oldmud0 wrote:
One idea that I have, but will probably not see the light of day, is a modular key layout system (so you can have an HP/TI/Casio-style layout if you are emulating those calculators), including a generic button layout that uses an E-Ink display for each and every button, so that buttons and their behaviors can be customized by both users and programs.
That would be indeed very cool, but where are you going to find displays of such a small size? I would suggest as an alternative just to use tons of buttons.
CalcMeister wrote:
oldmud0 wrote:
One idea that I have, but will probably not see the light of day, is a modular key layout system (so you can have an HP/TI/Casio-style layout if you are emulating those calculators), including a generic button layout that uses an E-Ink display for each and every button, so that buttons and their behaviors can be customized by both users and programs.
That would be indeed very cool, but where are you going to find displays of such a small size? I would suggest as an alternative just to use tons of buttons.
It has not been developed yet by the industry. I wish I could make a patent on it, though! (Nah, patents stifle competition and are really expensive to protect.)
Anyway, there isn't really a "minimum" on the size of E-Ink displays - the size is limited on the manufacturing process, as it is cut into a predefined set of dimensions that can be ordered by E-Ink customers. The question is how you drive such a tiny display, as the controller's placement is seriously limited by the size of the button.
CHill wrote:
oldmud0 wrote:
One idea that I have, but will probably not see the light of day, is a modular key layout system (so you can have an HP/TI/Casio-style layout if you are emulating those calculators), including a generic button layout that uses an E-Ink display for each and every button, so that buttons and their behaviors can be customized by both users and programs.
While this idea seems very useful, it would be hard to implement without it becoming a smartphone-esque device, and you would sacrifice the tactile press of physical keys, which is basically the only reason I own a TI-84 Plus CE, as an emulator does the same work (and more!).
I think a grid of standard keys that can be reprogrammed and reinterpreted by the OS would be more feasible, although difficult to code.
Perhaps I explained this wrong. The generic button layout would not be a touchscreen at all - you would keep the buttons and their mechanical properties and tactile feedback, like any other conventional calculator. However, the labeling and behavior of the buttons can be modified and customized at will, either by a program or the user, because each button would be driven by its own tiny E-Ink display.
For instance, if you were in "fast-math mode" the top buttons would change to, for instance, "RPN/ALG", "DEG/RAD", and some general-purpose variables. Or, you could have it in "algebra mode" where there is a button to quickly open up a menu where limits and integrals can be placed, and so on. If you were making a game, you could remove the labels from all the buttons and define the behavior of each button and its label yourself.
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