Digital Wall Calendar
posted by enphiniti on 30 August 2007 8:13 Go to the market place Go to forum
Problem context :
As a parent in a family with a busy schedule, I rely on our wall calendar to inform everyone in the family where each of us is supposed to be at a particular time. At work, I use a Google calendar and a PDA to keep me organized. My son's hockey team and school post their schedules online using different calendar programs. My wife has birthday and anniversary reminders sent to her from various services. When it comes to the master calendar which hangs in the kitchen, however, we have to sit down and grab a pen to write down our lives in the small squares provided in the yearly calendar.
Although there are a number of digital calendar options available which can be accessed through PDAs, mobile phones or a computer, I have yet to see a fully functional digital calendar which can be used where a traditional paper calendar usually is.
Proposed Solution :
This concept is based on a « touch screen » which can be fixed on the wall. The size of the screen needs to be evaluated. The inputs will be done via a stylet or the finger with the help of digital keyboard on the screen like the one below. The device is connected to internet via wifi and is based on google calendar. A battery can be included but the power supply is done via the classical AC/DC. Some buttons (Power, Menu, etc) can be included on the front face of the device.
Submissions (41)
Output vs. input
answered by ChrisNo on 31 August 2007 17:35
The wall is an ergonomically ungainly place to try and input text. What if the device is mostly output? Instead of a touch screen, you could go with a less expensive potentiometer dial, for scrolling through days. After a short idle period it could "snap back" to highlighting the current day or week. Inputs could be handled at places better suited to it, such as desktop computers, laptops, and QWERTY-enabled PDA/phones. The software becomes a matter of display and APIs to existing solutions such as Google calendar and Outlook.
virutal keyboard
answered by pdefert on 8 July 2008 14:40
the solution for input keyboard may be provided by Sensitive object http://www.sensitiveobject.fr/ The first Touch Screen by Sensitive Object! Using Virtual Matrix technology, the SOTM™ combines the benefits of both resistive and capacitive input touch screen technologies with none of their drawbacks. The SOTouch is ideal for integration into products to explore , I mean Philippe
Bulletin board feature added: from a calendar to a multi service visual reminder
answered by boujut on 5 September 2007 14:00
Tiered of sticking papers on the fridge door? The calendar could add a bulletin board functionality for electronic post it notes, you could also add photos, and images. Easy and intuitive interface needed. Requires a flexible (or at least very light) A4 size touch screen, ideally sticked on the fridge door. Features : photos, personal messages, reminders, alarms, etc.
outside the box.
answered by benarent on 1 September 2007 0:39
i know this is a little of tagent, but perhaps we should be thinking more outside the box. Something like Microsft Whereabout Clock http://research.microsoft.com/sds/whereabouts_clock.aspx with Microsoft HomeNote. http://research.microsoft.com/sds/homenote.aspx I think that multiable interactions are key, with all services based from a central open managmenet system. Merging with Google Calander would be awesome. SMS updates, (by using the calander as a webserver would add more use to the device)
Original Post from Enphiniti
answered by ldavid on 24 January 2008 15:14
Hello All,
I have made a clean-up of the digital wall calendar presentation as it was too much complex. So you will find below the original product description from enphiniti best regards
Lionel, CrowdSpirit Founder
Development of an inexpensive wall calendar which could combine the calendars of each individual in a family or group (think small offices) into one master calendar which could hang in a common room would simplify group planning for groups of people. Even if a person uses one of the current internet based calendars to combine multiple schedules, that master calendar can currently only be accessed from a computer or PDA. Although this is useful, that usefulness is limited by the fact that computers and PDAs are not typically in the room where families spend most of their time. By developing a dedicated digital calendar which could synch with other digital cameras used by a group and remain hung on a wall, the conveniences of a comprehensive digital calendar could be accessible where they would be most used, the places where families and groups sit down to discuss and make plans. With the right design, families would have a calendar on their wall which would import the information included on each individual's calendar (school calendars, hockey schedules, work meetings, birthdays, etc.) and display it on a common calendar in a place where it could be viewed by the whole family.
