Database Users

IDEA: Use your PPC as a wireless optical mouse for your PC?

I just bought a new Logitech mouse with tons of customizable buttons on it, and it got me thinking...what if you could use your PPC as a mouse for your PC? That would be the ultimate in customizability!! Think of it...not only would you have a bunch of hard buttons to play with, but you could also have a customized screen for whichever app has the focus on your PC!
I am nowhere near advanced enough to do this, nor do I know if it's even possible...just throwing it out there as an idea for whoever wants to take up the challenge. I figure it could work on most devices because the camera and flash LED are on the opposite side from the screen and buttons, and BT could be the wireless link. Heck, for that amount of customizability in a mouse I'd even settle for a wired USB version :wink:.
Well enough fantasizing for today...

you're talking about using the camera as the optical sensor?
you'd need it on a special mouse mat that emits light of some kind, and I doubt the feedback would be quick enough.
and i wouldn't fancy pushing my expensive xda around on the desk like a mouse.

Right, I was thinking of the camera as the optical sensor, and the flash LED as the light source. I have a XV6700/Apache, and when I turn on the camera and the flash and set it down on my desk, the screen isn't completely dark because the camera isn't flush against the surface...there's still enough space for light from the LED to reach the lens. Obviously this would vary from device to device...but even in cases where it's completely dark, you could put the "mouse" on top of a few mm of clear plastic or plexiglas to give the LED enough room to bounce the light over. Actually, this option might be desirable as it would address your concern about pushing your device around and getting scratches on it.
In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, using plastic/plexiglas might be better for battery life too. Instead of having the flash stay on all the time, the "mouse" could use the ambient room light to detect initial movement, which in turn would trigger a "wake event" for the flash, and then obviously the flash could be timed to turn off after so many seconds of being idle.
I know speed would likely be an issue as far as feedback goes. Sure, it wouldn't be as quick as my new Logitech laser mouse, but in video mode the camera (at least on the Apache) can go up to 19 fps...so perhaps it would be doable. Obviously you're not going to use Photoshop or play Quake with the thing . I was just thinking added convenience for everyday usage.

well all optical mice i've used have gon crazy on shiny surfaces
their cams are even made directly for this purpos
so i would think using the pda as a mouse would mean it would go even more crazy on a shiny surface
try search i recall posts about this in the past

Issues
light souce: prolong usage of you flash is bad. The life span of the flash may be different for different devices, but I'm pretty sure HTC doesn't give you a nice LED flash to be used for more than 30 seconds per usage. There are reports of 'dying' flash after using it as flashlight.
camera (major issue): phone camera is a fix lense camera (there are a few new Nokia/Sony model that arent). Such camera is not able to take clear picture of close distance object. Try taking a picture of something at a range of 3 inches , at best possible light condition. You won't get a decent picture. Even high tech digital camera is not able to take any picture of any object that is in range of less than 3 inches (even with Macro e.g. the flower, mode on). You can't do much 'mous-ing' with blur images.
It is a good idea though.

just an idea, but what about just using it as a touch pad??
dahquim

Very expensive mouse :lol:
Just get an optical RF mouse.. so much cheaper..
Come to think of it, better get a bluetooth mouse that you can use with both your PC and PPC!

Hmm, I don't know. I just imagined a Universal used as a mouse. Not a pretty picture.
Any way, as for the touch pad idea, it's fairly easy to implement, but it doesn't have the resolution to handle even blow average PC screen which is 800x600 pixels.

hanmin said:
Even high tech digital camera is not able to take any picture of any object that is in range of less than 3 inches (even with Macro e.g. the flower, mode on). You can't do much 'mous-ing' with blur images.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so let's say you have a clear glass desk and you attach a board underneath it at a distance of 3 inches so it can focus... j/k
levenum said:
as for the touch pad idea, it's fairly easy to implement, but it doesn't have the resolution to handle even blow average PC screen which is 800x600 pixels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think dahquim meant "touch pad" to mean "tablet PC" or a remote touch-screen clone of your PC monitor (you can do that with LogMeIn). I think he meant simply losing the "mouse" functionality and keeping the ability to have the device's screen display "soft buttons" that could execute commands and that would change depending on whichever app has the focus on your PC. That would somewhat relieve one of having to remember different keyboard shortcuts for each different PC app you use. Same idea as the Optimus Keyboard but on a smaller scale.

