e3-hacking July 2006

e3-hacking@earth.li

8 participants
11 discussions

[PATCH] Add support for Amstrad Delta (E3).
by Jonathan McDowell 08 Oct '06

08 Oct '06

The attached patch adds support for the Amstrad Delta (E3) Videophone. Currently the Amstrad primary bootloader provides the main hardware initialisation and then loads u-boot to handle user interaction and kernel loading. I'd appreciate any comments you may have. Patch is against current git. J. -- noodles is realistic with a few teen issues This .sig brought to you by the letter Y and the number 42 Product of the Republic of HuggieTag

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RE: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer
by Cliff Lawson 17 Jul '06

17 Jul '06

Presumably by having it phone a "fake" server and deliver it a config file with your own settings? I'm talking about setting these things through added UI in the phone. > -----Original Message----- > From: paul(a)e3.sbrk.co.uk [mailto:paul@e3.sbrk.co.uk] > Sent: 17 July 2006 17:28 > To: Discussion of the Amstrad E3 emailer hardware/software > Subject: Re: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer > > > On Mon, Jul 17, 2006 at 05:02:20PM +0100, Cliff Lawson wrote: > > However it also requires some additional code to be > downloaded into the > > phone to do it so without this there's no way you could do > it anyway even if > > I told you how ;-) > > Have you changed it since the previous emailer? I had no > problem changing > the configuration such as timeouts and phone numbers in emailer v2. > > Paul > > _______________________________________________ > e3-hacking mailing list > e3-hacking(a)earth.li > http://www.earth.li/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/e3-hacking > This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended exclusively for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message is attributed to the sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amstrad Plc or its subsidiaries. For further information on Amstrad Plc please visit our website: www.amstrad.com Amstrad Plc. Brentwood House 169 Kings Road Brentwood Essex CM14 4EF Registered in England : No. 955321

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RE: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer
by Cliff Lawson 17 Jul '06

17 Jul '06

Spot on! However it also requires some additional code to be downloaded into the phone to do it so without this there's no way you could do it anyway even if I told you how ;-) > -----Original Message----- > From: Gerard Jemitus [mailto:gerry@jemitus.co.uk] > > I'm guessing you won't be sharing exactly how that > configuration change is > carried out...... This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended exclusively for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message is attributed to the sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amstrad Plc or its subsidiaries. For further information on Amstrad Plc please visit our website: www.amstrad.com Amstrad Plc. Brentwood House 169 Kings Road Brentwood Essex CM14 4EF Registered in England : No. 955321

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RE: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer
by Cliff Lawson 17 Jul '06

17 Jul '06

As it's in the middle of a film set (that ISN'T a real boardroom!) I'll bet it doesn't even have a phone line. However most of Amstrad's own emailers (and definitely the ones we use at home personally) are configured for running off our own ISP/POP3 accounts so if it is "live" it almost certainly won't have been calling 09xx numbers! If it is calling Thus then it's probably either calling one of their 0845 access numbers or on some days, if feeling really cheeky, we set them up to phone the 0808 number ;-) Cliff > -----Original Message----- > From: Gerard Jemitus [mailto:gerry@jemitus.co.uk] > > I wonder if the E3 that Alan Sugar uses in the boardroom (on > the TV program > The Apprentice) phones up to check for email every day..... This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended exclusively for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message is attributed to the sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amstrad Plc or its subsidiaries. For further information on Amstrad Plc please visit our website: www.amstrad.com Amstrad Plc. Brentwood House 169 Kings Road Brentwood Essex CM14 4EF Registered in England : No. 955321

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RE: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer
by Cliff Lawson 17 Jul '06

17 Jul '06

Suggest you see our recent annual reports for usage figures and revenue but I think last years reports said that to that date we'd sold something like 0.5m emailers and net revenue being received after payback of subsidy was something like £4m..£5m so it's a nice little earner for us and there doesn't seem to be a lot of reason to change it. Remember these things are not aimed at ADSL households in fact they very specifically are aimed at NON-ADSL households and there's still a LOT of those ! However we (like all the big telcos as well) do see the writing on the wall for analogue telecomms and the upsurge in VOIP (hell, even Tesco have primetime adverts for a VOIP phone now) so future plans would obviously be headed off in the VOIP/SIP/RTP direction. But it could still be a few years until we're all part of BT's 21st century project ;-) Cliff > -----Original Message----- > From: Gerard Jemitus [mailto:gerry@jemitus.co.uk] > Sent: 17 July 2006 13:48 > To: Discussion of the Amstrad E3 emailer hardware/software > Subject: Re: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer > > > Hi Cliff, > > I do appreciate what you say, I just think that in these days > of broadband, > wireless etc., the charges are unrealistic. Maybe if they > were just usage > based, and lower, you would actually have sold more phones, > and that people > would actually use them. I'm only guessing that many of the > E3's out there > are not being used very much, if at all. It's no use giving > the phones away > if people aren't going to use them..... better to sell them > at a sensible > price & make a bit from usage charges. > > Cheers > > Gerry > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Cliff Lawson" <clawson(a)amstrad.com> > To: "'Discussion of the Amstrad E3 emailer hardware/software'" > <e3-hacking(a)earth.li> > Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 1:23 PM > Subject: RE: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer > > > Like I say, we make absolutely no secret of the charging > model. It's in red > warning labels on the outside of the box and also before you read the > manual. As I say you are getting £100+ worth of electronics > for £20-£30 so > it's hopefully obvious why there has to be a subsidy payback > mechanism. As > always you pays yer money and you takes yer choice! > > We may not have a network to support (though Demon-Thus who > act as our ISP > do!) but we do have a h/w subsidy to support > > Cliff > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Gerard Jemitus [mailto:gerry@jemitus.co.uk] > > > > While the mobile phone analogy works to a point, it's now a > > primarily usage > > based charging model, and anyway, mobiles have a network to > > support. Maybe > > if Amstrad had gone for usage rather than affectively daily > > rental plus > > usage charges, they may have sold a few more. > > > > > > > This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended > exclusively > for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient > please delete it > from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message is > attributed to the sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of > Amstrad Plc or its subsidiaries. > > For further information on Amstrad Plc please visit our website: > www.amstrad.com > > Amstrad Plc. > Brentwood House > 169 Kings Road > Brentwood > Essex CM14 4EF > Registered in England : No. 955321 > > > > _______________________________________________ > e3-hacking mailing list > e3-hacking(a)earth.li > http://www.earth.li/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/e3-hacking > > > __________ NOD32 1.1663 (20060716) Information __________ > > This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. > http://www.eset.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > e3-hacking mailing list > e3-hacking(a)earth.li > http://www.earth.li/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/e3-hacking >