***** Added 13 September 2007
I appreciate all of hte reactions people have had to this problem and proposed solution. MAny good points have been raised and I would like to clarify my vision of the solution a bit to see if it addresses some of the issues which were brought up. First, as a calendar aimed at the family, this would have to be an easy to use device which could be understood by and available to everyone in the family. This means that the interface would have to be simple enough that any level or end user could interact with the information provided by the calendar. Whether input functions were driven by a small touchpad which allowed text entry or a small keypad integrated into the frame of the device is not as important as the simplicity of interaction. This also means that the calendar would have to be, at some level, public, mot requiring usernames and passwords to view the information displayed by the calendar. Second, my suggestion of a digital wall calendar stems from the types of habits and interactions found in a family home. Although similar functions can and are replicated on computers through a variety of calendar programs currently available, most families do not discuss their plans and go through their to-do lists in home offices or studies. As an example, my family's computers are located in a home office in our basement and an extra bedroom upstairs. The placement of the computers allows some privacy and separation when using the computer. This placement also means that the computers are not in the most commonly used areas of the house (the kitchen, living room, and dining room in the case or my family). For most families, a computer in the most commonly used areas of the house would be a disruption to family discussion and activities (playing board games or eating dinner, for instance). The problem this poses is that digital calendars offered on a computer are not in the same place as where the family spends most of their time together (in our house, this would be in the kitchen). Since the computer is tucked away in a different part of the house, we rely on a paper calendar which hangs in teh kitchen plan our day while we eat breakfast in the morning. Even though it would only take a few minutes to run to one of the computers to check an online calendar, this does not happen because we are all busy preparing for our day (eating breakfast, preparing for school and work, discussing things which are on our mind). The digital wall calendar I an envisioning is an attempt to combine the convenience of a software driven calendar which can be updated automatically with a device which will be able to hang on the wall unobtrusively (even a small computer would be obtrusive in most kitchens). This would provide families with the benefits offered by programs like Google Calendar with without having to leave the common space where conversation and planning take place. Third, as a device aimed at families, the digital calendar would need to offer a high level of convenience to all types of users. I do not envision this calendar to be useful only to those who own PDAs and maintain detailed online calendars. I envision this calendar as a device which can save the time of having to transfer large amounts of information which must be accessed online onto a paper calendar which will be used for everyday planning. Many schools and organizations post their schedules online so that students and members can access the most current calendars without having to call someone or stop by in person to pick up a copy of a schedule. As an example, my child's school, hockey and soccer schedules are all available online. If a digital wall calendar were able to pull all of this information from the calendars published on each organization's website, I, as a parent, would be able to save time in assembling a master calendar for my family. The benefits of this would be increased as the number of family members increased, as well. If a family has three children, each of whom attends a different school and is involved in 2-3 activities outside of school, the family would be juggling up to 12 different calendars just for the children. Automatically updating hte information on these calendars in a central location would make it much easier for the family to figure out who needed to be where when and how each event would fit into the daily workings of hte family (when the best time for dinner would be, how to get everyone to where they needed to be, etc.). Although elements of this idea already exist (digital picture frames, online calendars), I have not seen a combination of the various elements into a device which would be able to offer an alternative to the paper wall calendar. By combining already existing technologies and making minor changes to them rather than beginning from scratch in designing a digital wall calendar, the overall costs of design and manufacture could be kept to a minimum, consumer familiarity with the technology would be much higher, and many unseen problems would be avoided.
Main objective of the devic
answered by maxschouten on 5 September 2007 13:29
This device would be really handy, but... Like most of the devices I own, every time more features are added, it becomes more "difficult " to use these features... Like web-browsing, ive got an excelent mda/pda with umts, but I prefer my pc, not because of the tiny screen, but because of the lack of a good input solution, the tap keyboard just doesnt work for me, and using t9 to enter a url never works either... The point is, you got to have a good working, stable, input solution. tapping on touch screens doesnt always work that good, it gets them all dirty and stuff, while this device will be like a thing that you will use allot. ALso when its placed on a wall ist kinda hard to enter info... your arms will not like it as well... So what kind of device will it be, just output, or will it have input functions to?