touchpad.. ?
Touchpad idea is nice - it could work just like touchpads on laptop; ie. moving finger on mobile device screen causes mouse cursor to move on PC screen, tapping mobile device screen causes mouse click.... who'll implement this ? ;-)

hanmin said:
Issues
light souce: prolong usage of you flash is bad. The life span of the flash may be different for different devices, but I'm pretty sure HTC doesn't give you a nice LED flash to be used for more than 30 seconds per usage. There are reports of 'dying' flash after using it as flashlight.
camera (major issue): phone camera is a fix lense camera (there are a few new Nokia/Sony model that arent). Such camera is not able to take clear picture of close distance object. Try taking a picture of something at a range of 3 inches , at best possible light condition. You won't get a decent picture. Even high tech digital camera is not able to take any picture of any object that is in range of less than 3 inches (even with Macro e.g. the flower, mode on). You can't do much 'mous-ing' with blur images.
It is a good idea though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hanmin was right pointing these issues. i'll add some more, from a developer's point of view:
-so you want to have this as a wireless device: think of the power consumption: on one hand you need the camera to be on, with the led, and also a wireless connection for transmitting the data like BT or WiFi.. The baterry wont last long
-even if we cant get the camera to focus at nearly 1-2mm, we could still detect movement of some kind (so the idea would work..in a way or another :roll: ). but please note: there are tens of types of devices, you cant get to make the trick for all.
-it wouldnt be very precise: did you even tried to create an icon? you need to tap over the right pixel, do you think it will work with this?
-ok so you're a fanatic gamer : poor device and poor you, on one hand you'll ruing the device, on the other you'll go nuts because... : slow reaction times, low accuracy...
I see that you've thought about the idea of creating a touchpad out of the pocketpcs. I worked on such a project once. It was indeed interesting. The only problem was that: (issues again)
-the screen is not so sensitive to finger pressure as a touchpad is
-you'll mostly have to use the stilus
But at least this approach is functional.
Regards,
Radu

Yes was thinking more the "set of buttons on [email protected] that let you do quick and easy thinkgs to whatever program your using.
For example, how about being able to switch virtual desktops or having a list of programs on the ppc screen that you switch between... a la Alt-Tab??
just ideas, but of course would be completely customisable (macro buttons)
dahquim

Looks like this guy got the concept up and running on his Nokia...
http://www.pyrofersprojects.com/nokiamouse.php

Lightening Problems

Hi there,
I am looking for solutions (probably registry hacks) for two problems regarding the light of the titan.
1. Does anyone know a solution to extend the lightening time for the front keys? I have always the problem that I cannot clearly find the red phone key when finishing a phone call.
2. A more general problem: When I use my titan in an active car holder, the keyboard stops to lighten after 30 seconds. Is there a possibility to keep the light of the keyboard, when the titan is connected to an active car holder?
Unfortunately HTC is not very helpful, stating that these are desired actions in order to save battery energy (also using it in an active car holder!)
Thanks for your help, me_phi

me_phisto said:
Hi there,
I am looking for solutions (probably registry hacks) for two problems regarding the light of the titan.
1. Does anyone know a solution to extend the lightening time for the front keys? I have always the problem that I cannot clearly find the red phone key when finishing a phone call.
2. A more general problem: When I use my titan in an active car holder, the keyboard stops to lighten after 30 seconds. Is there a possibility to keep the light of the keyboard, when the titan is connected to an active car holder?
Unfortunately HTC is not very helpful, stating that these are desired actions in order to save battery energy (also using it in an active car holder!)
Thanks for your help, me_phi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
settings > backlight > set the respective timeout higher. it will keep the keys on too.

[Q] MyTouch 4G no touch on car cradle???

Very strange: when I put my MyTouch 4G in my car cradle (it's a generic one: http://www.officedepot.ca/a/products/494874/Gilsson-Universal-Windshield-Mount-Black/) the screen generally will not respond to touch making it essentially impossible to use.
I did notice that if I cover the back camera with my finger, the screen does respond to touch, even after I remove my finger. But then other strangeness occurs like it never times out to sleep mode and if I force it to sleep by pressing the top button, when I press the button again there is no lock screen and I need to cover the camera again to make it recognize touches.
I actually had a similar issue with my last phone (an Acer Liquid E) although using a hack to increase the touch sensitivity seemed to fix it on that phone.
I don't understand what is it about being put on a cradle that makes the phone behave this way. I have checked that the arms of the cradle aren't pressing any of the buttons and, in fact, just resting the phone in the cradle with the arms extended beyond the width of the phone does the same thing.
Anyone know what's going on?
Thanks!

probably time to return the cradle haha. but seriously speaking that just sounds super weird. especially the part where you say if you cover the camera the touch screen works. haha.

Does your cradle provide power ti the phone through use port? Generally this happens when there is voltage going to the phone that is interfering with the touch screeb, like using a generic charger.

I've seen this. It was caused by the cradle pressing in on the volume control. Adjust your phone on the cradle so the volume isn't touched and see if that solves it for you.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

No the cradle doesn't supply power it's just a generic holder. I did check that the arms aren't pressing any buttons as that's the first thing I suspected. Even with the arms open so that there is a space between them and the sides of the phone, so long as the phone is resting on the cradle (just by gravity) this happens.
The fact that covering the camera temporarily seems to fix it is also really strange. I almost started believing the phone can detect the dash of the car through the camera and shuts itself off so you don't play with it while driving. But that seems a little far fetched.

