i would love to see a link for that, as the bug labs one seem to be field changeable...

The phone has to support BlueTooth, and for data transfers over Internet the NIT with using the phone's 2G/2.5G/3G ability the phone has to support tethering (DUN).

On the old maemo wiki tere is an (incomplete) list of phones supporting DUN (link).

On the Nokia wiki BlueTooth is explained as well with visual guidance (pictures) (link).

Related to the subject of this thread is this observation "Whither the revolution?" on the front page (ItT thread). Some discussions there overlap the one here.

As for 3G on the NIT I was directed to Ari Jaaksi's blogpost from novembre 2005 "It is not a cell phone -- and it is good"

With all the Eee models, one might be forgiven for thinking Asus had such a common platform. (AFAIK, there's at least three, and I think more, basic chassises in current production.)

For my personal area network (PAN) (PDA, NIT, UMPC, Laptop, Phone, PMP, Camera(s)), wifi is already more than powerful and fast enough. In fact, to make it really PAN level, you could dramatically lower the power output of wifi.

1 gateway device with voice, messaging, and data capability to the outside world, acts as a wifi access point for your PAN, and has a SIP server for relaying voice calls for your other devices, and a jabber server for relaying messaging for your other devices ... is more than good enough for the hub of such a "specialized device" perspective.

Then you use an optimized video camera for taking videos, an optimized still camera for taking photographs, a PMP for your media playing, an laptop for mobile work, and a PDA or NIT or smartphone for your handheld computing and/or communications. And if any of the prospective mobile hard-drive makers* get off their butts and release one, you could even have a NAS type device in your PAN.


(* not those dorks who keep releasing "portable hard drives" that only have USB interfaces and no batteries, I'm talking about the ones who are looking at releasing Bluetooth FTP enabled storage devices with internal batteries; though, perhaps these days I'd prefer to see them use a wifi based storage protocol than Bluetooth)

The problem with the specialized device PAN model isn't the radio power problem. It's that no vendor has created an adequate gateway device. And marketing seems focused on heading toward convergence devices right now (which are the exact opposite philosophy from the specialized device PAN model).

I'm hoping someone will hack an android phone into being able to do the gateway functionality, so that it can evolve into satisfying both camps. Though, if Nokia ever gets off its butt and releases a Maemo phone, it could possibly function in that capacity as well.

there is a third party PAN implementation out there, and i can confirm that it works.

I don't have the link readily available, but if I find it again, I'll go ahead and post it.

By far the best solution is to use the Bluetooth connection to the phone for your data link. If I live in China I can surf, if I am on sprint I can surf, if I am on Verizon, I can surf if I am on AT&T I can still surf. I f I am on a ship in the middle of the sea. I can surf.

If I move to another area and change providers, I can get myself setup with the new plan or get a new phone and not have to buy a new tablet as well, or tablet data card.

Even if the data link speed increased, yes bluetooth may be the bottleneck. But would you rather buy a new tablet with the new high speed link just to keep up?

I disagree. The best solution is, if you have a phone with wifi sharing, or a cradlepoint type device, to use that. Better than Bluetooth.

You've got cellular service on the middle of the sea? really... I wasn't ware of any cell towers out in the deep blue Pacific Ocean.

Your statement is that, with the "many specialized devices model", you'll only have to replace the phone (or gateway device), and not the tablet/MID/PDA. 1 purchase. And you're saying that's better than with the convergence device model.

Yet, the MIDs that have 3G radios are almost all using modules. And since we're comparing to the "convergence device" model, we'll extrapolate that to "has voice/txt service built in to that module" as well. So, if I switch carriers/protocols, I don't have to swap tablets/MIDs/smartphones, I just have to replace the module. 1 purchase... and it will probably be no more expensive, and maybe a lot less expensive, than you having to buy a new phone for your "many devices" model.

Remind me how the many specialized devices model better than the convergence device model in this context?

and way more power hungry on both ends...

still, one of the ideas for upping bluetooth bandwidth in the future is to make bluetooth and wifi cooperate. bluetooth takes care of the background traffic and wifi is called in to do the heavy lifting when needed...

the other is to use UWB...

If you leave it at default power levels, yes. But that would be stupid.

You don't need the default area coverage of Wifi for home/building wide networks when you're doing PDA<->Phone links. You could lower the power output quite a bit, thus saving your battery quite a bit.