Omap (+ Android!) Getting Some "commercial" Use

[Vorporeal]

Saw this post on Engadget, and noticed that the little board running everything was a Beagleboard, and one running Android at that! It's nice to know that our good old SoC is starting to make some headway in the larger commerical/development sector.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/13/video-a...-book-fantasie/

CODE
http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/13/video-android-powered-e-ink-display-kindles-our-e-book-fantasie/


EDIT: Put in code block as well, for easy copy-pasting (cause the links are broken).

 

[darkblu]

you should have posted that in the better tv-out thread, as people might find it amusingly related to the topic there : )

 

[spinghed]

The beagle board is being used for so many projects now. They're popping up everywhere and they're about a twelfth of the cost of a TI dev unit... hell, even I've got one!

I wonder how many have actually been sold?

I'm seriously considering producing a variant though, with some added extras including wifi+BT plus a full size usb (maybe an on board hub) and ethernet port...

I had a long chat to TI about it and they wouldn't be averse to it...


-Rick-

*damn , forgot about the dodgy apostrophe problem!*

 

[Svartalf]

I'm seriously considering producing a variant though, with some added extras including wifi+BT plus a full size usb (maybe an on board hub) and ethernet port...

I had a long chat to TI about it and they wouldn't be averse to it...

No, producing a super-Beagleboard would probably spur more sales of their OMAP3 chips... It makes sense for them to consider such an idea, actually.

 

[spinghed]

Plus their new chips are (apparently) pin compatible with the current series, I do like the look of the DaVinci line... I've even got so far as getting a costing for a proto board - frankly not very expensive...

I may do it just for the experience! (I'd like to go one better than the tech crunch tablet and actually get it into people's hands)



Rick

 

[mali]

It's i.MX51 instead of OMAP3, but competition is always good
CODE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrLa1qTVf34
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/01/pegatron-free-028.jpg

 

[MilanC]

@spinghead: Now I'll start dreaming about an OMAP3 mainboard with 4 USB ports, Ethernet, WiFi, IDE (maybe for laptop drives rather than desktop), RS232, Parallel port, PCI slot..
... that would get quite large ,though. :huh:
Anyway, I'd buy a wifi + full usb beagleboard anytime.

 

[spinghed]

you guys are just egging me on now...

OK that does it, I'm mailing a final spec to the guys to do the prototype tonight.

Rick

 

[WizardStan]

you guys are just egging me on now...

OK that does it, I'm mailing a final spec to the guys to do the prototype tonight.

A beagle board with an ethernet port? Sign me up!
I've just been waiting for the beagle board to adopt the 256MB version of the OMAP before buying, with plans to add a USB ethernet port, but if someone builds a (more or less) compatible version with ethernet (and wifi) built in, that'd be worth waiting a little longer.

 

[Karel Jansens]

A beagle board with an ethernet port? Sign me up!
I've just been waiting for the beagle board to adopt the 256MB version of the OMAP before buying, with plans to add a USB ethernet port, but if someone builds a (more or less) compatible version with ethernet (and wifi) built in, that'd be worth waiting a little longer.

+1.

 

[spinghed]

I'm not doing PCI slots though...

But 2 SD slots like on the Pandora will probably make an appearance. I'm still in 2 minds if this is really going to be popular...

Rick - on a borrowed iPod

 

[Karel Jansens]

I'm not doing PCI slots though...

But 2 SD slots like on the Pandora will probably make an appearance. I'm still in 2 minds if this is really going to be popular...

Rick - on a borrowed iPod

I mentioned elsewhere that I'm in the (future) market for so-called "behind the TV" computers, small thin clients without local storage that output via DVI/HDMI and will be used for media playing/browsing/lightweight office applications. They'll be in a home network with a centralized NAS storage hub.

