This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C3DC54.29E8EBC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Yes, I know it's silly, but hear me out: a.. A Gameboy Advance SP is a little laptop shaped thing that folds = open in much the same way a Laptop does.=20 b.. It already has a two button pointing device (the D-pad)=20 c.. It has audio capabilities and sophisticated video capabilities - = 65000 colours, hardware support for alpha-blending and sprites, and more = d.. two serial interfaces, don't know how fast=20 e.. two CPUs, one is a little 8-bit CISC jobbie, but the other is an = ARM7, so 32-bit RISC running at 16 MHz=20 f.. the game cartrige interface which I understand has an address = space of 32 MB=20 g.. the whole device is very low power -- Alkalines, as I understand. = Plus external power.=20 h.. Someone has already hacked Ericcson's Chat Keyboard - a cell phone = accessory - to work with one of the serial ports (!)=20 i.. I understand uC-Linux has been ported to the ARM7, so (provided = enough disk space was made available - through the Cartrige interface = perhaps? - it is conceivable to get Linux running on the thing. Now here's where my little scheme breaks down. There are development = kits out there to make your own game cartriges, as well as = blank/rewritable carts, but the cart interface may need to be used for = RAM, possibly taking away from the idea of a cart that has a head's up = interface or a CF type II bay or what have you. Here's the memory = specs: a.. One primary bank of very high speed RAM, 32 KB=20 b.. One secondary bank of high speed RAM, 256 KB=20 c.. One bank of dedicated (?) video RAM, 96 KB So my first impulse was to try and find a way to put a bank of RAM and a = CF interface on a card, and have that be the Linux 'system disk' -- the = GBA is designed to try to boot from the cart, I would assume. But = without the cart interface free for, say, a HUD of some kind, the thing = is less a "true" wearable computer, and more of an amusing micro-Laptop. The only other problem I can think of is the display... a measly = 240x160. Better than a Palm Pilot, but not great, hardware alpha-blends = or no. However, like all LCD panels, the Red Green and Blue portions of = the pixel are adressable, so the potential for sub-pixel rendering is = there, meaning an effective resolution of 720x160 (if the pixels are = oriented horizontally) or 240x480 if the pixels are oriented vertically. = (I believe the RGB elements of a pixel in an LCD panel tend to be = oriented horizontally practically all the time, but I'm not sure... = anyone else know?) So, thoughts? =20 -- Lee MacNeill ------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C3DC54.29E8EBC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Dwindows-1252"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1276" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Yes, I know it's silly, but hear me=20 out:</FONT></DIV> <UL> <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>A Gameboy Advance SP is a little = laptop shaped=20 thing that folds open in much the same way a Laptop does.</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It already has a two button pointing = device (the=20 D-pad)</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It has audio capabilities and = sophisticated video=20 capabilities - 65000 colours, hardware support for alpha-blending = and=20 sprites, and more</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>two serial interfaces, don't know how = fast</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>two CPUs, one is a little 8-bit CISC = jobbie, but=20 the other is an ARM7, so 32-bit RISC running at 16 MHz</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>the game cartrige interface which I = understand has=20 an address space of 32 MB</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>the whole device is very low power -- = Alkalines,=20 as I understand. Plus external power.</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Someone has already hacked Ericcson's = Chat=20 Keyboard - a cell phone accessory - to work with one of the = serial ports=20 (!)</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I understand uC-Linux has been ported = to the ARM7,=20 so (provided enough disk space was made available - through the = Cartrige=20 interface perhaps? - it is conceivable to get Linux running on the=20 thing.</FONT></LI></UL> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Now here's where my little scheme = breaks=20 down. There are development kits out there to make your own game=20 cartriges, as well as blank/rewritable carts, but the cart interface may = need to=20 be used for RAM, possibly taking away from the idea of a cart that has a = head's=20 up interface or a CF type II bay or what have you. Here's the = memory=20 specs:</FONT></DIV> <UL> <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>One primary bank of very high speed = RAM, 32=20 KB</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>One secondary bank of high speed RAM, = 256=20 KB</FONT>=20 <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>One bank of dedicated (?) video RAM, = 96=20 KB</FONT></LI></UL> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>So my first impulse was to try and find = a way to=20 put a bank of RAM and a CF interface on a card, and have that be the = Linux=20 'system disk' -- the GBA is designed to try to boot from the cart, I = would=20 assume. But without the cart interface free for, say, a HUD of = some kind,=20 the thing is less a "true" wearable computer, and more of an amusing=20 micro-Laptop.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The only other problem I can think of = is the=20 display... a measly 240x160. Better than a Palm Pilot, but not = great,=20 hardware alpha-blends or no. However, like all LCD panels, the Red = Green=20 and Blue portions of the pixel are adressable, so the potential for = sub-pixel=20 rendering is there, meaning an effective resolution of 720x160 (if the = pixels=20 are oriented horizontally) or 240x480 if the pixels are oriented=20 vertically. (I believe the RGB elements of a pixel in an LCD panel = tend to=20 be oriented horizontally practically all the time, but I'm not = sure...=20 anyone else know?)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>So, thoughts? </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT><FONT face=3DArial = size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>--</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Lee MacNeill</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C3DC54.29E8EBC0-- -- Subscription/unsubscription/info requests: send e-mail with subject of "subscribe", "unsubscribe", or "info" toWear-Hard Mailing List Archive (searchable): http://wearables.blu.org Please, *PLEASE* don't subscribe through a forward/expander/false domain
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