Topic: Product Enhancement: Squeeze & Tilt Shortcut, Screen Saver
Hi There,
First off, I must say that I have had my Chumby for about a year and I am very happy with it. I have written a few widgets and hacked it a bit and have had a lot of fun with everything it brings (widgets, music, etc.)
There are two things I feel are missing from the user interface (Control Panel) : 1) Advanced shortcuts, and 2) Screen Saver.
I think it would be good if there was a way to get to a "shortcuts" screen where the user would configure Squeeze & Tilt Shortcuts similar to the current easter egg (?) for changing widgets. The idea is that anything you can do by pressing the touchscreen, and maybe some things you sort of can't, could be configured to activate with a Squeeze & Tilt Shortcut (TM ? : -) ). Here are a few examples:
S&T Left: Rotate Widget Left, Volume Down, Prev. UI Screen, Prev. Radio Station, etc.
S&T Right: Rotate Widget Right, Volume Up, Next Radio Station, Etc.
S&T Up: Screen On/brighter
S&T Down: Screen Off/dimmer
S&T Single Bump: Mute On/Off
S&T Double Bump: Alarm Menu
The other feature I think would be good is screen saver mode. I think users and hackers alike will like this feature. If you are connected to the wall, you will like the Chumby to go "greener" by specifying how "dim" to go after whatever minutes of inactivity (ala computer screensaver). If you modified the Chumby to have a battery you will like that the dimmer screen will extend your battery. Once the user moves/squeezes/touches the chumby, the screen will go back up to the "normal" brightness.
I guess I sort of think of the Control Panel as the UI of a portable device (sort of...). Shortcuts and "sreen/battery saver" mode are pretty commonplace nowadays.
Regards,
Jose