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Hardware

Touchscreen BoomboxPC 104

Posted by CmdrTaco from the now-thats-a-cool-hack dept.
leerpm writes "Someone has managed to put together a Touchscreen BoomboxPC. It can function as both a boombox and PC. They mention plans to make it run Linux too, by making it dual-boot to Debian."
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Touchscreen BoomboxPC More

Touchscreen BoomboxPC

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  • I actually got to the site before it died (Score:5, Insightful)

    by HolyCoitus ( 658601 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:22AM (#9289604)
    And I have to ask... What is the point of the camera mentioned in the article? I can understand USB to some degree, but 4 USB ports seems overkill. If only I could reload the page, eh?

    • Re:I actually got to the site before it died (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Dude, you gotta get outta the basement. This thing has incredible in the stripper-for-hire industry. With the cam, this thing is the complete package. Imagine the upcharge for being able to film the festivities. The ROI would be something like 2 bachelor parties and a bar mitzvah.

      2cv, posting AC cuz he can't remember where he wrote down his /. pwd.

  • w00t (Score:5, Funny)

    by su2ge ( 713552 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:23AM (#9289609) Journal
    Awesome! Where do I sign up? I always wanted a boombox that was capable of compiling code AND playing my MP3'S :D

  • All I can say is (Score:5, Funny)

    by Roland Piquepaille ( 780675 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:23AM (#9289613)
    This thing runs Windows 98 with a scan of the original boombox' front panel as background image.

    This is truly ghetto...

  • Superb anti-theft device (Score:4, Insightful)

    by CdBee ( 742846 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:24AM (#9289615)
    I love these project computers we see, but my reaction is often to think that the owner could never go out with the PC as it would be an instant theft item

    Here's a PC modder who knows what its at - fitting something high-tech and cool into a radio which very much is not.
    I wonder if I could make a boom-box skin for my iPod.....
    • I love these project computers we see, but my reaction is often to think that the owner could never go out with the PC as it would be an instant theft item

      Ha!
      If he was a real geek he'd never go out anyway!
    • I've got a PC built into a shiny metal briefcase that sits on my desktop and works just fine. But I could never take it anywhere, as being strip-searched over PC components is NOT my idea of a good time. :-\

  • Image mirror (Score:3, Informative)

    by nuclear305 ( 674185 ) * on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:28AM (#9289632)
    Here's a tasty mirror of the images...since everyone loves pretty pictures! Image1 [imagetown.net] Image2 [imagetown.net] Image3 [imagetown.net] Image4 [imagetown.net] Image5 [imagetown.net] Image6 [imagetown.net] Image7 [imagetown.net] Image8 [imagetown.net] Image9 [imagetown.net] Image10 [imagetown.net] Image11 [imagetown.net] Image12 [imagetown.net]

    • Re:Image mirror (Score:3, Funny)

      by Fizzl ( 209397 )
      It would help if the 'tasty mirror' wasn't running on an 386 over 256k DSL line.
    • the mirror is 16x slower than the original page.
      If this is not called karma whoring, Darl is the one who first wrote the linux kernel before linus steal it.

    • Re:Image mirror (Score:2, Informative)

      by mobby_6kl ( 668092 )
      And here's the text:

      Touchscreen BoomboxPC

      Hitachi TRK-8200HR + Fujitsu Stylistic 1200 Color Tablet PC
      currently running win98 (Debian dual-boot when complete) with MediaCar [skynet.be] as the default mp3 interface, designing a custom skin for the 480x640 portrait display
      currently 2g hdd, increasing to upwards of 20g
      pcmcia LAN, upgrading to WiFi
      internal webcam
      4 USB (when completed)
      custom wallpaper to keep original aesthetics

      the powersupply for the tablet is internal, and wired into the outlet on the boombox, so you o

  • obviously a fake!! (Score:5, Funny)

    by victorvodka ( 597971 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:30AM (#9289639) Homepage
    The funderator has too few wires connected to the plasma petulicator, and the quazimemotron could never generate enough jouls of gudzja through 30 gauge copper. But it's a good concept!
  • ...flying car..

