UMPC Visions

Ready to take UMPC plunge

2006-12-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

Have been doing a lot of research and surfing lately planning for my purchase late in January. Though I don't really know what devices are likely to surface in the near future, the early winner for me so far is the Asus R2H, which is a recent switch for me as I was leaning towards the Samsung Q1p.

But as early generation devices I feel that there is more bang for the buck that make the R2H a clear winner. Built in GPS, camera, double a manufacturer warranty, clear Vista upgrade path and significantly lower price make it more functional out of the box, the difference in cpu speed and memory size while tough is out weighed by the other options.

Of course if they release a machine with similar features and more memory and speed I would be willing to change my mind. Yet the point now, is to get on board and start incorporating this technology into my everyday life.

Processing power of the Samsung and the built in AVS (pre-boot media software) are extremely nice, but I like the fact that the ASUS machine has a standard AV output jack as one of the features in my mind out weights those features. I am looking forward to is putting movies and music on it and using a nearby TV or stereo to output through. With the GPS it can easily transition to a Carputer without significant alteration or having to add more money to the system.

People keep talking about the price of these machines in comparison to TabletPC's and the like, but to me it is replacing several different devices - dedicated E-book reader, multimedia device (PMP), mp3 player, carputer, GPS device. Sold separately I could easily be paying nearly 2k+ and on top of the above I still have a fully functional PC.
The only thing that I really want to see in an upcoming version...removable media. I would love to see a mini-DVD drive standard, heck they have one in PSP's. Interoperability with a standard DVD drive, would allow me to carry around tons of movies, pictures and mp3's on easily portable disks.
One can only hope.

UMPC v2.0 Suggestions

2006-11-12T02:49:00.000-05:00

I am fascinated by the promise and want to purchase a UMPC, though due to finances will not be able to get one until the second generation some time in the new year. What do I, personally want from the next generation?

Better video performance, in a perfect world that would be some kind of removable, upgradeable card, but I would be happy with a decent chipset and dedicated video memory. Higher native video resolution, 1024x600 as the standard, native resolution minimum. Outdoor viewablity.

Instant on. This is the big one, and the hardest. While it may be possible via hybrid flash drive for instant hibernation and resume, it needs to be done in a way that doesn’t kill reasonable price points.

Dedicated music player audio that has intelligent volume control, example is if the device is put on high volume for the built in speakers, not being at a level to blow out your ear drums out when you hook up headphones.

Intelligent screen rotation, with hardware buttons that coordinate with that rotation.

Palm rejection technology to enhance ink recognition.

Built in camera.

Finger print security.

My big suggestion, my key suggestion, is the incorporation of reasonably priced, removable media. I would like to see mini-DVD which is a common format for Digital Video, which is do able in a portable format as proven by the PSP. I would hope it would be possible to add a burner capability but if not, read only of a universally standard disc format would be wonderful. 1.4 GB, single layer/double layer DVD disk could hold tons of MP3’s, movies etc. and would be great for games as well and help alleviate some of the pressure for larger hard drives which is a major part of the unit price.

New title and focus going forward

2006-10-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

Changed the title from Tech Visions to UMPC Visions. Why? I have found myself enamored with the true potential of the UMPC. Plus looking at a lot of my previous posts, a lot of them would work well with UMPC, and one was even addressing my need/desire for a UMPC before the device even existed.

So going forward I will be focusing much more on the UMPC. Not specific machines and the like but more involved with actually the kind of uses it can be put to, maybe a little about hardware and specs but more focused on software and technology that when combined with the UMPC will allow the user to do an enormous amount of things that I think most people have not even thought about or only in a limited fashion.

Mega PC Gaming System

2006-02-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

In the preliminary stage of building a gaming/multimedia system. Turns out this is a far from original idea. Why it is popular is do to the fact that many people are upgrading or getting new systems and are wanting to get use out of old systems.

By far the biggest part of the community doing this seems to be building Mame cabinets, boxes looking like and running arcade games. Some include mp3 jukebox like features. Some include elaborate cabinets, custom created joysticks and buttons. A very big nostalgia factor drives this as well as simply put alot of older games are still fun to play. Mortal Kombat comes to mind. Check out this site for the best example of Mame cabinets:
http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm
and these Wiki for good over view and links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAME
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAME/MAME_arcade

My thoughts on this are similar and at the same time quite diverse. I do not want to spend alot of time and money trying to replicate the arcade experience from my youth. I do want to enjoy the old style joysticks and buttons which made game play simple yet I don't want to limit my game universe any more than I have too (limited by the older hardware I will be using).

So, I will not be building an arcade cabinet per se but rather a dedicated pc gaming machine, designed to use Mame and other emulators as well as simply play a variety of games. To do this I will consider building some kind of enclosure but that is not the be all and end all. I would like to also like to experiment and use dedicated controllers, and unique interface options. I also want it to be able to use it as a mp3 playing setup (would like to have a party mode DJ like option and a robust play list setup).

Hardware needed/planned/recycled:

--Core PC will be leftovers from previous upgrade, 2.6 Athlon, 1gb ram, Geoforce 5500, WinXP (its stable and it works) all game requirements will be that they have to run at least on XP. Not cutting edge by very respectable specs to run emulators and alot of PC games

--Mass storage - couple of options here, small drive (say 20 or 40 in system) and networked mega storage that would also be available to main system say two 320gb WD drives in Netgear storage case. Or simple go big inside the box.

--Interface - key here is ability to launch everything if possible, regular PC games as well from one single interface, currently looking at:
http://tomspeirs.com/gameex/default.htm
http://www.maximusarcade.com/
both which have great looks and decent flexibility and more importantly for me, fairly easy setup.

--Controllers - Like the X-Arcade dual controllers for joysticks
http://www.xgaming.com/landingpage-aah.shtml
and the Griffin Powermate for running the mp3 side
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powermate/
what can I say it just looks neat.

Lots of work and design decisions to make yet. To be blunt the interface options are pretty limited, what one is good at the other is not. Would also like to see alot more automation for working with emulators (configurations files already included). And ease of use for setting up normal PC games.

On the mp3 jukebox/DJ option have not really found a great option that just works and is easy to use. Think it would be great to have one that could create play lists on the fly, add to play lists, cross fade to new song when one is selected (replace one that sucks with a good one), has a touch screen friendly interface, easy multi-select. Was thinking as a basic party feature, have nice tree view grouped by album or artists, and as guests select a song is added to now playing play list and that song is removed from selection options so no one dups. That way they could all select their favorites and then just let it play. If anyone knows of a great mp3 program that includes all or most of this functionality let me know. It has to be dead simple for non-pc users yet robust in its execution.