Web, Wireless Galore?
answered by gmunchkin on 30 August 2007 14:00
This would be pretty useful for all people in a family. The material could be one of those flexible monitor things, and it could update itself by being plugged into your houses network, in addition to wirelessly updating with your PDA. Great job!
Stretch its uses and a price tag of $300 might be viable
answered by tagline on 31 August 2007 16:46
I've recently seen some cool "Digital Picture" photo frames being sold in shops. You plug in your memory stick and it plays your photos as a slide show, plays video (movies?) and plays music. This for about $200 for a reasonable size. The calendar component may be difficult as you'd probably need a touch screen to type in your notes if you wanted it to be really effective. It might be that a calendar program through the wii for instance may be the best option given its wifi capability and the cool point and click on the screen keyboard technique.
outside the box.
answered by benarent on 1 September 2007 0:39
i know this is a little of tagent, but perhaps we should be thinking more outside the box. Something like Microsft Whereabout Clock http://research.microsoft.com/sds/whereabouts_clock.aspx with Microsoft HomeNote. http://research.microsoft.com/sds/homenote.aspx I think that multiable interactions are key, with all services based from a central open managmenet system. Merging with Google Calander would be awesome. SMS updates, (by using the calander as a webserver would add more use to the device)
Dedication
answered by carl.lens on 5 September 2007 23:32
Like you say there are plenty of online calendars that do the trick; often these are accesible from several sorts of devices. The only added value of this idea is thus the presentation/display. What makes it different from a computer for example? Is it different enough? Why should you focus on calendars while a computer has so much more possible applications in the context of a family?
A slightly different approach to save a LOT of money
answered by wmcleod on 1 October 2007 7:43
This is a bit outside the box What about a device that uses your TV (telly's i think you call 'em) to display the calendar? it could be a simple box in between the input and the cable line. It would have space to fit a wireless card, we now don't have to worry about a power cord hanging from the wall... Think about it... TV's are right in the middle of most homes TV's are huge, usually the largest display in the house TV's are unused most of the time It saves us a ton on the cost of a huge display
The Advanced Simplicity of it all
answered by Boris Stephens on 2 September 2007 2:30
For What: [The Product] Comprising of: A recording device (audio / video) A digital interface having a touch screen quality A networking interface device (cable and or wireless technologies) For Who: [Everyone] I had the same idea, although I was looking more at these factors. Clean Interface (Look at Apple's new iPod for inspiration) that allows you to quickly and easily record a video message that can be played back when a family member enters the house. How: [Easy] Focus on a universal calenda system attached to a network (Website / Internet Services) which keeps software up-to-date and adds extra modules which can be choosed to be used or not. Being universal you want a system like Google Calenda as a primary attachement which defaultly gets setup where as if you want Lotus or other application integrated have that as an option not a nasessity otherwise the product will become overloaded with applications and options that the user may never want nor use. This device should revolve around factors of informing people. Calenda Software Inbuilt Webcam [Video Recording at the touch of a button] Example: Notebook Screens (Integrated at the top of the display) A 17" screen with integrated flash memory [fast loading times is getting cheaper thus 4 gig flash memory should justify well] & WiFi capablities [Cheap]. Example: Hi mum I am off to Scotts today, I'll be back at 8:30. All through a simple and fast interface preferably touchscreen. I would love to develop something like this. This could be a great selling product, it just has to be developed properly and ideas have to be cut that simply dont work or perform well.
Input Device
answered by Scottyboy on 14 September 2007 21:34
I think its a great idea, how about using a pda style input. A wireless device attached to the side of the screen so you can take it down and use a stylus to enter the information.
For families who don't use or don't want PDAs or online calendars
answered by joseki on 9 September 2007 20:20
I thinks it's a great idea. The challenge may be to make it useful for people who don't have PDA's, or who rarely use a computer at home. How do we make this device as attractive to them as a digital picture frame for example ?
