[ExI] nintendo ds for grownups

[spike]

>... On Behalf Of Adrian Tymes
Subject: Re: [ExI] nintendo ds for grownups

On Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 1:50 PM, BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:
> >...So have a try of 7" and 10 " netbooks and see how they suit what you
have in mind.

>...But yeah - consider first the screen size you want (assume a roughly
3:2 aspect ratio, then figure the diagonal; that's how most of these are
measured), then look for consumer electronics in that size.
_______________________________________________

Thanks for all suggestions.  What we really need is exactly a Nintendo DS,
modified software-wise to accommodate a spreadsheet.  Reasoning: the
Nintendo DS already has the advantage of massive economies of scale.  The
factories exist, they churned out skerJILLIONs of those very popular toys,
and the form factor is perfect for my needs.  The screen really isn't big
enough, but the external envelope is such that it fits in my pocket, and
cannot be a bit bigger.

I have thought so hard on how to carry a iPad or equivalent, and nothing
works for me.  I don't want to carry a backpack or a fanny pack, I don't
want to hang it around my neck.  A DS is just the size it could be carried
as naturally as a cell phone, in a pocket.  It would compromise on screen
size, but I think it would work.

If we use the DS hardware, I know there are many game cartridges which can
be carried, so it stands to reason those could be programmed with a
spreadsheet and a word processor, as well as a voice-to-text, which might be
better than trying to include a keyboard.

I don't know much about the resolution of a DS screen, so we might still not
be there, but I can imagine plenty of electronics capitalists are
recognizing there is a market for this and a buttload of money to be made,
because I have never seen a really practical way to carry an iPad everywhere
always.  The 200 bucks DS price range makes me willing to compromise on
display size and accept the 256x192 resolution.

It already has all the video game stuff with it, which I don't care about,
but I can imagine a collection of games for grownups.  Perhaps they could
take away the game-boy shoot-em-ups and add chess, Sudoku and some good
books.  Perhaps they could name it game-geezer.  

We are not quite there yet, but we are getting there.

spike