Originally I had looked at the Linutop computer, but its media playback isn't stellar, to be polite. The Beagleboard shares the powerful processor the Pandora has, but lacks ethernet and is a step behind the Pandora in RAM and NAND. Now, if someone were to produce a Beagle-like Pandora derivative for a price that rivals Beagle, I might be in for a bunch of those. Thing is, I'm not much of a software hacker, and Beagle still looks like a lot of work. The main advantage of a "Pandaboard" would be that, by the time it's out, I've got enough mileage on my regular Panda that it should be pretty much plug and play.

...

Oh, for feck's sake, will someone sort the apostrophes out already?

 

[spinghed]

Well you will be very happy about what we're doing then...
I can't really go into too much detail but the custom board will actually form the basis for a media system. I would be more than happy to make bare boards available and our software should already be working on the pandora and beagle.

The angstrom OS will probably be the underlying core of our device (although I reserve the right to change my mind )and I would like to develop some kind of official relationship with Openpandora et al when we're a bit further along...


- I'd like to get further opinions on the viability of the bare board though...

thanks for all the feedback


Rick

 

[Kyo]

I'm not doing PCI slots though...

But 2 SD slots like on the Pandora will probably make an appearance. I'm still in 2 minds if this is really going to be popular...

Rick - on a borrowed iPod

At a reasonable price I'd buy one as well. Heck, the beagleboard is on my shopping list, but I may just buy yours instead. What I'd love is having some headers on there for extension, instead of solder pads and the like. I don't like soldering to electronics that have a high value. Because I tend to ruin them.

Well anyway, if you're going to do this, I'd do it community designed (similar to the pandora, except more like the beagleboard).

 

[Karel Jansens]

Well you will be very happy about what we're doing then...
I can't really go into too much detail but the custom board will actually form the basis for a media system. I would be more than happy to make bare boards available and our software should already be working on the pandora and beagle.

The angstrom OS will probably be the underlying core of our device (although I reserve the right to change my mind )and I would like to develop some kind of official relationship with Openpandora et al when we're a bit further along...

- I'd like to get further opinions on the viability of the bare board though...

thanks for all the feedback


Rick


Since I am in early, let me elaborate a bit on my wishlist for a Pandaboard:

(sorry, but the "list" style appears to be f0rked up as well)

- DVI/HDMI output, preferrably analog video out as well;
- I personally do not need more than one SD slot, and even that one is a luxury, as the internal RAM and NAND are enough for the OS and core applications I need;
- OTOH, a decent built in USB HUB with four ports would be nice, provided they are less cramped up than the Linutop´s (it is impossible to plug in more than one "integrated" device (e.g. a memory stick) in the Linutop´s HUB; they inevitably overlap the other slots);
- no battery, no screen, no keyboard, but a separate power in line is a must;
- Bluetooth and WiFi should be kept. Who knows when they might come in handy .

That´s about it. Let me know where I can preorder. B)

 

[thantik]

Honestly not having analog video out (standard VGA cable) is the whole reason I won't buy a beagleboard. I wouldn't even mind if it were on some sort of specialized cable to keep the cramping to a minimum, but noooooo...I have like 20 monitors sitting here that are perfectly fine, and not one is HDMI compatible and I'm NOT spending another $200 for a monitor.

An Integrated USB hub would make this even more in my ballpark.

Bluetooth I don't really use. Wifi on the other hand would be amazing. I'm sure at some point I could find a use for the bluetooth.

I'd probably buy a couple of these - One for a media-center PC, provided the software from the pandora is already far enough that hardware acceleration is working for h.264, one for the car, and probably another for a LAMP/Asterisk box.

 

[Karel Jansens]

Honestly not having analog video out (standard VGA cable) is the whole reason I won't buy a beagleboard. I wouldn't even mind if it were on some sort of specialized cable to keep the cramping to a minimum, but noooooo...I have like 20 monitors sitting here that are perfectly fine, and not one is HDMI compatible and I'm NOT spending another $200 for a monitor.

An Integrated USB hub would make this even more in my ballpark.

Bluetooth I don't really use. Wifi on the other hand would be amazing. I'm sure at some point I could find a use for the bluetooth.