Don't mind using two different programs as long as I can call one from the other, hopefully the game interface.

Ideas to expand on this is light gun games, using a TV 27in or bigger instead of a monitor, custom built launcher using some kind of multimedia program like Opus or Director, sound considerations plus simply building the whole thing from scratch, ground up.

I want to be able to play old arcade style Mortal Kombat then turn around and play Unreal II, then switch to play list of my favorite tunes all quickly and easily without having to deal with the man behind the curtain.

Any ideas or suggestions let me know as this is still in the design/consideration phase.

Tech Epiphany – Adventures in Ultra-portable Tablet PC

2006-01-22T00:28:00.000-05:00

What is technology about? Its about extending and enabling what you can do, taking the exchange of information and personal control to a quantum leap above simple words between two people, and connecting millions.

How can I use technology in a way that will impact and empower my everyday life, both personal and work, home and on the road?

My plan, which involves a major purchase for me, is a Tablet PC in the smallest form factor possible. I am currently looking at the Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D, reviewed here http://laptopmag.com/Review/Fujitsu-LifeBook-P1510D.htm and the DualCor cPc http://www.dualcor.com/index.php. Both are ultra-portable machines utilizing Windows XP tablet edition and in the case of the DualCor cPc PocketPC as well.

Up front concerns are the Fujitsu Lifebook P1510D in its base configuration quickly escalates in price once you increase the hard drive and memory. Major pluses are that Fujitsu has a solid reputation for reliability and after purchase support.

The DualCor cPC has similar specs, more memory, smaller form factor and is also a fully functional Pocketpc giving it instant on functionality but lacks integrated keyboard. The base unit will ship with 1gb of ram, which is an 800 dollar upgrade on a 256 Lifebook P1501D. The downside for is the Via processor, not a well known processor, which is a higher megahertz than the Lifebook P150D, but may not be an indicator of performance. Plus DualCor is an unknown quantity on the support side being the first product of a new company.

I would love to get either of these units to use as test unit, but I will most likely be relegated to reading a ton of reviews, saving as much as possible and then putting hopefully the best system to the actual test.

Why do I want an ultra-portable Tablet PC? I have four plans.

-----1. Media interface with my home pc.

I want to be in my house and use my Tablet PC to via wifi peruse all the media files on my main pc, and hopefully at some point my media server.

I want to be able to access and view any media on my main home system. From video’s, ebooks to .pdf’s, from music to comics in Cdisplay http://www.geocities.com/davidayton/CDisplay, an amazing program for looking at a series of images in zipped format. To some extent I want the portable unit to function as a front end, a supremely customized, very expensive remote control. Some of the programs I am looking at are J. River Media Center http://www.jrmediacenter.com/ and Meedio http://www.meedio.com/ for front end features. Key to this will be usable easily with Tablet PC and preferably low memory and processor overhead with ability to work over network.

Other programs are Synergy 2 http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/ to let me use a single keyboard and mouse with two computers. Ultramon http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/overview/ a utility to use a second computer as an extra monitor screen like the one used here, Maxvista http://www.maxivista.com/ another software package that lets you use a second computer’s screen as a second monitor so I can use the Tablet PC even when I am using my main pc it can function as a second display, and maybe even as an auxiliary display like this http://www.makezine.com/extras/41.html.

-----2. Carputer. Keeping it mobile.

The Tablet PC to me is the perfect solution to a portable experience in the car. At its simplest, add an FM transmitter to allow it to play through your cars existing stereo and some kind of mounting system instant, and you have an instant carputer.

Add to that one of the above media interfaces noted in the first section and you can quickly select playlists of your favorite music, play slideshows and various other media. With Belkin CableFree USB Hub http://www.cnet.com/4831-11405_1-6412633.html you can easily interface it with a host of useful peripherals such as external storage, web camera, GPS simply be plugging in the USB wireless adapter. I really like the idea of using external storage, that way you could keep profiles and files specific to where you are using the device.

-----3. PDA Replacement

I currently have an aging Dell Axim X5 that is nearing the end of its life and needs replacing. Its use has been 90% ebooks, a few simple games and some reference tools for work. I want to fully integrate the Tablet PC into my home and work as an organizational tool. With the programs being full versions I will not have to hassle with converting files back and forth.

With instant sync with the DualCor I could utilze the PocketPC side for instant on use and have that information available on the PC side as well. With the Lifebook P1501D in standby mode I could get nearly the same instantaneous use with the advantage of the integrated keyboard.

With the much more powerful Tablet PC interface I hope to finally use my favorite note program Texnotes Pro by http://www.gemx.com/ which is an incredibly powerful and easy to use program that makes collecting all those snippets of data easy. One of the other things I plan to do is use an organizer program, up to this point it has been nearly impossible to use an organization program as I bounce back between PC, PocketPC and hipster index cards, the organizer I plan to use another program from GemX called do-Organizer.

-----4. Portable Gaming Machine

With emulators, MAME and others, maybe slightly older pc programs focused on game play and small size…shareware and the like, I hope to put a decent number of great games like Tetris, Bejeweled and others on the Tablet PC and with either a keyboard or a micro keyboard, depending on the machine, have the ability to play as well as work. Not sure of a source for these beyond shareware but I am sure that many games, classics of the past twenty or more years, still exist in a format usable on a Tablet PC.

The durability of these classics as well as nostalgia value should provide a wide variety and a lot of fun with hopefully minimal hard drive footprint, as the biggest problem with these devices is limited storage options.

-----Hopes and Dreams

The biggest problem I see with these devices is what makes them great is size and portability, limits expandability and prevents removable storage from being an integrated option.

One of my biggest hopes is that future devices will include mini-DVD readers/burners. These exist in consumer camcorders and seem to have a minimal footprint so I believe they could be included in the ultra-portable form factors. Capacity of 1.4GB should be enough to hold tons of songs; movies compressed a bit, tons of games and hundreds of ebooks or zipped images.

My second biggest hope is something to help the boot or resume process, possibly booting from a large flash drive rather than the hard drive. The operating system and core system files executing from flash memory should be substantially faster than hard drive, as well as possibly being even more power conservative than using the hard drive. As memory prices and flash media continue to drop in price I see this as becoming a more and more viable option. Imagine the operating system and possibly even the swap file running totally on flash memory. Nearly instant operation in comparison to hard drives.

-----Conclusion

With the small size of these devices, their raw mobility, I hope to incorporate it into my life both personal and professional. Allowing me to become more organized, consistent and hopefully better by integrating all the aspects in my life in a unified whole.

Why should an idea that occurs to me at work, have to be written down on an index card, and then later when I get home enter it into my main PC, when I can simply write it down quickly in Tablet PC interface, on the spot, no waiting and have it in my application of choice then and there.

