Reader [Jani] always wanted to throw a PC into an old school cell phone. He based this around the extremely small Commell LS-371 motherboard which measures just 146×101 mm (~5.9×4 in). He found room behind an existing access door for a DVI connector and audio in/out. He even incorporated an OLED screen, secondary sound card for “speakerphone”, and a WiFi connector into the handset. Things start to get interesting when he decided the SSD was too large and needed to be removed from its case. The one thing that seems to be missing here is an IR receiver for a remote but since he plans on running XBMC, he may already be setup to use another option such as an iPhone to act as a remote interface.
13 thoughts on “HTPC Inside A Cellular Phone”
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So he ruined a valuable, rare device?
… what an idiot.
valuable to who is the question.
Interesting… As far as cases go this is one of the ugliest i’ve seen. I would have let it slide if the headset was hacked to support skype. I think an old toaster would have been a sexier case than this.
this photo terrified me:
http://metku.net/mods/mobira-dataman/muistikortti.jpg
nice job with the handset.. it didnt look like all the parts would fit at first
@dave “It can also be used for Skype calls, Ventrilo chatting etc.” ?
“The chips on the SSD do not get hot enough to ignite the paper.” … ok sweet no problem then :]
nice writeup, i like when people detail logistic hurdles
now THIS is a hack! well played!
PC case now considered a hack ? he just ruined antiquary equipment :(
I’ve a old school Office Phone, in bakalite, and a Psion II organiser, I’ve toyed with the idea of converting them to modern equiveilents or putting newer IT equipment in them but have not done so for this very reason.
Sometimes it’s just better to leave them be!
Nice talking point though!
Antique? Fine old equipment? Rare device? Give me the same mushrooms! The landfills and recycling centers are full of old electronics, what on earth do you reckon makes this particular unit so damn fine? :D
Look it this way: atleast it now stays in use, at show and isn’t going to get tossed away.
Sheesh.
It’s original, it repurposes old hardware, and if something so old wasn’t an object of visual interest it would be downright stealthy.
Ugly is subjective, and it’s okay as long as the device works really well.
^ one man’s trash is another’s treasure.
still, i might have put it up on ebay out of curiosity, seeing how another one is selling for $15,000. don’t worry, shipping is free ;-)
http://cgi.ebay.com/vintage-NOKIA-MOBIRA-Talkman-NMT450-rare-cell-phone_W0QQitemZ250487100685QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCell_Phones?hash=item3a5231d50d&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
@therian
Everything is considered a hack, done a poop in a toilet? add an arduino and twitter and you’ve hacked! thats right you too can be a hacker!
very interesting project, only thing is, why not put the wifi in the base, and connect it to the antenna connector? This would allow a decent antenna to be attached where the unit is already designed to have an antenna. (due to physical limitations, usb wifi adapters without an antenna connector have junk antennas because there isn’t sufficient space for a decent one)
@Agent420
sure, but will it get sold for that amount?
btw, where is the arduino in this?