When Cellphones Become Webservers 189
An anonymous reader writes "Nokia is experimenting with turning mobile phones into webservers, according to an interesting article on Linux Devices. Nokia has ported the Apache webserver and a few other software modules to the Symbian OS that runs its phones, but there shouldn't be any barrier to adapting the technique to Linux mobile phones, since it all appears to be released under Linux-friendly open source licenses. Just think of the possibilities of having a webserver in your pocket!"
not good enough (Score:5, Funny)
I won't be satisfied until Adobe ports Photoshop to cell phones. Now we're talking.
Re:not good enough (Score:2, Interesting)
MG
Re:not good enough (Score:2, Interesting)
Driving/walking along, decide you are bored of the songs on your phone, turn to local web radio and listen to some else's songs. Something like that obviously wouldn't need to be restricted to a location, but that would make it managable (resource-wise) for the owner of the phone/server, and I think it would add an element of fun, too.
Also, aside from music, you could do even more light-weight journalism. Stream audio
Popular amoung women; (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Popular amoung women; (Score:1)
Re:Popular amoung women; (Score:1)
Re:Popular amoung women; (Score:2)
Is that a webserver in your pocket, (Score:2)
Re:Popular amoung women; (Score:2, Funny)
Webserver's Everywhere (Score:1)
Re:Webserver's Everywhere (Score:1)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Webserver's Everywhere (Score:2)
Yes , because doing something like:
data.some_info = htonl(info)
strcpy(data.more_info,mytext);
:
:
write(udp_socket,(char *)data,sizeof(mtruct mystruct))
is so complex isn't it? Well , I suppose it is for "programmers" who write scripting
languages for a living.
Couple of thoughts:
1) Phones run on batteries, the less work they have to do the longer the battery
lasts.
2) Phone to base connections are not limitless in capacity. The l
Note to anti-Grammar Nazis (Score:5, Funny)
If you think grammar is unimportant, just think what the absence of an apostrophe would do to the above sentence.
Re:Webserver's Everywhere (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Webserver's Everywhere (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, but... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Yes, but... (Score:2)
Re:Yes, but... (Score:2)
T9? (Score:2)
Re:Yes, but... (Score:2)
hmmmmmmmm (Score:2, Funny)
Imagine the small fires which would result after a slashdotting.
Actually, more to the point I'm not sure I would like to even browse to a website whos physical location could be mere inches away from a pair of betty swallocks!
Has to be said (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Has to be said (Score:4, Funny)
Is that a bittorrent tracker in my pocket, or are you just happy to sue me?
Re:Has to be said (Score:2, Insightful)
That's not exactly the most flattering question, considering the diminutive size of today's cell phones...
Also has to be said (Score:2)
Re:Has to be said (Score:2)
But can I make calls, too? (Score:3, Insightful)
But then with opensource, I can figure anything out... like using Skype to make my calls while my faithful website viewers are still able to browse my ever-so-important website in my pocket.
Re:But can I make calls, too? (Score:2)
Re:But can I make calls, too? (Score:2)
Two acronyms. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:But can I make calls, too? (Score:3, Informative)
Symbian is a multitasking OS, so having a webserver there is not an issue. And GPRS and the like do not prevent you from making phone-calls.
Re:But can I make calls, too? (Score:3, Informative)
Quite why th
Re:But can I make calls, too? (Score:2)
I think we're missing the point. (Score:3, Insightful)
Active web pages provide a FANTASTICALLY easy way to construct elaborate user interfaces that are compatible with a wide variety of broswing hardware/software combinations.
this is a bad thing.... (Score:3, Funny)
a phone melted to you thigh does not sound like fun.....
Luckily (Score:5, Funny)
Just think of the possibilities (Score:2, Funny)
None!
Re:Just think of the possibilities (Score:2)
Re:Just think of the possibilities (Score:2)
Re:Just think of the possibilities (Score:2)
Dunno about the bandwidth for an average user though. The views would have to exceed an expression including nr_of_users and upload_cycle.
I can see the headlines (Score:5, Funny)
What has it got in its pocketses, my love? Tricksy little serverses, sneaking awayses from us!
