Any devices LIKE the Joggler or OpenFrame still being made?

[tschak]

OpenPeak made some _very_ amazing pieces of hardware, for vertical markets that ultimately never materialized...

Is anyone out there making devices that can be purchased, that have a similar schema? Touch screen, built in stand, speakers, network, wifi, maybe part phone?

I am a core developer of a F/OSS smart home platform, and had been following OpenPeak's development of these devices since 2008, only to see them completely self destruct and become a services company in 2011, and it totally bewilders me that these devices do not sell, or that people are not MAKING devices like this? WHY?!?!?!

-Thom

[gegs]

...it totally bewilders me that these devices do not sell, or that people are not MAKING devices like this? WHY?!?!?!

I can see exactly why they've been beaten in the market place - the proliferation of cheap and affordable Android tablets that do loads of stuff (although maybe not the things you'd like them to do - c'est la vie!)

Most of the usefulness of Openpeak devices is attributable not only to the device, but the amazing people who have extended their functionality through hacks and alternative operating systems. If O2 Jogglers had been marketed with the same functionality that pimped Jogglers have, they could have been very successful (but only if they were competitively priced against Android tablets). Although I love them, there are times that I wish I could unplug my Jogglers and use them on a journey. Portability is very important for small tech devices and is the reason that tablets are selling so well compared to laptops; they are just that little bit more portable.

It looks as if there has been an unfortunate lack of synchronicity here; These devices were launched before there was widespread demand for them and now that you have a demand for them, they are no longer made. I get the feeling that until a similar device is made again commercially, most people will be trying to make their own using individual components and small, cheap modular computers like the Raspberry Pi, Arduino or similar. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. However, it seems that with Openpeak devices, the invention was born before the necessity materialised.

[pete]

Yup; sometime in their development cycle they build an 800Mhz ARM combo telephone hub for Verizon called the Verizon VZ hub. A totally different and cheaper build than the Intel Atom based design. I do still believe they were ahead of their time with the energy and telephone combo internet hubs. Most of the reviews and writeups compare the devices to Apple's stuff.

I do too have an Android in-wall POE touch screen. Personally here noted that one of my first networked media tanks (very tiny) did have a propietary OS (I did mod it a bit) and a built in Tb laptop hard drive. The same company called Patriot memory replaced said NMT with an Android based NMT much smaller without a built in drive. I like the familiarity of the Android OS but liked the ability to have a 1TB drive in the NMT but no display.

The really neat unique thing about the Joggler / Openpeak Openframe devices is the ability to boot up multiple OS's to play with and modding the original OS. There is still today no little capacitance tablet that lets you boot up in a modified original OS (PnPIII) , many flavors of Linux, XBMC, Squeezebox, Wintel XP and W8, Android that I know of.

Relating to home automation I have tested USB virtual network connectivity to my Digi USB Anywhere connected to my Digi 7 port USB hub to my Digi 2 X 8 port Edgeports to work just fine. That and I did load up various speech fonts from AT&T and Neospeech and they function great. I have too run a propietary (with touch screen designer) touch screen product that does run in Wintel, Linux and Android with identically designed screens. Designer cannot distinguish what OS is running just installs my graphics and buttons just fine. Today though I am using UPB, Z-Wave, Insteon and want to play with Zigbee. I do find that the embedded controller with a little bit extra event programming space does well and works fast. (Also here utilize an HAI OPII embedded security and automation controller). The almost "embedded" Seagate Dockstar with an ARM CPU running Arch Linux and Mono does talk fine to my serial sprinkler controller, 1-wire 9097 and to a Mimo USB monitor such that its a 1200 Mhz Arm CPU almost embedded and does well.

[tschak]

If you want to see what I've been working on for almost the last decade:

http://www.linuxmce.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7JDX2R_uDc <-- demo video

Even today, 10 years on, there's not a system that even comes close to its architecture, and feature spread.

-Thom

[gegs]

Wow! That's some pretty cool stuff!

