I am beginning work on a new software project for the Empeg which would allow playlist creation on the fly via a PDA. The concept is this: You select songs on your PDA by looking through soup views on the PDA. These soup views are downloaded to the PDA in a database file created by Jemplode like the XML or CSV files are created. After you have selected the files from your PDA, you would then beam the list to the Empeg via IrDA, and the Empeg would enqueue/replace/append/insert the files in the current playlist using the new xxxx! or such Serial port commands. There would have to be a small program running on the Empeg to recieve the IrDA communications and output them to the serial port, but it could be written to be a generic server listening for IrCOMM or such.

I can see this application being very useful in the car, when your passenger asks you "So what all do you have on your Empeg?". I will be sure to make the interface intuitive enough so it can be picked up and used by anyone.

Here is what I have done so far: I have written a Palm .pdb creator in Java that can easily be integrated with Jemplde to create a .pdb file that can be used on the Palm. I have written a bit of Palm code to read from that .pdb file and display some items on the screen. Since I'm just learning Palm programming, I'm taking baby steps :-) At first I was worried that the playlist size would be too large for the Palm platform, but I think that will not be a problem. I estimate that my playlist of 5800 songs would fit into a 1.75M .pdb file. People with large collections would have to make sure their PDA has enough memory.

Before going too far into this project I wanted to know the spread of PDA ownership on this board. This will help me decide what kind of development environment I will use to write the PDA application. I own a Palm Vx, so it will certainly run on the Palm platform. I could write the app using Waba or SuperWaba, a Java development environment for Palm and WinCE devices, but it has limitations that I may run into that C would not. If I develop it in C, I would have to be very careful to write the app so it could be ported easily to other platforms, and it would requre some work on those other platforms before it could run on them. So, here (finally) is the poll:



Any other suggestions would be welcome, and if you select the Other category, could you let me know what kind of PDA you have? Thanks!

I voted for WinCE as it's my main PDA but I've got a Palm as well.

- Trevor

I use a Psion 3c, but I don't suppose that counts...

(and I have a spare 3c sitting at home for when the other one breaks as I haven't found a PDA that I like to replace it yet)

I've got a Handspring Treo, so I can sync up wireless with my home computer to update playlist info in that feature you are thinking about putting in.

I have a Compaq iPaq 5450 w/ integrated Bluetooth and WiFi. A "thin-client" to control the Empeg via the network/WiFi would be hella cool...

Rob

No option for "don't have one, don't feel a need for one"?

Keep in mind that this already exists.

Yes, I have looked at that already. PalmEmpeg was written as a remote interface for people who wish not to have the Empeg installed in their dash. The application I had thought about was more for a companion to the Empeg, with the capability to browse/select a playlist offline. PalmEmpeg required you to have your Palm connected to your player with a cable via the serial port. I'd like to be able to throw my Palm to a backseat passenger and say "what would you like to hear?".

Fair enough. Just wanted to make sure you'd seen it.

I've got the Agenda. It runs linux

I answered "Other" due to the fact that I use a pad of paper and a pen.

If I *were* to get one of those electronic jobbies, it'd probably be palm based. Or the Zaurus, but Handspring hasn't turned one of those into a phone yet.

? The Zaurus is made by Sharp not Handspring. Handspring do have a mobile phone combination called the Treo and Palm have the Tungsten W. No idea about the Treo but the Tungsten-W was kind of neat. Had a little keyboard and everything. The first ROM that was on my Tungsten-W was really flakey though but they fixed most of the problems after awhile.

- Trevor

I guess I was just looking for platforms I might have to develop the planned application for. It's kind of hard to beam IrDA from a paper and pen :-)

In reply to:

---

PalmEmpeg was written as a remote interface for people who wish not to have the Empeg installed in their dash.

---

See since palm users already have an app (granted not what you want to do with it) you should make it a Wince format! But I guess since I have pocket linux on one of my Ipaq's the Zaurus version? would work?

It's kind of hard to beam IrDA from a paper and pen

What if you use a light pen aka a pen light?

The Zaurus is made by Sharp not Handspring. Handspring do have a mobile phone combination called the Treo

Exactly.

I like the design of the Treo, but a) it runs palm (which isn't that bad actually) but doesn't have all the features that the Palm I'd get has, and b) it's a cell phone, which I'm still resisting. I like the Zaurus because it's Linux and I have a cross compile toolchain set up for it (thanks to having the empeg), but... it's not a cell phone. I figure if I'm going to carry a PDA, I might as well be carrying a cell phone, as well. So I wait until Handspring makes a Zaurus Treo, or Sharp makes a Treo Zaurus...

Great contradiction I'm in, eh?

Has anyone voted for a Blackberry yet?

Ahh. Okay. Makes sense now

I'm not too keen on these PDA/Phone combo's. They're just a little too bulky for my tastes when it's used as a phone. I'm fine with the size when it's a PDA. This is of course from the person that carries a Nokia 7650 around all day...

Microsoft make the SPV which is a PocketPC PDA in a more phone shaped housing which looks quite interesting. Orange UK sell it at the moment but officially it's restricted and only properly signed software can be run on it. People have found ways around it but the holes could be fixed in a firmware upgrade.

RIM UK are actually just down the road from me so I always see their employees wandering about with Blackberry's

- Trevor

Did anyone get to see the Garmin iQue at CES? It looks like a good idea with the integrated GPS....

Has anyone actually held one of the Nokia 9290's.

Yeah, my friend has one. I got to play with it the other day. It's way bulkier than it looks. Not exactly pocketable.

But, the screen is REALLY nice. It also seems very easy to use.

Ok, I lied in the poll.

I voted Zaurus, 'cause thats the one I'm most likely to buy. (Of today's models anyway.)
iPaq running linux would probably be my second choice..

since there is already a palm one, how about a pocketpc version, i use a dual boot ipaq with pocketpc and linux on it...

"Dual boot iPAQ"
Is there a web page that describes how to set that up?
Thanks,

sure is...
Handhelds.org Dual Boot and
Handheld.org Compaq Boot Loader

The palm one doesn't do what I am intending, see the first post.

Thanks, What's your application mix? In other words; do you run more apps under Linux or PocketPC?

I have this crazy idea.. of putting the original factory six disc cd changer back in the dash then having an old ipaq (with linux or pocketpc 2002) mounted below with the nice COLOR touch screen with an app that runs over ethernet (wireless) to control the empeg and display all the goodies. The Ipaq running in landscape mode would have all the controls on screen and big enough to use your fingers, access to playlists and even do searches (granted someone would have to come up with some sort of fat finger keyboard for a PDA, there might be one out there)....