Chapter 42 – Blueprints of the Future
Jake Harper was used to being ahead of the curve. That's what happened when you had an IQ of 250 and ran a social platform bigger than anything the world had ever seen. But today, as he stared at the clunky flip phone in his hand, Jake felt something he hadn't felt in a long time:
Frustration.
The phone couldn't send images. It could barely load a basic webpage. Its interface was ugly, outdated, and slow. FaceWorld had 26 million users and climbing—how could people connect with each other if the device in their pocket was this stupid?
He needed something better.
And if it didn't exist, he'd build it himself.
---
The Seed of the Idea
Sitting in the back of his Caltech data structures class, Jake opened his notebook and began sketching—not graphs or algorithms, but a rough outline of something revolutionary.
A rectangle.
Touchscreen interface. Home button. Icons. Phone, messaging, camera, browser, apps. An all-in-one device.
A "pocket computer."
He flipped to a new page and wrote the words:
> FacePhone OS v0.1 – Combine best of iOS and Android
He didn't need every feature. Not yet.
Basic call and text support
Wi-Fi and cellular capabilities
Browser
Simple apps (calendar, notes, music)
FaceWorld pre-installed
And one day… YouTube
---
The next day, Jake found himself in Sheldon Cooper's office.
"I need an introduction," Jake said, closing the door behind him.
"To what?"
"To someone who understands hardware, miniaturization, and isn't allergic to the future."
Sheldon blinked. "What are you building?"
"A smartphone."
"Define 'smart.'"
Jake raised an eyebrow. "A phone that doesn't make me feel like I'm calling 1993."
Sheldon considered that. "I know someone. Howard Wolowitz. He's an engineer from MIT. Not as intellectually intimidating as myself, but decent with a soldering iron."
"I'll take it."
---
Enter: Howard Wolowitz
Jake met Howard two days later in a quiet Caltech lab.
Howard was short, had a Beatles haircut, and wore a belt buckle that looked like a spaceship.
"So, you're the wonderkid," Howard said. "Heard about FaceWorld. Didn't know you were branching into hardware."
"I'm tired of waiting for someone else to make the tools I need," Jake said simply. "So I'm building them."
He unrolled a series of sketches and mockups on the lab table. Howard's eyes lit up.
"You want to cram this much tech into a device smaller than a PDA?"
"I want it to be everything a person needs," Jake said. "Phone, computer, music, messaging. And I need your help."
Howard whistled. "You're twelve, man."
Jake smirked. "Twelve with a billion-dollar company."
"Fair point."
---
Sourcing the Future
They got to work immediately.
Jake used his Caltech student access to tap into hardware research channels. He called companies directly:
Samsung for early OLED screen prototypes
Texas Instruments for ARM-based processors
Sharp and Sony for compact camera modules
LG for lithium-ion batteries
Infineon for early GSM chipsets
Broadcom for wireless communication tech
They weren't selling in bulk. Yet.
But Jake didn't need bulk—he needed samples, prototypes, access.
He drafted technical specs and sent them with polite emails. Some companies ignored him. Some laughed.
But a few took him seriously.
Because FaceWorld wasn't just a website anymore—it was influence.
---
Negotiations Begin
Jake set up meetings—some virtual, some over the phone.
To Sharp: "I understand your module isn't set to release until next year. What if I license the pre-production version?"
To Samsung: "I can pay full price for 25 demo panels—plus early access to future revisions."
To Texas Instruments: "If this device goes live, I'll need to buy ten thousand units in Q2 2006. Can we talk roadmap?"
He even wrote his own custom chipset design proposal to impress a skeptical exec at ARM.
Judith nearly had a heart attack when she saw the FedEx box full of circuit boards show up at their house.
"Are these… legal?" she asked.
"Barely," Jake replied.
---
Designing the OS – "FaceOS"
While Howard helped him wireframe the device internals, Jake locked himself in his office at Judith's house, hunched over notebooks and staring at a whiteboard filled with flowcharts.
That room—once a guest bedroom—was now covered in printouts, part orders, breadboards, and prototype sketches. Judith had helped him move in a second desk and install a high-end monitor. It wasn't much, but it was his space. And it was where the future was being built.
Jake called the system:
> FaceOS
A simple icon-based UI
Custom launcher for apps
Built-in camera, call, and text functionality
Touchscreen gestures
Lightweight browser
Messaging tied directly into FaceWorld
He studied early Linux kernels, wrote custom scripts in C++, and pulled bits of open-source Java code to build the early framework.
The system wouldn't multitask much. It didn't need to. It just needed to work—and it had to work flawlessly.
---
Haley Gets a Peek
One afternoon, while Jake was debugging his lock screen code, the front doorbell rang.
Haley stood there, holding a soda and a DVD.
"I brought Mean Girls," she said. "I'm guessing you've never seen it?"
Jake blinked. "I'm building a phone."
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm building an excuse to hang out."
He let her in.
In the living room, she noticed his sketches, prototypes, and parts.
"Is that… like… a phone?"
"A smart one."
She picked up the early frame. "It's so thin."
"It'll be able to text, surf the web, play music, and run apps."
Haley gave him a long look. "You're going to take over the world, aren't you?"
Jake grinned. "That's the idea."
---
Judith's Concern
That evening, Judith pulled Jake aside.
"You're not sleeping. You're not eating. You're thirteen—"
"Twelve."
"—and you're trying to do too much."
Jake looked up from his schematics. "Do you want me to stop?"
She paused. "No. I want you to pace yourself."
He nodded. "I'll try."
She walked away.
He went back to his schematics.
---
Investor Call
Nolan Pierce called later that night.
"I just got word that you're sourcing mobile components and registering new IP. Are you… building a phone?"
"Yes."
There was a long pause.
"I want in."
Jake smiled. "Good. I'll need you to prepare a round of financing."
"For what?"
Jake's voice was calm. Focused.
> "Two billion dollars."
Jake Harper was building more than just a phone.
He was building the future.
And by the end of 2006, the world would be holding it in their hands.