Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 14 Orange's OS 1.0
In Orange Technology's small workshop of less than 20 square meters, under the dim light, Chen Mo confidently explained to Zhao Tiezhu the approximate configuration of his "Orange 4," a copy of the Apple 4 developed by Lao Wang in later years.

Because he spoke with such confidence and excitement, as if the success of the yet-to-be-released Orange 1 phone was just around the corner, Chen Mo even had fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

Chen Mo didn't even notice that beads of sweat were sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto his open notebook, blurring the sketch he had just drawn based on the mature internal hardware architecture layout of the "Orange 4" phone from his previous life.

When Zhao Tiezhu, that carefree young man, got down to business, he was unusually serious, meticulously recording Chen Mo's new configuration plan for the Orange 1 phone.

For some reason, Chen Mo felt that his memories had been enhanced after his rebirth, and many details of his past life were vividly displayed in his mind.

Since he had actually disassembled Lao Wang's "Orange 4" before, he was quite familiar with the hardware architecture layout inside.

Those complex circuit connections and component arrangements are like a map etched in my mind, with every detail clearly discernible, and can be easily replicated on this sketch.

As soon as Chen Mo closed his eyes, it was as if the scene of disassembling the machine in the past was playing out again before his eyes, and every solder joint and every line could be accurately reproduced.

Looking at the gradually taking shape internal architecture layout sketch of the new configuration of the [Orange 1st Generation 2/3G Mobile Smart Communication Device (Burning Orange)], it did not affect Chen Mo's performance at all.

"Orange 1st Generation! It can use a reskinned version of Android 2.1.3."

As for the system, Chen Mo really had no way to deal with it. A self-developed system is not something that a small workshop like Orange Technology can produce.

Leaving aside ecosystem applications, Orange Technology can't even afford to hire the programmers needed for the basic programming of the R&D system.

"However, besides changing the boot animation, we also need to replace the built-in Google input method!"

Google withdrew from the Chinese market this year due to its dissatisfaction with how search is handled in China. Android's native input method is a disaster when it comes to Chinese character input.

The dictionary is outdated, and the association between commonly used and popular words is poor. Typing in the pinyin will even produce completely wrong options.

Chen Mo reasonably suspected that this was a figment of people's imagination about Chinese input methods, developed by people with Western cultural backgrounds.

Furthermore, Android's native input method has a slow input response and noticeable lag after pressing a key, which seriously affects the user experience.

Chen Mo ultimately chose the default input method pre-installed on the Orange 1 phone, which is TouchPal Input, a little-known "micro-enterprise" in China.

That's right! At this time, none of the input methods that everyone is familiar with, such as Baidu, Sogou, and Xunfei, are available.

They only began to notice the potential of the mobile smartphone market in October of this year, when the wave of counterfeit Android smartphones in North China, spearheaded by the Apple 4, started to emerge and gradually release input method applications.

Touchbao is actually the winner of the 2009 GSMA Global Mobile Innovation Award, and is an unknown figure in the field of Internet technology in China.

In 2014, it was named one of the world's 50 most innovative companies by the North American magazine Fast Ciompany, and also ranked among the top 10 most innovative companies in China.

In 2016, TouchPal's phone users exceeded 5 million, with 5600 million daily active users. TouchPal's input method had over 6 million users worldwide, with 9000 million daily active users.

This is one of the few domestic technology and internet companies that was already profitable before going public.

In early 2010, TouchPal further optimized and developed a version of TouchPal Input Method adapted for Android based on the 2009 GSMA Global Mobile Innovation Award.

It's worth mentioning that they pioneered a whole-sentence input engine, reducing the need for word-by-word selection. Additionally, the mixed Chinese and English full keyboard input, eliminating the need to switch keyboards, further improves efficiency and addresses the input pain point criticized by users who had their physical buttons removed. This even garnered support from some users who prefer full keyboard input. However, Chen Mo lamented that TouchPal seemed too focused on technology and not so much on marketing, and the Orange 1 phone couldn't collect any pre-installation promotion fees from them.

As for the copyright of the input method application, well... it's downloaded by the user themselves, and it has nothing to do with Orange Technology!
Technology is innocent, and long live the spirit of sharing on the internet!

"The boot animation needs to be changed, the input method needs to be pre-installed, and the multitasking mode needs to be cut!"

Chen Mo knew how terrible the processor of the Lianfaco MT6573 single-core chip (650MHz, 40nm process) was. If a user opened two large self-installed applications, it simply couldn't handle the data, and the phone screen would freeze like a PowerPoint presentation.

Therefore, the Orange 1 phone must restrict the native multitasking mode of Android 2.1.3.

Apart from essential system applications and input methods that can be temporarily kept in the background, all other applications should be closed directly when the user switches screens.

You play Angry Birds and answer a phone call.

The Orange 1 phone thoughtfully shuts down your angry sparrow in the background when you're on a call, allowing you to focus on the call.

"Oh, right! If there's enough time, we can also add a useful little feature."

For example, you can turn the phone's rear flash on and off with a single click to use it as temporary lighting!

Another example is the built-in one-click cache file clearing feature, which reduces lag.

While Chen Mo was adding details about the first-generation "Orange OS 1.0 system" of Ziyan to his notebook, he continued to talk at length about his new ideas for the Orange OS system to Zhao Tiezhu.

Even if the first batch of 1000 Orange OS 1.0 devices can't use it, the second and third batches of Orange OS 1.1 and 1.2 can still use it.

Zhao Tiezhu sat in the slightly shaky chair, his brows furrowed, holding a notebook, his hand struggling to write with a ballpoint pen that was not writing smoothly.

He jotted down some of the modified and new configurations of the Orange 1 phone that Chen Mo had mentioned.

With each stroke of his pen, Zhao Tiezhu felt a growing sense of hesitation.

This isn't some modified and upgraded version of the Orange 1 phone; it's a completely new phone design.

The only thing they have in common is that they are both registered as Orange Generation 1 Mobile Smart Terminal Device.

This doesn't mean that you can completely modify a feature phone into a smartphone just because some parts are the same. The internal architecture layout and component compatibility are all complicated matters.

After all, Zhao Tiezhu didn't know that Chen Mo was a reincarnated person, or that Old Wang's mature plan in October was based on the "Orange 4" reference. He just thought that Chen Mo was acting recklessly and hastily changed the plan to directly build a smartphone.

But when his gaze met Chen Mo's resolute eyes, Zhao Tiezhu swallowed back the words of advice that were on the tip of his tongue.

Chen Mo was the boss after all, and once he made a decision, Zhao Tiezhu couldn't persuade him otherwise.

(End of this chapter)