Hardware

[Tomoe]

1) Some kind of body proximity and/or contact sensor, to determine if the machine's being held (close).

2) keyboard lightning as discussed, also light detector, which has many uses - activating keyboard lightning, setting the backlight level and so on. I guess it would be possible to use the near-screen mounted camera for this so it is more of a software issue then.

[morrijr]

Is IR still onboard?  I'd love an all-in-one remote capability   I know there are two standards (one for data and one for remote control) could we support both?  If not - I've never used the data one in my life  

[Ferret-Simpson]

I think the IR was still on, I just continually forget to put it in my hardware list. . . DB, if you could update it please?

As far as I know, with a standard IR port it's more a case of range, and software. After all, the Clie and other palms (Even my wristwatch) can do it, but only the clie has a powerful enough IR port to go the distance (About 3 or 4 metres, although the signal strength doesn't have to be huge at the other end)

So yeah, I doubt IR is likely to be used too often. .  Being a VERY legacy device now that bluetooth is out. So it shouldn't be a worry to put in a more powerful port, in terms of battery life. use a similar "Beam recieve" program as found on the Zauri, and only activate automatically when sending data. That would work for IR control happily, as it doesn't need to be constantly on. (If you've ever held a TV remote in front of a cheap camcorder and pressed the button, you'll see the IR led only activates when the button is depressed)

With a good application, we could do well with that. .  One advantage I saw before was the ability to learn codes. . . You add a new button to your onscreen remote, and the PDA begins to recieve data, then all you have to do is press the corresponding button on the remote control, and the PDA will record the code it recieves. A function like that, making the setup for the IRTVC wholly-GUI, and we have yet another thing, that linux does better than WM. (Windows Mobile PDA's need you to select a manufacturer and model, if I remember my Microsoft correctly - Same with the Sony Clie application.)

[Da_Blitz]

for the irda i belive you are talking about CIR, which is part of IRDA but only tells you to use a really powerfull transmitter, nothing more nothing less otherwise its FIR or fast infra red which goes up to 4mbps, there is also an industrial version that geos up to 16mbps but i havent seen it in a real product

i belive CIR and FIR are part of the design  i havent seen a bluetooth remote for my TV (but i have for mythtv)

for anything infra red realated (windows or linux) look up "lirc" it can simulate and recive any IR signal you can imagine

[Da_Blitz]

updated first post

[Ferret-Simpson]

A body-proximity sensor. . . That's a good question. . There'll be sevaral different ways to hold a PPZ, depanding on what you're doing with it, the orientation of it. . etc.

We'd either have to find a universal contact point where the sensor is always under pressure from the skin, or use a thermal method. .  but thermal methods could be affected by other factors: room heating, internal heat production by electrical resistance. . .

[Da_Blitz]

i think the complexity kind of kills it, i belive that the best way is smart software that detects button pushes and starts a counter, when that counter hits zero it assumes you have walked away, it also activly monitors processors for some specific prcosses (say mplayer) that you will use but not interact with.

we can adapted the cpufreqd code in a way

i will added it to the list as "not feasiable but alternetives exsist"

[speculatrix]

OK, it's not 3G, but it's an interesting product - an entire cellphone in the area of (I guess) a CF card:

http://www.silabs.com/tgwWebApp/public/web...e/en/Si4905.htm

[wsuetholz]

Here is a (another?) source for the screens used in the 6000

Solar Technologies

Bill

[Ferret-Simpson]

On the screen: I don't think that's the same as the 6000, as it's not CGS. However, it IS exactly the specification we want (4" VGA Tansflex) So I say it's hopeful.

Before anyone reccomends that we drop the MCX300-30 for the GPRS chip, it still needs a stack to operate. So no go there. We might as well keep the separate chipset (RFX300-20) and continue as planned with the MXC based design.

[Da_Blitz]

yep thats another "compleate cell phone on a chip" with the DSP and the user stuff done on the same cpu, in fact you all you need to do is wire up a keypad, perhaps an sd card, anntenna and a battery and you have yourself a cell phone

pearsonnly i would love to see a phone that small without a screen that does audio over bluetooth only

that screen link is handy, it looks like they deal in surpluss as wel (i hope thats not thier primary source, think of the 6000's)

[Da_Blitz]

quick look aver that screen and that is definiattly a sharp product code (you can pick sharp from a mile away) and they have a touch screen option, the only thing i dont like is haw they want you to check for avalibility and dont have it on thier site leading me to think that it is surplus

[morrijr]

Has embedded GPS been discarded?  (It might be useful to add things that have been discussed and discarded to the hardware list?)  I know you can get GPS units which comunicate over bluetooth but, as always, having it onboard means one less thing to carry...

[speculatrix]

yep thats another "compleate cell phone on a chip" with the DSP and the user stuff done on the same cpu, in fact you all you need to do is wire up a keypad, perhaps an sd card, anntenna and a battery and you have yourself a cell phone

pearsonnly i would love to see a phone that small without a screen that does audio over bluetooth only

that screen link is handy, it looks like they deal in surpluss as wel (i hope thats not thier primary source, think of the 6000's)
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deep in my memory I remember there was an NEC phone that had no keyboard, microphone or speaker and was pretty small. hmmm, looks like it took a long time to come to market... here's the blurb:
[a href=\"http://www.mobile-weblog.com/50226711/credit_card_sized_handset_pops_up.php]http://www.mobile-weblog.com/50226711/cred...set_pops_up.php[/url]

[speculatrix]

quick look aver that screen and that is definiattly a sharp product code (you can pick sharp from a mile away) and they have a touch screen option, the only thing i dont like is haw they want you to check for avalibility and dont have it on thier site leading me to think that it is surplus
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I sent them an email as I want a replacement screen for my broken 6000, asking for prices for small numbers of them; no response so far at all.