Motorola Droid - They Call it a Robot

Got my hands on a new Droid from Motorola. This is the finest piece of gear from moto in a long time. (Since they layed off many software developers.) I'm pretty sure it was google's guys who put the kitchen sink in Android, the Moto and Verizon took the Android, slapped in into a very decent piece of hardware and Voila!!!

Details can be found on C What I Can Do website. Follow this link to Motorola Droid: Article >>

You've got yourself quite a little handheld computer in the Droid. And I did a writeup on CwhatIcanDo Projects. I did a little javascript based script that runs in a browser on the iphone or the droid, doesn't matter. I didn't ask the droid to ignore the screen commands, so it actually jumps around a little, but hey, it works! At least enough to tell me it is possible to control things through a web server on the phone's browser. It works.


So what am I thinking here? Is Droid possibly a brain for robot control? I don't know yet, it may not be fast enough, but the I/O port should be able to talk to a robot motor controller via serial bus.

From Motorola Droid

The big question is can you use the GPS, and all the goodies in there to actually put the Droid into the Robot and allow Bot Control via DROID. Sounds like it would make a good commercial, a little droid with some wheels to get it around...

From Motorola Droid

Video Collection

Just an update at the 6 more months mark. Things are going slower than I hoped, but the site is growing in google PR ranks.



Virtual Robot Plays Online!


I am putting up a new project every month minimum.

This Will be a Year To Remember

We have a new president, so far he seems OK, but he's only been in office for 8 days. The site is running now and doing well as far as reliability is concerned. We are beginning to get a smattering of traffic, and our videos are getting some traction now. We have reached the moment of slow growth while we work out the financial deals and partnerships. Else, this site is going to end up a glorified blog...

Our goal for this year is to go "Public" and to be able to have our creators start to generate some income through partnerships or whatever. Considering the state of the economy, a good how-to website should do well, especially if the projects are fun, cheap and easy. And for the most part, that's what we'll be doing, building up the site projects and getting our accounting software melded into the framework.

Here we come 2009!!!

It Isn't Beta, But it is Open

True, we didn't hit the goal of Beta Release by Thanksgiving,

but it is a Public Alpha. No, I didn't get a design like I hoped, but we are ready. The site itself works just fine. You still need your own YouTube and/or google account and Picasaweb for images, but that is not much of an impediment. As yet, you cannot edit your parts list, only delete and replace. But I believe those are the only two bugs.

Before I call it Beta,

I need to hookup the whole "connect to CwhatIcanDoProjects on YouTube, googleVids, and picasa", so users take advantage of You Tube positioning as a group. And you need to be able to edit the Parts List AND the e-commerce piece needs to be hooked in.

But, there is plenty to do while in Alpha.
Tell a select group of known hackers, modders, and roboteers about the site and solicit their input.

Make our first deals with distributors, we have a "partial" deal with SparkFun to allow me to populate some projects, but there is only permissions for using SparkFun IP, we can't do a distributorship with them (yet). I'm certain I want at least one SparkFun like company, a small 'specialty' online distributor and my sights are on something like electronic goldmine or equivalent, and I really would like to get one of the bigs like Jameco.

SparkFun offers PC board production as well as 3-D modeling, done by batching, on the cheap. Perfect for creators with brilliant ideas to make into products. It's hard to find an equivalent to SparkFun, so I'll just hang with them for a while even though there is no current financial relationship. It's just one of those things with timing not quite right for SparkFun's business plans. We appreciate their contribution to the site. It will work out. Of this I am certain.

And, most important of all, I will take this time to focus on soliciting directly the best possible already published creators from around the internet. Look for a lot of kits of parts, and a chance to split commisions, if I am successful in this part of the effort. These folks can benefit the most directly right now, so they are logical pioneers for the site.

No. I can't yet call it Beta, but It's open for limited business, and subject to basic redesigns, but ready for those who are already on the leading edge.

CwhatIcanDo

Open For Public Alpha Testing

Open for Public Viewing (and participation) go to C What I Can Do now and you are permitted to operate the site and to freely come and go.

This is the time, before official Beta release - Where the design is likely the only major thing that will change - I hope.

From TrakBot: Build Your Own Track Drive Robot

Now is pretty much your last chance to get involved with CwhatIcanDo and become a contributor to the site's purpose and functions. You may just take a look around at the framework and some of the great projects. If it seems like mostly robot projects, that's because it is right now... Lot's of robot projects and a few little scraps here and there of placeholder projects.

I hope you enjoy your interaction with CwhatIcanDo.com!!
(No. I mean I REALLY hope you enjoy it!)

PS: Read the bug list in the previous post for outstanding bugs and the easy workaround.

Sneak a Peek!!!

