Hey Acton, I don't know who you should contact in particular at Google. I don't know if the full Android team roster is available to the public. Keep searching on that. As for garnering interest, I recommend you start a blog or something so you can post new and interesting phones with IR, software technologies that use IR, and get some kind of small team going. Right now, I'm just a hobby developer so I don't have any other suggestions for you. My interest right now is to get my T-Mobile G1 and start hacking like crazy.
David On Sat, Oct 4, 2008 at 1:14 PM, acton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > David, > > Thank you very much for the constructive suggestions. > > 1) Do you know who I should contact an Android project mgr to pursue > this further? > > 2) I will get in touch with the IrDA committees once I have a better > idea of what needs to be done. I think they need some guidance. I > will be happy to lead for now. > > 3) Any suggestions on how I can get an idea of the interest for > infrared on this forum? (besides randomly shouting?) > > -- acton > > > On Oct 3, 12:25 pm, "David Farler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Acton, > > There are *two* components necessary here: 1.) your mentioned IRSimple > > system library or kernel module and 2.) an Android core runtime library > to > > connect to it in a convenient way so application developers can grab data > > from the IR port. Nobody wants to bang away at registers here. I > certainly > > don't. You can see how much trouble OpenMoko is having because its > > developers don't have time to make applications because they are too busy > > doing system development. As I understand it, while Android in general is > > open source for personal customization needs, Google is expecting user > space > > applications from contributing developers, not system libraries or > low-level > > software stacks. I see two routes: > > > > 1. You or the IrDAMC can make a serious proposal to Google and the > various > > handset manufacturers about your IR plans. Your first step would probably > be > > to contact a project manager for Android. If you want to go this official > > route, then you need to halt all serious work until you get together so > you > > don't waste your time. Or, > > > > 2. You can get the source when available and make your own custom android > > library for use with phones that can use whatever IRSimple system library > > you are talking about. I hope you understand the complexity of doing this > > and installing it. If you do, then I wish you good luck on making IR the > > latest craze! > > > > As for my opinion, I believe the IrDA Marketing and Technical Committees > > should be doing this lobbying work on behalf of its members, creating a > > cohesive hardware plan, so as not to fragment the Android user base > before > > it even starts. I, for one, do not want the Windows Vista of mobile > > platforms. There is a reason why Windows has been relatively unstable in > the > > past -- it's called driver support. > > > > David > > > > On Fri, Oct 3, 2008 at 12:23 PM, acton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Actually I know a group or two from IrDA community who already have > > > their IrSimple stack and can easily port to the Android platform. > > > They are already supplying for Samsung SGH-E700, Nokia N95, 6600, Sony > > > Ericsson W300 series, and all the new stuff from Japan from Casio, > > > Sharp, Softbank, NTT DoCoMo. > > > > > Can you advise how to submit their stack into Android? > > > > > Then let the market decide. > > > > > - Acton > > > > > On Oct 2, 9:19 am, Al Sutton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > The problem would be support. If it's a feature that's only in a few > > > > manufacturers 'phones it's unlikely to appeal to developers because > of > > > > its limited availability and duplication of features when compared to > > > > BlueTooth and/or 802.11. > > > > > > Whilst I respect your viewpoint, the Japanese market is a minority > > > > player and tends to have solutions which don't gain traction > elsewhere > > > > (e.g. iMode, Cellular TV), and it typically accounts for around 10% > of > > > > the global phone market. If you look at sales by volume > > > > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_mobile_phones), > none > > > > of the top 3 'phones have IR (and that's 426 million phones), and if > you > > > > look at smark 'phones none of the recent releases from the major > > > > manufacturers have IR > > > > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_smartphones). > > > > > > IR is also absent from a vast majority of the new generation of > NetBooks > > > > including the more popular Asus EEE range, Aspire One, MSI Wind, and > > > > Dell Inspiron Mini 9. > > > > > > In light of this I think it unlikely that we'll see IR support in the > > > > future. > > > > > > Al. > > > > > > acton wrote: > > > > > I respect your opinion. However, as I am aware, it