Security (Score:2, Insightful)
Nerds Dead Everywhere! (Score:3, Funny)
Use it as a local proxy (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Use it as a local proxy (Score:2)
Hmm (Score:5, Insightful)
The possibility of paying massive bandwidth fees to Cingular, for example.
Exactly what I was thinking.. (Score:5, Informative)
However,
Which makes me ask, "In that case, why the hell would I want it?"Re:Exactly what I was thinking.. (Score:2)
I came across this discussion during meta-mod, and wanted to follow up. I had this service for about two months before they terminated my account. The termination letter said my monthly usage of 10GB was "40x over the average user" and they were closing my account immediately. So they expect you to pay $60/month for about 256MB/month usage. My recommendation is to stay away from this service.
If I had my 'dRuther's I have... (Score:2)
that links to another one, when out of all
coverage areas... not a web-server... FWIW.
Re:If I had my 'dRuther's I have... (Score:2)
Something I'd Like To See... (Score:3, Interesting)
You could crunch units at night while your phone is charging.
Re:Something I'd Like To See... (Score:2)
Okay, seriously, someone explain the usefulness... (Score:5, Insightful)
A web browser, I can see the use of (though currently most non-text-only pages look like crap on tiny cellphone screens, and even text-only doesn't look great). An email client, sure. A terminal emulator (aka "telnet/ssh client" for you whippersnappers) so I can connect to and manage a remote web server (if absolutely necessary - see point 3 below), yuppers.
But an actual web server?
First, my phone has an okay battery just sitting idle, but in actual use it dies within a few hours. Running a web server implies basically continuous use, so the thing would end up always on a leash to either a car or AC outlet.
Second, although I have pretty good cell coverage in my area, I do still drop the occasional call. Do we really want to add a http error code, "604: server drove into a tunnel"? (And yes, I do realize that would probably come back as a 503... Just a weak joke).
Third - I would not want to use a phone's crude keypad to try to maintain a web site. Even if I bought into the rest of the idea, I could see myself realistically connecting to my phone remotely from a real PC to do any updates or maintenance.
I just don't see the point. This smells like a solution in need of a problem, IMO.
Re:Okay, seriously, someone explain the usefulness (Score:5, Insightful)
This could be one potential use for a webserver on your phone. Given the complexity of your typical cellphone, I'd be glad to configure it through an interface that sucks a little less.
Re:Okay, seriously, someone explain the usefulness (Score:2)
Re:Okay, seriously, someone explain the usefulness (Score:2)
Web applications. (Score:5, Insightful)
Having a webserver on your cellphone, even if it's only accessible to you, is extremely useful. You can build your own truly cross-platform applications without having to worry about crazy microjava doodie.
In terms of power consumption, why would it have to be continuously active? It can have a "sleep" mode just like anything else on a cellphone does. It's not like your phone has a continuous open line to someone. When you finish talking to someone, it goes into a sleep mode and waits for the next call. A webserver could work the same way -- when you use it, it fires up. When you stop using it, it takes a nap. Both, you and your battery, are happy.
I, for one, welcome our Cellphone-hosted website overlords.
- shazow
Re:Okay, seriously, someone explain the usefulness (Score:2, Interesting)
For a geek, it should be no problem to think of some cool applications. But I agree that it won't become mainstream fast. I don't even know if most cellphone operators provide real public IP addresses to cellphones. My operator, T-mobile, seems to, but I've never actually
Re:Okay, seriously, someone explain the usefulness (Score:2)
A Web Server on your cell phone? What would you serve off it? The only application I can possibly think of is to serve as a way to get those stupid lo-res pictures off your camera phone. Other than that, is there any reason to introduce such a critical security flaw into your phone?
Are you going to include voice-recognition software so you can blog-on-the-go?
How about posting those sappy text messages from your soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend?
Not to mention how the hell you're going to get any o
Engineering monitoring applications (Score:5, Interesting)
It could be great for engineers like me that deploy a lot of short-term and long-term measurement systems (noise/vibration/temperature/wind speed/etc) and want to make the data available in real-time to interested parties (e.g. a local community).
Currently, the only way to disseminate this info is:
I would love to just be able to hook up a cellphone to the data logging unit, and just point people to www.city-noise-monitoring.org/site1. Yeah I know, niche application.