Site Goes to Full Alpha

From TrakBot: Build Your Own Track Drive Robot

It is outrageous I know... I am offering a sneak preview of the new C What I Can Do website... That is correct earthlings, we are coming out of friends and family testing and I'm ready (though still in Alpha Testing) to open the site to more people. This is a chance to become a contributor on a brand spanking new website.

I'm taking the Site From Friends and Family only to a more generic level of Alpha Testing. There are still some bugs. I'll list the known bugs so if you decide to play around, you won't break anything or get frustrated. Remember, it's an Alpha WQebsite. It's not guaranteed to be bug-free. But the Alpha Testers, like you, get a chance to play around and make suggestions and help improve the site.

If you decide to give it a spin, remember you can't go through the "front door" yet, but you can go into the side entrance and have a look around.

YES! I wanna see this new website! I may even have a project or two in mind. I want to help you make it work better, so I'm coming in to the Alpha Test Site!!!

------------
Known Bugs

• You will have to have your own YouTube, google Video, or PicasaWeb account for now, we haven't hooked up the interface to CwhatIcanDo's accounts yet.
• You can't edit the parts list, if you mess up you have to delete the whole thing and start over with correct information. Sorry, for the inconvienience.

That's it! You were expecting a long list like Microsoft has when it comes out with finished products?

Andrei and I aren't Microsoft, so we are shooting for the fewest possible bugs by release time. I'm hoping we can open for Beta Testing around Thanksgiving...

So far so good...

Website Update: October

We are still fixing bugs in the friends and family alpha release.  I have a few videos up on CwhatIcanDoProjects on YouTube. This will provide a sneak preview...  Enjoy the videos...

Web release update

We are in process with the alpha testing of Rel A 1.0 CwhatIcanDo website. We have a few who have signed up, but only one or two people are actually uploading a video and instructions. Anyway, I've budgeted two months in this limited alpha test model. I started out by applying to some of my friends and family to jump on and give feedback. I've gotten only a little feedback and about a dozen testers.

On the other hand, I've personally uploaded a couple of projects and will do some more over the next two months. Also, I'll be making our first distributor "deals" with some of the websites which sell robot and robot-related parts.

I'll keep you posted. Things are pretty quiet right now.

Alpha Testing Begins

Wheeee!

And I mean it! This has been the most fun I've had building a website. Now it is open for inspection and positive creative contributions by a horde of Friends and Family, followed by a select group of do it yourselfers of various kinds and flavors.

We already had a couple of web builder/designers take a sneak preview of the site. Their feedback was positive enough to stop me in my tracks. The site is nice. It's the best Andrei and I could crunch together. It's pretty complete, complete with it's own list of bugs which we are using the site to keep track of. At the first of August, the bug list was pretty significant. A few events went on between our various families and it took a while. But I realized one day, the bug list only had two bugs. Neither was a real bug, just a feature that needed to be hooked up...

We did it. And now, and maybe for a couple of months of testing, we are opening the doors for Creators. Some we want to give us design ideas and others a technical checklist, but we also want people to use the tools to create projects. And they are coming too... I can't wait to send the invite email! Gonna Happen!!!

Alpha Release Candidate 1 AlphaRC1

While we ended up a little off the bulls eye, our vector is still aligned and we are moving in the right direction. Our Target Was to be Ready For Alpha Testers by the end of July. It's the beginning of August, still in an acceptable range, true, but while I already am Alpha Testing, it's not quite ready for our Friends and Family Alpha release. I do have a few web developer friends and they are being very helpful, so we really are in Alpha Testing.

I wish I could show it to you, but it has taken four complete functional frameworks to get here, where we're all pretty happy with our choices. Of course integrating it all together for the Release Candidate and our friends and family surfing around in there, they can forgive the color scheme, but the navigation has to work. It drives me crazy when navigation spins me around. So in a little while now, we will go into stealth mode tests. In reality, this blog entry will probably be long lost by the time you run into C What I Can Do, or C what I did... So even as I'm writing it, it is an historical document. Just like from one moment to the next. It can all change...

Here is the state of this project:
1. As mentioned we have a design in place that is A Release Candidate. Target, around the middle of the month.
2. CwhatIdid.com opened it's potential and we are re-thinking of it as more of a Sister Site as much as a part of CwhatIcanDo.com Right now the logo is CwhatIcanDo with a pale version of CwhatIdid behind it. But as some others have been introduced to the concept, I may have discovered another use altogether for CwhatIdid and the potential is high.
3. We have many things to do before the site will be available to web surfers, bullet-proofing everything making sure our agreements with Creators give them the Intellectual Property Protection we promise. Dotting i's and crossing t's, plus the mechanisms for a lot of the features that will put the dazzle into the site that will make it a cool place to hang out with your creator friends you get here.

I'll keep you posted occassionally here. I have a few notes to myself I need to be able to look back on and regain my bearings. Not that I'm floppin' around just busy.