
Sony Smartwatch now open-sourced - prajjwal
http://www.linuxandlife.com/2013/06/sony-smartwatch-now-open-sourced.html
======
csense
I would never trust Sony's release of hardware with official open-source
software support, after they removed the official Linux support for old-model
PlayStation 3's [1]. (The support was removed through a firmware update for
hardware in the wild. This firmware update was non-optional if you want to use
subsequently produced official games, or use the console's online service. I
never did either, and Sony and its developers have probably lost hundreds of
my dollars over the past few years as a result.)

This is also the company that put rootkits on CD's [2].

I no longer do business with Sony if I can avoid it.

EDIT: This was downvoted within two minutes? Why?

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OtherOS#History](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OtherOS#History)

[2]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_rootkit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_rootkit)

~~~
acc00
Sony is a big multinational corporation. As is the case with, say, Microsoft,
it is not helpful to appreciate its actions as coming from a single entity.

~~~
csense
So if I have a particular experience with them, I can't draw any inferences
about future interactions from that?

Also, _Sony itself_ clearly wishes to be perceived as a single entity, since
they proudly display the Sony brand on all their products and marketing.

I can follow that people -- and corporations -- change over time, and
sometimes problems like this are flukes, rather than part of the fundamental
nature. So I'll stay away from them for a decade or two; if they don't make
any other really sleazy moves in that time frame, I'll eventually give them
another chance if they make something I want to buy.

~~~
pandaman
Had you actually suffered from the Other OS removal? I am asking because
everybody complaining about this on the Internet does not even own a PS3 and
people who actually had ran Linux did not complain about the update as it did
not affect them much.

The only issue you'd had if you used PS3 for computation was the fact that the
hardware had been discontinued (long time before the update), but then it's
been already too expensive for the computing power it provided.

~~~
csense
> people who actually had ran Linux did not complain about the update

I ran Linux on the PS3, and I complained loudly and bitterly about Sony's
actions.

> Had you actually suffered from the Other OS removal?

Yes, I have. I specifically asked the Gamestop clerk for an old model, at a
time when both the old (Linux-supporting) and new (non-Linux-supporting)
machines were available in stores.

I can't speak for sure about a hypothetical alternative reality, but I think
it's likely I would have waited a little longer to buy one, if not for the
Linux feature -- specifically I was worried that the Linux-supporting older
model would become hard to find.

So you can say I wouldn't have bought a PS3 but for its Linux capabilities,
and the removal of those capabilities rendered the rationale for my investment
invalid.

> it's been already too expensive for the computing power it provided

It's not solely a matter of computing power provided. I thought the Cell's
unique architecture was interesting.

Also, in those pre-Raspberry-Pi days, the console wasn't a bad price point to
get a general-purpose system with networking, USB and Blu-ray (especially if
you bought used hardware), that could also do video out to pre-HDMI TV's.

~~~
pandaman
If you did not care for anything other than running Linux why did you update
firmware? It's only needed to play newer games and blu-rays, things you say
that did not matter to you.

This the essential problem that I see (usually put in ridiculous context like
"UASAF used a PS3 cluster and NOW THEY CANNOT!!!!!1!") - if you run Linux you
don't care much about the games and even if you do - all the games you already
had before the update don't go away.

There is no guarantee that new games will ever come again so your ability to
run newer games is not a right. If Sony pulled PS3 off the market instead of
issuing an update you would not get any games as well.

But it's still hard to imagine somebody in need of both Linux and newest games
simultaneously. If you are one of such people - you are member of very unique
and small group. No company size of Sony is ever going to carter to such a
small group.

~~~
krussell
It's not entirely true that "all the games you already had before the update
don't go away". Although you could still play your current games, the
multiplayer portions of those games required you to be connected to the PS
network, which in turn required the latest firmware upgrade that removed
Linux.

