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-- Other Handspring Products - What would you wish for? (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=1351)

One thing will make my life complete: Linux on a Springboard. Jack in it, and see a boot screen automagically.... mm. Memopad? Who needs memopad when you have vi?

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"The tree of liberty must occasionally be watered by the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson

I would like to see the following in this order:

1) Wirless Built in that works with any ISP!
(Not through a cell ph)

2) Make Graffiti area an accessory that we can call up, then we can take advantage of more screen real estate keeping the same form factor unless we decide to use the graffiti pad.

3) New type off shatter proof screen

4) Lithium ION removable Battery

5) Telescopic stock metal stylus

6) Color would be nice


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Brian

1) Better Stylus. Maybe contract out PDA Panache's ? (I use it and LOVE it)

2)Built in BlueTooth Support (this is in the future when its more established)

3)More RAM possibly?

4)Put an extra IR transceiver on the front as well (when trying to play games at a table sometimes the side situation is cumbersome)

5)Eventually Color--but for now GrayScale is fine

By the way--with BlueTooth support (through built in next version or through a springboard on today's models) wouldn't you be able to hotsync wirlessly (and in a case!). I mean--from what I've heard--bluetooth would be support through one transceiver on your desk--for multiple things. So just putting your Visor in range (1-2 Meters I think) it would hotsync. Oooo I like it!



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-Vinny

Ok, maybe this one's a little far fetched; but I'm looking foreward to the day when I can throw out my laptop to be replaced with my PDA. So what I would like to see is a springboard that acts as a docking station to a monitor/keyboard/mouse/disk storage/etc.

Of course, when docked, I want to be able to see more content on the monitor...not just a larger image of what would be on the visor's LCD.

And maybe, when you're on travel, the TV in the hotel room can be fed video signals via the infrared (a bit difficult with the visor -- the port being on the side and all)

Of course, palm would probably have to make some major mods to the OS just to support alternate resolutions (never mind a faster processor and infrared) before something like that's possible. Anyway, it's nice to dream.

For compatibility with the existing software, I don't think that yo could go straight to a 320x240 display... but 160x220 should be transparent to applications... even ones that write directly to the screen should work, they'll simply ignore the extra 40 pixels.

By default, of course, you'd have a bitmapped rendition of the silk area there. But give the programs a call they can make to request extra screen space, and have it shrink the silk to a little 8-10 pixel high bar with 4 or 5 buttons on it... the 4 silk buttons and one that pops it back to full size.

And of course provide an API for hacks to render stuff into that area too... so you can have your silkyboard and fitaly and tappad in software. Or for that matter have things like your calc button hack actually provide visual feedback.

So programs like ebook readers that don't need graffiti would get more screen space, and you can have your teal echo type stuff give you better feedback under the stylus.

[This message has been edited by argent (edited 04-30-2000).]

I'm not super-excited about Scott's designs:

1. They tend to be wider than the existing Palm III. That's bad... I already find the III uncomfortable. The V and the Visor are a much better fit.

2. They all break compatibility with existing software in silly ways... getting rid of the scroll buttons, for example, and changing the CPU.

His iBook design is interesting. I've seen WinCE notebooks like that, with a flip screen that can act as either a touch screen or work in unison with a keyboard. Having a special version of MacOS on it would be the kiss of death, of course. Software longa, hardware brevis. See point (1) above.

In any case I'd like to see Handspring do something incremental. Like having a serial port that actually works, or expanding the screen as in my last message, rather than making a complete break with the existing unit.

What I'd like to see?

A celluar-phone Springboard with a jack for mic/earpiece. The board would have to be available in the different digital cellular flavors out there (analog might be an expensive option). The audio interface could be a lapel mic and ear piece, or headset with boom-mic, or even a regular-sized handset that plugs into the board.

Naturally, it would have ot have it's own battery, and perhaps even a speaker-phone version (using the mic in the Visor) with a board-integrated speaker.

Brian.

AN ADAPTER TO CONVERT THE SINGLE SPRINGBOARD SLOT TO 2, 3 OR MAYBE 4 SLOTS

I would like to see a simple adapter that would plug into the Springboard slot that would have 2, 3 or 4 Springboard slots on the other end. That way we could plug in our GPS, MP3, eyemodule, extra memory etc. all at the same time. Some devices should be able to run simultaneously - mp3 and gps. or we could switch between devices simply by touching the screen. As more SMs come out I think the tedium of constantly switching between modules will become an issue. I can already see how, when I am riding my moped and following my gps and i want to take a pic with my eyemodule, switching back and forth will become a pain.

Granted, the visor with 4 devices plugged in will look like an ugly blob. But the unit is so small that some of us will not mind the extra bulk.

