QUOTE(Stealth Bagel @ Nov 28 2007, 04:45 PM)
This discussion is freakin' ridiculous. It's a handheld, not a PVR, and it's not like you're going to have some enormous hard drive on it, it'll be an SD card. If you want to set up bluetooth remotes and struggle to get drivers working and rig up a USB HDD and all this other crap.... do it on your own time. Projects like this get ruined by trying to be a jack of all trades and turning out a master of none.... I think the Gizmondo is one of the best examples of this. Next someone will suggest using this thing to make breakfast....
Now, then, if you think that a great number of people are going to be willing to pay over $300 for a strictly gaming device that mainly plays emulators and homebrew, then you're sadly mistaken! My GP2X does mostly well in the gaming/emulating department. Indeed ask yourself, why hasn't the PS3 been flying off the shelves? Because it's too dang expensive! It's only recently that they have lowered the price that Sony has suddenly seen an increase in sales. On the other hand, if you have a device that can do more than one good thing not only will it broaden its appeal, but you can also charge more money for it as well.
Interestingly enough, no one is talking about a PVR. It doesn't have to record. However, if you're going to be able to hook it up to the TV then let it play movies as well as games. If it is already going to include a media player to play movies (which seems reasonable since even the GP2X includes it), then simply add a remote OR device drivers for usb/bluetooth remotes to make it practical and more appealing. Likewise, if you're going to have Wifi, then let it surf the Net with support for Flash 9 since so many sites use Flash 9.
As for trying to get device drivers to work, no potential customer is going to want to mess with that. If the device drivers don't exist (whether it be for off the shelf usb or bluetooth remotes) for the gadget, people will simply move along and find something that works right off the bat.
Furthermore, everyone knows that Gizmondo failed because the company was being run by a crook, the product was poorly designed, and it was ridiculously expensive. Again, the team that is working on the Craiginator has the potential to design something that will appeal to a broader segement of the market which, in turn, will translate to more sales. If you don't think so, that's your opinion, but I think otherwise! In the same manner, if the team that is working on the Craiginator doesn't think that my suggestions are of any value, then that's fine too since the Menlow platform is arriving during the same timeframe.
Lastly, I'll end my discussion and suggestions in the words of a tech journalist: "Mark my words: in 2008, you'll see x86 processors win the first few major battles in a multiyear war to displace the likes of ARM, PowerPC, and MIPS in the pockets, purses, and briefcases of everyone from corporate executives to mall-hopping Paris Hilton wannabes. 2008 will be the year of the must-have x86-based ultramobile PC (UMPC) and mobile Internet device (MID)...." (source:
http://arstechnica.c...Blackberry.ars)QUOTE(Squidge @ Nov 28 2007, 06:12 PM)
QUOTE(funtasticguy @ Nov 28 2007, 06:35 PM)
The remote is not for the hand held. Instead, the remote will only be used when the hand held is hooked to the TV to watch movies. While watching movies may not be for all, there is a market of portable media devices that hook up to the TV. These portable media players come with remotes that people use when they watch their digital movies (i.e. Archos, Cowon, etc.).
Personally, if I want to play a movie at home, I use the dvd player rather than a portable device with a usb host, power adaptor, bluetooth dongle/etc all dangling of it.
The dvd player comes with it's own remote control, is in a suitable form for placing under the tv, has SD card and USB host sockets for plugging harddrives into, accepts DVD disks as a bonus, and cost about £30. A little cheaper than a £200 Craiginator with ~£50 of required extras.
Yes, the DVD player seems on the surface practical but if you want to play downloaded Divx/Xvid movies, then it won't be too practical to constantly burn CDs or DVDs (even if the DVD player plays DivX/Xvid files). Indeed, there's a great number of people that watch more downloaded movies than DVD movies which, in turn, explains the Archos, Cowon, etc. market.
Edited by funtasticguy, 28 November 2007 - 11:27 PM.
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