Our New Machine, Pandora

[___]

well sorry but it was just appearing as if you were asking for it like 500 times. maybe i am mistaken there. I guess it hit you a little harder as I wanted. I wasn't trying to insult you or anything, just to make clear that I am sure they have your address. I have donated and I have done it pretty late. The thing is, I donated because I would like information, but I do not really care if I get it since I also think it's good that the money goes to cancer research. If I happen to receive something I will gladly tell you what I got and upload scans and facts. I am not even sure if it will be that much. Who knows, maybe we get chocolate craiginators for christmas or something. So please don't feel badly insulted I do not think we have to make this personal.

EDIT: grammar... meh.

 

[Squidge]

I'd say that craig simply doesn't have the time to double check that he's received everyones email and confirm that in writing on the forums. He has more important things to do. especially considering it's just a bonus thing for donating, and really, he need not have said or give anything in return (donation, remember, not payment).

If he's got your information, he'll send you a package, if not you won't. You still helped out however, which is what matters, and no doubt someone will disclose the information in the pack even if he doesn't have your address.

Now can we please drop this and get back on topic? The more noise in a topic, the more likely the people involved in this project will simply stop reading the topic, and the less information you'll get.

 

[___]

what squidge said! So I think we can put this aside for good. I can be a little harsh sometimes and then I judge people to quickly. Especially when the atmosphere between people gets a little under strain in general.

Back on another topic:
kanzlr said it would be a good idea to use that Maemo OS. Somebody suggested that aswell somewhere earlier in the thread and I think it convinces me. Seems to be solid and really slick. I could understand if the devs go with something else but I think it would be feasible and also solid. Even if they come up with something else which is good, Maemo could be ported later on by the community, right?

EDIT: link back to the page with the other Maemo suggestion. contains lots of screenshots!!!
scroll down

www.maemo.org


EDIT2: OMG! That Maemo ITOS operating system is GOD! Amazing how many sophisticated apps it has and how slick that thing works. Looks a little iPhonesque partly. If our little new friend will be able to run it, it would be a great port! Anyone care to guess how much work this might be? Is it feasible?

 

[kanzlr]

EDIT2: OMG! That Maemo ITOS operating system is GOD! Amazing how many sophisticated apps it has and how slick that thing works. Looks a little iPhonesque partly. If our little new friend will be able to run it, it would be a great port! Anyone care to guess how much work this might be? Is it feasible?

well the nokia has similar hardware, but a weaker OMAP (a 400MHz version, but i don't know what ARM this is), but a lot seems to be close. of course there would be drivers needed if craig uses a different touchscreen or wifi chip, maybe some kernel adaptions for the cortex, if they are not already in the ARM kernel source. and of course PowerVR support (this is missing from Maemo).

But it has a nice gui, uses X11 and GTK, there are some nice apps and the internet experience seems to be great.

craigs machine + bluetooth sdio/usb + maemo would be a dream.

it could still play all the games and benefit from the maemo community/apps. One device for internet, PMP and gaming. wow.

edit from the Nokia development "getting started":

TI OMAP 2420 multi-core processor with maximum clock frequency of 400 MHz which contains:
# TMS320C55x DSP logic (backward compatible with the 54x-series)
# ARM1136 core ("ARMv6") with an MMU (backward compatible with ARM926)

 

[zaffercharles]

well sorry but it was just appearing as if you were asking for it like 500 times. maybe i am mistaken there. I guess it hit you a little harder as I wanted. I wasn't trying to insult you or anything, just to make clear that I am sure they have your address. I have donated and I have done it pretty late. The thing is, I donated because I would like information, but I do not really care if I get it since I also think it's good that the money goes to cancer research. If I happen to receive something I will gladly tell you what I got and upload scans and facts. I am not even sure if it will be that much. Who knows, maybe we get chocolate craiginators for christmas or something. So please don't feel badly insulted I do not think we have to make this personal.

