Looking For Partners To Finish My Tablet

[00christian00]

Ok so you are saying that because someone *might* produce a 3D tablet sometime someday (none have been announced) that it is just better to come out with a tablet similar to what HAS already been announced by SEVERAL companies? That makes even less sense. I would rather try to compete with a "maybe someday" instead of a many for sure soon.

Anyway if you are clever you can make your own 3D screen by inserting a parallax barier or lenticular sheet over the LCD internally. Yes it would take a bit of R&D to match the dot pitches but that is the point right? offer something that you can't already get? BTW they have an add-on but it wouldn't be as good as an internal one (can be closer to the LCD panel internally giving better results, plus be protected from wear): http://grilli3d.com/GRilli.html.

You answered yourself,R&D!
Do you think you can accomplish something like that in short time?Shorter time than it will be mainstream?yeah...
3D doesn't mean only hardware,without software it will be totally useless,and there is a lot of software to write for 3D,unless you want to make it a gimmick for just some 3d pictures.

And another thing,do you think that when I started this project these tablets were already announced?! NO.I planned this long time ago.
And just the negotiations with the soc makers takes 1-2 months.
And believe it or not,it is already in a very advanced stage,near to completion.I could also announce it if I wanted in 1 month max.
The only reason I don't want to continue like this is because so far I had to step in even in matters that didn't compete me(hardware wise) because they were doing stupid mistakes even I could understand,so how can I trust them?
Plus the tablet should have been just a starter for more complex project,but I don't see a future like this.That's why I'm looking for help,not much in term of cash but skills.
I already received offers to invest in this project to finish,but then I would be just like at the beginning,find new people to hire,they will lie about their skills and then I have to "hope" they have enough ability to finish it in a short time,because they will still get the salary in the end so they don't care(believe me the situation is this is China).Different thing is when you are developing something,knowing that you will only get rewarded after you finish it,and finish it well.There is a whole different attitude.

 

[neko]

Tablets are popular with manufacturers because they are cheap. It is mechanically simple to assemble, there is no keyboard, nubs, hinge, or any of the other things that make a device like the Pandora expensive to manufacture.

Since you can buy a cheap laptop for $300-$400, people aren't going to spend more than that for a tablet, unless it comes from Apple. It's a very low-margin business, and software for touchscreens isn't mature.

 

[skeezix]

If you need design help, theres not too much the OPT can help you with, beyond Mike Weston; you could PM him to see if he's willing to consult for you or something, on the PCB design or whatever. Thats between you and him and not OPT.

jeff

 

[neko]

My mother and her friend saw a demo of the iPad and both of them were very interested. My mom is not really into technology that much, so she tends to ask me for advice about computers. So we went to the Apple store to look at the iPad. After trying out the device for an hour or so, both decided not to buy one.

First, let me say the good points of this device. The web browser works quite well. The touch screen keyboard is not bad. I wouldn't want to write a book with it, but for entering a URL it's fine. The e-book reader is easy and intuitive. The photo viewer works fine, although sometimes it can be a little awkward to scroll through the photos using the touchscreen. Simple games like angry birds work well.

If you spend some time with the iPad, its limitations become apparent. There is no real file manager, and you can't easily organize or delete photos. You have to sync with your computer to do these things and it's not always convenient to do so. If you want e-books then you have to buy them from Apple and there is a limited selection. Apparently you can install an app from Amazon and then buy the same books as the kindle, but it's a separate app with a separate UI. The media format support is very limited and of course there is no flash player. Google maps works well, but there is no GPS.

The thing that really convinced both of them not to buy it was the awkward sync support, although the lack of GPS was a factor.

The bottom line here is that the software for tablets is just not there yet, and Android is not any better. The only real viable market for a device like this right now is to sell limited quantities to developers, or to low-end customers who don't want anything more than a web browser.

The R&D needed to develop a tablet that you would be able to sell in large quantities to average consumers is going to be measured in years, not months. Also if you have to rely on proprietary software for things like GPS, that is going to get very expensive.

I think you could sell a few thousand tablets to developers and early adopters, but there really isn't going to be a huge market for this kind of thing until there is some decent software support. Pandora has software available for it because it can run most Linux apps, but a lot of that stuff just isn't designed for a touch screen.

 

[aatu]

@00christian00:

I'd just like to ask a few questions, and I'm sure there are others who would also like to know:

Screen specs?
Memory?
Storage?
Battery?
Connectors, slots?
Which Android version?
Extras? (camera, etc.)

Also, what's the planned price range? Is it a premium product, or a cheap knock-off?

And I'm not interested myself, but I think we need a clarification on this one, just to make sure:
Are you searching for skilled engineers to hire or to team up with you?

As in
hire: fixed salary (working FOR you)
vs.
team up: share the risk by working for free at least in the beginning, maybe even share some of the costs (working FOR/WITH you)?


And I think others already asked this, but I didn't see the answer:
What exactly is ready NOW? Do you have a working prototype? Have you made any contracts with component suppliers, manufacturers or assemblers?

Or let's ask it this way: what would be the first tasks the new team should tackle?

Also: are you doing this under the Kiwii LTD, or separately? How much experience do you have directing these kind of projects?

I know that's a lot of questions, but I think they're justifiable questions, nonetheless. And certainly the kind of questions the potential employees/partners would like to know beforehand.

