Wishlist - Hardware - Novel Devices

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Revision as of 11:03, 29 June 2007 by Speedevil (Talk | contribs)

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This page details hardware some would like in future OpenMoko devices that are very different from the Neo1973. DVD/media players, cameras, ...

Contents

Hard Drive

Providing a hard drive, will allow storing music, movies, etc. Add USB storage device capability to use the device as an external hard drive.



PCMCIA slot

Extensibility would be nice. Standard pcmcia would be great for allowing wireless too. And pcmcia cards tend to be very low power.

  • 1. can be used for a spare battery (is this possible?)
  • 3. i can use my Echo Audio Indigo I/O
  • 2. can be used for different cards around

This is certain not to happen in a production phone, it's simply far too large, and requires complex support in hardware, which does not exist in most system on a chip devices as are used in phones. Even for the Expansion_Back it would be too large. --Speedevil 06:05, 28 February 2007 (CET)

Cameras & Imaging

Interchangeable Camera Lenses

A camera phone with a lens mount would allow swappable camera lenses and filters. Camera phones are usually stuck with tiny fixed lenses that don't allow focusing. Imaging being able to swap out the default lens with one that provides a better focus... or even a zoom!

The C-Mount or T-Mount would be a good choice. Both are standard lens mount with many supporting lenses. Minolta, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, & most other lens manufacturers also have mount adapters for their proprietary lenses. Then share lenses between your camera & cell phone. The mount hole would need to be about 1 inch in diameter and go about 1/4 inch into the camera-phone (with the focal plane array chip at the bottom of this hole).

Added bonus If you work somewhere that doesn't allow cameras:
The lens could be removed and a blank insert could be screwed in.
The camera capability would be physically disabled!


Business Card Reader

This is probably technically difficult if not impossible, maybe you could do it with the embedded camera hardware & software

I want to be able to place a business card face down on the the screen, and have the device automatically read the card and enter the info in the contacts.

  • There is no simple way of reading something placed on the screen, for the basic reason that the screen is in the way.
  • Of course you could always just take a picture of the card with a camera-phone. Then store it as it is or image recognition software could do character recognition & extract the information.

Solar Panels

My old pocket calculator had solar panels, why not my phone?

Fuel Cell

Some people want to put them in laptops & fuel cells are the way of the future.

Cork Screw

Every multi-tool has to have a cork screw

TV Out

With help of mouse and keyboard, a TV output may be very useful. Or to watch photos taken with a digital camera on holidays. Or for showing a slide presentation off.


Larger Screen

A model with a larger screen would be of use to many, especially with multi-touch. Higher resolution is probably less important than size until the DPI drops below 150 or so.


Tiny Video Projector - "Beamer"

At the DisplayWeek2007 several embeded video projectors for phones were presented.

Those projecting devices are not much bigger than a cell phone. A LED-laser projects a sharp image at variable distance

Could such a device be connected by bluetooth?

Explay uses two a red and a green laser-LED as well as a conventional blue LED in its "oio".
Blue laser-LED are to expensive for customer products. The light passes a transmissive WVGA-LCD(640x480) and goes on to the screen. Its frequency is 60Hz and the projecting distance can be varied from 20cm(8inch) to 2m(80inch) with a sharp picture. It consumes about 5W and its light power is about 6 lumen.
As the sharpness does not depend on distance, one can project the image on screens that are not plane. Like someones t-shirt.
Microvistions PicoProjektor however uses soley laser-LEDs. It is also 60Hz though 800x600px or 800x640.
Potential problems might become the approval of a laser class 3 device.
Final prices could be about $300.

Taken from: http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/90141 (german)

HMD

Possibility to use something like Eyeglass Mounted Display.

Multi I/O adapter

  • VGA, standard Jack (line in & out), standard USB

Credit Card Swiper/Reader

  • A credit card swipe function on the device, so that business operators can use the device to accept payments. In some markets a 'chip+pin' card reader may be an alternative. Existing devices are very expensive. Transaction information is sent over the internet, transaction "hub" services like 1stData could receive the data and reply with email receipts to the merchant, who could then forward the receipt to customer's email, or print a receipt on a bluetooth printer.

Modular hardware design / interchangeable components

It would be great to have several interchangeable components on the 'bus' of the device. Imagine opening the case and being able to add GPS to an empty internal bay or swap an Accelerometer for 3G support. Similar to the PCI hardware model of desktop PCs -- let savvy users swap and upgrade internal components by intentionally designing swappable components on some standardized bus.

Unfortunately, this is a big problem for compact devices.
To take the above examples. An accelerometer module may be 5mm*5mm*2mm. a 3G module 50mm*30mm*10mm, a GSM module 30mm*40mm*5mm and a GPS module 20mm*15mm*5mm. 
Apart from the wasted space problems, this means also that each module has to be custom-built for FIC. 
Then there is a second part - you have to have connectors and some way to clamp the module in place.