-----Examples

-Say I am doing my morning To Do list review at work, I fire up my thinking music playlist while I organize my list in do-Organizer.

-See a display at a competitors store, snap a picture (hopefully with an ultra small USB camera), instantly saved to the Tablet PC, later can show it to my associates to point out what is right and wrong with it.

-At lunch, listening to my relax playlist, work on my shopping list for after work.

-On the way to work, listen to voice notes from previous end of day reminder list.

-Traveling out of town, snap the Tablet PC into the car mount, tie in the power, put in the wireless USB connector to the wireless hub connected to my external storage, GPS, on dash web cam. Fire up the media interface and roll. Total time, less than it takes to boot XP, satisfaction level…priceless.

OLED Keyboard - augumented reality

2006-01-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

OLED keyboard where every key is a display, changeable to whatever programs you are using needs. You are using Internet Explorer and if programmed keys would change to reflect it options. I am sure many templates will be released for all the common programs and many games. I am also sure that someone will make it into a animated billboard like effect.

Neat idea and ties into augmented reality in that it changes based on what is needed. Think this will lead to a trend. The original product should be available Feb. 1 2006, and I am curious to the final price. Also curious to what uses people will put.

The only thought process I am curious about here is how truly useful. I rarely look at my keyboard, and the keys I tend not to remember are the key combo ones, alt-something and ctrl-something, though once I memorize them they can greatly increase my user experience.

For example the ctrl-enter combo when I type in a website like Google into the address bar, hit ctrl-enter and it adds the http://www. and the .com to the base website name, has truly made surfing the net much easier for me. Add that to the copy (ctrl-C), cut (ctrl-X), paste (ctrl-V) and select all (ctrl-A), you can greatly speed up you computer use.

http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/

Continious Computing Environment

2006-01-09T11:52:00.000-05:00

Thinking about what makes computing a challenge. The biggest thing is that at some point we all customize and personalize our main pc, it has the layout and look and programs that we like and prefer.

I think at some point our pc will evolve as they are already evolving already, oqo, viao and the like getting smaller and smaller.

I think the PC as we know it will evolve to a small box, a motherbox if you will, that will be persistent storage device with multi-gigabytes of storage (holographic maybe?), high speed universal wireless I/O to attach to internet, keyboard, mouse, monitor.

Imagine walking up to a desk with a keyboard mouse and monitor, the motherbox in your pocket talks to the peripherals, quick biometric log on and you are active with all your stuff, your personal pc experience.

Several hours later at home the experience is repeated.

Riding the train to work the next day collapsible keyboard and mini-screen give ultimate portability.

Things to make the work are induction pad charging. This is existing technology and just needs a great way to implement, imagine your entire desktop as a surface where any electronics placed on it are charged....perfect for keyboards and mouse, as well as the motherbox.

Almost all of this is available now except for small holographic storage, which already exists and I am sure will soon be reduced in size and increased in storage.

Now the sweet stuff. Imagine a personal picture journal...a lapel camera and microphone with a time/date stamp that records...everything, any dispute on something and you could bring up the date and time and review.

All your data with you at all times, and all other data relevant to you. Medical, dental records, financials everything that you could imagine information wise always at your fingertips.

I think that e-ink will evolve to color and motion in the future making displays cheap, bendable, rollable and ultra power conservative. You could have a credit card sized screen in your wallet, that could unfold to many times the size.

Plus what about real time info on multiple screens. Your watch is simply an interface to the motherbox, a virtual screen for the system. A personal window to your information. Time, date of course, appointments, alarms of course, your personal medical biometrics, heart rate, temperature of course. Just this one feature is incredibly powerful. Like the Lid devices coming out for notebooks, a low power window into the PC. But with the possibility of so much more information.

Pattern recognition software, combined with camera system and a set of glasses (contacts) with addition of heads up display technology would give you all types of enhanced reality, called augmented reality. Basic could recognize faces and link to their contact data, you know their name, etc...You look at a theater and it gives you shows and show times. It hears squeal of tires and via location system determines you are in danger and warns you by flashing, and yelling stop in your ears.

Lots of interesting possibilities. With advances in storage, expert systems, knowledge bases this is what computing is evolving too. I really believe that with the pace of technology, the demand for information management this will be the way the future is going to play out.

DVD library external

2005-12-19T11:07:00.000-05:00

Have a need for accessing lots of DVD's that have data on them from. PDF’s to palm docs, pictures etc. Just lots of things that I don't want on my hard drive but need access too.

I have seen a carousel that hooks up via USB with a catalog front end, but you then have to pop out the DVD and use it. Not a necessarily horrible solution. But would really like a complete integrated solution.

Ultimate DVD Disk Changer. USB carousel, that uses an integrated drive to catalog and read/burn disks as needed. I know Sony has a DVD movie version that handles 200 disks, but is a read only DVD movie version, need pretty much the same thing but designed for regular PC and designed to read and burn DVD's of any PC readable type. This would give equivalent to nearly a TB of storage, and with a nice database program could catalog and retrieve all your files quickly and easily. Plus with hubs and USB you should be able to daisy change several devices together.

DIY coffee table, maybe sand garden

2005-10-09T16:46:00.000-05:00

Last week on a day off, thought I would create a coffee table for my living room. Nothing special, but a place for drinks, folding clothes, my son's monitor and that could be done for a minimal budget...i.e. sub 40 dollars as I was between paychecks.

At the local chain hardware/lumber store I purchased 3/4 plywood pre-cut in a square two foot by four foot, perfect for a table.

Purchased four pre-done legs (basic spindles, with a threaded bolt sticking out of the top), and four adapter plates for the bottom of the board.

Board $9.99
Brackets 4 x $1.59 = $6.36
Legs 4 x $2.99 = $11.96

(your prices may vary but basic for the table cost me only $28.31 plus tax, not bad for a quick afternoon DIY project). Took a cup and used it to draw a line to round off the corners (cut off with a cheap ten dollar clearance skill saw from a department store - could also have been done with a hand saw, but would have taken more time - maybe use a keyhole type saw...not sure of name, basic hand version of skill saw.)

Once I had rounded off the corners, next I measured in from end and side for all for corners to create a mark for the brackets, then simply placed the brackets at that point and screwed them to the main board using the provided screws with my drill (with screw head, much easier than by hand).

Flip over, screw on the legs and walla nearly instant and effortless table.

Have a few more ideas, finishing it another day, think I will give it a thorough sanding, and some kind of simple finish (have to research and see what works, paint is always cheap and easy.) Of course I will need to fill in some of the rough surfaces with wood filler to create a smooth surface.

