Smart Home Blog

This is a good news for all MotoQ and Treo owners. According to that post on Pluthome forum next release (I hope) will include a Mobile Orbiter (PlutMO) for those Windows based smartphones (and maybe for all the rest) which will work over WiFi. Originally, those phones don’t have built-in WiFi adapter but they allow to use miniSD WiFi card. Currently Treo can be used as Mobile Orbiter with Bluetooth dongle. MotoQ uses different Bluetooth driver. As result, it doesn’t work with PlutoMO.

Support of Symbian 60 3rd edition is also pending task of Pluto developers. The latest phones use that OS. But PlutoMO doesn’t work with it. Developers promised to add support of latest Symbian soon (I’m afraid it wont be 2.0.0.45).

Currently following mobile phones can be used as PlutoMO:

• phones with symbian series 60, 1st ed ONLY;
• smartphones with windows mobile 2003;
• Treo 700W with windows mobile 2005.

P. S. If MotoQ and Treo will communicate with Pluto via WiFi the cool media feature ‘Follow Me’ will be lost.

D-Link released a new dual-mode phone line – V-Click. The new phones will allow to make calls via 900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS networks or VoIP using available WiFi connection. There is a special button to enable/disable VoIP connection. Once enabled, users can make SIP-based VoIP calls or hit the web over the bundled Opera Mobile browser and 176×220 pixel display.

Key features include:

• Wi-Fi® profile roaming for uninterrupted service between wireless zones

• Opera Mobileâ„¢ browser for hot spot log-in and Web surfing

• Email functionality – 50 emails can be stored in up to 10 accounts

• Large color screen display with 176 by 220 pixels

• Sleek, compact form factor (height, 4.17″, width, 1.73″, depth, .75″; weight, 3.32 oz)

• Smart text input

• Talk time – up to 5 hours GSM, 2 hours 802.11 wireless mode

• Messages – up to 30 messages can be stored at 459 characters each

• Phonebook – up to 300 contacts

• Data storage – up to 24 megabytes for documents, images, music and video files.

• Tasks – stores up to 100 entries

• Calendar – up to 100 events, 160 letters per event

• Charging – 3 hours, first time charge 8 hours

• Compact design with internal antenna

• Power-saving mode for maximum standby and talk time

The V-CLICK dual-mode, tri-band mobile phone is scheduled to ship early next year at recomended price $599.99.

[via Engadget]

Philips drops a cordless VoIP841 phone. As usual, the phone is accompanied by a remote DECT base station that plugs into both the broadband connection and the traditional phone line. So, it handles both Skype and ordinary calls in one phone. The VoIP841 has a color screen and stylish design. But, unlike many others Skype-phones, the VoIP841 doesn’t need a PC. It needs just an Internet connection. It’s possible becuase the phone uses Linux as its embedded OS.
The phone will be available this Autumn. The price is not listed yet.

[via Engadget and LinuxDevices]

Keyspan has released a Skype-compatible Cordless VoIP Phone. It has 15 hours of talk time, 1200 hours of standby time, USB/AAA power. The phone is Mac and PC (MS Windows) compatible. It lacks Linux users and it’s not good. Anyway, hope they will add Linux support.

Phone communicates with the computer over a 2.4 Ghz radio signal that works through walls and furniture. The LCD display shows who is online, Skype status, battery level, and signal quality.

The price is just $79.00.

I came across this article posted by Serasidis Vasilis. It may help you to build your own IR remote controller which receive commands via SMS:

With this circuit we can controll up to 8 devices (4 devices in our example project), by sending a specific SMS message with any mobile phone. Its very usefull at the cases that, at the place we have the devices, we have not a wired telephone line. If you have an old ericsson mobile phone and you are not using it, its the time to build some useful with that. The controlling that we can do to the devices, it is ON , OFF or Reset.

[via Engadget]