[asterisk-users] building a phone

Thu Mar 5 08:49:08 CST 2009

I agree, the intersting part is adding what is not included in the standard firmware.

Regarding documentation... On the one hand the phone is running a "regular" embedded Linux, I think that does not require additional documentation. The API to the phone is a different topic. It will really depend what content we are talking about.

Many applications can be done using the mini-browser. The software does not even have to run on the phone for that. Maybe a concrete example of an application that has to run locally on the phone would be useful.

CS

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] Im Auftrag von Paul Chambers
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 4. März 2009 05:15
An: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
Betreff: Re: [asterisk-users] building a phone

It may not be necessary to replace Snom's firmware to add interesting 
functionality to the product. Though that was not the original poster's 
premise, admittedly.

As to the 'loose ends', they usually remain so until someone is 
motivated to drive them to closure. Absence of a suitable hardware 
platform is guaranteed to perpetuate that situation :)

The big question for me is whether Snom would provide some documentation 
to those prepared to invest their time. With GPL'd software likely to be 
part of the mix, such information couldn't be covered by a 
non-disclosure or some restrictive developer agreement.

One of the things that helps to kick-start a developer community is to 
sell 'developer kits' (like Digium did). Single-unit quantities with a 
'not-for-resale' provision, perhaps with membership of some developer 
program.

Paul

Christian Stredicke wrote:
> To be honest: I am not very optimistic regarding this project. 
>
> The WRT is really a case where you essentially use stuff that is already available and which is very very stable (e.g. Linux). There is nothing really special for the WRT. 
>
> For a phone, the picture looks different. There are so many components necessary that are either not available or not very stable. There is a tremendous risk of ending up with a project that has a lot of loose ends. 
>
> But if someone wants to give it a try, sure. We have nothing to lose! Those who know embedded Linux will easily feel like home on the phone once they are logged in.
>
> Definitively an interesting topic for our Asterisk developer meeting that we want to run this month in Berlin.
>
> Maybe for starters we just compile an Asterisk and run it on the phone. That will be fun!
>
> CS
>
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] Im Auftrag von Michael Graves
> Gesendet: Sonntag, 1. März 2009 18:30
> An: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Betreff: Re: [asterisk-users] building a phone
>
> On Sun, 1 Mar 2009 18:14:18 +0100, Christian Stredicke wrote:
>
>   
>> I have influential contacts inside snom...
>>
>> CS
>>     
>
> So you do! What do you think? Would snom be interested in selling
> hardware into a group of users who would be loading community developed
> application firmware?
>
> It makes me wonder how many little routers Cisco sells that actually
> get loaded with WRT-DD and the like?
>
> Michael
>
>   
>> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
>> Von: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] Im Auftrag von Paul Chambers
>> Gesendet: Sonntag, 1. März 2009 01:30
>> An: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
>> Betreff: Re: [asterisk-users] building a phone
>>
>> 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
>>     

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