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.
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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.
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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

request Modding trinity for nightvision

Has anyone got any knowledge or can point me in the right direction to mod the trinitys main camera to see in the dark with IR leds? if possible hooking these up to the trinity. I don't mind running the phone without covers if possible.

In normal case can your camera "see" IR in the dark. I have tried, my camera on my trinity does it. Hold an IR-remote control to your camera, press any key on it and you will see flashing the IR-LED, you can't. I test so my remote controls. If it works, try it with a big IR-lamp or many IR-LED's.

any digital cam can see ir-remote's led flashing

External Flash via Headphone Jack?

This is just a very vague idea, but wouldn't it be possible to build an external flash controlled via the headphone jack?
There are several cheap flashes on the market, and almost all can be triggered manually. Whenever you take a picture, the phone simluates that shutter sound of a real DSLR camera.
I'm not big with electronics or even soldering, but shouldn't it be possible to build a device that uses that sudden change of voltage on the headphone jack (the "sound signal" is nothing else than a change of voltage) to trigger an external flash?

Sounds good, but there are so many parameters for syncing a flash device which make it very difficult (I think)...

The phone makes the sound by the looks of it after it has taken the picture, the flash needs to be before the photo is takes so for the method you're thinking a custom app would be needed to make a sound before/as the picture is taken.
I'm no real whiz when it comes to electronics but outputting a sound/signal from the audio jack and have it picked up by some device designed to trigger a flash shouldn't be too complex (more than complex enough for myself ) The problem is going to lie in the program itself. To do it you're going to have to have a camera program load and play a sound and almost instantaneously take a picture. There can not be ANY lag or allowance for latency in this or the flash will be out of time with the snapshot. If the phone is in the middle of doing something else while a photo is taken (background apps or something) then this might delay the loading of the audio file and put the flash out of sync with the snapshot.
just my 2 cents

Perhaps the sync doesn't have to be perfect. If you set a large shutter time (if that is possible at al) the flash would only have to be somewhere between start and stop.

An interesting idea, but if you are going to carry around a DSLR type camera flash, then you might as well carry a small compact camera with a built in flash because size wise there wont be much of a difference. Or if you are thinking of a small LED light to simulate the LED flash of a camera phone, then get something like this turn it on, point and take the picture. I have a dual LED key chain light that I have used once or twice as a flash for the camera (all manual of course).

true but a long shutter time means more chance of blurring the image if it's not held steady
The device wouldn't need to be large, just big enough to hold a battery or 2 (most LEDs require 3v the super bright ones a bit more) and the circuitry to receive the signal and turn the LED on. Unless you can work out a way to power it off the USB port or run a wire inside and run from the battery, then the device wouldn't be bulky or anything.

since you'd need a special app anyway you could just do everything via the usb port then

SgtMoo said:
true but a long shutter time means more chance of blurring the image if it's not held steady
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Click to collapse
Not really if the Flash is a real 'flash' and not just a led turning on and of.

this sounds interresting for all flashless devices, i´d suggest to build a camera app thet supports this and gives a signal to trigger the flash. also you could just build the device and suggest support for it to other camera app developers.

can't the usb port of the SGS give out +5V? If yes one can simply attach a led+resistor to the usb port, and you've got flash.

Moved thread to general discussion section

YouTube HDMI Out No Full Screen

Anyone else notice this? When using HDMI out, and using the Youtube app, the full screen option disappears, and you can't put a YouTube video in full screen when in the YouTube app. When going to YouTube via Chrome, you can do it. It's very annoying. Do you think this is an intentional move by Google, or is it just an oversight?

I guess they want to implement it the way it works in the Play Movies app. The movie plays on the TV and you can browse on the tablet. Maybe they didn't have enough time to implement it but didn't want to waste time on a fullscreen option that they would have to remove later on.
I don't know ... its very annoying though!

1. Find video.
2. Unplug HDMI
3. press full screen button
4. Plug HDMI back in.
Boom. Full screen over HDMI.
Slightly annoying, but it works.

arrtoodeetoo said:
1. Find video.
2. Unplug HDMI
3. press full screen button
4. Plug HDMI back in.
Boom. Full screen over HDMI.
Slightly annoying, but it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works well enough that it will do until Google fixes it. Thanks. :good:

arrtoodeetoo said:
1. Find video.
2. Unplug HDMI
3. press full screen button
4. Plug HDMI back in.
Boom. Full screen over HDMI.
Slightly annoying, but it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the workaround. It's annoying, but better than nothing.

arrtoodeetoo said:
1. Find video.
2. Unplug HDMI
3. press full screen button
4. Plug HDMI back in.
Boom. Full screen over HDMI.
Slightly annoying, but it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good call....I discovered this solution as well the first time I tried it.

Niggo372 said:
I guess they want to implement it the way it works in the Play Movies app. The movie plays on the TV and you can browse on the tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except Play Movies doesn't work that way on the N10. On my old TF700, that's how it (and Netflix) worked; but on the N10, it just mirrors the whole screen, scaling it down so that the movie displays in a 16:10 replica of the N10's screen on the TV.
Is there a way to change this so that it works the way you're saying?

This was designed to work with a dock but it might work for HDMI output too.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=36558704&postcount=14

[Q] HDMI

I am curious i have a hp extreme slate 7, I plugged in the hdmi cable to watch movies on my tv and it works flawlessly however i am wondering if there is a way to shut off the tablet screen playing video while watching a movie on the tv? I thought it would be a good idea if it could do that but upon thinking about it more I dont think that it will because you have to shut down the touch screen. Please let me know if there is anything already on this subject or ideas. I have a usb keyboard and gamepads to actually navigate the websites and stuff if the screen is off just havent found anything on it yet. Thank You

There's an app called second screen which has an option to turn the backlight off, the touchscreen still works but it's a lot less distracting.