is the phone > > > > > manufacturer who has to decide what hardware to incorporate into > their > > > > > products to sell in a particular market. The market in Japan seems > to > > > > > be the leader for phones - even the US is a laggard in this > respect. > > > > > > > Let me quote from a Mercury News report about the lacklustre > response > > > > > for the iPhone even though Apple reported it sold 1 million in the > > > > > first 3 days : > > > > > > > "For example, young people in Japan take for granted the ability to > > > > > share phone numbers, e-mail addresses and other contact information > by > > > > > beaming it from one phone to another over infrared connections. > Being > > > > > without those instantaneous exchanges would be the death knell on > the > > > > > Japanese dating circuit. > > > > > > > While the iPhone has Bluetooth wireless links, it has no infrared > > > > > connection. > > > > > > > The iPhone lacks other technology long available on Japanese cell > > > > > phones, such as digital TV broadcasts, a built-in camcorder, voice > > > > > recognition and an "electronic wallet" function. " > > > > > > > For the whole article, click here: > > > > > > http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9898056?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.co. > > > .. > > > > > > > I think the Andriod team should look at market needs and if they > want > > > > > to be a global phone OS. As an open platform, Android should > support > > > > > as many market needs as they can. After all, anyone can submit a > new > > > > > feature for all to use, isn't it? But this does not mean a > > > > > manufacturer should (or want to) install all the features - this > > > > > should depend on what they need for the market they want to enter. > > > > > > > That is what I understand is the benefit of an open platform, imho. > > > > > > > On Oct 2, 4:12 am, Al Sutton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > >> For 'phones Bluetooth is pretty much a "must have" because of ear > > > > >> pieces, GPS integration, and in-car speaker systems which wont > work > > > well > > > > >> with the line of sight requirement IR has. > > > > > > >> imho, given that Android already has 802.11 & BT I can't see there > > > being > > > > >> a lot of call for another communication technology. > > > > > > >> Al. > > > > > > >> acton wrote: > > > > > > >>> It all depends on what you want to do with wireless data transfer > - > > > > >>> i.e. sharing or swapping videos and photos. These are going to > be > > > > >>> very large in the next 6-18 months with 3 megapixel cameraphones > and > > > > >>> soon 5 to 8megapixels. > > > > > > >>> Even today some Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones continue to > support > > > old > > > > >>> IrDA - at 1Mpbs. All new phones from NTT Docomo, Softbank, KDDI, > > > > >>> Sharp, Casio, Kyocera, etc support the faster 4Mpbs IrSimple > > > > >>> protocol. That is also complemented with a whole range of > portable > > > > >>> photo printers: > > >http://acton-acton.blogspot.com/2008/09/printing-from-your-phone.html > > > > > > >>> I have seen demos of phone-to-phone sharing of photos and user > > > > >>> generated videos using IrSimple - it is fast! less than 1 sec. > > > Let > > > > >>> me know if you want to see the live demo - I can bring it to one > of > > > > >>> the dev meetings! > > > > > > >>> I know some Japanese companies are trying to get in touch with > the > > > > >>> Andriod product team to include IrSimple into their spec. Anyone > can > > > > >>> help to do that? > > > > > > >>> regards, > > > > >>> -acton > > > > > > >>> On Oct 1, 1:32 am, Al Sutton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > >>>> The HTC spec sheet > > > > >>>> (http://www.htc.com/www/product/g1/specification.html) makes no > > > mention > > > > >>>> of it so I would assume that it's not going to be there > initially. > > > > > > >>>> IR ports have died off with the increase in popularity of > Bluetooth > > > > >>>> because of bluetooths advantage of not needing a line-of-sight > link > > > > >>>> between the two devices, so I would go out on a limb and say > that I > > > > >>>> think it's unlikely IR will ever make it into a Android device. > > > > > > >>>> Al. > > > > > > >>>> sai wrote: > > > > > > >>>>> I have been trying to find on the android home page, I see > Blutooth > > > > >>>>> and wireless support but there is no mention of the infrared > port, > > > any > > > > >>>>> ideas if it is supported now or may be later ? > > > > > > >>>>> Thanks > > > > >>>>> Sai > > > > > > >>>> -- > > > > >>>> Al Sutton > > > > > > >>>> W:www.alsutton.com > > > > >>>> B: alsutton.wordpress.com > > > > >>>> T: twitter.com/alsutton > > > > > > -- > > > > Al Sutton > > > > > > W:www.alsutton.com > > > > B: alsutton.wordpress.com > > > > T: twitter.com/alsutton > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Discuss" group. 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