From Open Mobile

Design Philosophy

• One of the biggest aspects that sets openMobile apart from the competition is its design philosophy. We believe:
  • A front end should be fully configurable from within the UI using any type of input device (from a touch screen to an xbox controller)
  • A user should never be required to search forums, edit config files or hack ini's to get a feature to work.
    • In fact openMobile has a strict no config file policy to prevent just such nonsense
    • Most plugins configure themselves without ever needing the users input. Those that don't will give detailed descriptions that leave little doubt about what a function does.
    • For users still struggling there is a one stop shop for answers (this wiki) which provides everything from FAQ's and Tutorials to detailed descriptions and API Documentation
  • A front end should have the same look and feel regardless of the underlying operating system.
    • We use a universal rendering engine which guarantees that controls on Windows look exactly the same on Linux or OSX
    • We use a platform specific hardware access service which provides identical functionality regardless of the underlying APIs
  • A user should never have to deal with unpacking zip files, registering dll's or any digging through the file system to get a plugin installed.
    • Instead we have an Open Installer which utilizes a universal install package for one click plugin installation on any operating system.
    • There is even a plugin available which allows one click plugin downloading and installing from within openMobile
  • A Front End should support every piece of hardware possible. It should handle its attachment intelligently and it should do any necessary installation and configuration silently.
    • We have a full notification framework which allows everything from a device plugged in, to a disc inserted, to a button pressed to trigger internal events (independent of the operating system). Device's automatically present intelligent options like play music from an ipod, rip songs from a cd or transfer photos from a cameras memory card.
  • A Front End should allow any skinning a user could want. It should never impose required plugins.
    • The framework is fully modular which allows you to strip openMobile all the way down to the rendering engine and use only the features you wish to include. Graphics, Transitions, even the controls themselves are editable and customizable by the user. This ensures endless and unhindered design possibilities.
  • Most importantly of all, a Front End should be free and open to all.
    • We provide full documentation of every API available in addition to the source code behind it.
    • All our code is available under the open source GPLv3 License (Speech recognition is not the exception, its developed by a third party)

Innovation not Replication

• openMobile aims to push the envelope of what a carPC can do, not just re-invent the same tired three function front end.
  • We developed a state of the art speech recognition system with features not seen even in professional navigation systems like single sentence address and POI recognition. This of course on top of the cutting edge functionality like artist selection and command/control via voice.
  • We utilized the full power of a PC to support multiple monitors, multiple sound cards and multiple input devices and use them any way you can imagine.
  • We implemented an intelligent gesture recognition system that allows you to write full sentences without looking at the screen (not just wave left or right).
  • We created a true multi-threaded environment which brought startup times to less then a second regardless of the number of plugins loaded.
  • We sandboxed each plugin to ensure that a third party developers bug didn't jeopardize the stability of the entire front end.