Another idea is to create an indoor sand garden. Idea is to use molding, with corners miter cut, nailed to top edge of table, creating a bowl effect. Then all edges sealed, around the top edge of the table, fill with sand and create sand garden ..rocks, rake, Buddha...lol. Then cover with glass. Large piece would blow the budget (unless I could find something cheap at a yard sale) but maybe could use smaller pieces together, say two or three pieces. Then would be a functional table and relaxing indoor art.

PSP Game Idea P. 2

2005-08-07T12:17:00.000-05:00

Virtual Assistant more than a virtual pet I think. I like the idea of being able to chose a pet (lets change that name to familiar), familiar, that you could chose from tons of different ones. I am going to stick with my original Griffin idea, but it could even be a two inch tall pixie, or a dragon, or a intelligent cloud, or a speaking atom.....no limits. Now lets link this to the PDA, digital assistant idea more than the pet. Predictive AI based on preferences, searches on Google and the like, so it would be setup to do fuzzy logic searches based on my preferences, syncing this data to the PSP familiar when linked.

The PDA programs themselves would have to run from the UMD, but data files, the familiar's look and AI scripts could all be stored on the Memory stick. As the PSP has date and time, it should be fairly simple to create a calendaring system, (with a keypad), a notes organizer, to do list, picture viewer, file manager. I know I am just scratching the surface.

The personality and scripting of the AI could be part preprogrammed and part fuzzy logic, simple controls would allow the user to alter it based on preferences. Lets say you chose a sarcastic personality for you familiar, and when it pops up a reminder (I don't know if the PSP has supports for this feature, but hopefully it does, available either from an existing system feature or from a ROM update in the future if it does not). So it blares out in text to speech mode - YOU HAVE A APPOINTMENT, JACKASS. The end user can change this to tone alarm and speech balloon, and set the Jackass comment to second reminder maybe.

Just some random thoughts. I have always liked the idea of a digital assistant on the pc, not the crappy ones that Microsoft came up with, that ended up being more annoying than useful. But something truly useful, adaptive and with a social interface you could alter and change to meet your preferences, that would use advanced AI to learn from you, about you, and then use this information to help you.

Lets say that you enter alot of bio data into the AI database. Your Mothers B-day is coming up, and you have told the AI that you normally forget it. The AI would then generate reminder events based on this info. On the PC side could even remind you and then bring up websites you may have used for gifts before as a hint.

Persistent Virtual Gaming Character

2005-08-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

Persistent Virtual Character. I was hoping years ago that something like this would be invented but since it has not, thought I would put the concept out there and see if it has legs.

Basic idea is that nearly all game characters are too some extent simply a spreadsheet of stats, strength, intelligence, speed, hit points, character level, sex, race, inventory etc. Also some of the character description if it has the typical paper doll choices for a character.

The concept is very simple; create a universal format for that information. Lets for example use a typical fantasy RPG. Your main character is a dwarf, has an axe, and is very strong and likes to wear browns, and has the name, Yos, and he is a 5th level fighter.

You tire of this game but have put a lot of work into Yos. You find a new football online game, similar to Madden and want to play it.

With a Persistent Virtual Character, you would pay for the football game and get the option to “Translate” an existing character. Great you say, and from the browser you select Yos, who shows up as an option to “Translate/Import.”

The new game has a simple translation program that takes the stats from Yos and imports them/translates them into the new football games equivalents. Based on how different the games types are, you may be offered choices for some, or eliminate some (gaining points) that can be spread to the new stats.

In Yos’ s case, his fighting skill can be translated to say a 3rd level quarterback or a 4th level receiver or a 5th level linebacker; you pick the one you like. Benefit is you are getting credit so you don’t have to start at the bottom. His dwarf status becomes translated to short and stocky.

Now lets say the inventory is exchanged for similar football inventory, better pads, stain resistant uniform, tougher helmet. Your magic axe has no direct equivalent, so you gain points to spend.

You pick 3rd level quarterback and use some of the points from the translation to upgrade his passing skills, and increase height. His preference for black is either to pick a team with a black theme or alter the uniform a bit (brown shoes, brown sweatbands on wrist, etc.)

Another type of game might be setup with a pretty much one to one conversion. Say a sci-fi game, he stays a dwarf, his armor converts to cyber upgrades, and his magic axe becomes a chainsaw axe. He takes a level hit due to translation and starts as a warrior dwarf cyborg level 4.

Customization, ownership of the character, not loosing all the hard work developing the character would I think lead to a much richer gaming experience. (Plus at each conversion the character is saved as a snapshot so if you go back to your original game you can reverse the changes back to the original the same way they were translated. Example lets say you go fantasy – football – sci-fi and then back to fantasy. The translation program works out the two transitions and uses that to generate a recipe to retranslate you back to the original game. Except this time you are 4 levels higher, have archery skills (passing from the quarterback translated and laser pistol from the sci-fi game translated, and all your stats are higher).

With this I could see the base game being a warp, and you, yourself of the real world translated into the game via a questionnaire, that loads up some base genres based on your answers. Then you could evolve your online persona as you played various games.

Idea for Future Entertainment

2005-08-07T11:36:00.000-05:00

I am currently seeing several trends that I believe will converge and coalesce in the Entertainment Industry in the near future.

Near photographic 3d modeling, 3d interactive software (such as Half-life 2, etc.), and demand for custom, individual entertainment.

Result of these is what I believe will be the next generation of Entertainment. First I see fairly inexpensive, downloadable software. This software would come with detailed, photo quality actors, with basic paper doll features to customize, standard scripts (with great detailed AI, for multiple ways of doing things). This will be the vanilla package. Standard combinations, standard generic type virtual people to populate it and a list of standard scenarios.

The end user selects a act that they like, then the select models, and customize to their preferences, blonde, brunette, large lips, full hips...etc. They then run one of the included AI scripts, which are simple pre-scripted actions, with easy editing features.

The user can also easily control the camera position, they can look out of either actors eye, have birds eye, etc. What ever their personal preference is they can chose it. The program runs, using sophisticated AI to have the virtual actors interact, almost every motion or action has hundreds of variations and they are controlled by fuzzy logic and branching, thus no two versions of the scene need ever be the same. The way everything is advancing this will be created and run in real time, just as 3d games are right now.

Now the next stage of this is where the true billions will be earned. Hundreds of thousands of AI script modules will be available for a price covering thousands of postures, and actions. You are into fishnet stockings, that is simply a module to purchase and download, to customize your personal experience.

Next say you are tired of the limited actor choices of the basic package. There again you can go online and select from hundreds of thousands of virtual actors, some created by artists, others by people who have had detailed 3d scans converted to models and licensed their likeness to the industry. Even a subscription service where you get a new actor every so often based on preset preferences or random.

