Greetings from Toobo
This project aims to create an open source software/hardware solution to produce a simple yet useful web companion (described later) using linux and other open source software.
Currently, the definition of web companion is some device which lets the user access favorite web content like streaming radio, online weather, stock ticker, news headlines, webchat, search, maps and directions (to name a few) with the touch of a button.
- The speciality of the project is that, it attempts to provide a complete hardware/software solution rather than just a software solution to the problem.
- This project also strongly emphasizes various levels of hardware abstraction so that different users can customize the same software for their specific hardware needs.
- Another aspect this project emphasizes is the independent startup and shutdown of various subsystems to save power and help with recovery from critical errors without a complete reboot.
In the initial stages, this project would primarily focus on wired internet and in the future phases move on to wireless internet access.
Motivation behind toobo
We all love to listen to online music stations. One shouldn't have to open up his/her computer to listen to music. Also, some of our folks aren't experts at using computers. So, if someone wants to voice chat or video chat, they shouldn't have to open up a computer and fiddle around with the keyboard. It should be done at the touch of a button.
And handy things like weather, picture emails, maps, yellow pages should not need a computer or an expensive toy. Instead a simple gadget like this should be able to achieve the same result.