The only issues I see:
I for one will be watching out for this.
Re:Engineering monitoring applications (Score:2)
Why are the current options (especially this one) more expensive than a cellphone web server?
What about sending the original real-time data per GPRS to a real apache where it is served for the rest of the world?
Re:Engineering monitoring applications (Score:2)
Re:Engineering monitoring applications (Score:2)
Having a built-in webserver is a lot like just having a personal web server on your pc-- sans pc.
It's great for grassroots or short-life projects. It's also a way for Nokia to sell more phones and the carriers to move more data...
Use (Score:2)
It's more like a pertable hub than a device. My thoughts on where mobile devices are going is more about a mobile access points with other linked dev
OK, I'll explain the usefulness (Score:2)
From TFA:
Access core data
* Access favorites, contacts, calendar, logs, and messages
* Download images
That means your phone can do unattended data transfers to other phones. Just be careful not to unintentionally expose your MP3s, because the **AA would have to considerably staff up their anti-file-sharing efforts if billions of mobile handset users were able to serve files to any user with a Web browser.
Re:Okay, seriously, someone explain the usefulness (Score:2)
why stick a website on a pda?
For a low traffic site (but with upto 1 gig of files availabe) the pda sits drawing about 10 watts an hour max silently
I could run a pc as a webserver with its continually running fan and considerably larger power drain but why when it's a site of little interest to more than a few friends.
on the otherhand unless you have essentially free data transfer (w
OK (Score:5, Insightful)
Ok, hmmm, let me think
*chirp* *chirp* *chirp*
OK, you got me - what are those possiblities?
Re:OK (Score:2, Insightful)
You know, if you could round up those crickets in your head and get them back into the running wheel you might be able to think of something. Like easy configuration of your phone. Easy access to your photos and files and contacts, accessible from whatever computer happens to be nearby.
A standard interface. It's obviously not meant for hosting a website, like the 187 other clowns-with-escaped-crickets posting above me s
Re:OK (Score:2)
Uh... what?
"insightful" on Slashdot = "you said it in a clever way." Around here, cleverly-phrased argument = insight.
He could have just said, "I don't think there are any interesting uses for this." But that would have gotten him modded down, if anything.
Not much use.... (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't see much use in this... Ususally (at least in GSM GPRS and UMTS 3G networks) the phones are behind one or two NATs. That is, all packet data users of an mobile operator are seen to the internet as coming from the host gprs.mobile.operator.com, or the like. You cannot directly connect from the internet to a specific mobile phhone's IP address, regardless of the existence of a mobile web server there.
NATting is partly done to protect the mobile users from excess traffic. Imagine someone pingflooding your mobile's IP address, and you paid for data packet traffic by the kilobyte! :)
I see this webserver porting more as an technology demo from Nokia's part: "Hey look how cool our phone operating system and programming platform is!", instead of being a real, useful application.
Re:Not much use.... (Score:2)
Oh, wow... should have read TFA... :) There was a mention of gateways, enabling connections to be made from the internet to the mobiles.
Well, actually... (Score:2)
Well, I don't know about pingflooding, but I've been bitten by text messages. As far as I know, you pay for incoming text messages, not outgoing. And AOL did send me a text message advertising AIM on my cell phone. Well, I don't use text messages at all, but that in particular pissed me off. I don't care how cheap it was, paying for incoming spam is a broken business model, especially considering
Old news... (Score:2)
http://www.wirednews.com/wired/archive/7.03/stree
A mesh network server would mean instant user owne (Score:2, Interesting)
No matter what lobbists tried to get congress to throttle the internet into tiers!
That mean free internet anywhere that you can daisy chain cellphone links unless the send and recieve frequencites cell phone suse are not the same as cell tower send frequencies.
Perhaps the qualcomm walkie talking phones would work? or FRM family radios with 5 mile range?
been waiting for someone to build hand held laser send and receives
Re:A mesh network server would mean instant user o (Score:2)
Exposing the web browser to the Internet, however, seems much less useful. If I want to put things on the Internet, I have a web server with 50GB/month transfer (contrast with the 40MB
FTP (Score:2)
Is mod_perl available for Nokia's Apache?
