Wireless Tablet Client as a REMOTE?

[Hamlet]

What do you guys think about using something like this with the browser client for times when you want a "Sonos-Style" remote?

http://viewsonic.com/products/deskto...relessdisplay/


Of course it's bigger and heavier than the Sonos remote, but some may find that appealing, plus it will function as a whole lot more than just a remote (i.e. checking your e-mail from bed or on the john ) It even has a speaker and headphone jack. In fact, the more I think about it, the more uses I come up with for this - it could function as a portable tv if you have a slingbox.

If it work as well as I imagine, it with a few slims, would beat Sonus hands down (at a price of course, but comparable and with many extra capabilties). If I am overlooking something, it's because I am a new slim owner, so I'd love to hear other's opinions on this.

edit: I see now the 4 hour battery life, could be a dealbreaker.

[SuperQ]

What do you guys think about using something like this with the browser client for times when you want a "Sonos-Style" remote?

http://viewsonic.com/products/deskto...relessdisplay/


edit: I see now the 4 hour battery life, could be a dealbreaker.

Many people, including myself use the Nokia 770 or N800 tablet PCs. There is a custom slimserver interface for them.

Also, half the price (under $400)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MK4GGM

[Hamlet]

Many people, including myself use the Nokia 770 or N800 tablet PCs. There is a custom slimserver interface for them.

Also, half the price (under $400)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MK4GGM

That's great to know. My search for "tablet" in this forum section only yielded 2 posts.

The N800 looks pretty nice. I suppose the three hour battery life is sufficient for it's main intended use in this case, how do you find it? How do you like the custom interface? I think a four inch screen would be the minimum I would care to use, since any less and I may as well use the remote. I could see the optional added utility of the more expensive & larger Viewsonic tablet, if someone wanted to also additionaly use it as a portable remote video/tv viewer and/or more general purpose portable browsing/computing. These look like some great choices, I'd be interested in more feedback from users.

[tommypeters]

The brand new Archos 704 would also be an alternative:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZEYS...elated&search=

[BigTony]

Will the interface from the N800 tablet work on the Archos? I think the N800 is just a tad small, but the archos at a 7inch screen is much better proportioned.
Another gadget for the living room ....

Cheers

BT

[Hamlet]

I am looking for a solution with 7-10 inch screen myself.

Is anyone here using a dumb tablet to remote control a pc/server?

[RobHall]

I've been looking at touch screens for slimserver for a while now. The 3 mentioned seem to be the best options, the 4th just being a WiFi PDA.

A) WiFi PDA. 3.5", 240x320, Windows CE.
B) Nokia N800, 4.1", 800x480, Linux & Opera browser.
C) Archos 704-WiFi, 7", 800x480, Linux & Opera browser.
D) Viewsonic V212/x, 10.4", 800x600/1024x768, Windows CE.

I am currently using a WiFi PDA and have no problems at all. The small screen doesn't bother me using the "handheld" web-interface. Or I use the "SlimRemote" software which runs on my PDA and fits the screen nicely.

Having started a small audio installation company, I will be using Slim Devices for clients soon and wonder whether other options might be better for them.

The Nokia N800 looks good for the purpose, but I wonder whether the screen will be very small at that resolution. However with the "Nokia770" interface it should be pretty good as a small touch screen.

The Archos 704-WiFi I think will be very nice and should run the "Nokia770" interface, being the same resolution? At 7" I think that is a reasonable size for anyone. I just wish it was released already in the UK!

As for the V212, I can't help thinking this is a bit of overkill just for a touch screen for music. That's a pretty big slab of hardware to have lying around in the sitting room. But I might offer it as an option if one of my clients doesn't have great eyesight? Maybe it might be a great option for someone wanting a true web browsing tablet?

I have looked at, but ruled out 7" screen Ultra Mobile PCs. They run full windows from a hard drive, so boot time is a real problem. Samsung is coming out with one that uses ROM for the OS, so maybe that will be quicker.

Edit: Started looking at PepperPad 3 now, 7", 800x480, Mozilla Browser.

[Hamlet]

I've been looking at touch screens for slimserver for a while now. The 3 mentioned seem to be the best options, the 4th just being a WiFi PDA.

A) WiFi PDA. 3.5", 240x320, Windows CE.
B) Nokia N800, 4.1", 800x480, Linux & Opera browser.
C) Archos 704-WiFi, 7", 800x480, Linux & Opera browser.
D) Viewsonic V212/x, 10.4", 800x600/1024x768, Windows CE.

Edit: Started looking at PepperPad 3 now, 7", 800x480, Mozilla Browser.

Hi Rob. I am considering a ViewSonic airpanel V110p Portable 10" Monitor, which is an older model of the V212, and is much cheaper (about $350). The two issues that I am not sure about are the fact that it only has 802.11b, and also that it seems to be only capable of remotely controlling a pc desktop rather than running SS on the panel itself, which I guess wouldn't be an issue if you were using a pc as a server as I am. If these issue are non-issues, this is my favorite current solution. I think the added multi-functionalty as a portable browser/server pc controller is a great benefit. What do you think about these issues?

[RobHall]

Hi Rob. I am considering a ViewSonic airpanel V110p Portable 10" Monitor, which is an older model of the V212, and is much cheaper (about $350). The two issues that I am not sure about are the fact that it only has 802.11b, and also that it seems to be only capable of remotely controlling a pc desktop rather than running SS on the panel itself, which I guess wouldn't be an issue if you were using a pc as a server as I am. If these issue are non-issues, this is my favorite current solution. I think the added multi-functionalty as a portable browser/server pc controller is a great benefit. What do you think about these issues?

The V110p shouldn't be much different from the v210 or v212. They all run Windows CE, the V212 runs the latest version. All have an in-built web browser. Just direct it to your SlimServer (Music Server), http://192.168.0.20:9000/ for example. Or try the touch interface, http://192.168.0.20:9000/Touch (maybe /Nokia770 might work better?).

Edit: just saw that V110p uses Windows CE for Smart Displays not plain Windows CE. I do not know whether this means it doesn't have Internet Explorer built in. So you might have a little problem. Still if you music server is on all the time, you should be able to just remote desktop to it.

I use a PDA with 802.11b WiFi and it works ok, so I think you will be ok there too.

You must run Windows XP Professional on your music server if you want to "Remote Desktop" from your V110p (Telnet). That way you can just run your music server as a headless box.

No idea how well the V110p will perform, but if my little PDA works then why not?

[aubuti]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but in a related vein I am starting to look for similar touchscreen clients that operate over wired ethernet. It appears that the ViewSonic v21x series could do it by popping a NIC in the PCMCIA slot. What I have in mind is a mounted touch panel that would access slimserver running on a PC running in a different room. So these wireless options are fine, I wouldn't need the mobility of wireless for a mounted screen. Also, it's easy for me to run cat5 to the mounting point, and I do like the stability of wired.

Any ideas? Thanks.

EDIT: I should have mentioned that the PC running slimserver is running linux (debian). So any touchscreen client would need to speak standard network protocols, as opposed to anything that is Windows only.