Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

So, we are watching the future unfold amongst us here in terms of devices, technologies, gadgets etc.

So, in similar style with MacGyver, here is a few things to toy with, what kind of applications and/or associate gadgets (specialized docking stations for instance) would you build if you had some of all of these and the experience to do so.

I'm personally starting to have quite a collection of tablets and versatile devices in general, so I'm pondering what cool things I could make as well if I had time for it. :)

They can be around your home or on your person - you might find similar setups at your friends and closest family.

* One 3.5" 3G tablet (can be a phone!) with keyboard per person in your residence (family, partner, etc). With VPN access to your home network.

* one or more 4.3" tablet somewhere in your house, optionally sitting in your wall or other places permanently mounted.

* one or more 7" tablet with USB host, optionally mounted some place.

* WiFi connectivity around your house.

* One or more Sheevaplugs providing processing power (Tiny, anonymous servers sitting and fitting in an electrical plug)

* Cloud storage (can be either locally and stored/accessed online, you can assume the online storage & transfer is encrypted and they don't have your key.)

* Zero, one or more picoprojectors.

* One or more flatscreen displays around the houses, taking S-video, HDMI.

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

A secret brainstorming session, eh? :D

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

We might as well start preparing because all the low-cost pieces are in place very soon to actually make stuff that people come up with here work :)

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

Add some kind of cheap person tracking (I just got stereo bluetooth headsets for < $60USD) and you could easily have audio player prefs follow you through the house. I've always loved this idea but, if you have some mounted screens, there's no reason why video preferences couildn't follow you also...

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

Momma always said, "Quid pro quo."

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

I already keep a tablet beside the home phone, for using with DialCentral. Dial the (long distance within N.America) number on the tablet screen, and the phone rings. Talk for as long as you want, for free.

Also, I have two N800s, and it is fairly straightforward to use Internet Call to have a rudimentary video "baby monitor"... I would love to see this developed further, so that you have a full video security cam / monitor / intercom system...

EDIT:

All the 3G devices should "call home" every so often with their GPS locations, so that anyone in the household can see where all the devices are at any given moment. Would also make tracking device thieves (and errant teenagers) easier...

EDIT2:

"Family Home Page" has (1) current locations of all mobile devices (2) current calendars of all family members synched from various locations.

The Home Page is on permanent display in the kitchen in the home, but can also be accessed by any mobile device (or other screen in the house).

The home has an Asterisk PBX, and all mobiles are on this PBX. All calls to family members are to a single phone number, with a one or two digit extension number. When the devices are on charger or the person is in their room, all calls are routed to the person's home extension. When that person is out of the home, calls are routed to mobiles. Voice / video messages are stored on the central server and can be accessed anywhere.

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

Please explain further just what your setup is and how this works? I didn't follow. Thanks in advance

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

With DialCentral you have to have two accounts: one with Grandcentral and a SIP number, in my case Gizmo. The callback phone number after you logging into Grandcentral accound could be any phone number which you already registered with Grandcentral site. The phone with the callback number will be rung when you have a connection (Grandcentral will forward the Grandcentral number to the callback number)

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

You don't even need the SIP number. That's just if you want to use the tablet as your callback phone (for free long distance calls from the tablet).

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

If we're talking brain storming, I'm still game for building some kind of wearable pc with wireless video goggles, a wireless "power glove" type controller, and a n810 type unit as the core of the device. I posted an article about it at my site plus a thread here detailing my idea of a "wearable computer".

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

integrate all this with Home automation

Re: Tablet and home devices future: Making something cool if you had the chance
 

My Sheevaplug is arriving tomorrow, according to the UPS tracking information they gave me! There was a month backorder on it.

I would like two things:

1. Something akin to Texrat/Joluis' pocketable server idea. If there was a battery operated Sheevaplug (a Sheevapocket?) with WiFi AP and more I/O options, for instance Video out, that would rock for my purposes. I would attach a 3G USB Stick to it and this would form the backbone to my mobility.

2. A Wi-Fi SIP phone. The reason for one of these is that a simple phone interface with hardware keys is a robust platform for a phone. It also frees up my tablet for surfing and net-centric type usage. Those Accton SIP phones would meet my purpose. I could use it to either tie to my Home Asterisk or my Gizmo accounts via my pocketable server for a cell-free call environment. It would be nice to have it as simple and small as possible and use my contacts list from the tablet.