New Idea for MVP Keyboard

youstra

Click the link below and scroll down about 1/4 way and take a look at the quarter-circle keypad on the Origami. Very cool, original idea that would work with MVPs - would be neat to have the MVP change keyboard style when undocked to something like this. MVP's got more bezel...not sure if it'd be too much of a finger-stretch.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/09/hands-on-with-asus-and-founder-umpcs/

Overall, Origami - if successful - will have a profound effect on this biz. Learn flash.

video - http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=169962

analysis - http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/gartenberg/archives/014216.html

-Bill

DHawthorne

It's definitely an interesting idea ... on an MVP, I would be concerned about calibration issues though. Odd shaped buttons like that must overlap, since all buttons are rectangular, and even with active touch boundaries, you have to worry about the z-axis and one button edge blocking another's active area. Then you have the thick overlay, and refraction issues with the MVP that make a button appear to be elsewhere when holding it at different angles; they are best in a relatively fixed position, and I am not sure actually holding it in your hand wouldn't throw the presses off as you move around.

jjames

I can't quite tell, but is the keyboard in QWERTY format? To me it doesn't look like it . . . very interesting idea.

dchristo

DHawthorne wrote:

... on an MVP, I would be concerned about calibration issues though. Odd shaped buttons like that must overlap, since all buttons are rectangular, and even with active touch boundaries, you have to worry about the z-axis and one button edge blocking another's active area.

I remember when the G4 series came out, there was a demo file from AMX that had a series of boomerang-shaped buttons all nested together. Even though button edges clearly overlapped, the active-touch feature worked correctly.

--D

[Deleted User]

Does anyone here think it would be easier to create a UI using flash then TPD4?

jjames

Easier? I'd say no right now - but I'd be willing to learn flash to create UIs. I think the ability to create a UI in Flash would be AMAZING to say the least. I know Vantage has been doing it with their Designer Toolbox for a while now. Very cheap solution too.

I took their Designer Toolbox class about a year and a half ago . . . it was very interesting, and I loved the idea. The only problem I would see is that since Flash needs to be on a "computer", you're dealing now with an OS which unless you're using Linux can be very unstable. So you'd almost be seeing versions of the Sony / Vantage hand-held which . . . was nice.

Overall, it would be great to have an option to be able to create and use Flash GUI, but also still have the option of TPD4.

[Deleted User]

Here is a link to a video of the origami keyboard discussed earlier:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzRZMUC0lJk&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egizmodo%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ephp%3Fpage%3D2

youstra

Does anyone here think it would be easier to create a UI using flash then TPD4?

Not at first, but there are nice benefits. They're largely obj-oriented w/ inheritance & methods tied to indiv UI elements. Even if you forget about the methods...there's much to like about inheritable classes. For complex UI, you can immediately change all instances of a given object.

Longer to learn but easier to maintain and results in more sophisticated UI.

But if you're sticking with DXP/PB-caliber design or a 15-page TP, it doesn't buy you much.

On client side, you wouldn't nec need a full PC...there's a flash renderer for cell phones. Gotta assume they could get away with a pretty thin client.

Anyhoo, it ain't up to us...

Chip Moody

Since Modero panels have an OS and more computing horsepower in them than some control systems, I wouldn't write off the possibility of a "flash player" being integrated at some point...

- Chip

jjames wrote:

The only problem I would see is that since Flash needs to be on a "computer", you're dealing now with an OS which unless you're using Linux can be very unstable.

frthomas

Besides "horsepower", there's the issue of flash requiring a license. Yes there are open source reverse engineered efforts around, but I doubt AMX would go down this route.

Fred

DHawthorne

Licensing is probably the main issue with including Flash. Macromedia is something of an 800 lb. gorilla in the web graphics field, I doubt AMX wants to tangle with them, nor run up the cost of the product by imbedding yet another license.

[Deleted User]

Actually it would be Adobe now . . .

roognation

Flash In The Pan

frthomas wrote:

Besides "horsepower", there's the issue of flash requiring a license. Yes there are open source reverse engineered efforts around, but I doubt AMX would go down this route.

Fred

Don't forget that you have to update your Flash components every 2-3 months. I am sure my clients would love that.

GSLogic

Don't forget that you have to update your Flash components every 2-3 months.
roognation

You would only have to update if you made a change to the master file and it included any of the new components.

I think FLASH is a must for AMX!
I just lost a job to the dark side (Cres****) because I couldn't offer a Flash interface.

mpullin

roognation wrote:

Don't forget that you have to update your Flash components every 2-3 months. I am sure my clients would love that.

Could you explain this?

All the Flash versions I've seen so far are backwards compatible.

Chip Moody

Cre$tron doesn't have a Flash interface either, so I'm not understanding how you lost the job because of that?

- Chip

GSLogic wrote:

I just lost a job to the dark side (Cres****) because I couldn't offer a Flash interface.

GSLogic

Chip Moody wrote:

Cre$tron doesn't have a Flash interface either, so I'm not understanding how you lost the job because of that?

- Chip

You can use Flash for a web interface to the Cre$tron master.

Netlinx uses the main port for the Java interface, so there is no way to serve the Flash page from any other ports. HTML is the only web interface you can do... at the moment.

Chip Moody

First I've heard of using Flash to drive a Cre$tron interface - cool...

Wish I knew more about Flash - could be an interesting thing to poke at, it sounds...

- Chip

yuri

new ******** adagio systems use a flash based interface for webcontrol

Chip Moody

Sadly, not dealing with resi, I'm not likely to see any Adagio products aside from visits to Cre$tron HQ...

- Chip