h a l f b a k e r yWe have a low common denominator: 2
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Infrared Web Server
Infrared Connection from PalmPilot-esque Devices to Computers of every sort | |
Say you were in a book store and couldn't find the book you wanted. Point your palmpilot at a shelf-mounted IR port and get the data you want. How? Well that I don't know.
Same technology could be used for
1) point-of-sale systems.
2) gas and power meter reading
3) Inspecting computer configuation
without a kb or even logging on.
4) Others?
Oh, and current wireless technologies still basically suck for indoor applications hence the perceived "need". 2.4 Ghz wireless may improve situation, but I have my doubts. In USA, UHF broadcasters already have rights to part of the required spectrum until 2006. The debate is holding up spectrum auctions.
HP CoolTown
http://www.cooltown...ltownhome/index.asp
you'll need to wade through a lot of marketspeak though [Cheradenine, Aug 13 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]
Txtbux
http://www.txtbux.co.uk/
Lets you find out if Amazon prices are cheaper than book shop by sending a SMS text message from your phone, and receiving info by reply (UK) [ncrossland, Oct 04 2004]
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What's this got that Bluetooth or IRDA don't, except that it's actually deployed somehow? |
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Heck, in Europe (and elsewhere, but not the US), cell phones are widely used for this sort of thing. For example, there are vending machines with no keypad, but a phone number. You call the number, punch in your choice of good, *ker-thunk*, and the charge shows up on your cell phone bill. |
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In a bookstore... well, you could use a WAP phone to visit the bookstore's Web site. Or you could call up the store and ask them. Or you could just find an employee and ask them. |
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IRDa is exactly what I mean. But OBEX doesn't quite cut it and I'm not sure there is another IP-like protocol to use. WindowsCE has a winsock stack for infrared, but Palm only has OBEX. |
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I have a WAP phone that works like crap indoors. This is the source of my ire and the motivation for this half-baked idea. |
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Find an employee and ask them? You <must> be from Europe. Retail service hostility is one of the higher art forms in the US. |
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I'm not sure what your objection to OBEX-on-IrDA is? OBEX is basically equivalent to HTTP (lots of differences at the protocol level, but an OBEX<->HTTP translator is not a complex thing). |
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OTOH, I rarely have trouble getting an employee to help me; perhaps I live in a rare, retail-service-friendly pocket of the US. |
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As wiml says, I was under the impression that OBEX was very closely related to HTTP, just compressed (binary structs instead of ascii headers) to conserve bandwidth. |
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Anyway, this is baked in a few locations. At Sony's cheesy Metreon centre in San Francisco you can grab info into your PalmPilot by IR, and Hewlett Packard are working on something called CoolTown (icky name, interesting tech) which looks like _exactly_ your idea. Just digging up a URL now... |
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So, chalk another one up to the Halfbakery. |
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