Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Baltimore MD, USA
Posts: 717

KGrate, you might be amused at these off-the-wall substitutes for folding keyboards:
http://www.softava.com/silkyboard/
http://www.osw.co.jp/products/mobile/thumb.htm


[This message has been edited by Winchell (edited 11-17-1999).]

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

This is not a real wish, just a fun, silly idea:

I was just thinking about a "tilt switch" Springboard. I saw a description .prc file that was supposed be like the old "tilt a maze back and forth to roll a marble around in it without the marble falling in any of the holes until the end" toy.

Wouldn't it be more fun to play that game by actually tilting the Visor, rather than pushing the stylus around to simulate tilting the maze?

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
Posts: 49

Thanks for all the keyboard replies. The ThinkOutside keyboard was the one pictured here at VC.

I used, when I was a Palm user, the GoType keyboard from Landware. It isn't $99, but the key size I found to be a problem and the added bulk of carrying around the mini-size keyboard makes me think the extra $20 for the folding keyboard might be worth it.

[This message has been edited by KGrate (edited 11-17-1999).]

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Gainesville, FL USA
Posts: 112

How about a Springboard that has 2 (or more)additional Springboard slots? Let you hook up your James Bond laser beam metal cutter SB while you use your 128MB MP3 module, too.

Ok, ok, the architecture probably wouldn't support this, but if it worked you could have some cool combination.

Vendors: if you use this idea, you owe me royalties.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 145

1. (is this is what is meant by Mouse replacement?) a connection to your PC (serial or SB) to have a touch sensitive workpad/drawing pad to do PC functions. A current screen shot could be displayed on the Visor. Negative effects would be that your Visor might end up looking like a WindowsCE device with that &%$"&%$"� start button.

2. I think SB vendors should go the way of the SixPack and stuff different things into one combi-pack, for different types of users/careers/sports for example. Basically a Swiss-knife-SB e.g.:
- Hiker's SB: compass, altimeter, barometer, survival guide (edible plants, shroom, etc.), um...fire starter, H2O purification meter...stop me...
- Voyager SB: for travelers, one for a specific country. Comprehensive bilingual dictionary with voice search feature. (Would it be possible to make a SIMPLER voice recognition software for this purpose - speaking a word in could get you into a general area of the wordlist without trying to transcribe verbatim?), link to useful Internet sites in/about foreign country, address of US consulate, local customs, etc.

Can anybody think of other lifestyles to which a SB could cater to?

Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 145

Add this to my previous post:

-Speaking foreign lang dictionary. You know those little traveling phraseboks dictionaries where you are supposed to point to the needed phrase? So if you are in a nightclub, and you meet someone, you are supposed to flip to the "GOING OUT" section, and get the attention of the person you just bought a drink for and point to "Are you married?". Of course, in this scenario, the person is not wearing his/her glasses and mistakenly reads the line "Yes, I have eight children personally."

Wouldn't a speaking foreign phrase dictionary be practical? Either you can wow them by having the thing talk through a SB speaker. At which point you can show off your cool, cool Ice VDx, or even your BVDs.

Or you can go to the bathroom and memorize a few key phrases with your pocket size French tutor (or Cantonese, or Russian, etc.).

I've read recently that MP3 and players are being used to help learn foreign languages. With a Visor playing MP3s perfoming as a categorized searchable speaking language module, you're one-step closer to the Star Trek universal translator.

Which is my next SB wish. Universal Translator SB. Indispensible for doing business with Ferengis for example.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 10

Goyena:

The Hiker springboard sounds like a terrific idea, but it should also include a GPS unit and associated USGS topo maps. The thought makes my heart go pitter-patter. So, let's see:

Hiker Springboard:
--GPS receiver (which would subsume altimeter and compass, unless you wanted the other two for the sake of redundancy, which isn't a bad idea in backcountry situations)
--USGS topo map library
--Reference libraries for vegetation, geology, fauna (possibly customized for specific geographic regions)
--Full medical/first aid reference
--barometer

And for the deluxe Archaeologist version:
--electronic calipers (for in-field artifact analysis, with direct entry into some database software)
--electronic scale (also allowing direct data acquisition)
--Site mapping software (tied to GPS coordinates and topo maps)
--Ooh! An EDM (electronic distance meter) unit.

And, while we're at it:
--rattlesnake detector (call it "preventative first aid")
--tweezers (there's cactus in them thar hills)

I'm liking this idea. Should be relatively inexpensive, too.

