3 ms·

> I wish there was a cheap, highly available device with similar specs (WiFi, Bluetooth, nice displays, microphone, maybe cameras) that it was trivially easy to

> I wish there was a cheap, highly available device with similar specs (WiFi, Bluetooth, nice displays, microphone, maybe cameras) that it was trivially easy to put your own software onto. You mean like an Android tablet?

dstaley 4y ago
No, something more akin to a smart display without a battery and a chassis that works well for being on a shelf or nightstand.
- ChuckMcM 4y ago
  That does kind of describe the modern "cheap" android infrastructure. (caveat the battery, which after a bunch of years is useless anyway :-)) The other "modern" alternative to this is an HDMI display with a Raspberry Pi mounted to the back[1]. One could 3D print a different frame in order to mount speakers and a web camera, but that isn't really off the shelf any more at that point. [1] https://www.seeedstudio.com/raspberry-pi-ips-hdmi-display https://www.seeedstudio.com/raspberry-pi-ips-hdmi-display is an example.
- CharlesW 4y ago
  Like this? https://www.adafruit.com/product/5290 https://www.adafruit.com/product/5290
  - dstaley 4y ago
    Yup, basically that idea, but a bit higher spec (Linux-capable CPU instead of a microcontroller, larger and higher-resolution touchscreen). But it's definitely on the right track! Ideally we'd have something in line spec-wise with the Amazon Echo Show 5.
  - zem 4y ago
    that one does look beautiful! thanks for the pointer.
- KVFinn 4y ago
  >No, something more akin to a smart display without a battery and a chassis that works well for being on a shelf or nightstand. Or just hackable. The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 is a 4 inch touchscreen Google Home clock, microphone, decent little speakers, for $20. Apparently it is hackable and fully rooted: https://github.com/untocodes/lenovo-cube-hacking https://github.com/untocodes/lenovo-cube-hacking I don't see anybody doing anything cool with it though. I wouldn't mind just forcing it to always display a webpage to display blood glucose levels with nightscout. I'd give them to all my diabetic relatives. ($20 clock https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/smart-devices/smart-home/smart-home-series/lenovo-smart-clock-2/wmd00000485 https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/smart-devices/smart-home/smar...)
  - ljf 4y ago
    I have one of the gen one and wanted to love it. But so many things just weren't right. Doesn't show my Google calendar reminders Getting it to play a morning routine failed, and when it worked the volume levels were all over the place - sometimes the news it played me would be super loud, sometimes I couldn't here the radio or music it played next. It can't play a youtube video It didn't have loads of basic controls when listening to podcasts (speed, skip back 30 seconds etc) Can't display a custom home screen, I'd love to see more weather detail, or a tide chart, or local traffic news. As I say, really wanted to like it, but never found a use for it yet.
kelnos 4y ago
I guess the Android SDKs are "open", but if you want to do anything lower-level, or be able to upgrade the Android version later (at least for more than just a few years), you need it to be a lot more open than pretty much all Android tablets. I think the sibling's suggestion of a Raspberry Pi with touchscreen is much better from that perspective, but then you're on your own for building a polished "product" around it, which is unfortunately more involved than just 3D-printing a case for it.

dstaley 4y ago

No, something more akin to a smart display without a battery and a chassis that works well for being on a shelf or nightstand.

ChuckMcM 4y ago
That does kind of describe the modern "cheap" android infrastructure. (caveat the battery, which after a bunch of years is useless anyway :-)) The other "modern" alternative to this is an HDMI display with a Raspberry Pi mounted to the back[1]. One could 3D print a different frame in order to mount speakers and a web camera, but that isn't really off the shelf any more at that point. [1] https://www.seeedstudio.com/raspberry-pi-ips-hdmi-display https://www.seeedstudio.com/raspberry-pi-ips-hdmi-display is an example.
CharlesW 4y ago
Like this? https://www.adafruit.com/product/5290 https://www.adafruit.com/product/5290
- dstaley 4y ago
  Yup, basically that idea, but a bit higher spec (Linux-capable CPU instead of a microcontroller, larger and higher-resolution touchscreen). But it's definitely on the right track! Ideally we'd have something in line spec-wise with the Amazon Echo Show 5.
- zem 4y ago
  that one does look beautiful! thanks for the pointer.
KVFinn 4y ago
>No, something more akin to a smart display without a battery and a chassis that works well for being on a shelf or nightstand. Or just hackable. The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 is a 4 inch touchscreen Google Home clock, microphone, decent little speakers, for $20. Apparently it is hackable and fully rooted: https://github.com/untocodes/lenovo-cube-hacking https://github.com/untocodes/lenovo-cube-hacking I don't see anybody doing anything cool with it though. I wouldn't mind just forcing it to always display a webpage to display blood glucose levels with nightscout. I'd give them to all my diabetic relatives. ($20 clock https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/smart-devices/smart-home/smart-home-series/lenovo-smart-clock-2/wmd00000485 https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/smart-devices/smart-home/smar...)
- ljf 4y ago
  I have one of the gen one and wanted to love it. But so many things just weren't right. Doesn't show my Google calendar reminders Getting it to play a morning routine failed, and when it worked the volume levels were all over the place - sometimes the news it played me would be super loud, sometimes I couldn't here the radio or music it played next. It can't play a youtube video It didn't have loads of basic controls when listening to podcasts (speed, skip back 30 seconds etc) Can't display a custom home screen, I'd love to see more weather detail, or a tide chart, or local traffic news. As I say, really wanted to like it, but never found a use for it yet.

kelnos 4y ago

I guess the Android SDKs are "open", but if you want to do anything lower-level, or be able to upgrade the Android version later (at least for more than just a few years), you need it to be a lot more open than pretty much all Android tablets. I think the sibling's suggestion of a Raspberry Pi with touchscreen is much better from that perspective, but then you're on your own for building a polished "product" around it, which is unfortunately more involved than just 3D-printing a case for it.