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CrossBow
2007-02-05, 02:41
After my first attempt at adding a keyboard to my 770
(See http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=564&page=5)
(Scroll about halfway down the page),

I have come up with what may be one of the coolest 770 accesories out there. It basically turns the 770 into a mini-laptop.

I'll be posting much more info on this on my webpage in the next day or so, but until then here is one picture, mostly as a teaser:

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/ShuttleJock/770Dock1.jpg

Yes it's real, Yes, it works. The 770 is un-modified except for being flashed into USB host mode.

Edited: Changed image link.
fpp
2007-02-05, 09:03
It's so much of a teaser that I can't even see the pic :-)
Is this my proxy acting up or what ?...
fpp
2007-02-05, 09:09
I got the image URL from the page source, but that doesn't work either.
CrossBow
2007-02-05, 18:38
If you can't see the pict, keep trying. The server was moved to a totally different network a few hours before I posted that. It is likely a DNS propagation error.
fpp
2007-02-05, 18:51
Ah yes, see it now. Man, that beast is actually larger than my Kohjinsha SA1 ! :-)
speculatrix
2007-02-05, 21:53
I love it!
I think the keyboard should have raised corners/edges and the N800 could clip to it so it acted like an oversized case - it'd need to be slightly smaller perhaps.


THEN it'd be perfect... well, not quite...

If it could have a built-in USB2 hub.

THEN it'd be perfect... well, not quite...

Then just add a slot for a 2.5" hard drive with usb2 adaptor to connect to nokia.

THEN it'd be perfect.

OK, add a 3G adaptor. And a GPS. And a sandwich toaster.
fpp
2007-02-05, 22:31
Hey, welcome on board, speculatrix... Missing the oesf forums ? :-)
Karel Jansens
2007-02-05, 23:08
This is an interesting concept and I might have found a worthy new purpose for my idling 770.

Just one question, as I don't know much about the USB host concept of the 770: Is it possible to plug in a USB memory stick into that contraption, thus increasing the storage capacity of the 770?
CrossBow
2007-02-06, 00:34
The circuit board at the right most of the picture is a 4 port hub. The top most port is hardwired to the keyboard, but the other 3 are available.

Here's a Picture showing the unit closed. The USB ports and swing out stand are visible.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/ShuttleJock/770Dock33.jpg

The red switch is the power switch.

For a N800, it would have to slide in from the left instead of the top, but the stand is in the way of the USB port. Either the stand would have to be removed, or at least partially open. Can the stand be easily and non destructively taken off of a N800?

Edited: Changed image link.
CrossBow
2007-02-06, 00:40
Is it possible to plug in a USB memory stick into that contraption, thus increasing the storage capacity of the 770?

Yes. I have used it with various card readers, and my phone.

I have a USB HD case here, but I have no drive to put in it. It would be cool to show about a 200G volume available in the File Manager. :)
nspeer
2007-02-06, 04:38
I can't see the pictures!
Rocketman
2007-02-06, 07:20
Me neither. Can you post them somewhere which isn't undergoing domain name hijinx?
aflegg
2007-02-06, 10:22
e.g. flickr, imagehost, here.

Hell, email them to me and I'll stick them somewhere.
nspeer
2007-02-06, 18:11
Crossbow,
Way Cool! I would love to make one for my 770. Will you be posting plans and directions either on your website or on Internet Tablet Talk anytime soon?

thanks,
Neil
CrossBow
2007-02-07, 01:50
Way Cool! I would love to make one for my 770. Will you be posting plans and directions either on your website or on Internet Tablet Talk anytime soon?

Yes. The webpage is nearly complete, and while it does not exactly have plans, it descibes the device in enough detail to not only make one, but to improve upon it.


BTW, I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that some people cannot see the pictures:

http://it.slashdot.org/it/07/02/06/2238225.shtml

May have been bad timing for an IP address change.
thoughtfix
2007-02-07, 04:57
Send them to my gmail. I will host them. That looks so much more futuristic than my 'nokbook 770' hack!
speculatrix
2007-02-07, 08:10
Hey, welcome on board, speculatrix... Missing the oesf forums ? :-)

how did you guess :D

BTW, I started a thread on the Nokia forum before I found ITT; the Nokia smartphone forum isn't too usefull as it mixes up tablets with smartphones and its mainly symbian users chatting. Here's the reference anyway:
http://discussions.europe.nokia.com/discussions/board/message?board.id=smartphones&message.id=25706
CrossBow
2007-02-07, 18:50
Ok. I am obviously having problems (beyond my control) with that server.