I stayed on the firmware with Linux and was fine with not being able to play
new games but it did kind of suck that I couldn't play multiplayer games I'd
already purchased.

~~~
pandaman
This is true, although the MP availability is even less ensured than that of
the new games. MP servers are routinely taken down on all platforms. And for
the same reason the Other OS had been taken down - not enough people used it
to justify the maintenance cost.

------
angusgr
Rather than "open sourced" all I see is "a bit open specced". Yes, the "hacker
guide" has details of what chips are on the board, and how they are connected:
[http://developer.sonymobile.com/services/open-smartwatch-
pro...](http://developer.sonymobile.com/services/open-smartwatch-
project/smartwatch-hacker-guide/) ... and there's a separate page with a guide
to putting it in DFU mode to upload a firmware.

Which is cool, but the chip names could have been found by the people who'd
already done teardowns and the pinouts could be found by buzzing one out
(possibly sacrificially by removing chips.)

The chip datasheets they link were all all already publically available, the
Cypress touch sensor one is even a link to alldatasheet.com(!)

Probably the biggest letdown is the Bluetooth/FM chip made by Sony, arguably
the most useful and most complex device aside from the MCU. That link is to
Sony's marketing specs page with a block diagram and not much technical info
that I can see. I can't find any information about the chip made available to
the public by Sony.

Ironically enough there is a longer 6 page Sony datasheet leaked on datasheet
sites, but even this doesn't have pinouts or begin to explain how the SPI
interface to Bluetooth/FM functionality actually works.

I think it's good that a major company like Sony released even this small
amount of information, although it's worth noting that reverse engineers have
found more information on similar products acting entirely by themselves (take
for instance the PS3 Move controller:
[http://eissq.com/ps3_move/](http://eissq.com/ps3_move/) )

On the other hand I think it's very bad that most people will glance at this
and see Sony "open sourcing" something when they appear to be open sourcing
nearly nothing. The RTOS they used is probably proprietary property of a third
party so they can't open source that, but they could release their application
source code for the smartwatch - allowing people to see how they communicate
with the Bluetooth/FM chip, for instance. That kind of source could be ported
to an open source RTOS.

The optimist in me hopes that detailed technical information will be
forthcoming over time, but the pessimist in me thinks this is the feel-good
last gasp of an end-of-life product. :/

~~~
angusgr
I expanded this comment into a blog post, and corrected some of the factual
errors in the comment: [http://projectgus.com/2013/06/sonys-open-source-
smartwatch/](http://projectgus.com/2013/06/sonys-open-source-smartwatch/)

------
akiselev
I'm disappointed I can't find reference schematics for the smartwatch but they
provide datasheets and specific chip models at
[http://developer.sonymobile.com/services/open-smartwatch-
pro...](http://developer.sonymobile.com/services/open-smartwatch-
project/smartwatch-hacker-guide/)

The watch has bluetooth, a touchscreen, and an STM32F2 microcontroller
[disappointed its not a F4 :( ] which makes it a powerful and cheap
development kit. Their instructions for flashing the firmware of the chip uses
open source dfu-util so IIRC you'll be able to flash a binary to the STM32F2
from any compatible toolchain. Surprise, surprise, this means Arduino from
LeafLabs!:
[https://github.com/leaflabs/www.leaflabs.com/blob/master/pos...](https://github.com/leaflabs/www.leaflabs.com/blob/master/posts/major-
update-experimental-stm32f2-and-f1-value-line-in-libmaple-master.md)

Looking at [http://www.cmw.me/?q=node/59](http://www.cmw.me/?q=node/59) you
could even replace their PCB with your own, preserving the LCD connections and
upgrading the processor to an even more power efficient one with a sensor or
two added on (this is a four layer board at most, you could theoretically make
the ICs even denser). However, you'll probably want to find someone with a
pick and place + reflow at a hackspace or something unless you're confident
you can reflow leadless chips and 0201 components yourself.

~~~
TheLegace
I love the STM32F4, have to tried the libopencm3 library?

~~~
akiselev
Nice library, haven't seen it before. I'll check it out, the USB libraries
seem to be a bit more bearable than the usual stacks I've seen.

------
virtualritz
The legalese in the "Important information – read this before flashing
alternative firmware" section on
[http://developer.sonymobile.com/services/open-smartwatch-
pro...](http://developer.sonymobile.com/services/open-smartwatch-project/)
seems to me to try to discourage people from modding the firmware.

Feels totally half-assed to me, after reading this. Either I want people to
hack & play and support them with it or I don't. How can you damage the
hardware of this simple device with a hacked Android? What do these lawyers
think? That someone hacks a version of Android that makes the SmartWatch go up
in smoke and every kid that has bought one and got a scratch on their glass
will load that up so they can claim warranty on their device? Seriously?

------
axyjo
Here's the TI-Chronos [1]. It's similar to the Smartwatch in many ways, and is
based on the MSP430 chips used in the TI Launchpad.

[1] -
[http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/EZ430-Chronos](http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/EZ430-Chronos)

~~~
georgemcbay
As a big TI fan (I love hacking on the MSP430, Stellaris, BeagleBone, etc),
the Chronos would be great if it weren't so incredibly 1970s/early 1980s dorky
looking. I mean, I'm not particularly fashion conscious, but I wouldn't wear
that thing.

------
tikiavenger
About a year ago, I applied as an app developer and received a free Sony
Smartwatch to develop apps on. I tried wearing the watch for a couple days
before I planned to start programming my app. The user experience was pretty
horrible. The watch wasn't that responsive, had connectivity issues, and had a
pretty poor looking UI.