I had a look at LinuxMCE ages ago but didn't fully understand its capabilities and probably didn't have devices that could be used with it. My 'kit' is now a bit better and I know a lot more 'tech stuff' (thanks in great measure to the fantastic education I've received from members of this forum), so I'll give it another look. It will have to wait a little though; I've got a busy week followed by two weeks holiday (Yippee!)

[pete]

Wow; impressive. I have a number of BCM multimedia type motherboards and some really nice little MM mini ITX with room cases. This is actually what I used for MythTV now running with some 6 tuners....2 analog, 3 cable and one satellite (old nexus tuner)...all in a tiny box....

Today I do have a MythTV setup running in my home and have been testing the live TV streaming (even though I do not really watch TV) with XBMC on whatever (and whatever works).

Its really been more than 10 years ago that I played with LinuxMCE....thinking now I modded (always tinkering) an Intel based AOL (with telephone) box being sold everywhere but the US many years ago (thinking maybe the 1990's). I totally ripped it apart but tried to keep it looking like the original box. It was in a regular CRT monitor type case and had the telephone stuff in a cradle. It was a custom job made by intel (logos were all over the thing) for AOL dial up service. I did modify the sub case under the power supply and added a TV tuner to the PC which I overclocked at the time.

I bought more than one of these boxes and did have pieces all over the place. First thing installed on the box was linux then I drifted into making it a TV computer phone thing ...maybe (forgetting now) using Linux MCE....did it exist back then?

[tschak]

LinuxMCE is a direct descendent of PlutoHome, which was a project that ran from 2003 to 2007. We took the code, and created a community process around it after the original company declared insolvency.

It is worth noting that this system really is focused to be an appliance, building using off the shelf components, and so there is more work on the user's part for DIY solutions, but, in the end, we strive for nothing less than complete unification of all technology within the home; giving it the ability to interact in ways previously not possible.

More videos can be seen @: http://www.youtube.com/tschak909 and looking for LinuxMCE.

[pete]

Thank you tschak

Now I am wondering what I was doing with the box in the 1990's. I did install a TV tuner and Linux on it. Most of the work though was removing the PC to mod it which involved taking the device totally apart.

[tschak]

Just posted a new video, highlighting using a Joggler in a LinuxMCE home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwZWqv7J ... e=youtu.be

-Thom

[ProfX_OpenFrame7]

Yes, tschak, yes.

OpenTablet 7 of OpenPeak, and Logitech DUET (Squeezebox), Logitech Radio(Squeezebox),Logitech Touch(Squeezebox).


"http://news.cnet.com/i/bto/20100216/opentablet.PNG"

[tschak]

I am fully aware of these devices, and very familiar with the hardware on them. They do not meet my criteria, at all.

I need a standing touch screen device, that does not run on battery power, that is built on commodity hardware that I can replace with another operating system, that provides a decent capacitive touch display, an ethernet port, and either built in speakers, or an audio out. The OpenPeak devices fit this scenario perfectly.

Did any of the OpenTablets make it out into the wild? I saw some at trade shows during 2010, but I couldn't even get them to sell me an engineering sample without a commitment to order a zillion units. It seems even at that point, they were strapped for cash.

-Thom

[pete]

Personally I never did see of the tablets out there in internetlandia.

Profx,

Where the Openpeak tablets available ever sold or available in Brazil?

[ProfX_OpenFrame7]

Pete_C,

You can you send some Jogglers (ORby) to me for Brazil U.S.?
I would like to preferênica OpenTablet7, or else Openframe7
Eu gostaria de de preferênica OpenTablet7, ou então de Openframe7 (speakers)
I found Orby U.S. Dollars $ 10.00.


Dollar is cheaper than EU (Euro).

JOGLLER IN BRAZIL PRICES
Promocional Price, R$150,00 (cento e cinquenta Reais)
"http://www.hardmob.com.br/promocoes/517 ... 0-a-2.html"

Normal Price R$ 800,00(+)
"http://www.submarino.com.br/produto/109 ... tos-gratis"