Paul's crazy project of the day... |
Rating
|
  |
|
 Jan 22 2008, 17:12
Post
#1
|
||
 The Main Man  Group: Admin Team Posts: 19,929 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage  |
 They said 'I wonder if you could post your device and build up Navizon points?' Of course, this sparked a whole lengthy discussion and set me thinking. Aside from the points earning implications, would it be possible to put a device in the post, and track it's progress? Which route would it take? Would a device last long enough to plot the whole journey? What would you use? These are just some of the questions it would be very cool to discuss in this topic... let's use our collective brainpower to try this out  Here's where i'm at so far! The Kit Requirements - A small device with WiFi and a sensitive GPS onboard, and with a good capacity battery. I'm thinking the Eten X600. It's small, has a super sensitive SiRF III GPS, and has a 1530mAh battery. I happen to have a X600 ready for the task! - A power pack. 1530mAh is a good size, but it won't last the whole journey. Enter the Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger. 3400mAh of backup power! The super guys at Proporta have already sent a unit on it's way to me. Cheers chaps! - A custom software build. A custom build of CamerAware / Navizon, perhaps with some logic to detect when it hasn't moved for a little while and save power? The Plan - To post the device from me to another member (e.g. Monolithix), via Special Delivery, which will give a window of around 5pm to around 10am. The distance needs to be such that it's interesting and moves a lot, but not so far that it goes by air. - To package the device so it's well protected, but light. - To track the package live, online on MoDaCo if possible! Your Input Help us! Will this work? Should we do things different? Is there something we've not considered? Would a bluetooth GPS work better than an integrated GPS? Am I insane? (probably)... P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
||
 |
 
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 17:28
Post
#2
|
||
|
TyTNic !  Group: News Team Posts: 813 Joined: 26th November 2007 From: Right Here, Right Now! Member No.: 326,361 Device(s): T-Mobile MDA Vario III |
Don't wanna pee on your bonfire Paul ... but check postage regulations. I'm pretty sure that you are not allowed to post items that contain batteries if the batteries are inserted. Don't wanna be causing a bomb scare now do we!
-------------------- --
My Toys: TyTNic T-Mobile MDA Vario III - 8GB SD HC - Dutty's Diamond Rom V1.0 wEEEbeastie Asus EEE PC 4GB Black 702 - Pimped with 2GB RAM, 16GB SD HC Class 6, Bluetooth. O-SeXy Advent 4211 - 2GB Ram - 250GB HDD - Running OSX Leopard like a dream! Doris She has bewbs! (Not her real name tho!) |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 17:33
Post
#3
|
||
|
The Main Man Group: Admin Team Posts: 19,929 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
Erm, I've received a gazillion different packages with batteries inserted, but it's a good point, and worth checking.
P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 17:34
Post
#4
|
||
|
TyTNic ! Group: News Team Posts: 813 Joined: 26th November 2007 From: Right Here, Right Now! Member No.: 326,361 Device(s): T-Mobile MDA Vario III |
QUOTE(Paul (MVP) @ Jan 22 2008, 17:33)  Erm, I've received a gazillion different packages with batteries inserted, but it's a good point, and worth checking. P http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/print?c...ediaId=36200679 That mentions batteries. I sound like a real poo-pooer now ... would have been a very cool project. But don't fancy you getting banged up for sending a device through the post ... especially if they X-ray it and see electronics and batteries :S -------------------- --
My Toys: TyTNic T-Mobile MDA Vario III - 8GB SD HC - Dutty's Diamond Rom V1.0 wEEEbeastie Asus EEE PC 4GB Black 702 - Pimped with 2GB RAM, 16GB SD HC Class 6, Bluetooth. O-SeXy Advent 4211 - 2GB Ram - 250GB HDD - Running OSX Leopard like a dream! Doris She has bewbs! (Not her real name tho!) |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 17:35
Post
#5
|
|||
|
Newbie  Group: Posters Posts: 26 Joined: 4th February 2005 Member No.: 108,624 Device(s): Palm treo 750v |
I say go for it
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 17:44
Post
#6
|
||
|
The Main Man Group: Admin Team Posts: 19,929 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
Weird, I wonder if that covers batteries in this type of application? I've received countless phones with batteries inserted. Anyway, we could potentially run the device from the proporta battery, in it's original packaging?
 The other concern I suppose is heat from the device when it's running? I only want to do it if it's safe obviously! P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 18:29
Post
#7
|
||
 Diehard  Group: MoDaCo Ad Free Posts: 301 Joined: 29th January 2003 Member No.: 2,441 Device(s): MDA Compact IV |
I remember a dodgy airport parking exposé on Watchdog a while back where they fitted a gps recorder to a smart hot vauxhall astra and saw where it got driven, and at what speeds. (IIRC it got left round the back of a supermarket and tanked up the M23 at 110mph!)
Be interesting to see the route it takes, and what abuse our valuable post gets - although I dont know how good the GPS/phone signal would be at the bottom of a stack of mailbags, or inside the giant tumble-dryer sorting machines! --------------------  |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 18:41
Post
#8
|
||
|
The Main Man Group: Admin Team Posts: 19,929 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
True, that's what we'll find out tho
P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 18:45
Post
#9
|
||
 |_-_-_-_-_-_-_| Group: Moderator Team Posts: 1,630 Joined: 31st December 2004 From: Near Norwich, UK Member No.: 104,092 Device(s): T-Mobile MDA Vario III |
You, Paul, are the craziest person I've known!
