Geeksphone launches the first multi OS smartphone (opens in new tab)

(geeksphone.com)

47 pointsRobby201212y ago38 comments

38 comments

This may be a little OT... but if you want to win me over on a geek focused device... i.e. power users... 3000mAh battery minimum. I know it's not the core intent but personally that grabs my attention as a power user just as much.

ivanca12y ago

I was thinking someone should make a black and white android smartphone if it helps the battery to last longer. I would take half a week of battery over a color screen but I'm probably the minority.

Oatary12y ago

You mean like this one: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/04/yotaphone-e-ink-smartphon... ?

userbinator12y ago

If it's successful, soon enough extended capacity batteries are likely going to start appearing.

mike_esspe12y ago

There are extended capacity batteries on the market, I use one from zerolemon. For most users they are too bulky.

Robby2012OP12y ago

I think the important value for geeks it that you can have different OS in the same phone

blueskin_12y ago

Agreed.

At least they got the SD card, though.

bdg12y ago

I'll have my phone soon, the thing just left spain last night.

I'm very excited to have it in my hands and helping me hack on FoxOS after what feels like a year of delays since the peak+

unificador12y ago

I just bought one and I'm excited. As a developer it is wonderful to have one device 2 operating systems for test my apps. About dual boot there is nothing clear. Any idea?

Robby2012OP12y ago

Dual boot is very difficult to achieve. On the Revolution you are able to switch from one OS to another but you can't select which OS you want to use while booting

Garmonidas12y ago

I played with this phone days ago and it's amazing, really fast. Android and FirefoxOS works smoothly. I would even say it surpasses the Nexus 4 performance!

Robby2012OP12y ago

They say the performance is between a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 5

superkuh12y ago

Okay, but does the baseband processor have direct memory access to the system RAM? If so, it is useless from a security standpoint.

justin6612y ago

What phones have been made without that handicap? Honest question, I really have no idea.

The second question would be if there are any genuinely secure mobile OSes such that it really makes a difference.

fphhotchips12y ago

Is it just me, or is there no LTE support here? Seems like a largish oversight.

selectodude12y ago

It's a $300 phone, and between licensing and the actual hardware, LTE is very expensive.

blueskin_12y ago

Looks interesting, but I think they should have focused more on the spec.

Although, I definitely like the SDcard slot and real buttons rather than stupid onscreen ones.

sergiotapia12y ago

Can anyone shed some light, I've never heard of Geeksphone.

Can you use Android, and iOS and Windows 8 on it? If so I can see why people would want to buy one.

mcpherrinm12y ago

You probably can't use any proprietary OS on it: Apple certainly would never license iOS, and I doubt W8 would either.

Android, Ubuntu Mobile, Firefox OS, Meego, Tizen are more likely candidates.

ForHackernews12y ago

Windows 8 runs on commodity x86 hardware. Assuming there's driver support, it should work.

2 more replies

talklittle12y ago

They are one of the producers of Firefox OS developer phones. ZTE being another one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeeksPhone

xerophtye12y ago

Aren't these the guys that produced the Peak+ etc? I can't seem to locate those devices on their site anymore

Robby2012OP12y ago

They don't sell their previous smartphones anymore, they are focused on the Geeksphone Revolution

lnanek212y ago

Not really true. I know quite a few devices in industry currently sold that support Windows CE or Android as desired.

leoc12y ago

What, only one SIM slot, really?

aroch12y ago

I wonder if they'll ship the US. I've wanted an Atom SoC phone for a while

oDot12y ago

I don't know if calling it a SoC is right. It's a CPU and GPU on one chip, but far from what the Qualcomm ones offer (for now).

aroch12y ago

All of the recent Atom brand chips for mobile deployment are SoCs. There's a CPU, a GPU and a shared memory package on the same silicone. Intel calls it a SoC themselves [1]

[1]: http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2012...

     Onstage was the world’s first public demonstration of the forthcoming 32nm Intel Atom SoC for tablets and hybrids running on Microsoft* Windows* 8, codenamed “Clover Trail.”

Robby2012OP12y ago

I'm sure they ship to the US

ForHackernews12y ago

Its an Atom processor? Does that mean it can run any x86 OS?

Garmonidas12y ago

In theory, yes. In practice developers may have to do minor changes. About drivers there is nothing published.

Geeksphone hasn't said officially anything, but unofficially, it is working in make the device compatible with Ubuntu Touch and Windows Phone 8.

userbinator12y ago

It's one of the Atom SoCs which Intel doesn't seem to have a public datasheet on. From what I know they're almost but not quite like a regular PC --- they're missing some bits that wouldn't really be necessary on a phone.

blueskin_12y ago

For half a second there, I thought you said "almost, but not quite, completely unlike a regular PC" and almost laughed out loud.

kimonos12y ago

Cool!

greatsuccess12y ago

Total entropy, like the 20 variants of linux that cant establish a wifi connection.