Even environmental packages will be available as the boundaries are stretched. Zero G activities, giants bodies in space, physical real world locations, underwater, in lava...imagination is the only limitation.

Scenario packages, essentially story’s that create a "movie" using your actors and preferences will also be sold. Look at the industry and you will find thousands of reasons for encounters, which seems almost as important as the encounter itself.

Why do I think this will work and why would people will be interested. Customizability based on what the user wants, advances in technology and programming giving real time 3d graphics. Endless variety. Look at the movie industry now, tons of different sites catering to every taste and desire. This concept only takes it to another logical level.

DIY Layaway for Tech

2005-08-07T11:25:00.000-05:00

I am a gadget guy. Always have my eye on something. Frequently out of the range of my budget and as for saving, if I have easy access to my money I most likely will be spending it.

My current desire is an ultra-portable PC or Tablet PC, average price after taxes and shipping is around 2K. Enough money that I will have to figure out a way to save for it.

My current idea is creating my own layaway. Now if the model was available locally at say a Best Buy, CompUSA I would simply go and purchase gift cards. That would tie my money up, with the limitation that it would be good for that location.

My other idea is the VISA/MasterCard cards that can be purchased by almost anyone and have money added to them. This so far is a great solution. Only downside I have seen on these is that they charge about five dollars a month to carry a balance, but have the advantage of being usable just about anywhere and can even be used at a cash machine.

Probably the best solution is American Express Travelers checks which are about universally redeemable and all charges are up front.

I really wish one of the big companies would realize the potential of creating a layaway card. They would make money just like a bank, but investing the cash until the card is used. In this scenario they would get maybe a small one time fee for the card, charge nothing to the owner for using it, except if used at an atm, and still make their percentage that they get when ever anything is purchased with the card.

The advantages for people who have problem saving are tremendous. Plus if they were really smart to increase usage they could pay a small interest on the money based on how long it takes it to be used, say about a savings account rate.

If anyone has seen one of these VISA/MasterCard based ones with low fees please reply, think it would be nice to post if for everyone, the Poor Man's Layaway plan.

PSP and Web Browsing

2005-07-23T18:59:00.000-05:00

Hearing the recent news that the next update is containing a web browser I began to think of all the potential. At a minimum, if it will allow you to view HTML files that opens up the possibility of using it to view e-books in that format, if it will let you load local files.

Their are several wiki and pda like functionality web pages that can be run locally, again something I think would be great, if not their are many websites that offer pda like functionality via the web. Still would like the ability to save on the PSP those sites for review. Save for example my calendar page daily and then review it.

I can see a need for the ability to auto sync information daily to the PSP, at home before you get out in case you cannot get wifi access at work or while traveling. It might also be possible from the demo shown to use the web to transfer information wirelessly between your home system. Though I think this is a major kludge, I really hope a simple utility comes out allowing you to browse your network for files and move them back and forth.

PSP needs to evolve into a lifestyle device, where they become essential. In many ways that is what the IPod has done, become incorporated and essential to many peoples lifestyle. With the wide ranging abilities of the PSP it can do so much more.

If I was a developer I would be working on creating a UMD with extensive PDA features (all data saved on the memory stick), a simple content browser for moving content back and forth using the wifi connection, and a basic ebook reader.

If funds were substantial, I would be creating a .PDF viewer, which I have stated before is the killer app for a portable. With the widescreen, snappy processor I think the PSP could create a PDF viewing system as easy and convenient as the PC with out the bulk.

PSP Game Idea

2005-07-23T18:52:00.000-05:00

This is not a new idea, but if updated and used on the PSP I think they would have a potential hit. An updated version of the Tomagachi or digital pet. These were to a certain extent forerunners to games like the Sims. Updated and adjusted for the average age of the typical PSP users (I would say mid to late teens and above). Lots of customizable options. Could also incorporate into security system/screen saver.

Others ideas is a plethora of potential pets, forget all the cutesy ones what about a pet Griffin, or a shambling zombie mumbling brains...brains....lol.

Do like the idea of evolving and growing the pet, not really a fan of having it die from inattention, would make more sense if it would just get cranky when you don't pay attention.

With the power of the PSP could even evolve to something of a digital assistant. I don't see why they could not become a part of a reminder system, alarms, even use AI techniques to enhance their usefulness.
Again just a thought.

PSP New 2.0 Update Soon

2005-07-21T10:36:00.000-05:00

A number of sites are reporting that PSP is getting a new update. 2.0 which will include what I think is the holy grail for PSP users, a built in web browser.

Concerns I have, and I hope they are addressed, are bookmarks...why, because without a keyboard and because of the really lousy PSP way of entering text, book marks are going to be crucial to making it a pleasant experience. I also hope they have a homepage feature.

If it does not allow bookmarks, then the ability to set a home page or even better to have a html. file as a home page on the PSP itself, would allow users to have a page of links to key sites to make browsing much easier.

My second concern is the buffering the PSP does on pictures. One of the reasons I purchased the PSP was to view comics. The problem I have found and verified with several others is that after viewing a number of oversized scanned pages, the PSP, which initially views the page blurred and clears it up as you move about it, at some point after viewing a number of pages, does not clear up. Having to exit the picture viewer all the way and then go back in to continue reading is distracting from the immersion factor. (Sidenote: the PSP needs to organize pages using standard ordering rather than creation date, which has forced me to resave many of my scans again just to get them to display in proper order on the PSP, arghhhh)

Finally I think and have stated before that an integrated PDF viewer, or even more importantly an ebook reader would open up the PSP to an even wider audience. They need to think complete media entertainment machine. (If they don't release one, would love for a developer to come up with a UMD version).

I still dream that at some point we will be able to purchase UMD burners, not to copy software, but to put pictures, video, music (and in the future PDF and ebook) content on.

I know that many homebrew apps will be killed by the update. It seems that Sony should acknowledge the need for some kind of cheap, multi-game setups. Or a developer. I do not see any reason why someone could not develop a UMD based app, that plays older games from the same disk only limiting it to being used for what is paid for only. At the capacity of UMD's you could fit substantial amounts of older ROMS on a single disk.

Think about old software catalogs that could be updated/converted and played on the PSP (it would be nice to see the games not just ported over, but not reworked, but maybe re-optimzed to work better on the PSP. I really don't think that this would hurt new game sales. And if the original license holders would accept modest fees, it would be a way for everyone to make money with a modest investment as the homebrew community has already done a lot of the work...

GTD David Allen Organizational System

2005-04-27T17:37:00.000-05:00

Recently have been trying GTD - Getting Things Done, by David Allen, bought the book after reading 43folders website. I am a busy retail manager and have tons of things to do and keep track of and was hoping the GTD would help. While I have not even finished the book I have recently implemented two things from the book and from the 42folders website.