-------------------- - Tony Sutton
- My Ford Focus ST170 car - Using MDA Vario III with 6GB MicroSD card - Got Phone, GPS and WiFi together? Sign up & Make Money with Navizon! |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 18:45
Post
#10
|
||
 MoDaCo Group: Posters Posts: 360 Joined: 1st December 2003 From: London Member No.: 22,960 Device(s): iPhone on Vodafone |
This is an awesome idea. Do it. Do it!
--------------------  |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 18:48
Post
#11
|
||
 Blackjack'd Group: Moderator Team Posts: 4,170 Joined: 18th April 2003 From: Mt Laurel, NJ USA Member No.: 4,796 Device(s): Motorola Q9h/iPhone |
I just wonder how long the battery would last with WiFi and GPS on at the same time. Do you need your SIM inserted to do it? If so, would you be willing to part with your SIM for x amount of time? Anyone know a train engineer that can take the phone for a day?
-------------------- Nick Cornaglia blog | photos | twitter | location | geocaching | xbox |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 18:52
Post
#12
|
||
|
TyTNic ! Group: News Team Posts: 813 Joined: 26th November 2007 From: Right Here, Right Now! Member No.: 326,361 Device(s): T-Mobile MDA Vario III |
I do know a courier driver who works for UPS ... could be an amusing one. Also have a mate who owns a haulage company ... they could be good for racking up points !
Got some spare t-mo payg sims too. -------------------- --
My Toys: TyTNic T-Mobile MDA Vario III - 8GB SD HC - Dutty's Diamond Rom V1.0 wEEEbeastie Asus EEE PC 4GB Black 702 - Pimped with 2GB RAM, 16GB SD HC Class 6, Bluetooth. O-SeXy Advent 4211 - 2GB Ram - 250GB HDD - Running OSX Leopard like a dream! Doris She has bewbs! (Not her real name tho!) |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 19:35
Post
#13
|
||
 Hardcore Group: MoDaCo Ad Free Posts: 2,700 Joined: 4th November 2003 From: London Member No.: 20,052 Device(s): HTC Diamond |
Cool idea. Would also be interesting if the postman tried to nick it...
*I am wondering about taking my orange sim and putting that in a spare device and sending my kaiser with navison switched on, for a week or two in a mates delivery truck... -------------------- HTC Diamond running Dutty's V1.6 rom.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 21:30
Post
#14
|
||
 Did I say that out loud? Group: News Team Posts: 4,525 Joined: 20th August 2003 From: Kent, England Member No.: 13,469 Device(s): Kaiser, Touch |
Oh yes!
You've GOT to do this! I'd be happy to recharge it and pay courier fees to ship it on to another member if you wanted to send it to me. Is the "members postcode map" thing still running? I wonder if we could stage the journey and get it from Lands End to John O'Groats (sp.) I've just been reminded of the infamous disappearing C500 at a Modaco meet. You might want some sort of vetting if you're thinking of sending it from one member to another! [edit] No offence Mono - I'm sure you can be trusted This post has been edited by chucky.egg: Jan 22 2008, 21:37 |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 22:14
Post
#15
|
||
|
The Main Man Group: Admin Team Posts: 19,929 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
I like the idea of sending a device around between members, watch this space
 Chances are me and mono will send to each other as a test run, then maybe extend it if it works! P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 22:14
Post
#16
|
||
|
The Main Man Group: Admin Team Posts: 19,929 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
I'll definitely be putting a live map up to track it's progress when this does happen
Hopefully the Proporta pack will arrive in the next day or so, then I can start prepping  P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 22:15
Post
#17
|
||
|
The Main Man Group: Admin Team Posts: 19,929 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
Norfolk (Me) -> Surrey (Mono) -> Kent (chucky.egg) seems a good potential route
P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 22:31
Post
#18
|
||
 AKA 'jlowap' MoDaCo Old Skool Group: Moderator Team Posts: 3,531 Joined: 12th February 2003 From: North Devon, UK Member No.: 2,777 Device(s): glofiish X800 + HTC Diamond |
hey! I have got an x500 with a 1530mAh battery! And a 3500mAh battery pack!!
Only problem Is I don't get a data connection on it as there Is a firmware bug with t-mobile. But if someone wants to lend me a sim with a data connection then I will have a go!! P.s. Your going to have to post down to Devon if your going to do it
-------------------- James Lovell
Microsoft Windows Mobile Specialist 2008 And ive got a certificate to prove it :P Get Your HTC DIAMOND HERE! |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 23:30
Post
#19
|
||
 Hardcore Group: Posters Posts: 1,712 Joined: 29th November 2005 From: Guildford Member No.: 160,616 Device(s): 8gb Touch Dual YUM |
WOW! How... well.. Crazy
You HAVE to do this! Then send it back to Surrey for me to send it on it's journey --------------------  *DROOLING ON A TOUCH DUAL* |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Jan 22 2008, 23:43
Post
#20
|
||
 Moderator - Boing! Group: Admin Team Posts: 8,557 Joined: 12th December 2002 From: Guildford, UK Member No.: 993 Device(s): HTC TyTN II |
QUOTE(chucky.egg @ Jan 22 2008, 21:30) [edit] No offence Mono - I'm sure you can be trusted  Not to mention Paul would know where i live
-------------------- This months MoDaCo WinMo Week device: the MWg Zinc II! Ask your questions HERE and download the show here! |
