Is there basically only the producer of the SheevaPlug that distributes in the US? The number of distributors of the SheevaPlug seems to be very limited.

Why is it even called a SheevaPlug? What the hell is a Sheeva? Pretty dumb name IMO.

I think naming someone Devin is pretty Dumb. What the hell is a Devin?

Your best bet to interface is to use a VOIP provider (better value for your telecom money) and/or use an ATA (analog terminal adaptor) with phones at home (or start using IP phones!)

Linksys make several ATA’s I like… My two favorite are re-branded Sipura devices.

SPA-2102 – provides two interfaces for analog phone circuits in your house, you can wire them all up if you want too, so you and the kids can have separate calls in parallel.

SPA-3102 – provides an internal interface for your legacy analog phones like the 2102, and can link to your telco phone line (bring in outside calls, or place telephone analog line calls). Read up on FXS and FXO lines.

Both are talked to via SIP over wired Ethernet. Web interface configurations, each retail for about $60.

It’s best to go Ethernet, no silly USB interface issues, use with ANY phone system you want, VOIP providers directly, or the PlugPBX :)
You can get units with a few interfaces or dozens for analog phones or mix your house like mine with IP phones and analog phones via ATA(s). PlugPBX is agnostic, you bring your own interfaces/devices, use Ethernet devices – its what its for ;)

Why can’t one give something a new name?
If you come up with something new, you don’t want it to be mistaken for something else, or describe it all the time, like ‘that very small, cheap and economical pc, without video output but with an internet connection, sd-cardreader and usb-port’.
So you give it a new name, and the first time someone hears from it they’ll say ‘Sheeva, what’s that?’. And after they are given a description, they will know what it is and use the word Sheeva to describe it.
Silly? Maybe.
Practical? Sure.

@urza

Of the things you listed, half of them have stupid names. The other half are named after things that already exist; for example, Bose is a last name and Listerine is based on someone’s last name. Mandriva just sounds dumb.

“In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.”

Some people post arguments over silly things, and thankfully some instead create, collaborate, build, think, solve, and dream.

Hack-a-Day is not about grumbling on about the name of a product, its about asking “What if”…

Shut-up and make something already ;)

@ronald_55
$90 is a very fair price, because a laptop or low-end machine does not have such a tiny form factor

@octel

I did not say it was not fair, just more than I wanted to pay right now to test a unit. And an old laptop has more uses overall for me since it does not need another monitor keyboard and mouse.

I don’t find it a dumb name, and it didn’t stop Apple hiring me!

So it’s ok for Bose and Listerine to be last names but not Sheeva?

I second that!