Why port Apache? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why port Apache? (Score:2)
Cellphone webserver (Score:2)
Here's an example, I worked on a bunch of documents flying home on Continental yesterday. I could have copied those up to my cell phone web-site from my mac as soon as we landed, which could have then auto-synched onto the company web-server for example, as I was driving home.
Obviously a cell phone web-site would mainly be useful for local content such as recently snapped pictures, notes
Actually, I've used a webserver on a phone before (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't believe it was running there on the final product, though. Which is good, since you'd have to invoke the Java service management framework manually and give it some time to start up before using it...
wherethehellismyphone.com (Score:4, Interesting)
I mention this because I recently picked up this laptop [nniling.us], and one of my first plans is to get a GPS card installed in it. I'll have it running something netstumbler-like, and if it's lost or stolen, it will do its best to log in and upload the GPS coords to wherethehellismylaptop.com. So, if my laptop is lost or stolen, and the thief leaves it turned on while passing through any open wifi or going online in any way, presto. I could have the site have a Google Maps thingy that shows me where it was most recently spotted and when.
This doesn't even require the GPS card -- any information you can have the device update you with is useful. It could tell me what the person was last looking at, what pages they're frequenting, etc. Get their name from their MySpace page and have the police show up at their door. Letting mobile devices act as servers opens up a lot of these possibilities, including making them easy to use as James-Bond-type spy/bug gadgets and taking a big step in the direction of useful remote presence.
Of course, wherethehellismylaptop.com would require a very secure login if you want any privacy, ever.
Useful? (Score:2)
Personal Webserver only please (Score:2)
However if my phone had a web interface for connection to my PC that made configuration and data transfer easier, OR if I could limit my webphone to a few key users OR if my phone server was actually proxied by servers at the telco, this might make sense.
Re:Personal Webserver only please (Score:2)
What's the point? (Score:2, Interesting)
What's the advantage to having a web server where there's uncertain connectivity, limited resources generally, and high communication costs?
More
0 to slashdotted in 1 hit (Score:2)
the possibilities... (Score:2)
Like?
.mobi (Score:2)
Portable Filesharing (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah. Put my whole filesharing website in my pocket and let the RIAA just try and catch me.
There is a definite use for this (Score:2)
Microsoft innovation (Score:2)
Nope, not an oxymoron on this occasion.
Microsoft Research put a web server on a mobile phone several years ago, back when I still worked for them.
A cow-orker (or should that be core-searcher? named Kai Rannenburg did the dirty deed. Kai left MSR shortly before I did. Chase down to Kai's exp-rojects at http://research.microsoft.com/security/ [microsoft.com] for more information.
Paul
Port it to Sybian first (Score:2)
Re:What is the purpose? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:What is the purpose? (Score:3, Interesting)
You could do a couple of useful things to this. It could provide a means to upload files or change configuration settings. A messaging interface could be useful, letting you use the phones inbox on a PC. With things like WiFi and bluetooth, there are possiblities.
And as
Re:What is the purpose? (Score:2)
I like to tinker with small memory models because it helps me produce applications, scripts and methods that scream on standard or legacy hardware.
I've done some neat stuff with lighttpd (and similar) as well as this little known gem called Abyss, found at Aprelium [aprelium.com].
PHP can be built at around 1MB and retain most of its basic functionality, if you u
Re:What is the purpose? (Score:2)
No more (Windows-only!) phone-specific software to talk to your phone from your laptop. Fire up the browser and point it to the phone's server.
Bingo: Arbitrarily elaborate and easy-to-use set of active windows to control, interrogate, and operate the phone.
Using IE, Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape,
From Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD, Solaris,
(Now if it also hosts a VoIP server to access phone service and network router with DAT and D
Re:What is the purpose? (Score:2)
Re:What is the purpose? (Score:2)
I would like to introduce you to my friend,REALITY (Score:2)
Free/busy schedule -- let it run on an external server (perhaps even to show which members in a company group/team are away/busy at once).
business card --? Its called a website, no phone required.
Location information? Again, this is easily handled by an external webserver. The phone only needs to transmit its location, not a graphical JPG image of a map showing where it is. (Ham Radio operators have been doing this ki