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There has been some talk about choosing a cheap and widely available handheld device that could be used to run OtherTuningSoftware.
There are a few options that have crossed IRC... ---- Gameboy At least three variants, all with the same 4-arrow button and 4 other buttons (effectively 8 buttons). All have some sort of serial "link", some even infrared. [a hardware FAQ] * Gameboy Original, 160x144 4-grayscale LCD, Z80 based. There are millions of them around, going rate is now in the sub-$10 range. * Gameboy Color, 160x144 x 56 colors and some other enhancements. Not nearly as common as the original, and discontinued. * Gameboy Advance, 244x160 color TFT. 512 color sprite mode, 32K in bitmap mode. Arm7 CPU, going rate on ebay around $60 used. Still available new around the $100 mark. Flat and folding form factors. * Gameboy DS ??? Has touch/pen pad. No good. Pros * Ergonomy. Large buttons and large (though slightly grainy) screens that are good for small kids, are also good for large kids in moving cars. * Fairly cheap, widely available. * Intuitive to use and navigate tables/menus with. * Easy to program? Cons * Will it be taken seriously? [TurboXS] thinks so, and is setting precedent. * New variants might start coming faster and faster, with the old ones discontinued and becoming harder to find. The advance is likely not going to last 10+ years like the original did. * Entering numbers (table work) may be tedious with a limited number of buttons. ---- PDA Pros * Fairly common and standardized. * Usually a relatively large color screen. Cons * No buttons. * Touchscreens suck in a moving car. * Can be expensive if you don't already own one. ---- Java phones Pros * Compact. * People generally take it with them anyway. Many cars are fitted with holders. * "Everyone" has one, or can get one basically for free. * Has numeric keypad. * Easy to program? Cons * Not all the same (different button arrangements and screen resolutions) * Screen and buttons are small. (example: mine has 128x128 color TFT). No room for multiple pretty "gauges". Bargraphs or some other colorful creativity will have to do. |