CMShenir



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Never before have things been so much the way they are now.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: College Station, TX
Posts: 143

Goyena,
There are a large number of shareware other language-English dictionary apps available for Palm OS...check out the software links on the HS web site. I had a simple one called "Dictionary" on my Palm Pro/III before it died, but the different language files used a lot of memory - one of the reasons I'm looking forward to 8 M + 8 M flash springboard!

Now what would be really cool would be a combined GPS/satellite modem/voice recognition springboard that would figure out where you are anywhere in the world, download the appropriate language(s), and translate for you in real time!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 16

Does a stock market PDA unit already exist? What would it take to make the Visor the PDA of choice for day trading. Would you need a cell phone as well as a modem springboad, how would this work?

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Redwood City CA
Posts: 472

An LED module to allow Time Datalink wristwatches to receive input from the Visor.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 5

All springboards should be manufactured in "ice", NOT JUST "GRAPHITE"! Those black ones are going to look putrid stuck on the back of my blue VDX!

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Barnegat, NJ, USA
Posts: 72

Good idea lets hear it for colored SB's and stuff

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Posts: 35

How about the world's largest springboard that includes:

FM Radio
MP3
GPS
Pager
Wireless modem
cell phone
alarm clock
altimeter/thermometer/barometer
extra visor (if it breaks down)
visor-watch (attatch the visor screen to a watch, take out the graffiti part, and have a visor watch
tazer
fly swatter
dog whistle
knife sharpener
swiss army knife (selling point: The springboard with the amount of features equal only to a swiss army knife ... including the swiss army knife)
thermal oven
signal mirror
battery charger (solar, kinetic, wind)
water purifier
first aid kit
e-mail checker
high powered flash light
lighter
radiation wave checker
car-drive thing (from tomorrow never dies)
car keys
cd-player
real speakers
game boy attatchment
real web viewer
tv tuner (at least to listen in) with built in dss

Ok, if they can't all be in one springboard, how about in different springboard. These would be all the things I'd want.

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Signing off,

C. Russell
[email protected]



[This message has been edited by C.Russell (edited 11-22-1999).]

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Enumclaw, Wa
Posts: 268

A ram memory upgrade. Cureently they have a 8 MB FLASH memory upgrade. But flash and ram are two different things. Ram memory is much faster and more efficiant than flash memory. So I think that a ram memory springboard would be great.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: East Lansing, MI, USA
Posts: 126

And russel you forgot to mention that it was powered by a fusion reactor

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 13

As long as we're dreaming, how about this:

007 Module:
Magnetic Attract/Disk eraser
DataGrabber(serial or USB cable, 2MB Flash RAM)
Lockpick
TaleLight(or something similar)
Taser

I know I'd buy one

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 33

LOL here are a couple 'interesting' ones (well to me that is):

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
* A rumble pack! (tap and it rumbles)
* Dry Erase marker/AV Marker or any kind of marker
* Flashlight
* Diskette Read and Write drive (that would be really useful)
* Paper puncher/Stapler/tape holder
* Fan and Heater Combo (great for extreme weather)
* Video Projector (that is, if you can hold it steady + better resolution)
* Remote Car Control (think 007)
* Universal Remote Control (tv, garage, vcr, stero...etc)
* Air Freshner
* Key Holder
* Metal Detector
* Y2k Countdown-er
* Could also be useful- Scuba Dive Suit for your palm, plastic covering for those of you that try the use the very very most of your time and dream of checking your e-mail while showering.
</UL>

i'm sorry for any mental disturbances you may have

[This message has been edited by ChowChow (edited 12-21-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Warren, OH, USA
Posts: 57

How about a tuner springboard. The microphone on the Visor would pick up the sound and the needle display of whther the note is sharp of flat woulb be on the screen. Of course the display would also show what note was being played. The would be very helpful for us musician types.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 41

How about a sb that would have a rechargable battery pack.....or a sb that let you run your visor off of solar power.....

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: San Antonio, TX, US
Posts: 6

http://www.virtuacom.com/palmfone-1.htm

Well, from this company is a device which will turn a Palm into a cell phone. It may indeed be adaptable/compatible with Visor. Unfortunately, it appears that the company does not have enough interest/funding for mass production. It also apparently doubles as a wireless WAP or HTML browser/Fax machine/SMS Service. They could make a great Springboard while they were at it.

Let's try to drum up some support for them and give them a little attention, neh?

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