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[mrklaw]

PC remote.

I imagined it last night while working out plans for multiroom audio. The audio is the easy bit - the difficult part is controlling it.

so imagine, you have a DS in each room, custom coded to give a touch panel for selecting songs, controlling volume/playback etc, and possibly use the top screen for album art etc.

Its pretty much the cheapest touchscreen device out there, full colour, and has wifi for talking back to your PC. Its also portable, although you could mount it in the wall if you wanted.

 

[radioheadrule83]

That would be an awesome app. There's loads of things they could do with it really.
Loads of things that proper full blown devs should be looking into too.

 

[Phoenix]

Where are the homebrew SDKs?

 

[aoi tsuki]

At the moment, the price isn't really an issue. You can get a WiFi-enabled Dell Axim for ~$180, and there's programs that'll let you control your PC available (free AFAIK).

i would definitely love to have something like this though, mainly as a Winamp controller to have by my bedside.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

At the moment, the price isn't really an issue. You can get a WiFi-enabled Dell Axim for ~$180, and there's programs that'll let you control your PC available (free AFAIK).

Yeah, I was thinking this recently too. I use RealVNC all the time. It really just depends on being able to send a low-color image one way and the mouse/keystrokes the other way, so I can't think right now of why DS couldn't handle something like it. Obviously you'd see either a tiny version of the screen or only a small portion of it at a time, but that would still allow for a lot.

 

[Great King Bowser]

At the moment, the price isn't really an issue. You can get a WiFi-enabled Dell Axim for ~$180, and there's programs that'll let you control your PC available (free AFAIK).

i would definitely love to have something like this though, mainly as a Winamp controller to have by my bedside.

Can I get some examples? I'm getting an MDA compact soon, so some recommendations would be appreciated.

On topic: Having apps like that on DS would indeed rock.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Yeah, I was thinking this recently too. I use RealVNC all the time. It really just depends on being able to send a low-color image one way and the mouse/keystrokes the other way, so I can't think right now of why DS couldn't handle something like it. Obviously you'd see either a tiny version of the screen or only a small portion of it at a time, but that would still allow for a lot.

i think a dedicated program for the DS would work better than a VNC client. Even with both screens, you've only got a workspace of 256x384 pixels with an odd 260,000 color palette (not sure if that's on-screen or total). At that res, even a context menu would take up most or all of both screens.

What would be better is a simple application like the launcher on PDAs that would let you set up programs to run on the PC, and maybe relay system stats back to the PC. But i'd kill for a Winamp controller and a simple email viewer with a interface usable with fingers.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

I like the idea of the versatility of a VNC setup, though. A simple email program or Winamp controller made with the DS resolution and controls in mind might be nice, but if you can just control the original programs directly you don't need to wait for someone to make specifically what you're looking for. I can see getting some use out of something that would allow for:

 

[aoi tsuki]

Can I get some examples? I'm getting an MDA compact soon, so some recommendations would be appreciated.

On topic: Having apps like that on DS would indeed rock.

i guess it must've been an older model, because i just browsed Dell's site and the lowest WiFi Axim they have is the X30 @ $279. i'm not well-versed in Pocket PCs (i'm a Palm guy), but a search for Axim or PDA should turn up some helpful threads.

I like the idea of the versatility of a VNC setup, though. A simple email program or Winamp controller made with the DS resolution and controls in mind might be nice, but if you can just control the original programs directly you don't need to wait for someone to make specifically what you're looking for. I can see getting some use out of something that would allow for:

There's pros and cons for both methods. i guess it just comes down to preference. i'd rather have a program that's designed for the DS even if it is limited as opposed to shoehorning the PC experience onto a tiny screen. If i'm controlling Winamp through my DS, i want to be able to do it with my fingers and not via the stylus, otherwise i may as well get up and do it on the computer. i don't care about having direct control over my PC as with VNC given the DS's screen.

Having used browsers on various PDAs, i can say tell you that the DS's resolution would be horrid for most browsing, again, even with both screens combined. Using your browser's small screen rendering option or even Photoshopping screens doesn't really prepare you for actual browsing on a small screen. i don't mind reading tiny text, but the resolution has to be high enough to make the characters look sharp. Sub-pixel font rendering aside, that won't happen in a DS web browser. i'll eat my words and Ridge Racer DS if someone actually programs one and i'm satisfied with the results.

 

[Great King Bowser]

Doh, Aoi I meant software for remotely controlling stuff. :lol

AFAIK the MDA Compacts run Windows Pocket 2003 or something. First PDA phone thing here.

 

[mrklaw]

At the moment, the price isn't really an issue. You can get a WiFi-enabled Dell Axim for ~$180, and there's programs that'll let you control your PC available (free AFAIK).

i would definitely love to have something like this though, mainly as a Winamp controller to have by my bedside.

Aoi, check out www.mtvoid.com - control freak does exactly what you want. I don't use winamp so not currently an option for me, but it is a great little app. You need a bluetooth S60 phone, but you can pick up a 1st gen Ngage or QD really cheap, with the benefit of a good control system (4-way + separate select button)

It lets you control your winamp via a plugin, browse your music collection and queue things up while things are playing. And it can remote control your pc - you get a little window up. So while it doesn't have an email notifier, you can check if you have mail periodically.

 

[CrunchyB]

I wonder, are GBA cartridges restricted to the ARM7 (similar to GBC titles on the GBA) or can they access the entire system?