July 22, 2005

Thanks to a little app called Portable VNC for the PSP, you can now remote desktop into your Mac from your PSP. So.... for me, just playing with the OS is not that much fun [yes it is cool, but games are better :) ]. Let's see what it is like to play W.o.W.

MMM..... well you can't :) It is way too slow at about 1 - 1/2 fps. You really can't do anything. I first tried walking around one of the big towns, but with the low frame rate, by the time I stopped moving, I was nowhere near the place I wanted to be. So I was thinking I could use it to farm the auction house. But again, it was just to cumbersome. After much thought, I could only think of ONE use: if I was waiting to get into an instance and wanted to chill out in my living room instead of at my computer, I could glance at my PSP to see when it was time to go and play.

A little video to show the fps one the PSP
http://macovermatter.com/archives/MVI_5056_sm2.AVI

By now, some of you might be asking how well does this work with the OS? Well, not bad—besides the fact you can't see your mouse :). Other than that, you can see and play with the OS just fine.

What you will need to do this:

A PSP with firmware 1.5 ( not 1.5.1 and 1.5.2)
portablevnc On the PSP
A Mac running OSXvnc

How to:
1. Install portablevnc on the PSP. It is very simple to do. Just follow the instructions.
2. Open up OSXvnc.app and give your Mac a name and a password. Then hit start.

Yeah, that is about it!! The only thing that was a little out of the ordinary was on my PSP, I had to set the network setting by hand. PortableVNC does not work well with DHCP.

Posted by macomadmin at 05:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (2678)

October 28, 2004

"Apple is kind enough to supply Bluetooth as an option when you purchase an iBook, but if you want it later you are SOL." UNTILL now !!!!

This was just sent to me and thought i would share it with you. This person cracked open his Ibook and attached the bluetooth to the motherboard.

http://www3.telus.net/thewitt/BT/

Posted by macomadmin at 06:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (2040)

October 25, 2004

This project is not my first but I think it is my best. If only Apple would someday make a Mac Tablet. I would like to give you a more how to make one but... I did not take note (very sorry) and I made it over 3 years ago. I still think it is a cool project and if you really want to make one let me know I will try to help you.

How it all came about
I was working at a start-up tech company that was developing a kiosk that would download music to an MP3 player. For one of the prototypes, we used an iBook with touch screens made by Troll Touch (www.trolltouch.com). Like most start-ups at the time, the company did not survive, but I did manage to buy some of the touch screen iBooks—with the intention of making a slate tablet.

How it was made
I started with an iBook that was already modified with a Troll Touch touchscreen membrane. This membrane was inserted just in front of the iBook's LCD screen. So I was thinking that I would just cut a hole in the top half of the iBook, flip over the LCD screen, and then be all set. Well, I was kind of right. I started by taking the whole iBook apart and looking at it.

Using a wood-burning tool, I cut a hole in the top half of the iBook the same size as the LCD screen.

I took the screen and put it back in upside down so that the touch screen side would be facing out of this new hole. I also needed to take the keyboard out and do a little cutting on the inside plastic. After about 4-5 hours, I was able to put it all back to together as a tablet.

Parts no longer needed :)

How it works and what I do with it
The tablet works just like any other Mac but instead of using a mouse, you touch the screen to perform tasks. (It helps to change the icons to large buttons on your desktop). With an on-screen keyboard, you really don't need to attach one. A Mac tablet has its uses. For starters, it is a very easy way to surf the web while sitting on the couch (an Airport card was already in the iBook). It also works as a great admin tool for looking at the network in my house. I have also used it to find open WiFi in Boston. Surprisingly, it is a lot easier than holding a laptop. One unexpected use is watching movies that I have ripped from DVD.

What I don't like
Using an on-screen keyboard is not the ideal way to use a tablet. I wish it had handwriting recognition like the Newton. I also think that the extra plastic on the iBook makes it bigger than it needs to be. I would love to modify a new iBook into a slate tablet, but the cost is not worth it to me.

Wish list
My slate tablet feels unfinished. I would still like to do more to it. Maybe I'll solder the USB cable to the motherboard once I figure out the pin set. I'd love to be running OSX on it. Unfortunately, Apple's Inkwell (their handwriting recognition software in OSX) will only work with a Wacom tablet. I am hoping someone, if not Apple, comes out with a similar plug-in for a touch screen and/or mouse.

Photos

Using it on the road

usb for the screen

the mactablet

Posted by macomadmin at 02:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (2611)