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Offload: Build seamless multiscreen interfaces

44 points by martinrolph 12y ago

quarterto 12y ago
If your work isn't ready for people to try out yet, please don't put "Show HN" in the title. Once it's ready, come back and share it then. For example, blog posts, email signups, and fundraisers can't be tried out, so they don't count as Show HNs. https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html
- martinrolph 12y ago
  Oops! Sorry, changed the title.
jonifico 12y ago
This takes the 'mobile-first' to a point where it's just 'make sure it plays on anything'. Interesting concept, for sure!
reitanqild 12y ago
What I have looked for a couple of times is something that lets me use a high end android phone or tablet as a digitizer/trackpad. Is that something this will simplyfy?
- martinrolph 12y ago
  When researching this I came across a few tools for using a phone as a trackpad, for example: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thingsstuff.touchpad&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thingsstuf... We couldn't find anything which worked as a digitiser and that is certinaly something we're considering.
bhhaskin 12y ago
I love the idea. It could change the way we interact with computers.
beardicus 12y ago
"Offload is a toolkit: a set of APIs and libraries for developers to add multi-screen functionality to their apps. It enables seamless communication between apps running on smartphones, tablets and PCs using wi-fi or bluetooth connections depending on the capabilities of the devices." I feel like this paragraph, currently buried at the bottom of the page, should be right up near the top. It's a more clear description than the current top matter. Seems like a fun project. I wonder if it'd make sense to not only support multiple screens, but also other physical knob/button input devices. I often find myself controlling software via various sensors hooked up to a microcontroller. I use the rather popular firmata library: http://www.firmata.org/ http://www.firmata.org/ It is embeddable on microcontrollers (mostly arduinos), and has many libraries in a variety of languages to easily interface with said hardware from a host "real" computer.
wildpeaks 12y ago
A demo application or even a video would help.
dharma1 12y ago
Sounds fun. Would this framework be using straight video streaming from desktop to mobile or passing parameters and rendering a native/web view of touch friendly controls via an easy to build mobile app? things in the same vein I currently use: Logic Remote (remote control of some features of Logic Pro X) https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/logic-remote/id638394624?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/logic-remote/id638394624?mt=... TouchOSC (control anything that uses OSC/midi on a phone) https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/touchosc/id288120394?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/touchosc/id288120394?mt=8 Pixl Preview (preview your Photoshop designs on Android) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.markushi.pixl https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.markushi.pi... They are all great, would be nice if when I start the associated desktop app, the mobile companion would also start without (much) effort from me? Maybe through a notification, if not automatically? Right now I often forget/can't be bothered to run them since they are buried somewhere on my phone

44 points by martinrolph 12y ago

If your work isn't ready for people to try out yet, please don't put "Show HN" in the title. Once it's ready, come back and share it then. For example, blog posts, email signups, and fundraisers can't be tried out, so they don't count as Show HNs. https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html

martinrolph 12y ago
Oops! Sorry, changed the title.

jonifico 12y ago

This takes the 'mobile-first' to a point where it's just 'make sure it plays on anything'. Interesting concept, for sure!

reitanqild 12y ago

What I have looked for a couple of times is something that lets me use a high end android phone or tablet as a digitizer/trackpad. Is that something this will simplyfy?

martinrolph 12y ago
When researching this I came across a few tools for using a phone as a trackpad, for example: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thingsstuff.touchpad&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thingsstuf... We couldn't find anything which worked as a digitiser and that is certinaly something we're considering.

bhhaskin 12y ago

I love the idea. It could change the way we interact with computers.

beardicus 12y ago

"Offload is a toolkit: a set of APIs and libraries for developers to add multi-screen functionality to their apps. It enables seamless communication between apps running on smartphones, tablets and PCs using wi-fi or bluetooth connections depending on the capabilities of the devices." I feel like this paragraph, currently buried at the bottom of the page, should be right up near the top. It's a more clear description than the current top matter. Seems like a fun project. I wonder if it'd make sense to not only support multiple screens, but also other physical knob/button input devices. I often find myself controlling software via various sensors hooked up to a microcontroller. I use the rather popular firmata library: http://www.firmata.org/ http://www.firmata.org/ It is embeddable on microcontrollers (mostly arduinos), and has many libraries in a variety of languages to easily interface with said hardware from a host "real" computer.

wildpeaks 12y ago

A demo application or even a video would help.

dharma1 12y ago

Sounds fun. Would this framework be using straight video streaming from desktop to mobile or passing parameters and rendering a native/web view of touch friendly controls via an easy to build mobile app? things in the same vein I currently use: Logic Remote (remote control of some features of Logic Pro X) https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/logic-remote/id638394624?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/logic-remote/id638394624?mt=... TouchOSC (control anything that uses OSC/midi on a phone) https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/touchosc/id288120394?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/touchosc/id288120394?mt=8 Pixl Preview (preview your Photoshop designs on Android) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.markushi.pixl https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.markushi.pi... They are all great, would be nice if when I start the associated desktop app, the mobile companion would also start without (much) effort from me? Maybe through a notification, if not automatically? Right now I often forget/can't be bothered to run them since they are buried somewhere on my phone