Smartphones For Text SSH Use — Revisited

jfischet writes "Back in 2005 a Slashdot user asked this question and the responses were helpful — but I'd like to ask again to see what has changed in three years. I'd like to know what this community thinks is the best choice of smartphone for remotely administering Linux/UNIX boxes via SSH."

This interests me.

[JoshJ]

I'd like a relatively cheap smartphone or mini-laptop (think EEE PC)- under $200 would be great- that can connect to secure wifi or a cell network (with a reasonable plan) that I can use for SSH purposes / internet when not on my computer. Any suggestions on the hardware side? (I'm not the OP.)

Re:First Hater Alert

[DurendalMac]

I've used the iPhone keyboard and have had very little difficulty. It's surprisingly tolerant of big ol' fingers mashing on the keyboard. Tactile feedback? Not really necessary. It makes a clicking noise and you see the letter on the screen.

sidekick 3

[markybob]

i use the sidekick 3, which has a ssh application. it's been great and i'd recommend it to everyone who needs remote access to a box

Re:First fanboy alert.

[vic-traill]

When I read the headline, I thought "I wonder how long it's going to take for some fanboy to recommend the iPhone, despite the fact that it doesn't have a keyboard & is inferior for text entry compared to say a blackberry

Different Blackberry models have different keyboards. To call the iPhone keyboard inferior for text entry as compared to a Blackberry is to ignore the different performance characteristics of different Blackberry keyboards.

I'm on my third B/B (7250, 7280, 8830) and of the three the current keyboard - on the 8830 - is the best for me. But I know people at work for whom this isn't the case, the particular bevelling of the 8830's keyboard hindering them rather then helping.

I have limited typing exposure to the iPhone, but a tonne of Blackberry keyboard time under my belt, some good, some significantly worse.

Note that the B/B Pearl is an entirely different beast, and if you're comparing residential (i.e. non-commercial/business) market phones, you'd could arguably end using the Pearl as RIM's entry.

I've yet to see a truly comprehensive test of keyboard usability across smartphones. Here's an individual who seems to do pretty well on both a B/B (a 7250?) and an iPhone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsUPYmUzYXA&feature=related [youtube.com].

DS Lite, bitches

[BillX]

DS Lite, bitches [gbadev.org]. When you tire of SSH (and DSLinux + Boa as wearable web server), just VNC into your box through the coffeeshop's wireless. (I think it can play games too.)

Re:The iPhone, of course.

[Firehed]

No, not really. I have one of the terminal apps installed on my iPhone and have used it for quickly SSHing in to my home machine. While it works, it becomes incredibly tedious on the virtual keyboard (much more so than normal typing, since autocorrect isn't present and wouldn't pick up on weird bash command names anyways). Yes, I even tried using vi remotely. Again, possible, but not the slightest bit recommended.

I love the benefits of the virtual keyboard for most uses. SSH is most definitely not one of them. The VNC app is much more useful given that touchscreens are much better suited to visual interfaces (and it's surprisingly useful even over EDGE with decent signal strength, enough so that I was able to start a SuperDuper! backup of my system while at a red light on my way to the Leopard launch - no need for the fanboy comments, please - I'm clearly not one of the senseless evangelist types).

Re:Okay I'll bite

[Awptimus Prime]

I used vi all the time via my Sidekick. All the keys are there, you just have to chord it. It's the quickest keyboard of all the "smart" phones I've tried.

It's also the most closed, so if your ssh host requires funky settings, you aren't going to connect. Rather unfortunate, since it's a rather nice interface, but more focus is on the proprietary ring-tones and other kiddie functionality.

Re:Nokia E70

[Anonymous Coward]

Pity nokia seem to consider it a dead-end product, and go out of their way to ignore it.

Yeah, upgrade to E71 :)Looks like this: http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/05/24/nokia-e71-hands-on/

Re:Do you really need their support?

[utopianfiat]

The FCC's doing a lot of things wrong- in fact they're doing the same thing wrong that every other governmental organization is doing.
"Deregulation" increases competition in undeveloped markets. When there are already big players, all deregulation does is increase the competitive power of those players to squash and purchase smaller startups. What the government needs to do is to subsidize the startup capital and regulate the big players. THAT will increase competition because it will lower the barriers to market entry.
The biggest problem with the FCC is that as a regulating body, they are not. Instead what's being done is state and local governments move in to tax the startup capital for telcos (which should be bought and paid for by tax dollars which are going to Iraq), and the FCC pussyfoots around with their "deregulation" to make sure that men with money don't have to pay shit to anyone.

This is how your small ISP in buttfuck, new jersey can get raided by FBI and have your server taken straight off the rack, but AT&T is rewarded for illegal wiretapping.