O2 Joggler
 | |
| Manufacturer | OpenPeak |
|---|---|
| Type | 'Picture frame' tablet format |
| Release date | April 2009 |
| Introductory price | £149.99 |
| Operating system | Customised Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy) |
| CPU | 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z520 (single core, two threads) |
| Memory | 512MB |
| Storage | Internal 1GB Flash |
| Display | 7" Sharp LQ070Y3LG4A capacitive touchscreen (single touch) |
| Graphics | Intel GMA500 (Hardware accelerated H.264, MPEG2, MPEG4, VC1, WMV9) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (2.4GHz 802.11b / 802.11g / 802.11n); 10/100/1000 ethernet |
| Power | 5V, 4000mA DC |
| Dimensions | 180 x 130 x 115mm |
| Mass | 700g |
The O2 Joggler is a computing appliance which was sold by O2 in the United Kingdom. Manufactured by OpenPeak and based on their Openframe 7 product, the Joggler's main selling point was its shared calendar application and was aimed at organising family life. It was marketed under the slogan "Your new fridge door".[1]
Launched in April 2009[2], the Joggler was met with mixed reviews, largely praising the hardware and its potential, but critical of the software and focus of the device.[3][4] The Joggler's launch price of £149.99 was cut to £99.99 by November 2009, with a radio feature added in association with Pure Digital.[5][6]
After a year on the market the App Shop was launched, and the price was dropped again to £49.99.[7] Although touted as a special offer, this price was maintained until remaining stock was depleted. The low cost, combined with the high quality components and dissatisfaction in the software, has fostered a hacker community, and there are now a number of new applications and operating systems available for the device.[8][9]
Hardware
The Joggler shares many external similarities with a digital photo frame, consisting of a 7" screen with black border, dark grey plastic rear shell, integral rubber foot and chromed stand. The stand inclines the screen of the Joggler towards the user, providing a more optimal angle for use. Although a number of promotional images show an O2 logo on the lower portion of the screen border, no production units appear to feature this.
The right-hand side of the rear shell has a socket for a Standard Type A USB connector, while the reverse has power, ethernet and audio-out sockets positioned below indented O2 Joggler lettering. A small window for the ambient light sensor is centred on the top of the rear shell, while the underside and remainder of the back feature ventilation holes.
Internal components include:
- an Atom Z520 processor (1.33 GHz with 512KB L2 cache),
- a single-touch capacitive 800x480 touchscreen,
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) which is actually an internally housed USB adapter
- 10/100/1000 Ethernet Cable
- a USB 2.0 host port
- 512 MB RAM
- 1GB flash (partitioned: 64Mb boot, 256Mb OS, 256 OS copy (for factory 'resetting), 450Mb for general storage)
- internal speaker with 3.5mm stereo jack socket
- a metal stand which doubles up as the CPU heat sink, so it cannot be removed
- 4000mA, 5V DC input jack (adaptor supplied)
Software
It runs a customised Linux Operating System based on Ubuntu (or Moblin v1) with BusyBox, created by OpenPeak and heavily branded by O2. All the applications are written in flash, so in that respect it also resembles a Chumby.
There are a number of web sites devoted to embracing and extending the features of the joggler, covering
- installation of Windows
- adding or replacing the software sources with OpenPeak's to gain access to many more applications
- replacing the custom distributions with a standardise one like Ubuntu netbook remix - this by booting the device off a flash memory device on the USB port (which is does by default when connected)
References
- ^ "O2 Joggler: touch-screen device to organise family life". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "O2 helps busy family lives with O2 Joggler". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "O2 Joggler review". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "O2 Joggler: review". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "O2 Joggler sees price cut by a third". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "O2 Joggler's price slashed". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "The Joggler App Shop is go!". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "Joggler Wiki". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "Joggler Forum". Retrieved 28 January 2011.