 

[palmertech]

DaveC is right. 3D is a great idea for a tablet.

It is not R&D intensive. Read this whole thread: http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1467

He is doing a film with great results near the end, using nothing but commercial printers and transparency slides that cost pennies. Viewsonic and Fujifilm make photo frames that use similar tech, and the conversion software for photos and videos is widely available. Not much work on the software or hardware side.

 

[00christian00]

@00christian00:

I'd just like to ask a few questions, and I'm sure there are others who would also like to know:

Screen specs?
Memory?
Storage?
Battery?
Connectors, slots?
Which Android version?
Extras? (camera, etc.)

Also, what's the planned price range? Is it a premium product, or a cheap knock-off?

And I'm not interested myself, but I think we need a clarification on this one, just to make sure:
Are you searching for skilled engineers to hire or to team up with you?

As in
hire: fixed salary (working FOR you)
vs.
team up: share the risk by working for free at least in the beginning, maybe even share some of the costs (working FOR/WITH you)?


And I think others already asked this, but I didn't see the answer:
What exactly is ready NOW? Do you have a working prototype? Have you made any contracts with component suppliers, manufacturers or assemblers?

Or let's ask it this way: what would be the first tasks the new team should tackle?

Also: are you doing this under the Kiwii LTD, or separately? How much experience do you have directing these kind of projects?

I know that's a lot of questions, but I think they're justifiable questions, nonetheless. And certainly the kind of questions the potential employees/partners would like to know beforehand.

Thanks for the serious questions.
The device is based on the Creative ZIIO 10',as we acquired the license for that design.
So the drivers,and the hardware design are already finished.The only problem that can stop from going into mass production are :
1-Pcb Layout problems.For this we are working with Ziilabs engineers,and they are helping us to fix all the possible issues to avoid useless prototyping.
But since they are practically making us revise everything,so much that the board is starting to resemble a clone of theirs,I wonder who the hell I hired if they got nothing correct.
Since my plan is to make more devices,not just 1 10' Tablet,I can't rely on such team.
2-Hardware changes.Every change we make will require modifying the drivers.
Of course I'm not stupid to change core parts,like wifi or gps modules.So this part should be pretty quick,as the changes would be mostly screen,buttons,touch.
If I don't change these parts,the drivers are already stable and optimized,and are the same used in the Ziio.

As for the spec:
ZMS-08 1Ghz
512MB Ram(thinking of upgrading to 1Gb before MP)
10.1' screen 1024x600 (but I'm already in contact with an LG distributor,for 9.8' 1280x720,but to use this will require a new mould)
Storage : Internal micro sd,so it can be anything up to 32GB
Battery 4000mah 3.7v
Connectors : mini HDMI,usb,micro SD,earphone
2 cameras 5MP and VGA.Currently there is space for only 1 camera in the mould,again would require a new mould for 2 camera or chose only 1
Android 2.2,they are working on 2.3
WHDI Wireless transmission

Currently the pcb design is finished,and if the hardware engineer didn't screw up this should be a final prototype(but without any change).
Yes,I already have agreement with Assembly ,SMT and PCB factory,plus most of the components.

As for the work,I would prefer team up for the following reason:
1-At least for the hardware engineers,it would be needed to stay in China,to avoid further delays.
An experienced HW engineer salary is already high,if you consider he must work abroad it will be even higher.
2-I didn't see much effort from the current engineers,instead they had a very carefree attitude.
As I don't have time to test several engineers until I find some serious one,I think being a partner there will be higher chances of finding somebody seriously motivated.

It can be done under Kiwii or whatever,don't care much.I'm discussing with some investors to continue the project but the problem of finding reliable people is always there.
It's not just a matter of losing money,every month of delay can determine the failure of the whole project.

DaveC is right. 3D is a great idea for a tablet.

It is not R&D intensive. Read this whole thread: http://www.mtbs3d.co...php?f=26&t=1467

He is doing a film with great results near the end, using nothing but commercial printers and transparency slides that cost pennies. Viewsonic and Fujifilm make photo frames that use similar tech, and the conversion software for photos and videos is widely available. Not much work on the software or hardware side.

Do you think that if the result was worth companies would spend money on the expensive 3d panels?
In hong kong I saw a real small autostereoscopic screen,and the effect was already lame,I cannot imagine what the quality of this is like.

You are adding a film over the touch.First I don't think it will even work with capacitive touchscreen,as you will break the current flow.
Second,do you know why people want capacitive touchscreen?Because the image look better (the glass on glass type,has a light transmission of over 90%) and the sensibility is higher.
If you add a plastic layer over it,the transmission will drop to probably even lower than a cheap resistive one and people will think the image quality is terrible.
I don't even want to comment what it will be like if you cannot use capacitive touch,and must use resistive(normally 80% transmission) below it...
Plus you must write the software.
1-Games won't magically become 3D,but will have to be rewritten.So NO 3D GAMES.
2-Picture viewer,need write a picture viewer software from scratch or modify the android gallery
3-3D video,are there even any 3D video content available except blueray?!What do you watch on it?3D camera's video only?!

Oh and I forgot the best part,commercial 3D screen are bi-mode,3D and 2D.In 3D they halve the resolution.
With the fixed film how do get full resolution?Good luck marketing a Tablet with a resolution of 500x300,or even 600x360...