I've had the same behavior with my generic car dock as well. It's very sporadic (maybe once a week), and I can't figure out the cause. But for my $10 it's good enough until there's an official dock that's custom fit.
tmagritte said:
Very strange: when I put my MyTouch 4G in my car cradle (it's a generic one) the screen generally will not respond to touch making it essentially impossible to use.
I did notice that if I cover the back camera with my finger, the screen does respond to touch, even after I remove my finger. But then other strangeness occurs like it never times out to sleep mode and if I force it to sleep by pressing the top button, when I press the button again there is no lock screen and I need to cover the camera again to make it recognize touches.
I actually had a similar issue with my last phone (an Acer Liquid E) although using a hack to increase the touch sensitivity seemed to fix it on that phone.
I don't understand what is it about being put on a cradle that makes the phone behave this way. I have checked that the arms of the cradle aren't pressing any of the buttons and, in fact, just resting the phone in the cradle with the arms extended beyond the width of the phone does the same thing.
Anyone know what's going on?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

So it's even weirder than I thought. Turns out this doesn't only happen with the car cradle, but also sometimes when the phone is lying on its back. Tends to be more likely on a soft surface like my couch or a carpet, but it's also happened on my work desk. In these cases slightly repositioning the phone seems to fix it. Also, it doesn't seem to happen if a charging cable is plugged in, so at least that should be a workaround for car use. It happens when waking from sleep. Once the touch input is responsive, it remains so regardless of what position the phone is put in until the phone goes to sleep.
I put up a video to demonstrate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NX_3uds_Ek
The other thing I noticed is a purple light that comes on underneath the touchpad when its pressed. It's not really visible by eye but for some reason the camera really picks it up... Is that the pad's touch sensor?

Another GPS hardware tweak ;)

Hi,
I strugled a few month to get GPS on my I9000 working for car navigation. I tried different radio versions, GPS settings and hardware tweaks (bending the antenna contact), but GPS was usable for max. 10min and then there was no GPS fix again.
The solution in MY CASE was:
- remove the Galaxy S lether flip case!!! I have an flip case made by Noreve and the entire back side is some metal mesh covered by lether. So when I use an normal silicon case, I have an quick and stable GPS fix even in a car with heatable front panel .
My software configuration is the following:
- Android 2.3.3 (from samfirmware flashed by odin),
- Baseband version I9000XXJVO
- Buildno. XWJVI
GPS settings (defined by GPS testmode *#3214789650#)
- Test Mode: S/W Test
- Operation Mode: MSBASED
- Start Mode: Hot start
- GPS Plus: ON
- GPS Logging: OFF
Kind regards
hqqh

Jajajaj, this must be one of the most funny posts I've read here. "Hardware fix" you call it.
Next:
Low screen brightness solved: Remove your sunglases
Low speaker volume solved: Do not carry the phone inside a sealed box
Low phone signal solved: Do not carry the phone inside a metal box
Compass orientation solved: Do not hold the phone near a magnet
GPS not getting a fix: Get outside
Pictures taken with the camera all black: Do not put the finger over the lens
Night pictures too dark: Turn on the lights, the SGS has no flash LEDs
-----------------------------------------------
Now, following in this issue, I've noticed that when using a high capacity battery (the ones that are thicker than the official one), the GPS does not work so well. So this is a similar issue with 3rd party hardware interfering with the SGS antennas.

Low screen brightness solved: Remove your sunglases
Low speaker volume solved: Do not carry the phone inside a sealed box
Low phone signal solved: Do not carry the phone inside a metal box
Compass orientation solved: Do not hold the phone near a magnet
GPS not getting a fix: Get outside
Pictures taken with the camera all black: Do not put the finger over the lens
Night pictures too dark: Turn on the lights, the SGS has no flash LEDs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha this is really fun thx

In praise of all the people that keep it light n fun
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

BUT ... the SGS GPS is not so bad anymore with the later firmware. We are looking too much maybe.
Iphone 4's and my camera with GPS have about the same issues getting a lock.
Software can obviously still improve: reported accurace behaves funny, there is a stick-to-current-position effect, VDOP is often lower than HDOP which is suspicious, etc. But in all it seems not broken anymore.
Though the chipset is Broadcom... and they always seem to have issues with driver quality, whether it is server network cards (the German original they bought over had decent drivers, at least for Linux) or GPS chips...

vcespon said:
low screen brightness solved: Remove your sunglases
low speaker volume solved: Do not carry the phone inside a sealed box
low phone signal solved: Do not carry the phone inside a metal box
compass orientation solved: Do not hold the phone near a magnet
gps not getting a fix: Get outside
pictures taken with the camera all black: Do not put the finger over the lens
night pictures too dark: Turn on the lights, the sgs has no flash leds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rotfl!!!
:d:d:d

you made me laugh

camera on car holder - screen looks like wafer

i normally place my phone on my (universal) car holder when driving
first thing i noticed when i open the camera - the screen looks like its shaking like a wafer
is this normal?
if it is, kinda suck since i can't take quick pic/video while in the car
i know the phone vibrates due to car running, but this is disappointing!!!
this is not the case when i try taking vid while walking and running
my galaxy s6 does not have this problem with the same holder