EDIT: grammar... meh.

Last words on this I promise-

I did not really want to make anything personal either.. I apprecieate what you said above, and also realise that you guys have a fair point. That is, after you two made it- and so perhaps I got a little frustrated with myself too for not seeing it before. I have asked a lot, but spread over a fair time I think to give them a chance- anyway I am sorry for snapping at you xnopasaranx. I do not want a bad reputation around here, I was hoping to become more active here (well wherever the 'Nator forum is I mean) and maybe even useful some way later on when it's released. I was particularly vexed that everyone coming in here could take me for a selfish ass when as far as I know I never said anything like demanding info.

I have accepted maybe I'll get it maybe not now. I just really didn't like the impression others seemed to be getting of me, I'm really not like that even if I came across that way in text. I know it's annoying for others just reading the topic though, what I was doing and just hoped someone would see each time.. but it isn't the end of the world. The long wait for info got to me a little for a bit there. Just lost perspective for a while. So, please let me off and I wont do it any more h34r:

PS I wasn't really happy to be annoying you xnopasaranx! That's not the real me! You really managed to get me fired up there for a minute I am usually fairly laid back!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Back slightly on topic: I don't have much of a clue to the OS and more technical internal sides of debate so I just sit, read and gather what sense I can from it all But I was back at the Wiki a while ago, getting the link for a friend to see and I re-read the part about the analog sticks, maybe they will kind of act as spinners too. I missed that before but that would be really great if they did, there probably isn't anything more about that I missed I suppose or it would be up there already?

Back to sleep for a while...

 

[javaJake]

the nokia n810 is sooo similar in hardware. OMAP, PowerVR lite, 128MB Ram, 800x480 screen, slider keyboard, miniSD (or micro?). and it runs a small debian derivate (Maemo) with a repository system.

Wow, you are right. The Nokia N810 is strikingly... similar. The difference is it costs ~$450, probably more closed than the Craiginator, and has GPS, bluetooth, and 2GB storage built in. However the Craiginator has a higher SoC (N810 only has the OMAP 2420), possibly better keyboard (the N810's is uncomftorable?), much better controls for games, and TV-out.

It's a close shave, but the Craiginator still wins out for me. B)

Edit: Oh, and the N810 uses microSDs, while the Craiginator uses regular SD cards. Wooo!

EDIT2: OMG! That Maemo ITOS operating system is GOD! Amazing how many sophisticated apps it has and how slick that thing works. Looks a little iPhonesque partly. If our little new friend will be able to run it, it would be a great port! Anyone care to guess how much work this might be? Is it feasible?

Agreed. Maemo needs to be ported. Not should be, needs to be!

 

[___]

@zaffercharles: I love when oncoming flamewars defuse and end up with everyone being friends lol. Cool! As to wether the analogue stick can be used as a spinner, I really wouldn't know but I guess that depends on the mechanism. Could be possible. Nice idea actually...

I would like to hear everyone elses opinion on Maemo! It would be awesome to have that running on the craiginator.

 

[slint]

the nokia n810 is sooo similar in hardware. OMAP, PowerVR lite, 128MB Ram, 800x480 screen, slider keyboard, miniSD (or micro?). and it runs a small debian derivate (Maemo) with a repository system.

Wow, you are right. The Nokia N810 is strikingly... similar. The difference is it costs ~$450, probably more closed than the Craiginator, and has GPS, bluetooth, and 2GB storage built in. However the Craiginator has a higher SoC (N810 only has the OMAP 2420), possibly better keyboard (the N810's is uncomftorable?), much better controls for games, and TV-out.


I would buy n800 not n810.
Both can have the same software. Both have the same hardware. (n810 only: brighter display, gps, keyboard n800 only: 2 normal sized SD slots)

price of n800: ~220$



If maemo would be ported both sides could profit. Maemo would get additional delevopers, and would get more platform indepent.

