[asterisk-users] building a phone

[Paul Chambers]

Michael Graves wrote:
> On Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:59:23 -0800, Paul Chambers wrote:
>   
>> Michael Graves wrote:
>>     
>>> Witness the fact that the old Pingtel phones ran Java, and they were 
>>> incredibly lame.
>>>
>>> I think part of what this thread misses is that DSP is a god chunk of 
>>> what SIP phones need. A general purpose CPU is not the right tool for 
>>> the task. A cheap DSP is better suited to compression, transcoding, etc.
>>>
>>> OTOH, presuming that the snom phones are Linux on a suitable platform 
>>> soomeone could develop a custom software load for them and OEM the 
>>> hardware.
>>>       
>> I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Astfin. Basically uClinux and 
>> asterisk running on an Analog Devices Blackfin DSP. There's also some 
>> 'open source' hardware that's available - the IP04 and friends. I'm 
>> using an Edgepbx FX08, and they also have a two-port version (FX02). 
>> Atcom has a single-port one, the IP01.
>>
>> Though if I were going to prototype an 'open' SIP phone, I'd probably 
>> start with a beagle board (TI OMAP3530 - dual-core ARM+DSP). It's a 
>> pretty powerful SOC - its brother (3430) powers the Palm Pre.
>>
>> Just another datapoint :)
>>     
>
> Yeah, that'd be great hardware to select. 
>
> What I was thinking is that this thread seems to be driven by those of
> a software bent. For that group perhaps there's an opportunity to write
> code for something like a snom 820. It's a solid solid hardware basis
> for the project. Snom would be foolish not to sell it for such use,
> even price it attractively. That way the hardware work would be done,
> and the software geeks could work their magic.
>   
I'm a card-carrying (embedded linux) software geek, and I know I'd be 
interested :)

Anyone got some influencial contacts inside Snom? or Aastra, for that 
matter, their hardware also seems good quality from what people have said.

Another possibility is talking to Atcom (or other VoIP ODMs), they seem 
to have done pretty well from the IP04 and derivatives. They've 
experienced the benefits of an open development model, perhaps they'd be 
interested. Not sure what the quality of their existing handset hardware 
is like.

Anyone on the list have the contacts to get the ball rolling?

Paul