    You know, so I can take my boomboxPC with me...

  • What about a car unit? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by raistphrk ( 203742 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:38AM (#9289658)
    While I think this is a novel idea, for most people, carrying around a boom box went out in the eighties, along with Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer. If they want any type of embedded device, it's going to be a stereo.

    There are a few projects [ryanspc.com] that do this already, but I think it would be cool to have the UI from the boom box project.

    I must say though, it would make a lot more sense to use Linux or FreeBSD for a project like that. If you ever wanted to mass produce and sell them, you couldn't if you embedded Windows. You get extra geek points for hacking Linux or BSD properly to work in a car. And, if you care, you won't be violating license agreements. But on the flipside, if you do choose to upload mp3s that you downloaded off the net, you probably don't care about EULAs to begin with.

    To be fair though, I know that the first thing I do when I buy a CD is rip it onto my hard drive so that I always have a copy in case my disc breaks. Uploading all of my discs to a stereo PC would be a good way to archive, and would also mean I wouldn't have to lug around my massive CD case anymore.
    • well, you could include Windows actually - Microsoft allow customised builds for embedded projects, it's just that for an essentially stand-alone project the benefits of Windows such as they are, are largely irrelevant.

      Any OS that can share files with a Windows desktop would be suitable, Linux obviously springs to mind because of good driver support and interface compatibility, but not so long ago the Be OS was being touted for exactly this purpose.
      Be Inc went down after the CEO botched a chance to sell
      • A BeOS stereo would be amazing. The thing would boot incredibly fast if nothing else. And since the OS was designed largely for embedded devices, I doubt much customization would be necessary.
    • Now that I've had all of my DVDs stolen (recently) I rip every one I buy as soon as I get home so that if it happens again I'm not so screwed.
    • While I think this is a novel idea, for most people, carrying around a boom box went out in the eighties

      Yep. And now the eighties are back.

      Specifically, that style of boombox is more early-'80s, not circa 1990-91 (when MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice were around). In other words, at least 20 years old, and cool if you like that sort of retro.

  • Not to belittle this project in any way, but didn't I see an article about a boombox Linux PC in Linux Journal [linuxjournal.com] about a year (or so) ago? Maybe someone on slashdot with more backissues can find it.

  • Media Car (Score:5, Informative)

    by anonicon ( 215837 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:49AM (#9289703)
    While this little project is interesting enough, I caught a link from this piece to Media Car:

    Media Car [skynet.be] (mostly in French, but the screenshots do it justice)

    It seems to be a do-it-all for multimedia software, but it looks bleeding edge enough to warrant wariness. I'd be interested in this if it could run on BSD or Linux and supported a remote.

    • Re:Media Car (Score:3, Interesting)

      by CdBee ( 742846 )
      Add Wi-fi and a convoy of cars - for example on a motorway - can share media. Hit-and-run filesharing, love to see the RIAA stop that

      Some software tweaking gives the option of a car stereo that hunts down Mp3 tracks as you travel...
    • What you want is MythTV. You can use it without a capture card as a media jukebox, in fact that's how I do it. Play music, movies, get TV listings, check the weather, browse the web, etc, and it's designed from the ground up to with a remote.
      • Hey Y,

        Thanks for the tip, I'm especially checking out its features and background at the mythtv.com web site. Here's to hoping that this works out for him since he also just got a new job.

        Chuck
    • MediaCar is good, solid software. it does the job, and does it well. Info & Forum [mp3car.com]

  • Stylus (Score:4, Informative)

    by j235 ( 734628 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:53AM (#9289716)
    What he fails to mention is that you need the stylus to touch the screen.

    I have one of these Tablet PCs, and only the stylus can register clicks.

  • But the burning question is.... (Score:3, Funny)

    by lxt ( 724570 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @10:54AM (#9289722) Journal
    ...does it play OGG?