Hipster PDA, or in my case the Ubiquitous Personal Analog Device, basically a stack of index cards, with a clip to hold them together to quickly get ideas from head to paper.

The second thing is separating To-Do lists into similar categories. I recently set up a notebook with two ruled columns and a title. I write down the overall focus of the page...for example...training and all my training to dos go on that page only.

Plan-o-grams, all on a page, etc. The nice thing about this is that I can define the project on the page, list the next action, and keep all similar items on one single page. Advantage is in time savings. I can focus on one type of tasks at a time, increasing efficiency by focusing on just one category, usually knocking out several things at a time.

More as I go forward...but a start that has led me to be more productive so far...

Save Your Life Kit

2005-04-15T19:29:00.000-05:00

What things, hopefully inexpensive things, which can be kept in a kit, to protect you if things happen. Recently things have happened around the world from natural disasters, man-made events (terrorism). Bottom line "stuff" happens.

The basics below are designed to give you the absolute minimums and are designed to cover what is needed at low cost.

First, information is the most powerful tool you can have. To that end I recommend a good survival manual and a basic first aid kit.

P-38 Army Issue Can opener, it can also serve duty as a basic multi-tool as it can be used to cut, as a screw driver and many other uses. A multi-tool would be another more expensive option.

Water purification tablets. Keeps you safe no matter what kind of water you may have to drink.

Compass - to keep you from wandering around in circles. This combined with a good map of your area and some basic map reading skills could very well save your life.

Space blanket, yes, you know, those amazing fold up silver blankets. Serve to protect you from the elements, exposure, and if rescue is an option, can be very obvious from a distance.

Some kind of fire making tool. For anyone who has watched the Survivor TV series, even knowing how to make a fire, does not make it easy. Their are many types of tools for this, I would recommend getting one or two and experimenting.

Trash bags, heavy duty, can do many duties from rain poncho, lean to cover and more.

Duct tape. Can be used for just about anything. In a survival situation it is that x-factor tool, that can be used for just the right thing at the right time.

Heavy duty nylon cord, can be used to tie up a lean to, secure a trap, tourniquet. Again a vital part of a survival kit.

Signal whistle, if you want to be found, a high intensity piercing whistle can be a life saver.

Altoids tin, to hold a bunch of this in a small convenient. I recommend searching the internet for Altoids survival kits, there are a ton of survival kits based on Altoid tins. I highly recommend putting one together.

New Mini Tablet PC

2005-04-14T20:34:00.000-05:00

Read an article this morning about, a small form factor Talet PC, possibly measuring 6x8 which is about the dimensions of a piece of paper folded in half. Really a focus on this size would be ebook reading.

This would in my opinion, be the ultimate form factor, while I have been intrigued by ultra-portables, most are too small like the OQO and Sony U70? and give up too many features.

I would imagine that this size tablet pc would be big enough to have decent power, screen, hard drive, and a wealth of connections, for text input attach a cheap keyboard and mouse. Detach and you can have your PC with you nearly anywhere.

Buy some cheap keyboards and mouse, mice, and have one at work, one at home and say a portable on in the car. Use it like a tablet and when you need it, plug in a keyboard and mouse.

Ubiquitous capture device - UCD

2005-04-10T22:26:00.000-05:00

I have been reading comments, articles on a great website, http://www.43folders.com/ for a while, and wanted to comment on one of the greatest things I have taken from that site, something called a "hipster" personal assistant, I have discovered and some observations I have passed on.

I currently work as a retail manager for an office supply chain and it was simple to experiment with an "Ubiquitous capture device - UCD", basically any kind of tool used to capture ideas and thoughts down in a tangible form, outside your head. For alot of people this ends up being 3x5 index cards, secured with a binder clip or bull clamp, so they are not just loose in a pocket.

Things I have learned while using them for the past month...(your experiences may vary)

--colored cards are good only if in the heat of needing to write something down, you use them to separate ideas into very broad categories...like work and personal. Other than that have not found colored cards to be terribly useful. When I need to get an idea down, don't tend to worry too much about what color it is written on, just that I get it written down.

--I recommend either unlined or grid, reason - because we are creatures of order and will tend follow lines, if the line are there and going one way, you will tend to follow them, which can stifle creativity.

-- really don't like the binder clamp, as you take it off it is just a loose collection of cards, but it tends to get in the way when you take your stack of cards out and jot down a quick note...I have tried (as I have access to the equipment) to experiment with spiral binding, binder rings, hole punched with brass tabs as binding methods and have yet to find the magic one that works. This has frustrated me so much that I even went to a local home supply super store looking for binding methods. Why? I want a way that keeps a slip profile in my pocket (binder rings we carry are too big), easy to add, remove and rearrange cards (spiral and brass tabs too permanent or difficult to remove). I think that a binder ring would have worked if they had been smaller, currently the smallest we carry is 1 inch and that is simple too big. Plus not sure how they would hold up to constant opening and closing. Any suggestions please comment.

--the perfect pen, some note cards are coated, many times I am writing against a wall. Gel type pens tend to be messy and regular ink pens don't write at unusually angels. I am thinking of trying a space pen (the kind that are pressurized to work at all angles) but they are a tad expensive since I tend to loose pens, might just buy a refill and use it in another pen, or make my own pen body as a project.

--critical part of making this work for me is spending some time each day (approx. 15 minutes) consolidating notes (tend to write big and messy when in a hurry, and it is good to take the time to rewrite, neat, consolidate information to single cards). I also spend about an hour a week entering all my notes into TexNotes Pro, a great program for keeping, organizing notes, which a fully functional trial version is available (I am registered user) at http://www.gemx.com/ . This gets the notes out of short term storage (my cards), into long term storage, my computer. (I also have a simple script that I run to copy files to a thumb drive, giving all my key data as close as the nearest computer as TexNotes Pro runs just fine from a USB thumb drive). I can easily organize my notes in a great tree view, move, rename as needed, plus search if I cannot remember where an idea or thought was put.

I highly recommend visiting the sites mentioned above. The basic concept is bouncing or has bounced around the net, and was inspired all or in part in the book "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" by David Allen, which I personally don't own but which is on my current to buy book list (maintained in TexNotes Pro).

Try it, have fun with it, let me know how it goes.

Sony PSP as Audio Book

2005-04-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

Trying to broaden my uses of my PSP (have to justify the expense some how) is by using it as an audio book player. In .mp3 format, which thank goodness, it plays, you can have a your favorite audio book on your Sony PSP become a book reader.

