A hacker from Malaysia has used the game-centric PPL programming language for PocketPCs and has created a replacement of the “Today” PPC screen that closely resembles that of the iPhone’s. His clone is still under development, although it is already impressive what he was able to do with a few lines of code. He was even able to recreate the iPhone’s scrolling effect. Nevertheless, a nice toy.
Bring in the Clones: iPhone Interface on PocketPC
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Works fine here…
Link worked fine for me. Interesting project. I actually was not aware of PPL so that is something else to take a look at.
I’ll give this, hmm about 48 hours before Apple and their legal eagles start sending cease and decist orders. I’m suprised it hasn’t happened already, knowing Apple.
The guy has not released anything (yet).
// The guy has not released anything (yet). //
Since when does that ever concern Apple?
Since the moment that they have no real case against him. They could ask him to remove the copyrighted pictures from his web site, but that’s it. They can’t stop him from developing it for himself.
We’ll see.
This is why software patents suck. Apple has over 200 patents for the iPhone, some of which are simple enough that a hobbyist can implement them in a week using a few pictures of the product and readily available APIs. Patents are intended to protect inventions that are costly to develop but cheap to replicate. At first it seems like this applies perfectly to software. Costly to develop, nearly free to replicate.
But software is covered by copyright, and therefore its creators can explicitly prohibit replication. They can also prevent people from being able to figure out how it works. Why would you need to patent something if you can prevent people from figuring out how it works? Replication involves uncovering intentional obscured details of its operation and implementation from scratch. It’s nearly as costly to replicate copyrighted OSS as it is to implement it in the first place, and perhaps more costly to do so for proprietary software. Designing software is the easy part, implementing it is hard, and replicating it might even be harder.
The other day I went to the grocery store, and among other things, I wanted pickles. After initially selecting the usual pickle chips, I thought I’d try the “sandwich stackers.” The innovative shape is an improvement for use on sandwiches, I must say. But upon further consideration, I concluded that a square shape to fit a normal slice of bread would be even better. “Butters,” someone objects, “you can’t cut a 4″ square from a cucumber!” Sure I can! I figured it out, and I could probably get a patent. I have zero intention of getting into the pickle business, but when Vlasic makes the same logical leap I did, I could whip out the submarine patent claims. No truly sandwich-sized pickle slices for anyone, because I said so.
I have zero intention of getting into the pickle business, but when Vlasic makes the same logical leap I did, I could whip out the submarine patent claims. No truly sandwich-sized pickle slices for anyone, because I said so.
Cornichon sauce wants to be free!!!1
I feel like ranting some more…
We don’t need or want patents anymore. Everybody is now connected. Tangible objects can be produced anywhere and sold anywhere else. Intangible deliverables are even easier to bring to market. The market wants just barely enough suppliers for any product for competition to work, and often even less than that. There’s no money to be made in selling something that’s already available. You’re either first to market, best to market, or searching for a new market. The global marketplace is the ultimate incentive to innovate.
Some suggest that patents are bad for software, but good for other markets such a pharmaceuticals. I disagree. Why would a pharmaceutical company copy a competitor’s drug and sell it for less? This would cause a price war that will rapidly drive the price down to near the cost of production and distribution. Pharmaceutical companies don’t want to save people’s lives and break even, they want get filthy rich. The only way to do this is to be the first or best to market with a useful drug and charge whatever outrageous price the healthcare industry is willing to bear.
Patents are a kludge for a time where it was easier to make money off of other people’s ideas than to develop your own. This is no longer the case in any market that I can think of. Down with patents.
Why would a pharmaceutical company copy a competitor’s drug and sell it for less?
That does happen, at least with AIDS medications. Several pharmaceutical companies got themselves some bad press a few years ago when they started trying to crack down on African companies selling unlicensed & less-expensive equivalents of commercial medication for treating AIDS.
// Why would a pharmaceutical company copy a competitor’s drug and sell it for less? //
They’re called “generic versions” designed to be identical but the same. In Australia, companies are more or less forced to release the drug formula and molecules to the generic competitors to enhance competition and ensure drugs are affordably made available to those who need them.
you can’t patent the look and feel of something.
This is what shows on the page now:
This Account Has Been Suspended
Please contact the billing/support department as soon as possible.
Either the site has reached it’s bandwidth quota, or Apple has already called in the dogs.
The rational me says that all the publicity pushed him over the bandwidth limit.
The other side begins to imagine black helicopters and men in skimasks wearing half-eaten fruit logos.
Now that you can have a pretty interface on your PPC, is it still worth getting an iPhone?
