The Diamond Powerbook G4
I just thought of this idea in the Inkwell thread. Since no one seems to be reading that one (UBB should really have a listing of how many times a page has been read), herre goes:
For use with a cheap stylus, just a plastic pen body with two important things - a tiny peizoelectric crystal at the tip with wires feeding a coil. When it is pressed, current goes through the coil and makes a magnetic field.
It is to be pressed against the Powerbook's screen when the display has gone ALL the wway around the hinge - as in, it can be closed, open for use, or open to 360 degrees. At some pointt, perhaps 181 degrees around, the keyboard deactivates so that you can just take notes or draw. You can also choose to activate the screen in software in normal use position so that you can use the keyhoard and pen at the same time. Perhaps the display should have a little mechanism that can lock it in place so that it doesn't move while drawing.
A fine grid of wires behind the screen picks up the changing magnetic field and determines where the pen tip is. This will have to be very precise, for drawing at least.
Hmmm.... what if the pen is slanted? The cursor will be in a new place... oh I know! The grid wires are sensitive enough to tell the difference between the electromagnet being 5.3 mm and 5.1 mm away. Cool.
But won't a slightly stronger push on the crystal change the field just as much as slanting the pen?
Doh.
Oh well. Thatt idea can be worked on. The pen can be just a pen body with a tiny iron magnet the size of a ballpoint. This is cheaper than the otherr idea.
The big thing is, and this is where marketing comes in, is that the screen is coated in diamond to avoid scratches!
I know the tech is available. Perhaps it can be applied to the whole outer surface so the titanium can be scratch-free.... but diamond is brittle
Hmm..
Anywhoo - it just makes a nice new marketing idea. The Titanium Powerbook G4 is now... the Diamond Powerbook G4! Of course, the rest of the machine will be new too.
If it's released next month, I'm thinking it will be a little heavier, with a STANDARD widescreen - like theatre prrojections. Heavier because it uses a larger battery with the iPod's lithium-polymer tech (unless that can'tt deliver enough juice for a G4 - I dunno the specs).
Thus -
15.5 inch regular widescreen Diamond display
150 MHz system bus
750 MHz G4 processor or 900 MHz G4
256 MB RAM standard, 1 GB max (perhaps DDR?)
30 GB HD standard, 48 availbable
Heck while they're at it, why not make EVERY Apple display (released a few months after the Diamond Powerbook - wouldn't want to steal its thunder too soon) touchscreen?
Of course, the touchscreen tech I described doesn't eed to be that way. There are probably better ways to do it. The point is that the screen needs to be coated in a thousand atoms of crystal carbon. :cool:
[ 06-13-2002: Message edited by: cdhostage ]</p>
For use with a cheap stylus, just a plastic pen body with two important things - a tiny peizoelectric crystal at the tip with wires feeding a coil. When it is pressed, current goes through the coil and makes a magnetic field.
It is to be pressed against the Powerbook's screen when the display has gone ALL the wway around the hinge - as in, it can be closed, open for use, or open to 360 degrees. At some pointt, perhaps 181 degrees around, the keyboard deactivates so that you can just take notes or draw. You can also choose to activate the screen in software in normal use position so that you can use the keyhoard and pen at the same time. Perhaps the display should have a little mechanism that can lock it in place so that it doesn't move while drawing.
A fine grid of wires behind the screen picks up the changing magnetic field and determines where the pen tip is. This will have to be very precise, for drawing at least.
Hmmm.... what if the pen is slanted? The cursor will be in a new place... oh I know! The grid wires are sensitive enough to tell the difference between the electromagnet being 5.3 mm and 5.1 mm away. Cool.
But won't a slightly stronger push on the crystal change the field just as much as slanting the pen?
Doh.
Oh well. Thatt idea can be worked on. The pen can be just a pen body with a tiny iron magnet the size of a ballpoint. This is cheaper than the otherr idea.
The big thing is, and this is where marketing comes in, is that the screen is coated in diamond to avoid scratches!
I know the tech is available. Perhaps it can be applied to the whole outer surface so the titanium can be scratch-free.... but diamond is brittle
Hmm..Anywhoo - it just makes a nice new marketing idea. The Titanium Powerbook G4 is now... the Diamond Powerbook G4! Of course, the rest of the machine will be new too.
If it's released next month, I'm thinking it will be a little heavier, with a STANDARD widescreen - like theatre prrojections. Heavier because it uses a larger battery with the iPod's lithium-polymer tech (unless that can'tt deliver enough juice for a G4 - I dunno the specs).
Thus -
15.5 inch regular widescreen Diamond display
150 MHz system bus
750 MHz G4 processor or 900 MHz G4
256 MB RAM standard, 1 GB max (perhaps DDR?)
30 GB HD standard, 48 availbable
Heck while they're at it, why not make EVERY Apple display (released a few months after the Diamond Powerbook - wouldn't want to steal its thunder too soon) touchscreen?
Of course, the touchscreen tech I described doesn't eed to be that way. There are probably better ways to do it. The point is that the screen needs to be coated in a thousand atoms of crystal carbon. :cool:
[ 06-13-2002: Message edited by: cdhostage ]</p>
Comments
Furthermore, the display would get full of smudges from resting your hand on it.
Hmmm.... what if the pen is slanted? The cursor will be in a new place... oh I know! The grid wires are sensitive enough to tell the difference between the electromagnet being 5.3 mm and 5.1 mm away. Cool.
But won't a slightly stronger push on the crystal change the field just as much as slanting the pen?
Doh.
Oh well. Thatt idea can be worked on. The pen can be just a pen body with a tiny iron magnet the size of a ballpoint. This is cheaper than the otherr idea.<hr></blockquote>
This seems rather identical to the technology used by Wacom, et al. Nothing new here. But it would be nice to see in a full power laptop.