 

[javaJake]

Both can have the same software. Both have the same hardware. (n810 only: brighter display, gps, keyboard n800 only: 2 normal sized SD slots)

price of n800: ~220$

No, the price is actually $300. Big difference!
The N800 runs, by default, at 330 MHz, has a webcam, 2 SD slots (one internal - can it even be used?), bluetooth, and an FM radio tuner. It's missing the high-end SoC, game controls, TV-out, this community , and the keyboard. That's a lot of stuff we care about. The bluetooth can be added, webcams are cheap nowadays, and... seriously, who cares about FM anyway?

 

[LordFu]

Yeah, if you can still find one, I recommend the N800 over the N810, unless you just have to have the GPS or Keyboard. Neither are really important to me, and the N800 costs half as much. Many sites appear to be back-ordered on the N800, unfortunately, including the official Nokia store. It hasn't been officially canceled, but availability has become an issue. It's unclear whether or not it's still being manufactured or will be in the future.

I have a N800, and it's, IMO, the current king of portable web browsing. It's also a decent PMP. It's even passable at basic PDA functionality, with GPE. Gaming is, however, very lacking. It's basically limited to solitare and similar types. Homebrew is nonexistent. The few ported emulators are basically unplayable. There's a port of Battle for Wesnoth for OS2007 that was pretty decent. It hasn't been updated, lately, and I'm not sure if it's even compatible with the new O/S revision. The new O/S, OS2008, is a great improvement.

I was glad to see Craig & Co. go with even more powerfull OMAP hardware. It gives me very high hopes for this device. An N800, with more power, game controls, and the support of the great 2x dev community. It's a literal dream-come-true, for me. I want pics! LoL

 

[slint]

Both can have the same software. Both have the same hardware. (n810 only: brighter display, gps, keyboard n800 only: 2 normal sized SD slots)

price of n800: ~220$

No, the price is actually $300. Big difference!
The N800 runs, by default, at 330 MHz, has a webcam, 2 SD slots (one internal - can it even be used?), bluetooth, and an FM radio tuner. It's missing the high-end SoC, game controls, TV-out, this community , and the keyboard. That's a lot of stuff we care about. The bluetooth can be added, webcams are cheap nowadays, and... seriously, who cares about FM anyway?


http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-N800-Internet-...9102&sr=8-1
221$ on amazon. But you can get it cheaper.

It runs on 400mhz dynamically clocked with the new IT OS version. Both SD slots can be used with SDHC cards. You can use a bluetooth or usb keyboard.

But it has also bad things: No game controls. Only provides 200mA on USB.

I think the craiginator would be the perfect device with maemo.

 

[atomicthumbs]

Heh, I dreamed last night that the Craiginator's name had been revealed and it was "Washington Pounder 17". :wacko:

 

[kanzlr]

I didn't try to say the n800/n810 (with IT OS 2008, both are clocked at 400MHz by default) is as good or superior. just that the hardware has many similarities and the OS/applications are great and polished and that it would be a good idea to use Maemo for the craigthing, as its already almost "there".

 

[DeadlyDad]

Hello, all. I'm new here, but I've been following the GP series with interest pretty much since the beginning, and have some ideas for the Craiginator.

First, a bit of background information: As (probably) most of you know, LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. That is, given voltage, it returns light. What you might not know is that it is also a form of photodiode. That is, given light, it returns voltage. (Here is a simple experiment to demonstrate the principle.) Given that, here are a few ideas for the 'C32X':