Ease of use and aesthetic value
answered by Siafu_Snafu on 1 September 2007 3:21
This could be a great idea. One thing that comes to mind is that if children are going to be contributing to the input for the calendar's events, then it needs to be easy to learn and easy to use if they are to use it at all. Let it have a full month layout and give it basic touch screen capabilities where users can select the specific day and use a voice recorder to record their specific event, as well as crude alpha input for notes. Have it playback chronoligically when asked to. When not being used, perhaps the calendar can assume a sort of screensaver mode where the user can load digital family photos and the images will slowly scroll; enphiniti you mentioned synching it with "other digital cameras," perhaps that is what you meant? Anyways, they're just suggestions. :)
a Calender for THE FAMILY !
answered by naskel on 13 September 2007 17:32
I think the main risk is to provide a device which is going to be too "high-tech", and therefore : too expensive. As you said, with right, the main task should be school calendars, schedules, work meetings, birthdays...etc. There is no need for a touchpad for example, no need for synchronization with a Palm or anything : the calendar's task is to show who is where and when. and also to remind us about important events ( birthdays, meetings, tv shows ?!..). The calendar is for the FAMILY and everybody in the family is not a businessman ! As far as I am concerned : a nice wide screen ( that displays a nice and decorative pictire) and a practical wireless keyboard is what we need here. The calendar should work on it's OWN. Synchronization it with other : OKAY but it would make the product TOO HIGH TECH FOR the costumers we are aiming for. (excuse my mistakes in english!)
Always on but low power to appeal to growing green market
answered by Coddie on 4 October 2007 23:33
It needs to be as usable as post-it notes on the fridge, and as visible as a paper wall calendar. Electronic ink might be a good way of achieving this. I believe there are touch-screen electronic ink displays that can be edited with a stylus. As a new technology this might add cost and price it out of the mass market. Then again, in my view it will not start off as a mass market product but as a play thing of early adopting technophiles. If that is correct then synchronisation features or web accessibility are very important.
as it shall be mounted on the fridge:
answered by RomanPi on 7 November 2007 0:45
I think a shopping list feature would be very nice. However typing all the stuff shouldn't be necessary: I like the approach of the iphone app: see http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9728851-2.html for example
How to Do it Cheaply
answered by wmcleod on 19 September 2007 0:44
Screens that large are ridiculously expensive. However, for a calendar, one can afford much lower resolution. A Ceiling or desk mounted LCD projector could get the job done for around $100 at a size up to 4 feet easily. OUTPUT ONLY though.
Power options (battery)
answered by wmcleod on 5 November 2007 20:28
Ideaengine isn't working for me so i'm putting this, here.
For batteries, we could do something like include a compact wall charger and 2 batteries. Each battery would eject and act like a flash memory card. One to reside in the device and the other to be charged at all times. If it is running low and you want to use it just eject each and switch. No need to dismount or open any panels, just simply eject the battery like a floppy disk or flash memory cartrige.
Second, the lcd screen could be replaced with a Zero Power bistable display. Because full motion and even color isn't really needed, we're a unique candidate for this type of device. The zenithal bistable device (ZBD), developed by QinetiQ (formerly DERA), can retain an image without power. http://www.nemoptic.com/
would work better as an application for smartphones and comps
answered by bean123 on 31 August 2007 22:42
This is an example of what the Semantic Web is trying to accomplish. We already have plenty of screens available. If this was software it would be much cheaper to develop and implement. Much of the technology to do this exists already and should not be too difficult for someone with sufficient programing chops.
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Remember the 3Com Audrey
answered by mbaker911 on 1 September 2007 16:45
A few years ago, 3Com tried to make a similar product. It was a low cost device that sat on a counter top. It could not only hold the family calendar, but it would also synconize Palm organizer information, surf the internet, give weather reports, act as an address book, and more. It was fairly easy to use, just connect to each family member's PDA and downlod the schedule and contacts information. I thought the product was a good idea and bought one. The idea never caught on, and the product was discontinued. I still have the device, it sits in my basement. While one can argue that someone could do a better job, the fact remains that something similar has been tried before and failed.
1 submission