] http://amidasimputer.com/faqs/
> [8]
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/guide_ppc/htm/metabase_jycp.asp 
>
> [9]
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnce30/html/locplatform30.asp 
>
>
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