Some tips, is to turn off the screen once playing (check the manual if this does not make sense, but there is on the front of the PSP a button that controls the screen brightness, hold it down and the screen will turn off, extending the battery life, also make sure the wifi button is turned off as well), and getting back to your place is an inexact science so be careful about quitting in the middle. Future recommendations for improvement is a book mark feature (play list would be nice also.) Have not tried anything major yet, have used if for some old radio shows I had in .mp3 format, but should be no big deal.

Audible.com - possible PSP content provider...take notice!!

Another suggestion for a media only version of the UMD disk. I am not an engineer but I would think that a burnable UMD format usable only for user content and media should be possible...make it user burnable in a standard DVD burner (I would assume it would have to have a firmware upgrade on the PSP to deal with a different media format, and custom software to burn it as well) make if a different capacity, whatever...this is the only stumbling for Sony penetrating the entertainment market completely.

If they don't do this, someone will follow their lead and produce something similar that can use, user created content on burnable media. This is what is keeping the PSP which is a killer device, from being the ultimate success. No hard drive makes it nearly to realistically compete with the Ipod, but with a high capacity burnable removable media it puts it much closer, add all the media feature and it will truly own the portable entertainment market.

As it is some of the portable media viewers (Archos for example) produce machines with similar capacities, but are using hard drives but have the advantage of running Linux...the right vision, removable media, price drop, and killer customization of the Linux interface with powerful media content viewers, video, music, ebook, PDF etc, etc. and intelligent USB hosting and you have the dream machine many people want, ad in games and oh my....

Digital Lifestyle - losing baggage

2005-04-07T18:28:00.000-05:00

I am a retail manager, and in my career I have moved often due to promotions, switching companies etc. And each time I have moved I have had to move STUFF....books, comics, reference material etc, etc, etc....sigh.

I have recently started working on replacing my extensive collections of books through purchasing ebooks, scanning many of my own current collection. Getting rid of all the hard copies and switching to digital is going to have tons of benefits...book cases of books have now been reduced to one partially empty (about 8 decent size boxes on moving day). And 8 long boxes of comic books are now down to two. (I really wish comic book companies would release comics in digital subscription format (if they did it at a discount - as they have no tangible existence and no delivery cost, they could greatly reduce the production costs, yet still make the same profit. Example lets say they sell a comic book for 2.50. Of that say two dollars is production, cost of paper, transportation costs etc. Sell the same thing in digital format for .75 or a 1.00 and make the same profit after expenses, but greatly expand the user base potentially.

Just some thoughts. Get tangible information and convert to digital. I can see a future where tons of trees are saved and information of all types is freed from tangible formats, and available in a fraction of the space...in fact my currentl library, which is huge fills a hard drive that is smaller than a regular paperback....

Comics on Sony PSP Pt. 2

2005-04-05T17:36:00.000-05:00

Still attempting to make the PSP my primary viewing device for comics I have scanned. Couple of glitchs in using PSPhoto, though while still a decent program has some room to grow.

First thing is that while the documentation says it can deal with .rar files, I have yet to get it to do so.

Also I need to further work on editing pictures. The problem I am running into, is in large two page spreads, the picture is reduced too much to be able to read, so I will have to go back and manually cut the picture in half again, a nice upgrade feature for PSPhoto would be to have it bring up an oversize picture, and let the user pick the point to bisect the picture.

Still running into the fuzzy pictures after about 20 pics in a row, really hope they get this fixed in a firmware update and soon. Making the reading of comics and scanned magazines a trial when it should be a pleasure. Keeping having to out of the picture view, my guess is to force the cache to dump, and then back in hopefully remembering the right page and then going forward with the enjoyment of the document.

RFID for consumers

2005-04-04T14:41:00.000-05:00

RFID tag, a radio frequency ID tag, a small device that will be used by retailers from everything from inventory control to theft prevention. But the uses are much more open than that.

I would like to see a RFID used for personal loss prevention.

How? Simple set up a proximity locator for anything of value (car keys, wallet, luggage, PocketPC, PSP). When that RFID item gets to far from the Locator (warn clipped to belt, in a pocket) say range of 10 to 20 feet, it gives an alarm (vibrate, audible), farther than that and it kicks it up a notch or two.

The RFID system is intelligent enough that it could be programmed with distance before activation, what type of item etc.

Imagine never leaving your keys behind, not leaving your wallet at a retail counter, or in my case not leaving my portable brain extender (PocketPC) behind.

This could be used for theft prevention, medication alerts, and many more things beyond the anticapted use of retail. While I am not advocating going as far as the man who had one implanted, what about incorporating device activation into it, attach a biometric sensor, voice activation for security and you have a portable ID pass, authorized computer log on, area recognition (when you go to a location, the location adjusts parameters customized for you.

I am sure many more uses, ideas will be forth coming but really would like the see the NeverLose RFID. Would be nice if they could do a proximity search and point to the device, would be wonderful for that lost handset or remote.

PSP Improvement Suggestions

2005-04-03T18:40:00.000-05:00

- UMD user burnable device (single change would make it the most popular program in world) a possible simple alternative to that might be allowing the unit to read regular DVD's (of course someone would have to resize it and it would not have the capacity I think of a UMD but would provide a decent removable storage option)
- Ebook reader
- multiple memory stick reader capability at least SD
- picture viewer that does not fuzz out after 20+ pictures
- web browser standard
- wifi file managment (true wireless)
- lower glare screen (better outdoor viewability)
- screw on flip cover that does not have giant screws, and that when screwed in tight, do not prevent the UMD from opening.
- Intelligent USB hosting, child device support (would have provided an easy interface for headphones and microphone among other options, video out adapter, and ability to use USB thumb Drive)
- more robust firmware operating system (intelligent buffering)
- mic in
- open API (allow tons of programs to be made for it)
- mp3 background playing option (while viewing photos), visualizations, blank screen while playing (may already have this feature and I have not found it yet)
- ability to skin the interface
- DivX, XviD, Quicktime, and WMV support
- much better naming file system
- Lit buttons (would love backlit, but simple glow in dark inlays would help)
- support for more advanced calendar features, possibly address book
- Headphone and power jacks moved to top, as they tend to be a bit in the way, when playing games
- swappable faceplates (custom designs, and replace when scratched)
- PDF Viewer
- kill the text entry system and replace with a traditional game style, or make it optional
- Should have shipped with a robust software suite on the PC side to make moving content back and force much easier.

PSP Image viewing .. Possible Bug

2005-04-02T21:22:00.000-05:00

Viewing comics on the PSP, each page is the correct width and the length about 2x the screen size. When viewing I have to scroll up from the middle where the image viewing autocenters, and then down, then go to next page when done. All this is fine and good, but as you move around the page, it goes from blurry to clear (only decompressing the area you are viewing, annoying, but liveable).