Wireless keyboard? Obviously for a media pc something with a mouse-like controller is a must (and the only ones in that category I have seen all have their own -- proprietary? -- USB dongle transmitter), but otherwise there is Apple´s slick BT keyboard.

...

which I certainly will not buy, because of hate for all things Apple. h34r:

 

[fireball87]

because of hate for all things Apple. h34r:

You can't sneak it past me, I know your a secret fan of computers where if you turn down the monitor brightness on a bright day you can see the manufacturers logo on the back of the screen... so snazzy.

(I'm neutral to any fan wars though, I personally use a Macbook Pro though for various reasons...)

 

[spinghed]

Since I am in early, let me elaborate a bit on my wishlist for a Pandaboard:

(sorry, but the "list" style appears to be f0rked up as well)

- DVI/HDMI output, preferrably analog video out as well;
- I personally do not need more than one SD slot, and even that one is a luxury, as the internal RAM and NAND are enough for the OS and core applications I need;
- OTOH, a decent built in USB HUB with four ports would be nice, provided they are less cramped up than the Linutop´s (it is impossible to plug in more than one "integrated" device (e.g. a memory stick) in the Linutop´s HUB; they inevitably overlap the other slots);
- no battery, no screen, no keyboard, but a separate power in line is a must;
- Bluetooth and WiFi should be kept. Who knows when they might come in handy .

That´s about it. Let me know where I can preorder. B)

This list is very useful info and mirrors what my plan is. I want to keep the dual sds as it allows the option of testing other OS images on one slot and running apps, etc. from the other if needed.

We have been acutely aware of devices where you can't get plugs in because the slots are too close together. This is just plainly ridiculous and will not happen here.

You mention "no battery" but last night it occurred to me that we could leave sockets/solder points where and battery unit could possibly be connected on one edge of the board so if someone wanted to create a mobile device of some sort, they could easily.

I'd like the bare board to be a low cost viable alternative to the OMAP dev board, but allowing hackers/entrepreneurs/devs to "do their own thing".

- just a thought

Rick

 

[Karel Jansens]

because of hate for all things Apple. h34r:

You can't sneak it past me, I know your a secret fan of computers where if you turn down the monitor brightness on a bright day you can see the manufacturers logo on the back of the screen... so snazzy.

(I'm neutral to any fan wars though, I personally use a Macbook Pro though for various reasons...)

Let me clarify: I hate the present day Apple, and not so much its products (when pressed, I´ll grudgingly admit some of them are very nice indeed) but rather the way Jobs does business. He is truly the Slime Of Humanity <TM>, <C>, <Pat. Pend.>.

But I do own (and still occasionally use) two Apple Newtons.

Since I am in early, let me elaborate a bit on my wishlist for a Pandaboard:

(sorry, but the "list" style appears to be f0rked up as well)

- DVI/HDMI output, preferrably analog video out as well;
- I personally do not need more than one SD slot, and even that one is a luxury, as the internal RAM and NAND are enough for the OS and core applications I need;
- OTOH, a decent built in USB HUB with four ports would be nice, provided they are less cramped up than the Linutop´s (it is impossible to plug in more than one "integrated" device (e.g. a memory stick) in the Linutop´s HUB; they inevitably overlap the other slots);
- no battery, no screen, no keyboard, but a separate power in line is a must;
- Bluetooth and WiFi should be kept. Who knows when they might come in handy .

That´s about it. Let me know where I can preorder. B)

This list is very useful info and mirrors what my plan is. I want to keep the dual sds as it allows the option of testing other OS images on one slot and running apps, etc. from the other if needed.

We have been acutely aware of devices where you can't get plugs in because the slots are too close together. This is just plainly ridiculous and will not happen here.

You mention "no battery" but last night it occurred to me that we could leave sockets/solder points where and battery unit could possibly be connected on one edge of the board so if someone wanted to create a mobile device of some sort, they could easily.

I'd like the bare board to be a low cost viable alternative to the OMAP dev board, but allowing hackers/entrepreneurs/devs to "do their own thing".

- just a thought

Rick

Good thought.