  • This shouldn't have been posted to Slashdot yet. (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Note on the last picture that the pretty UI is actually just a background. When I first saw it, I was excited because I thought the guy had written some sweet code.

    I also would of really liked to see a mini-itx motherboard as opposed to a tablet PC.

    No offense to the guy, I am glad that he found a cool project, but I guess I expect a lot work to be done before finding it on the frontpage of Slashdot.
  • when da man has bin shot in da head?

    He has a hole in his boombox PC!

  • I'm not impressed... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The image on the touchscreen is a non-functional background image? The user accesses the player through the Windows' Start Menu? Now, if those VU meters actually moved (maybe as a WinAMP or XMMS plugin) and the buttons actually selected functionality and the "tape" spun indicating approximate time remaining on the playlist, then I might be middling impressed. Such functionality would have jumped the described project into the realm of a homebrew embedded system with some innovation. As it is: this "device"
    • the touchscreen is not, non-fuctional. the icons you see are on the desktop, and functional. the start menu is displayed simply for the sake of the pic. this is a work in progress, i had no idea it would get spread all over the web this fast. the type of animation you're talking about is in the works. i'm working with another guy who is better at skinning than i am. the tape spinning is a good idea. and since you posted anonymously, i guess there's no reason i can't steal the idea from you. :D thanks!
      • While pondering what to do with my nano-itx board (when they finally come out), I thought of building a PC into an old boombox. Do you have any problems with the magnetism of the speakers? That was my main worry.

        I am currently scouring yard sales for a nice old boombox, working or not...

  • Why Dual Boot? (Score:3, Funny)

    by R.Caley ( 126968 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @11:24AM (#9289859)
    The true boombox feel would be to run the OS from bootable CDs. You can walk down the street with the box and a case of music and OS CDs, and when you hang about on the corner with your mates have conversations like:
    Seen that new XP CD?
    Yea, got it here

    [click] [clunk] [whirrrr]
    Oh, that's crap manufactured stuff, here, stick this in, it's a bootleg HURD CD from an unadvertised release in a small club in Cambridge...
    (passer by)
    Bloody kids today, why can't they play real software with a file system you can hum along to!

  • boombox? (Score:3, Funny)

    by maxbang ( 598632 ) on Sunday May 30, 2004 @12:08PM (#9290132) Journal

    Who the hell came up with the name? Meatwad? On the otherhand, he does got the money, see, so he can afford a tablet pc. Rumor has it the original version was made from an empty box of Cheerios and a strawberry until Frylock intervened. I don't have any proof of this because Shake ruined my proof with his anger.

  • "not sure if i'm gonna upgrade the speakers right away" says the builder of the boombox.

    It's difficult to tell from the photos how the hard drive is mounted and protected, but I assume the builder had the foresight to magnetically shield it in some way since he's still using the original speakers, which are most likely unshielded.
    • i'd be more worried about impack/shock. good place for a CF mounted RO.

      seriously, it'll take a rather large field to mess with the drives.

      speaking of which though - do LCDs get bent by magnets? i haven't had a chance to 'play' with one yet...

  • They mention plans to make it run Linux too, by making it dual-boot to Debian. Since Fedora clearly isn't an alternative.
  • A coupel NYU students did this with a mini-itx and 802.11B it in last months issue of wired. it also allowed people to add tracks via the net/802.11b and runs linux.
  • While this boombox is pretty interesting, there is a way cooler version with 802.11b (allowing people in range to download from the boxes library of songs, upload a new song and manipulate the queue). Plus, it's built into a Lasonic TRC-931 (the 80's breakdancer's dream machine). I saw it on page 090 of the May 2004 Wired Magazine, you could read about it here [bass-station.net], and see photos here [bass-station.net].
  • What is the price range for Linux-supported touchscreen hardware these days? Is it very difficult to get them to work? I'd love to experiment with this sort of thing but online info is sparse at best...
  • is it just me or do those pics look a little photochopped?

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