Features poll (non-practical wishlist)

[Granitehead]

Game controls top half of 'base'. Bottom half has clear 1.5mm tall keys captured in a black grid over a low resolution color touchscreen. Key presses are interpreted by the digitizer. Key mappings are displayed on the screen behind the keys. Mapping & re-mapping is done in software.

I've had this idea too, I even asked in one of those keyboard threads whether that would in theory be possible some days or so ago. I'm not sure whether your usual touch screen can handle as much multi touch as you need for this.

 

[Binky]

Small screen to display time/battery power is a very different proposition from cover the back of the lid with a big e-ink screen for reading.

The later is an interesting bigger, but likely to add more thickness and cost and complexity than the former

 

[FBnil]

How's that for crazy but kinda cool in a twisted way?

Yes, tried to imagine mousing with the bottom of the console. It could fly. But Im not sure about L2 and R2, I touch those areas continously to keep the handheld in place.

a refresh time of 3 seconds

Ouch, just read the specs, yes, this is how I remember them, it requires 2 refreshes (flip and set) before you have your new page displayed. I was assuming it was this fast:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9fbD753xE-U?feature=oembed (fast display mode, which also requires more power). It is a video of the game, not the game.

But back on the lcd topic:

Something like this:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/1580695518/STN_122_32_small_lcd_display.html

because this big is too thick: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/1242304410/Backlight_Small_Lcd_Display_with_good.html

Still, the idea with such extra display is: event notification while the machine is in low power (alarm), date time, mp3 display. But again, it adds to the complexity and to the lazyness of opening the clam to see the big display (still, non-practical wishlist).

 

[_wb_]

Something like this shouldn't be too expensive and would still be nice: http://www.pervasivedisplays.com/products/144

Yes, it is small, only 128x96 pixels and only black and white. But imagine the top of the lid showing something like this:

Clearly visible in full sunlight, and consuming no power at all except for a tiny bit to update it once per minute or so.

 

[WizardStan]

Something like this shouldn't be too expensive

$8.85 from Digikey.

 

[_wb_]

Here's a GIMP'ed montage of how I imagine it could look (on a silver Pandora; it would look even cooler on a black or dark case):

 

[_wb_]

Something like this shouldn't be too expensive

$8.85 from Digikey.

If you buy 100 of them. Maybe if you buy 1000 or 5000 of them, you can get an even better price.

 

[WizardStan]

Perhaps half if you get them directly and in large quantities, let's say $4. Is that cheap?

 

[_wb_]

Perhaps half if you get them directly and in large quantities, let's say $4. Is that cheap?

Maybe not for a non-essential gimmick. But $5 or so isn't the end of the world either.

Also, as far as I'm concerned, if we have something like that, we can get rid of some indicator leds. The one for power/charging, wifi and bluetooth would be redundant, since that information can be displayed better on the e-paper (or if the lid is opened, somewhere in the GUI). The SD activity indicator leds would still be somewhat useful (though I wouldn't really mind getting rid of those too), and they could be put next to the SD ports.

Of course indicator leds are not expensive, but maybe getting rid of (some of) them would compensate a bit for the extra cost of the e-paper display.

 

[slaeshjag]

If the current design is the alternative, it would free up space in the hinge-area.

 

[WizardStan]

Also, as far as I'm concerned, if we have something like that, we can get rid of some indicator leds.

A compelling argument. I wonder how difficult it is to interface with. Can one of the LCD lines just be wired up to it directly? or does there need to be an intermediary chip, maybe controlled by i2c or something?

 

[slaeshjag]

The panel itself has no high level controller. It needs a display driver between the SoC andthe display.

 

[levi]

Another nice thing about an eInk display is that it could invert when you opened the lid so as to remain the 'right way up'.

 

[Kevin Osuna]

I would use that - it would be nice to quickly check the time, see if you have mails, check battery percentage, see the song title of the current playing song, etc. With four shoulder buttons and a volume wheel, there's quite a lot you could do with such a small screen.

Only problem would be that it would likely make the lid thicker, add some cost, make the device more fragile, decrease battery life, and require custom software to make it usable in an interesting way. Maybe in some other place than the back of the lid?

how about a E-ink display?

 

[Natsu]

Another nice thing about an eInk display is that it could invert when you opened the lid so as to remain the 'right way up'.

No real point to keep it on. Maybe to only show the name. Other wise you''ll giving people the wrong information.

Might as well start adding solar panels on the back too.

 

[levi]

It's worth noting that on _wb_'s photoshop, the back screen is placed exactly where the lid had to be thinned to allow the adaptor board that sits atop the end of the LCD's cable and adapts it to the Pandora 'LCD cable' that runs though the hinge, so if it's done the same way again that's possibly the worst place for an external screen to fit.


Would people want it as much if it had to be off to the side somewhere?

 

[WizardStan]

Might as well start adding solar panels on the back, too.

I know you're joking, but I have to say this every time solar charging is mentioned.Solar panels are not 100% efficient, a lot of the light that strikes them is converted directly into heat. Building panels into the device and encouraging people to leave it in the sun is a disaster waiting to happen. It WILL get very warm, possibly extremely hot, with no telling what that'll actually do to the electronics or the battery. External panels is where it's at.

 

[_wb_]

Might as well start adding solar panels on the back, too.

I know you're joking, but I have to say this every time solar charging is mentioned.
Solar panels are not 100% efficient, a lot of the light that strikes them is converted directly into heat. Building panels into the device and encouraging people to leave it in the sun is a disaster waiting to happen. It WILL get very warm, possibly extremely hot, with no telling what that'll actually do to the electronics or the battery. External panels is where it's at.

Maybe ED could sell external panels in his shop though, ones that are the right size for us. I don't feel the need to find something like that on the internets, but if it were available in ED's shop I would probably buy it. It would be practical on hiking trips.

 

[xiongxioi]

I suppose we could use an e-ink display for things like that and for displaying names of the music you would be playing. It would also help us avoid that global led shortage that has affected the lives of many.

We may even use it to effectively emulate game and watch game and those tiger handhelds. That delay would be perfect for reminding you just how bored we were back then.

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

That E-ink thing would be pretty cool. It would be nicer if it came in colours though. Red or orange or green.