It might be if you don’t like WindowsCE very much… that’s one reason I can think of.
Well, definitely it looks very similar to iPhone. There are a few nice things in iPhone interface but after seeing a few WMobile plug-ins and games, I’m not really surprised it was easy to reproduce.
My question is: who, in 2007, would buy a $700+ phone which is not even a 3G phone?? Not to mention lack of camera which I can’t see on iPhone… am I wrong?
It’s nice but iPhone has many kms ahead… beside it’s awful price!
BTW, I don’t think Apple would allow him to release a very similar interface like that. Of course, they cannot stop him if developing for himself. Anyway, his work is amazing.
umm it has a camera. http://www.apple.com/iphone/technology/specs.html
Yeah, checked specs. Sorry then… my fault: it HAS a 2MP camera.
“My question is: who, in 2007, would buy a $700+ phone which is not even a 3G phone??”
You will be surprise. Apple has some loyal fans, Apple’s products to them are more important than food and water.
I’m guessing “Bring in the Clones” is a reference to F. Sinatra’s beautiful song “bring in the clowns?” B)
“Send in the Clowns” from “A Little Night Music” by Stephen Sondheim.
Dylan “Everybody must get cloned”
[Actually Steve Taylor]
The clones will take over the world
–me
The clones will take over the world
–me
–me too!
His work is very interesting, I bet he is having lots of fun as a hobbyist!
I don’t expect him to release it to the public but its also interesting to see all the enthusiasm regarding iPhone’s UI.
Anyway on the practical side, it doesn’t seem that he actually implemented the full scrolling experience as seen in the iPhone, it looks like he is limited to just scrolling a picture (of a text file), he doesn’t seem to be able to actually select anything from that list.
I guess that’s one of the things Steve was referring to when he said that the technology behind the iPhone was smart enough to the point it was able to tell if you are trying to do a scroll or to select a song.
Kudos to the Malaysian guy! (although I wouldn’t call him a hacker)
But we need pre-emptive multitasking on Palm first.
Once the iPhone is up to near broadband speeds, and has 16GB minimum, I’ll buy.
Edited 2007-02-28 13:11
uh, dude if you connect to a wifi hotspot you’ll have broadband speeds.
Is anyone else getting a “This account has been suspended” on the above link? Was this taken down that fast?
Yup, I’m getting it too. Putting two and two together you’d say Apple’s lawyers are now awake 🙂
In regards to patents for Pharmaceuticals, I think it’s a completely different industry, and I do support them. Drug companies have to invest a LOT (and i mean a LOT LOT LOT) of time researching and developing drugs. Without patents they couldn’t recoup the costs of their investment, because competitors would simply steal their work without having done the R&D themselves. This would lead to drugs not being invented. There is no open source drug movement!! IMHO, patents are NOT evil when the patent is for a body of work that required substantial R&D.
The problem is not software patents, it patents for ideas that took about 10 minutes to flesh out; even worse when they’re for obvious ideas like a “one click shopping cart”. For example, I wouldn’t have begrudged Bruce Schneier a patent for his encryption algorithms, because these took a lot of research and development (perhaps even genius), and the body of work was unique to him. Anyway, enough on that.
Edited 2007-02-28 14:28
Yup, I’m getting it too. Putting two and two together you’d say Apple’s lawyers are now awake 🙂
Another logical explanation is that so many people have gone to that website (aka the slashdot effect, or the digg effect if you’re into that web 2.0 lingo) that it exceeded the monthly bandwidth and the host locked it up.
aka the slashdot effect, or the digg effect
I dub it the “OS_Snoozed” effect
[Sounds like OSNewsed]
… The URL doesn’t seem to work anymore, maybe the site ran out of bandwith .. ?
Is there a mirror or can someone maybe link some screen shots? Personally I’m waiting for my overprized, preordered EU-(hopefully UMTS-upgraded) iPhone. But I’m always amazed about creative people who show, that there isn’t much ‘magic’ behind new interface ideas …
Have a nice Day.
Patrick
Looks like the cited link is now dead (it brings up a “This Account Has Been Suspended” page, I guess due to Apple’s lawyers), but the YouTube link is still active, which shows a video demo (I believe this is the same thing):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpP1_79rhQ8
Edited 2007-02-28 18:35
Guess they missed the iphony debacle;
http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?t=235591
I don’t understand what’s the big deal about this interview. It’s just a screen with big icons.
My Tero 700wx PPC looks does everything it does, and with spaces to show appointments/tasks and much more.