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+date: 2012-01-07T21:46:15+00:00
+title: Nexus S status update, with new images
+authors: Paul Kocialkowski
+tags: Paul Kocialkowski
+licenses: CC-BY-3.0 OR CC-BY-4.0
+---
+The work on the Nexus S was started in July 2011. At the time, we just
+discovered that the modem uses a Samsung-specific protocol.
+
+On the [Android architecture][1], communication with the modem is done via the
+RIL (Radio Interface Layer). While the modem runs its own non-free software on
+a separate CPU, the RIL runs on the main CPU in Android userspace.
+
+The only free RILs we know of are for the well-documented and widely-used [AT
+command set][2]. Back in July 2011, we were desperate to see that there was no
+free implementation for the Nexus S modem protocol. Fortunately, we weren't
+alone on this one. After asking around on IRC, we met a talented developer who
+owns a Samsung H1 device, which originally runs LiMo, a mobile operating
+system with parts of free software, at least with the [Linux kernel][3]. The
+developer (who's known on IRC as ius) was part of the effort to [port Android
+to the Samsung H1][4], but he didn't stop there. He also investigated the
+modem protocol used in the device. And the most incredible is that he did find
+out most of the protocol messages and data structures. We together
+investigated on Nexus S as well, and, thanks to this incredible luck we had,
+the protocol is the same for nexus s. We managed to boot the modem and
+obtained the first messages quickly. Then, we decided to push Nexus S support
+to ius' lib, renaming it [libsamsung-ipc][5] for the occasion.
+
+But the adventure didn't stop there. Another talented developer known as
+morphis, who works on the [SHR][6] project, free [GNU][7]/[Linux][3] system
+for smartphones and who accomplished a huge amount of work to add support for
+the Palm Pre devices modem protocol in [FSO][8] (the middleware used in
+[SHR][6] that is in charge of communication with hardware interfaces,
+including the modem) decided to get a Nexus S and joined the effort to achieve
+a working implementation of the Samsung IPC modem protocol.
+
+Several months of work later, here we are, the [free RIL][9] we wrote for
+Android/Replicant has grown enough to deserve the release of a new set of
+images.
+
+On this release, here is a quick summary of which major components are working
+and which are not:
+
+* Telephony is stable enough, there is working in-call volume change and
+  audio routing, though we miss some features like conferencing
+
+* SMS are working nicely, including multi-part messages, both on sending and
+  receiving
+
+* Data has a minimal implementation that is far from being ready (but can be
+  set up manually), so this will be for next time
+
+* Some other minimal features are there (SIM I/O, DTMF, SIM unlock, etc)
+
+* Some are missing (USSD, working airplane mode for instance)
+
+There has been no major improvement for other components nor devices, even
+though we release images for Nexus One as well.
+
+The images are located, at usual, at our [OSUOSL-hosted ftp][10].
+
+[Download Replicant-2.3 0002 preview images for Nexus S and Nexus One][11]
+
+ [1]: <http://developer.android.com/images/system-architecture.jpg>
+
+ [2]: <https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Hayes_command_set>
+
+ [3]: <http://www.kernel.org/>
+
+ [4]: <http://h1.pargon.nl/wiki/index.php/Main_Page>
+
+ [5]: <http://github.com/morphis/libsamsung-ipc>
+
+ [6]: <http://shr-project.org/>
+
+ [7]: <http://www.gnu.org/>
+
+ [8]: <http://www.freesmartphone.org/>
+
+ [9]: <https://gitorious.org/replicant/samsung-ril>
+
+ [10]: <http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/replicant/>
+
+ [11]:
+<http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/replicant/images/replicant-2.3/preview/0002/>
+
+