Try these pictures:

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/ShuttleJock/770Dock1.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/ShuttleJock/770Dock33.jpg
Texrat
2007-02-07, 20:46
That is one sweet project. You have out-thoughtfixed Thoughtfix (:p Daniel).
CrossBow
2007-02-08, 15:04
You have out-thoughtfixed Thoughtfix

Doubt that. I have every confidence in my ability to deterministically loose a thought match with Thoughtfix.

Now if the challenge were Dremel tools on polymer at midnight, I may fair better. :)
fpp
2007-02-09, 14:37
How about slapping this (when it comes out) inside a folding pouch and be done with it ? :-)

http://www.mobilitysite.com/2007/02/small_compact_bluetooth_keyboard.php
Karel Jansens
2007-02-09, 15:13
How about slapping this (when it comes out) inside a folding pouch and be done with it ? :-)

http://www.mobilitysite.com/2007/02/small_compact_bluetooth_keyboard.php

It seems that those who have actually used that keyboard, have only one complaint: It's too small to be used as a doorstop.
CrossBow
2007-02-09, 15:23
How about slapping this (when it comes out) inside a folding pouch and be done with it ? :-)

Wanna have a typing contest?

That does look very cool, but it looks too small for any real typing. It looks to be about the same size as a Zaurus Keyboard. That's too small for anything but minor/occasional text entry.

The little keyboard I used for my project is even too small for real touch typing, but it is pretty close. It is (was) the same keyboard others on these forums (Mike Crane, for one, I belive) own and have mentioned. With real moving keys, a proper space bar, and 71 total keys, it is very useable. My major complaint is that it has no right shift key. Anything less is simply not enough of an improvement over the 770's soft keyboards to be worth carrying.


It also does not help you use USB devices, or add storage capacity.

BTW, I now have my full article up at:

http://linuxslate.com/N770DockingStation.html
fpp
2007-02-09, 16:23
OTOH, this gizmo is just about the right size to cover the tablet's screen. So with the appropriate fixing contraption (Crossbow to the rescue ? :-) it could both be an alternative to Nokia's own strap-on screen protector for the N800 (which is still not available yet :-) *and* an attached fold-out keyboard many have been clamoring for...

On the 770, just glue a pair of magnets outside the aluminium cover and voilą :-)

Certainly not the same typing comfort than your keyboard (or mine), but it could be handy to have this permanently available, plus a larger foldable BT one for more intensive typing...
Karel Jansens
2007-02-09, 16:34
OTOH, this gizmo is just about the right size to cover the tablet's screen. So with the appropriate fixing contraption (Crossbow to the rescue ? :-) it could both be an alternative to Nokia's own strap-on screen protector for the N800 (which is still not available yet :-) *and* an attached fold-out keyboard many have been clamoring for...

On the 770, just glue a pair of magnets outside the aluminium cover and voilą :-)

Certainly not the same typing comfort than your keyboard (or mine), but it could be handy to have this permanently available, plus a larger foldable BT one for more intensive typing...

When I was still using my 770, I'd have agreed with you completely, but the virtual thumbboard has evolved from "completely useless crap that drops every thrid letter" on the 770 to "something I can actually use for short text entries" on the N800. Why would I want to add a hardware version that gives just about the same user experience? :cool:
fpp
2007-02-09, 16:42
Oh, and hats off for the laptop design, building and write-up ! It's a lot more "thinking" and "making" than I'd thought at first from the pictures...

I had a similar idea last year, but with a simpler, more off-the-shelf approach (I know my limits with a Dremel :-). I had a nice Case Logic pouch made for storing 72 CDs. Once stripped of the inside CD sleeves, it is just the right size in all three dimensions to hold my Keysonic USB nano-keyboard in the lower half, and the 770, USB 4xAAA pack, USB hub, and USB Y-cable in the lid. I was too lazy to actually finish it though :-)