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RE: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer
by Cliff Lawson 17 Jul '06

17 Jul '06

Funny thing is that in the most recent software we put in loads of effort to make an "overseas mode" which would allow the end user to configure their own mail service and ISP phone numbers etc. with a view to being able to sell the units overseas (or even domestically) at a small upfront hardware profit and then no ongoing usage costs (cos you got to say which phone number it would call for email) but the "suits" then decided not to make use of this facility. Ho hum. Cliff > -----Original Message----- > From: Kevin O'Donovan [mailto:kev@coastalcontainer.co.uk] > > >From what Cliff said, it sounds like it will. It's a real > shame there isn't > an option to buy an unsubsidised one, but I can see why > amstrad might not > want to take that route. If my emailer had been dialling out > daily since I > bought it, it would have cost me about £250 by now, since it > was about £100 > to buy back then. This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended exclusively for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message is attributed to the sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amstrad Plc or its subsidiaries. For further information on Amstrad Plc please visit our website: www.amstrad.com Amstrad Plc. Brentwood House 169 Kings Road Brentwood Essex CM14 4EF Registered in England : No. 955321

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RE: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer
by Cliff Lawson 17 Jul '06

17 Jul '06

Like I say, we make absolutely no secret of the charging model. It's in red warning labels on the outside of the box and also before you read the manual. As I say you are getting £100+ worth of electronics for £20-£30 so it's hopefully obvious why there has to be a subsidy payback mechanism. As always you pays yer money and you takes yer choice! We may not have a network to support (though Demon-Thus who act as our ISP do!) but we do have a h/w subsidy to support Cliff > -----Original Message----- > From: Gerard Jemitus [mailto:gerry@jemitus.co.uk] > > While the mobile phone analogy works to a point, it's now a > primarily usage > based charging model, and anyway, mobiles have a network to > support. Maybe > if Amstrad had gone for usage rather than affectively daily > rental plus > usage charges, they may have sold a few more. > This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended exclusively for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message is attributed to the sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amstrad Plc or its subsidiaries. For further information on Amstrad Plc please visit our website: www.amstrad.com Amstrad Plc. Brentwood House 169 Kings Road Brentwood Essex CM14 4EF Registered in England : No. 955321

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RE: [E3-hacking] E3 Emailer
by Cliff Lawson 17 Jul '06

17 Jul '06

Indeed - registration automatically causes a welcome message to be deposited in your POP3 mailbox at Thus Cliff > -----Original Message----- > From: Gerard Jemitus [mailto:gerry@jemitus.co.uk] > > Yes, I spoke too soon. It's made the call, and now thinks I > have an email > message..... although from the email address I made up, > goodness only knows > who from. Probably a welcome message from Alan Sugar !! This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended exclusively for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message is attributed to the sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amstrad Plc or its subsidiaries. For further information on Amstrad Plc please visit our website: www.amstrad.com Amstrad Plc. Brentwood House 169 Kings Road Brentwood Essex CM14 4EF Registered in England : No. 955321

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E3 Emailer
by Gerard Jemitus 17 Jul '06

17 Jul '06

Hi Everyone, I know you're mainly into more esoteric hacking on this phone, but as a starter..... is it possible to get rid of the automated daily email calls, and just use it as a phone, forget all the overpriced email, sms etc...... I know you can reduce the frequency of the calls, but how about getting rid of them completely??? Any ideas?? Gerry

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RE: [E3-hacking] Developments
by Cliff Lawson 17 Jul '06

17 Jul '06

The thing that keeps it "alive" or rather, that locks it out after a few weeks, is if it can't get through to make the email calls (the advert calls aren't involved in this process). So if 0901xxx is barred it will only operate for a short while and then croak. However this is the reason it deliberately calls an 0901xxx when you first register because if you manage to get through for that call it presumably means you are not behind a PBX that is barring 0901xxx access. If it can't get connected during registration I've even got a screen that pops up and lists the 09xx ranges that need to be unbarred. Cliff > -----Original Message----- > From: David Given [mailto:dg@cowlark.com] > Sent: 17 July 2006 11:14 > To: Discussion of the Amstrad E3 emailer hardware/software > Subject: Re: [E3-hacking] Developments > > I do know that they stop working if they can't pick up adverts; would they also stop working if you got your telco to block the 0901 number, I wonder? Of course, given the hardware subsidy, doing such a thing *could* be considered Bad Form... This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended exclusively for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message is attributed to the sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amstrad Plc or its subsidiaries. For further information on Amstrad Plc please visit our website: www.amstrad.com Amstrad Plc. Brentwood House 169 Kings Road Brentwood Essex CM14 4EF Registered in England : No. 955321

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e3-hacking July 2006