This adds yet more weight and volume.
--Speedevil 12:03, 29 June 2007 (CEST)
Personal tools

This page details hardware some would like in future OpenMoko devices that are very different from the Neo1973. DVD/media players, cameras, ...

Hard Drive

Providing a hard drive, will allow storing music, movies, etc. Add USB storage device capability to use the device as an external hard drive.



PCMCIA slot

Extensibility would be nice. Standard pcmcia would be great for allowing wireless too. And pcmcia cards tend to be very low power.

  • 1. can be used for a spare battery (is this possible?)
  • 3. i can use my Echo Audio Indigo I/O
  • 2. can be used for different cards around

This is certain not to happen in a production phone, it's simply far too large, and requires complex support in hardware, which does not exist in most system on a chip devices as are used in phones. Even for the Expansion_Back it would be too large. --Speedevil 06:05, 28 February 2007 (CET)

Cameras & Imaging

Interchangeable Camera Lenses

A camera phone with a lens mount would allow swappable camera lenses and filters. Camera phones are usually stuck with tiny fixed lenses that don't allow focusing. Imaging being able to swap out the default lens with one that provides a better focus... or even a zoom!

The C-Mount or T-Mount would be a good choice. Both are standard lens mount with many supporting lenses. Minolta, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, & most other lens manufacturers also have mount adapters for their proprietary lenses. Then share lenses between your camera & cell phone. The mount hole would need to be about 1 inch in diameter and go about 1/4 inch into the camera-phone (with the focal plane array chip at the bottom of this hole).

Added bonus If you work somewhere that doesn't allow cameras:
The lens could be removed and a blank insert could be screwed in.
The camera capability would be physically disabled!


Business Card Reader

This is probably technically difficult if not impossible, maybe you could do it with the embedded camera hardware & software

I want to be able to place a business card face down on the the screen, and have the device automatically read the card and enter the info in the contacts.

  • There is no simple way of reading something placed on the screen, for the basic reason that the screen is in the way.
  • Of course you could always just take a picture of the card with a camera-phone. Then store it as it is or image recognition software could do character recognition & extract the information.

Solar Panels

My old pocket calculator had solar panels, why not my phone?

Fuel Cell

Some people want to put them in laptops & fuel cells are the way of the future.

Cork Screw

Every multi-tool has to have a cork screw

TV Out

With help of mouse and keyboard, a TV output may be very useful. Or to watch photos taken with a digital camera on holidays. Or for showing a slide presentation off.


Larger Screen

A model with a larger screen would be of use to many, especially with multi-touch. Higher resolution is probably less important than size until the DPI drops below 150 or so.


Tiny Video Projector - "Beamer"

At the DisplayWeek2007 several embeded video projectors for phones were presented.

Those projecting devices are not much bigger than a cell phone. A LED-laser projects a sharp image at variable distance

Could such a device be connected by bluetooth?

Explay uses two a red and a green laser-LED as well as a conventional blue LED in its "oio".
Blue laser-LED are to expensive for customer products. The light passes a transmissive WVGA-LCD(640x480) and goes on to the screen. Its frequency is 60Hz and the projecting distance can be varied from 20cm(8inch) to 2m(80inch) with a sharp picture. It consumes about 5W and its light power is about 6 lumen.
As the sharpness does not depend on distance, one can project the image on screens that are not plane. Like someones t-shirt.
Microvistions PicoProjektor however uses soley laser-LEDs. It is also 60Hz though 800x600px or 800x640.
Potential problems might become the approval of a laser class 3 device.
Final prices could be about $300.

Taken from: http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/90141 (german)

HMD

Possibility to use something like Eyeglass Mounted Display.

Multi I/O adapter

  • VGA, standard Jack (line in & out), standard USB

Credit Card Swiper/Reader

  • A credit card swipe function on the device, so that business operators can use the device to accept payments. In some markets a 'chip+pin' card reader may be an alternative. Existing devices are very expensive. Transaction information is sent over the internet, transaction "hub" services like 1stData could receive the data and reply with email receipts to the merchant, who could then forward the receipt to customer's email, or print a receipt on a bluetooth printer.

Modular hardware design / interchangeable components

It would be great to have several interchangeable components on the 'bus' of the device. Imagine opening the case and being able to add GPS to an empty internal bay or swap an Accelerometer for 3G support. Similar to the PCI hardware model of desktop PCs -- let savvy users swap and upgrade internal components by intentionally designing swappable components on some standardized bus.

Unfortunately, this is a big problem for compact devices.
To take the above examples. An accelerometer module may be 5mm*5mm*2mm. a 3G module 50mm*30mm*10mm, a GSM module 30mm*40mm*5mm and a GPS module 20mm*15mm*5mm. 
Apart from the wasted space problems, this means also that each module has to be custom-built for FIC. 
Then there is a second part - you have to have connectors and some way to clamp the module in place.

This adds yet more weight and volume.
--Speedevil 12:03, 29 June 2007 (CEST)