Please save me from your tower of phone-babble. I dont care, and Im not going to spend time in your insane bouncy house of doom.

Fuck off.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

38 comments

51Cards12y ago

ivanca12y ago

I was thinking someone should make a black and white android smartphone if it helps the battery to last longer. I would take half a week of battery over a color screen but I'm probably the minority.

Oatary12y ago

You mean like this one: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/04/yotaphone-e-ink-smartphon... ?

userbinator12y ago

If it's successful, soon enough extended capacity batteries are likely going to start appearing.

mike_esspe12y ago

There are extended capacity batteries on the market, I use one from zerolemon. For most users they are too bulky.

Robby2012OP12y ago

I think the important value for geeks it that you can have different OS in the same phone

blueskin_12y ago

Agreed.

At least they got the SD card, though.

bdg12y ago

I'll have my phone soon, the thing just left spain last night.

I'm very excited to have it in my hands and helping me hack on FoxOS after what feels like a year of delays since the peak+

unificador12y ago

I just bought one and I'm excited. As a developer it is wonderful to have one device 2 operating systems for test my apps. About dual boot there is nothing clear. Any idea?

Robby2012OP12y ago

Dual boot is very difficult to achieve. On the Revolution you are able to switch from one OS to another but you can't select which OS you want to use while booting

Garmonidas12y ago

I played with this phone days ago and it's amazing, really fast. Android and FirefoxOS works smoothly. I would even say it surpasses the Nexus 4 performance!

Robby2012OP12y ago

They say the performance is between a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 5

superkuh12y ago

Okay, but does the baseband processor have direct memory access to the system RAM? If so, it is useless from a security standpoint.

justin6612y ago

What phones have been made without that handicap? Honest question, I really have no idea.

The second question would be if there are any genuinely secure mobile OSes such that it really makes a difference.

fphhotchips12y ago

Is it just me, or is there no LTE support here? Seems like a largish oversight.

selectodude12y ago

It's a $300 phone, and between licensing and the actual hardware, LTE is very expensive.

blueskin_12y ago

Looks interesting, but I think they should have focused more on the spec.

Although, I definitely like the SDcard slot and real buttons rather than stupid onscreen ones.

sergiotapia12y ago

Can anyone shed some light, I've never heard of Geeksphone.

Can you use Android, and iOS and Windows 8 on it? If so I can see why people would want to buy one.

mcpherrinm12y ago

You probably can't use any proprietary OS on it: Apple certainly would never license iOS, and I doubt W8 would either.

Android, Ubuntu Mobile, Firefox OS, Meego, Tizen are more likely candidates.

ForHackernews12y ago

Windows 8 runs on commodity x86 hardware. Assuming there's driver support, it should work.

2 more replies

talklittle12y ago

They are one of the producers of Firefox OS developer phones. ZTE being another one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeeksPhone

xerophtye12y ago

Aren't these the guys that produced the Peak+ etc? I can't seem to locate those devices on their site anymore

Robby2012OP12y ago

They don't sell their previous smartphones anymore, they are focused on the Geeksphone Revolution

lnanek212y ago

Not really true. I know quite a few devices in industry currently sold that support Windows CE or Android as desired.

leoc12y ago

What, only one SIM slot, really?

aroch12y ago

I wonder if they'll ship the US. I've wanted an Atom SoC phone for a while

oDot12y ago

I don't know if calling it a SoC is right. It's a CPU and GPU on one chip, but far from what the Qualcomm ones offer (for now).

aroch12y ago

All of the recent Atom brand chips for mobile deployment are SoCs. There's a CPU, a GPU and a shared memory package on the same silicone. Intel calls it a SoC themselves [1]

[1]: http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2012...

     Onstage was the world’s first public demonstration of the forthcoming 32nm Intel Atom SoC for tablets and hybrids running on Microsoft* Windows* 8, codenamed “Clover Trail.”

Robby2012OP12y ago

I'm sure they ship to the US

ForHackernews12y ago

Its an Atom processor? Does that mean it can run any x86 OS?

Garmonidas12y ago

In theory, yes. In practice developers may have to do minor changes. About drivers there is nothing published.

Geeksphone hasn't said officially anything, but unofficially, it is working in make the device compatible with Ubuntu Touch and Windows Phone 8.

userbinator12y ago

blueskin_12y ago

For half a second there, I thought you said "almost, but not quite, completely unlike a regular PC" and almost laughed out loud.

kimonos12y ago

Cool!

greatsuccess12y ago

Total entropy, like the 20 variants of linux that cant establish a wifi connection.

Please save me from your tower of phone-babble. I dont care, and Im not going to spend time in your insane bouncy house of doom.

Fuck off.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse