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New Runcible Smartwatch to Have Hackable Hardware and Software
One new and very encouraging development is that the Runcible is "fully open source" and "hackable by you both at the hardware and the software levels," according to Monohm. Customers get root access, as well as access to GPIO and other hardware interfaces. The device is said to be designed so users can easily take it apart and modify it.
The Runcible is no longer based on the largely defunct Firefox OS Linux. Instead its quad-core, Cortex-A53 Snapdragon 410 runs a homegrown Buni OS based on AOSP's fully open source Android 5.1 build. It provides the Crosswalk web runtime, used for developing Android and Cordova apps, which is said to deliver "world class frame rates." Web APIs, which are built on top of a Chromium base layer, have been extended "to give you unprecedented access to the underlying device," says Monohm.
As before, the device is said to offer a subdued, totally chill interface that "will never beep, alert, or otherwise interrupt you." It's hard to get a feel for the GUI, however, as there are still no screenshots displayed except for a stylish, old-timey watchface and compass.
The Runcible has 1GB of RAM and 8GB eMMC 5.0 flash, but no microSD slot. You get WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, and GPS, plus the possible inclusion of a 4G LTE option. The round, 2.5-inch, display is limited to 640 x 640 resolution. The Runcible is further equipped with a 7-megapixel camera, a USB 2.0 port, audio I/O, and some GPIO headers.
