Z YA LTR

iTrader: (1)

How much is this unit going for?

--Josh

dufus

If you want to type while you drive,
this is the best (safest and fastest) solution that I have found.


Check out:

http://www.handykey.com

I can do about 20-30 wpm depending on traffic conditions.
It is much easier to learn to use than it looks.
Now, if only I could find a decent way to mount a VGA display?

Any ideas anyone?

alphared

$220, good lord thats a pricey keyboard. I could build another pc for that much.

dufus

For what I pay for my Z, I could get 2 cars with top speeds of 78 MPH, and still have a ton of cash left over. But that wouldn't be the same as topping out at 156, now would it?

Yes, it is expensive. Fringe items are, and I doubt that the Twiddler will ever have mass appeal, but perhaps you should compare the price to what it is worth to you to be able to operate a computer without taking your eyes off of the road.

Sure, mp3s and video, and nav are all nice (although I feel the 350's nav sucks!) but I like to be able to type notes, respond to emails, as well. Turns out that writing is safer than reading.

Anybody got any good display solutions?
Is it possible to patch into the existing nav?

-- Mike

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

Are you serious? WHILE DRIVING!?

That has GOT to be even more dangerous than talking on a cell phone!

alphared

Boy your comparing apples to oranges.

If you must compare, you would say Yeah I'm going to spend 600K for an automatic Z. That way I don't have to shift and use my left knee to drive and have one hands for my cell phone and the other to take notes.

Now! Thats the same as a $200 modified keyboard compared to a $10 one. I could do the same with just a numpad. Just write a driver to remap all the keys. So, I don't see the justification of spending $200 for something that cost probly no more than $10 to make.

Think I'm talking out my butt?
http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~priestdo/chordhack/
(Pictures in phonerest/ folder)

this guy took 7 switches, an old keyboard and wrote his own remapping drivers. Sure looks like the twiddler. I dare anyone say that thats worth more than $10.

If you need to read and write stuff, I would've spent that 200 on a speech package and a really great noise filtering mic. But, to each their own

dufus

It is more dangerous than talking on the cell phone.
I don't consider talking on the cell phone dangerous.
It is less dangerous than dialing a cell phone.
It is less dangerous than operating the nav unit or the stereo.

Of course I'm only speaking from my experience.

I suppose there are people who will never touch the "VDC OFF" button.
They ought to buy Volvos.

I know it seems that it ought to be dangerous, but things aren't always as they seem.

dufus

Yeah, I know I'm comparing apples to oranges. That's why I don't think you can compare the Twiddler to an ordinary keyboard.
And as far as getting an automatic Z... I'm crazy, not stupid!
the justification is I suck at hardware. If I could make one for less than $200 of my time, I would, but I am pretty happy with the twiddler. I know there are several "homebrew" versions and thats fine for people who have the skill and the time.
Again, what is your time worth. How long would it take you to build one. I'm sure you could build one a lot faster than me, and I'd probably wind up burning myself with the soldering iron.
Working on that. Speech recognition is not near as easy as it sounds in the 350Z's harsh sonic environment.