Jolla / SailfishOS wishlist

First of all, if you somehow came across this blog entry, please notice that I am not related to Jolla in any kind and do not have further insights in their development.

So take this wishlist as what it is: these are feature I'd like to see in a Jolla/SailfishOS phone. Don't make up any rumors from what you read here! I simply assume that they provide common features from other brands, so I won't repeat them here.

Battery

  • for me a long lasting battery would make a really smart phone. You started with a full battery in the morning and need a power supply at 5pm? Not smart! I'm not quite sure that they can achieve the extraordinary here but hey, let me dream my dreams. One week would be great and everything more would be (and I rarely use this word) awesome.

Openness

  • Every owner of a phone (or any hardware) should be able to with it what he wants. If I want to write software for that thing, it must be possible without any fees, payments or artificial hoops to jump through.
  • No limits for developers, which means: a developer should be able to use each and every resource of that phone. That collides with security but I think that can be managed to a certain degree.
  • Secure way to opt in for all kinds of access levels to the device (see security).
  • Open Source compatible shop / license model(s).
  • Filesystem access. If you want to be productive, you can't live in an app-centric ecosystem. You often have data, that is used from different apps. There needs to be some common file space where all apps can share data. Blackberry did that and even Microsoft. Again, developers should actively opt in for it.
  • External storage. If I want to connect a USB flashdrive, harddrive or whatever, it simply should be possible, it is my device. But it should be consistent in use: many Android phones mount external devices in different paths: a usability nightmare.
  • Micro SD card slot (maybe in #theotherhalf), Class10 capable of course or even better: UHS-II.
  • Network printers from any manufacturers should be accessible.
  • PDF export from any document.
  • shell (bash or whatever) access (see security) and therefore ssh, scp and all that stuff.
  • possible shop alternatives without rooting the device.
  • Bluetooth in every possible aspect.
  • Regular security updates, should be no problem in a Linux RPM packaged environment
  • Predictable product lifecycle. Oh boy, I hate it when a product gets artificially crippled (can you say Apple?), just to sell the next generation. If people are happy with a product they will come again, no force needed.

Connectivity

  • OpenVPN.
  • syncml support. Wouldn't it be great to sync your address book and calendar with non-cloudy classic applications?
  • Cross platform cross browser bookmark sync.
  • Cross platform address book sync.
  • Cross platform calendar sync.
  • iCal
  • CalDav

Security

  • PGP mail
  • Mr. and Mrs. Average need a secure phone. If you want many customers, you simply can't lean back and babble something from Linux and command line freedom. If a geek can do with that thingy what he wants, that is OK, because he certainly knows what the consequences are. But a regular user does not care, does not want to care and to be honest: why must or should he? So we need a sandbox. Yes, your eyes are alright. Most apps would do pretty fine inside a sandbox so why give up the security that comes along with it? But I claimed that I want an open phone, so every developer should be able to configure his app for a wider or deeper access. And if he does so, that should be clearly visible in the Shop. This way you have at least a chance to think about the entitlements, an application asks for. A calendar app that needs to install Kernel modules is kind of suspicious.
  • Secure Shop. Customers need at least one trustworthy shop where they can buy their apps. This is a big challenge because it binds resources. And it ain't 100% secure. Just look at Apples Appstore. How many apps had tethering inside so far?
  • Easy backup of all the data on the device
  • No enforcing of the cloud

Usability

  • sophisticated on screen keyboard. Provide some virtual cursor keys, so that a user can easily place the cursor. Fumbling with a magnifier is a no-go.
  • A nice way to organize browser bookmarks - maybe that's a good idea for an extra app.
  • A shop system where you can actually find something. Should be easy? Reality shows that it's not (so far).
  • A shop system where you can try before you buy.

Apps

  • Dropbox integration.
  • KeePass client.
  • BTSync

Those two are the most important ones for me. Dropbox is cloud enough (well, after knowing about the NSA I am not so sure about that one), KeePass is simply crucial!

  • IRC chat

t.b.c.

P.S.: If I write he, she is also included ;-)