Alternative Design For The Ppz, To solve all issues. Options

[Ferret-Simpson]

I think the biggest issue so far, has been that of the keyboard. Feel free to disagree.

Everyone and their grandmother has had their own idea of what they want from this. I've been after a keyboard similar to a Universal or Clamshell Zaurus, some have wanted chorded keyboards, some folding belkin-style keyboards, some just want a slate.

How about just MAKING a slate, without a keyboard. I propose that a separate keyboard is produced, however the heck anyone wants it, that connects to a port on the bottom of the device. You can have it on a cable, folding, with a Zaurus-style hinge on it so that it folds over the slate part. Whatever. You could either use a USB/M-USB connector, or attach it to the internal keyboard pins, (As long as they're capable of hotplugging.) What you'd end up with is a thicker display unit, and a thinner keyboard that you could flip out. You could carry a blooming Sun Type 6 130 odd key USB model instead, if you felt like it.

In fact, put the ATA connector on the same port and put the hard disk in the keyboard. That'll bulk up the keyboard a it, slim down the base unit, and let you decide again whether you want a 2.5GB notebook drive (With an external PSU or LARGE extra battery) a 1.8" CF-type Microdrive, a 60GB iPod drive, or a 256MB Flash card. Whatever floats your boat.

[Da_Blitz]

i am assuming a 5" in 16:9 would be about the same sie as the screen cointainer for the c3000 basically i want the thiniest posible boarder around the screen i can get (basically the screen case will nearly be pushed up against the screen, the only reason it wont is to reduce mechanical strain on the screen as a light tap to the side could facture the glass)

oh and none of that "soft button" stuff on the screen like the c3000 has, do it in software where it belongs

well i need some ideas on software, are thier others who can fiddle with hardware that want to help as they may not have a copy of the program i want to use. not to mention i need a comercial copy of the software i want to use and you know what CAD software is like

if you know about free alternatives that have an auto routor and can do up to 6-8 layers with no problems then i would use it with no hesitation. my plan at the moment consists of see if one of the campanies wants to sponser my project by giving me the product for free under a "no profit" licsence (more on that latter) in return for advertising revenue (i belive that getting this on digg and slashdot would qualify as well as a big stikcker saying "made with x" on the forunt page) or look at other alternatives

in a couple of weeks i should have some more info on a sponser.