Now for the possible bug. After viewing 20 plus pages in a row, it stops becoming clear, if you back all the way out, and go back into the image you might get another page or two. Only way I can seem to correct is go completely out of images, go to another section and then finally go back into images. Know this will be a problem for others, especially people viewing oversize camera images. At a guess would say it is a problem with the buffer not unloading for some reason. With the amount of memory on the PSP it should be able to one, buffer more of the image, and two, the buffer needs to be cleared automatically.

This could be a major issue for viewing pictures in sequence. I really hope it is something that could be fit with a firmware update, or possibly one of the main reasons I purchased the device will be invalidated.

Here's to hoping a firmware update fixes it.

Comics on the Sony PSP

2005-03-31T18:17:00.000-05:00

One of the things I really wanted to be able to do is view comics, and various scanned images collections on the Sony PSP. While the machine does not come with any kind of comic viewer, it does come with a built in ability to view images.

I recently scanned in one of my favorite graphic novels, in anticipation with the release of the movie version. One, because I wanted to be able to compare the original to the movie version, two because I wanted to see if it would be possible to transfer this graphic novel to the Sony PSP.

Since it could not be transferred in the ZIP file I had it in for viewing with CDisplay, I first created a directory on my PC, then unzipped the original images to the directory. I then copied these over to the Sony PSP.

The pictures were oversize for the screen, which the Sony PSP handled, to review the pages you use the Analog stick to move a block around a thumbnail, of the larger image, that pops up when you move the Analog stick, an interesting way of doing it.

First problem was that you have to scroll all around the image, which was fine for image quality but bad for the readying experience. The PSP also does not appear to buffer the image at all and goes from blurry to clear as you view the move the focus to a new area.

Also since the PSP views pictures in the order of creation, the pages did not work out in the proper order. Very. Frustrating. The solution, partially, was http://tokyopia.com/ which has a Link for the download of PSPhoto, a very straight forward batch conversion utility, that takes all the files you drop on them, converts them to the proper width (480 pixels), leaving the height alone, it also appeared to set the file creation date/time to match the order of, either how they are ordered, when you drop them on, or it is intelligent enough to order them by the name order.

Either way when I got done I had the files, in .jpg format, the proper width, and the proper order. Simply create a directory under the PSP, Photo directory on the memory stick, copy all the files to it and then use the built in viewer to, well, view them.

For example Sony PSP – Photos – City (then all the individual files under City).

Note: Use the Triangle button to bring up image, which has navigation, help view mode etc., then “O” button to hide them again. Cycle through the pics with the top of unit L and R buttons.

Only lack of perfection is that the Sony PSP viewer seems to orient on the center of the picture, meaning you have to use the analog stick to move the view to top of page each page. Also would be nice if you had a page up and page down function, on the arrow keypads would be nice.

Other than that it is not a perfect solution, but it works. The perfect solution, would be a program, ala Cdisplay, that would view the pictures better on the PSP side.

As a program, PSPhoto needs more options under user control. It took some playing around and trust in the programmer to just drop files on it and go. It was also very impressive when I figured out that I could drop a compressed collection of images on it (a zipped file) and it would auto process the file and pictures, then save them to a directory named after the file. Very impressive. All in all though, it is a program that I recommend heartily picking it up.

PSP Experience

2005-03-31T13:47:00.000-05:00

Recently purchased a PSP. First impressions - Wow.

I bought it for a number of reasons, partly impulse, partly for gaming, but in a large part to the immense lifestyle potential for the device.

If the developers and community hit a few keys features it will elevate the PSP from a game play device with some basic multi-media features to an essential tool for improving, extending your lifestyle.

Many things they are doing on cell phones, which is getting harder and harder do to their small size to do effectively is multimedia capabilities like pictures, video and music, but the devices are so small that most of these features are unsatisfying.

Enter the PSP, which has a gorgeous large screen, excellent video playback, clear crisp picture display and clear mp3 playing.

Ahh, but the potential. I an excited, by the sheer possibilities that are inherent in the platform. I am sure that software will be available soon that will extend the media capabilities beyond pictures, music and video.

The true beauty of the device will be the introduction of media viewers that will allow users to surf the net, read e-books, view .PDF documents, read comic books and graphic novels (CDisplay), and many other things I can't even envision.

But the ability to view graphic rich documents on a portable device (hopefully with a slick one click transfer interface and super simple navigation) will extend its usability to new heights. Portable reference device, portable ebook reader, portable spread sheet viewer....any type of data should be easily viewable by content viewer interfaces either added to the device bios, or via "game" UMD document readers looking at data on the Duo Pro card.

Imagine a powerful, graphical ebook reader app, playing mp3's in the background and the hyperlinks in the ebook, taking the user, via a local WI-FI access point to a website with more information...the promise of the ultra portables PC on a device priced for everyone.

Beyond that I am sure that someone will produce a powerful, PDA "game" like UMD that will provide most or all the functionality currently offered on the Palm and PocketPC platform...

For graphics, a paint, picture editing program on UMD editing your pictures stored on the memory card.

My personal 1st favorite for porting to the Sony PSP is a version of Cdisplay, the popular comic viewing application, partnered with a program that will preprocess the picture files in their compressed form, optimize them for the Sony PSP and then reprocess them. Then simply move to the PSP memory card, load the Sony PSP version of Cdisplay and all your collections are available to view. (If Marvel/DC were tech savvy they would subsidize this and produce low cost comics for download and viewing on Sony PSP.) I currently use Cdisply to view old notebooks, that I have scanned viewable without having to carry around dozens of notebooks, as well as some favorite comics from my collection that I have scanned in. To this point they are not portable, but with some work and patience I am sure that a formal means of doing this will be forthcoming. (currently you have to resize and save, being careful of save time as that is how the Sony PSP organizes it)

http://www.geocities.com/davidayton/CDisplay

The 2nd program, I would love to see ported to the PSP is the excellent e-book reader, Ubook. I use this program daily on my Axim PocketPC. I carry about 5 or 6 books with me at all times, as well as various reference documents, again an invaluable tool for viewing documents.

http://www.gowerpoint.com/

The third and most universal viewer I would like to see ported, is an Adobe Acrobat reader. The business applications of this are huge, as well as the ability to convert almost any document to a .pdf that would be viewable on the gorgeous Sony PSP screen.

Just some thoughts to get everyone dreaming for what it the Sony PSP will be capable of once everyone starts realizing the unique potential of this portable device.
The features that make it a superior gaming machine: robust processor; excellent screen; connectivity; varied storage options. Also make it something that potentially could be integrated into many more areas of the owner’s life, beyond games and basic media, to the information and documents that we interact with everyday.