• For the A/B/C/X/Y/Z/L1/L2/R1/R2/etc. buttons, have a single LED in the center of each group with a 45° conical mirror/prism above it, so that its light is reflected to all of the buttons. Each button would then have a 45° mirror/prism that would reflect the light down onto a receiving LED. As a button is pressed, the light received by the LED would change, effectively making each button fully analogue. (The actual amount of light doesn't really matter; only the relative change. Extra, scattered light will give each button an attractive backlight. To that end, the 'mirror/prism' probably wouldn't have to be anything more than the clear plastic that the button is made of being formed at the proper angle. If necessary, a dab of chrome paint on each surface would be perfect.)
• For the 'trigger' buttons (i.e. L1/L2/R1/R2) that would sit on the back side of the unit, an actual button isn't even really needed. An emitter/detector pair for each button (or a common LED with mirrors/prisms to reflect the light out) would basically measure the light reflected by your finger tip, making them analogue as well. (An indent/outdent <sic> to help with locating the buttons by feel would help.) It also wouldn't be hard to design a flap that would swing out from the back to both put the trigger buttons at the proper angle and act as a prop for the unit when used in other modes.
• For the directional control(s), a disc seems the best way to go, using a 45° conical mirror/prism in the cup holding the hub of the disc, and the outside edges beveled to 45°, with a circle of receiving LEDs (4/8/???) around the edge. By determining the voltage ratio between LEDs you can also tell the position of the depressed disc edge, giving you full analogue positioning. In fact, you can even tell how much the edge has been depressed. As a bonus, it will work very well to emulate a shuttle/click-wheel.
• One of the benefits of this system is the lower cost as compared to regular buttons/pots/etc. Low-power LEDs and resistors are very inexpensive, and have a life expectancy that would probably exceed that of the system itself, especially if driven with minimal current and a low pulse rate.
• Another benefit is lower maintenance. Standard pads can wear out or get dirty, and are a pain to fix/clean. With this system, the only moving parts are the plastic buttons/discs and their springs, and, by having the casing include a clear plastic 'well' at each location, the whole system can be made completely water & dust proof. (I would have a paperclip-sized pair of holes on each side of the buttons/discs, so that they can be popped out for cleaning.)
• Having a receiver somewhere near the screen to measure ambient light would be handy, as you can use that feedback to set the screen brightness to maximize battery life.

So does that sound feasible?

 

[javaJake]

I didn't try to say the n800/n810 (with IT OS 2008, both are clocked at 400MHz by default) is as good or superior. just that the hardware has many similarities and the OS/applications are great and polished and that it would be a good idea to use Maemo for the craigthing, as its already almost "there".

My comparisons were for myself as much as they were for you. I often see these, think "is it better?" then come back with the results and share.

Sorry if I seemed pushy.

 

[_VWV_]

Hi, people.
Just wanted to say that I was realy impressed with specs.
Concerning maemo. As far as I get, they have some problems with drivers for OMAP's 3d block - may be that is the reason for the fact that you actually have to convert (reduce bitrate to about 500 kb/s) movies to be able to play them on n800/n810. So may be you will either get a maemo-like os running on your device, or get a good 3d performance - looks like a trade off. But if this is somehow fixed, than it will just amazing. A good 3-d enabled device with abiword, gnumeric, mplayer, fbreader and so on... will completely ruin some battery drainers like modern UMPC. And also, have you thought of an idea to try Ubuntu mobile os (if there will be an arm port out there).

 

[javaJake]

have you thought of an idea to try Ubuntu mobile os (if there will be an arm port out there).

Ubuntu is unprepared for ARM compared to some other Linux distributions. IMO.

 

[atomicthumbs]

Squidge: Flock with everything is the same as Firefox.

Weren't we pretty much decided on putting Firefox on here? Flock offers many more features at the same resource cost.

If you put extensions into Firefox to get it to a Flock level of functionality, it would take up about 100 megs and crash every 4.5 seconds.

Remember, people probably won't be doing other things while they're browsing/blogging/facebooking/flickring, and the machine has 128MB of memory anyway.

 

[Alex.]

I wonder, what kind of internet radio playback can we expect from the Craiginator?

 

[atomicthumbs]

I wonder, what kind of internet radio playback can we expect from the Craiginator?

Yes.