The creator of this is David Mellis, who is one of the creators of the Arduino project. Apparently he's now in Leah Buechley's group at the Media Lab, which does some great work:
http://hlt.media.mit.edu
This is fantastic, and I'm excited to see what more David will be working on in the future; his dissertation will be an interesting one :)
Does it require any binary blobs for the GSM module or other components? If not, this would be a pretty good choice for someone wanting complete control over his phone's software stack.
Cool ... this gives me hope for the future I want.
The day will come when we will all hold cell phone shaped PCs. You'll be able to interact with them as you do now. However, when placed within 10 feet of a keyboard or mouse, they'll automatically (configurable) and wirelessly use those peripherals ... keyboard and monitors on the fly baby!
Imagine optional super thin foldable displays to pack in the bag ... keyboards too ... or, go big and use production color accurate displays like my NEC 2490WUXi2. Thus making our own like this seems appropriate.
I'm not sure if the idea of "peripherals" matching such a device appeals to me.
Let's think about this... A keyboard is basically a device for entering text via mechanical (or touch) switches which appear on your console/screen. A mouse is a virtual index finger.
Even though most of us can't imagine our daily lives without them at the moment, they both seem archaic in a way. Don't get me wrong; I think that's part of their appeal (I have an IBM model M somewhere in storage), but their high-tech-ness(?) is a bit of a non-sequitur when the day comes when our phone/device/gadget/pc-thing can talk effortlessly to a keyboard and mouse.
It's almost as if a mirror with built in camera interfacing to your straight razor. Some things are best left old-fashioned.
I see this coming too. On the go or sitting on the couch, your portable device operates largely like the smartphones we use today. In your pocket at your desk, it can seamlessly and securely interface with your other devices for a "bigger" experience.
Project the display onto a wall and project the keyboard onto the desk, the unit would detect the position of your fingers over the keys using similar techniques to how Kinect works.
Only one question -- can you take this on a plane?
A while ago I had a cell phone where the battery charging circuitry went out. The battery was 3.6v, so I hooked up (via Velcro) a AAA battery holder and used rechargable NiMH batteries. However I was told (when I called the airline I was traveling) that it most likely wouldn't make it past TSA.
[+] [-] GuiA|12 years ago|reply
This is fantastic, and I'm excited to see what more David will be working on in the future; his dissertation will be an interesting one :)
[+] [-] eksith|12 years ago|reply
I've seen a few DIY projects here and there involving GSM, but his name is what really caught my eye in the first place.
You may also find these interesting:
http://www.open-electronics.org/gsm-gps-shield-for-arduino/
http://www.instructables.com/id/ArduinoPhone/
I'm sure there's room to mix and match improvements.
[+] [-] reedlaw|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dchichkov|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zooka2|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fac13|12 years ago|reply
But this is a much more advanced project - you need to supply your own box to put it in too ..
[+] [-] pcunite|12 years ago|reply
The day will come when we will all hold cell phone shaped PCs. You'll be able to interact with them as you do now. However, when placed within 10 feet of a keyboard or mouse, they'll automatically (configurable) and wirelessly use those peripherals ... keyboard and monitors on the fly baby!
Imagine optional super thin foldable displays to pack in the bag ... keyboards too ... or, go big and use production color accurate displays like my NEC 2490WUXi2. Thus making our own like this seems appropriate.
[+] [-] eksith|12 years ago|reply
Let's think about this... A keyboard is basically a device for entering text via mechanical (or touch) switches which appear on your console/screen. A mouse is a virtual index finger.
Even though most of us can't imagine our daily lives without them at the moment, they both seem archaic in a way. Don't get me wrong; I think that's part of their appeal (I have an IBM model M somewhere in storage), but their high-tech-ness(?) is a bit of a non-sequitur when the day comes when our phone/device/gadget/pc-thing can talk effortlessly to a keyboard and mouse.
It's almost as if a mirror with built in camera interfacing to your straight razor. Some things are best left old-fashioned.
[+] [-] prawn|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] krapp|12 years ago|reply
Re the actual article - very interesting. Wish I knew how to solder. Reminds me of the ancient days when people bought their computers as kits.
[+] [-] rjsw|12 years ago|reply
Project the display onto a wall and project the keyboard onto the desk, the unit would detect the position of your fingers over the keys using similar techniques to how Kinect works.
[+] [-] cinquemb|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] derekp7|12 years ago|reply
A while ago I had a cell phone where the battery charging circuitry went out. The battery was 3.6v, so I hooked up (via Velcro) a AAA battery holder and used rechargable NiMH batteries. However I was told (when I called the airline I was traveling) that it most likely wouldn't make it past TSA.
[+] [-] droopybuns|12 years ago|reply
Forgiveness Procurement difficulty: Low. Likelihood of successs: High.
[+] [-] mellis|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] agumonkey|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mknappen|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Vistz|12 years ago|reply