No flaming or offense intended but--why would you want to change your Springboards--or even use your Visor while you're on your moped? Or do you mean when you're in a parking lot. But if you're complaining about the hassle of it while your driving than I think you have another problem.

1) Have the IR port wrap arround the top of the unit, let's say that up to where the springboard slot is now, that way you may be able to keep the LED's in the same place (there does not seem to be anything between them and the top on my IDX) and the springboard slot is 100% usable. Now I know that certain things like the digital camera and GPS would be wider than the springboard slot at the top. But in those cases you beam out the side like normal!

2) SOUND! Nothing fancy, just loud alarms! I used to have a Psion S5 and I used it to wake me up each morning.. with the Visor I have to have an alarm clock wake me up because the volume is ridiculous (esp. in my rhinoskin bumper case.

2b) DTMF support for dialing with the visor.. I travel internationally and it is a PAIN to have to dial 23 nos to dial home! and app that would automatically generate the correct dial sequence depending on what country one is in would be a must with this.

3)I KNOW this is probably not feasable but here goes, remember the pencil cases that had a translucent plastic top (similar in color to the case on an ice visor) that "Rolled" under the case when you slid it? I used to have one as did most kids at school (about 15-20 years ago). Using that idea to make an integrated screen protector that you could pull up and would not take up any bulk, would not be loosable, and would look REALLY cool!.
4) A springboard business card scanner..

Just dreaming!


[This message has been edited by lcohen (edited 05-04-2000).]

quote:

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Originally posted by Trinition:
What I'd like to see?

A celluar-phone Springboard with a jack for mic/earpiece. The board would have to be available in the different digital cellular flavors out there (analog might be an expensive option). The audio interface could be a lapel mic and ear piece, or headset with boom-mic, or even a regular-sized handset that plugs into the board.

Naturally, it would have ot have it's own battery, and perhaps even a speaker-phone version (using the mic in the Visor) with a board-integrated speaker.

Brian.

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deleted.

[This message has been edited by Hoser_in_USA (edited 05-08-2000).]

FlyinDoC: Care to share your sources?

In the same vein as the sound issue:

I'd really like a speaker that makes the "two tone" telephone chimes so I can put my VDX directly up to the phone to dial FROM my address book.

I'd be nice to have some kind of integrated "dialer" program that included any calling card digits or "dial out" prefixes.

Seems to me that this could be so simply done. I'd be surprised if it *isn't* included in the next generation of Visor.

For the current visor, a single Springboard that has the following features:

Your choice of: POTS or cell fax/modem

with built-in pager, GPS, top-edge powerful IR, advanced sound player/recorder (include an enhanced speaker if necessary), a visible alarm LED, and vibrating alarm and a CD full of software to take advantage of all of those new / enhanced features

(Personally, I could skip the pager, GPS and vibrating features to save on bulk, but I'm thinking of the more general market.)

For the current visor:

Start selling the shafts of the deluxe styli as one item and packs of 5 sets of a single color of tips & tops. How does $5 each sound for these items?

For the futurevisor:

using the current visor as the reference point...

- take advantage of the highest greyscale resolution possible

- make the graphiti area callable rather than permanent

- engineer a battery source that can be recharged while the visor is in the cradle, but still allow you to use stock batteries in an emergency

- incorporate a small watch-type battery as a back-up to the main power source to protect from data loss when batts go dead (won't let the system run, but gives you a hedge against memory loss) this was a lifesaver on more than one occasion with my old Franklin personal organizer!

- incorporate more advanced sound

- replace the page-up / page-down buttons with a 5-button set like this:

^
< O >
v

handy for both games and remote control software, and who knows what else

Since I'm diabetic, I'd like to see a springboard that would either do blood glucose tests, or that would provide a connection to my glucometer so I could transfer test results to my Visor. I know there is a particular glucometer that either has or is working on a cable for Palm, but don't remember the maker off the top of my head.

Just as a quick observation concerning the wristwatch, Casio's "PC Unite" comes with Palm-OS software which allows you to beam addresses, calendar events, to-do items, and memos between the wristwatch and your Palm OS device.

I haven't tried sending from the watch to the Visor -- it strikes me as perverse to write something on a wristwatch and send it to the much more ergonomic Visor -- but the Schedule export works quite smoothly.

Source for the Cell Phone would have been on CBS This Morning a few months ago. I haven't seen much besides that 30 seconds of fame.

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<><

A REAL dictionary. One with at least 125,000 words in it. The Dictionary springboard that is being offered is too small. I want to be able to really use it. And it ought to have a good Thesaurus with it.

quote:

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Originally posted by revbilly:
A REAL dictionary. One with at least 125,000 words in it. The Dictionary springboard that is being offered is too small. I want to be able to really use it. And it ought to have a good Thesaurus with it.

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