Bug Labs BUG

Region

United States

Associated With

Bug Labs, Inc. - developer

Defining Feature

Linux BUGbase with four snap-on module positions

Status

Superseded - the original BUGbase generation was followed by BUGbase WiFi and BUG 2.0; its exact withdrawal date is unknown.

Overview

Bug Labs’ BUG was a Linux gadget base that accepted four snap-on modules for custom devices.

Developers could combine a touchscreen, GPS, camera and motion sensor, then write or download software to make the parts work together. The first $549 Hiro P bundle opened for US pre-orders in January 2008, but its base had no Wi-Fi.

A wireless BUGbase followed in 2009, before the faster BUG 2.0 superseded the original generation in 2010.

Why It Mattered

Instead of locking one purpose into a finished gadget, BUG let developers change both its hardware and software for the next project. This suited the specialised, small-audience devices Peter Semmelhack imagined, but making those combinations work still required Java or Linux skills and sometimes additional library work. The flexibility depended on the user’s technical ability.

Hardware and the Hiro P Bundle

• The first-generation BUGbase used an ARM11-class Freescale i.MX31 processor, 128 MB of RAM and four module positions.
• The $549 Hiro P bundle included touchscreen display, GPS, motion-sensing and two-megapixel camera modules; its BUGbase had no built-in Wi-Fi.
• A reviewed base also had removable storage, controls, USB connectivity, a speaker and a tripod mount. Bug Labs estimated battery life at three to four hours.

Linux Software and Development

• BUG ran an embedded Linux distribution and exposed attached modules through device and Java interfaces.
• Development support included Eclipse tools, a virtual BUG, examples and BUGnet; C, Python and Ruby were also described.
• Users could still need to build packages or write libraries, while Bug Labs characterised many community applications as proofs of concept.

Rollout, Modules and Revisions

• The May 2006 announcement proposed the platform; working prototypes appeared publicly in 2007, before US pre-orders opened on 21 January 2008.
• Initial inventory was reported depleted by 27 March 2008, but neither the number sold nor the exact first customer-dispatch date was disclosed.
• Five modules were described as available at CES 2009 and five more were announced; several announced modules were still called forthcoming that July.
• The $449 BUGbase WiFi reached the United States and Europe in September 2009. The OMAP3-based BUG 2.0 was announced in February 2010.

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