If you’re not up for DIY, I’ve been using a unit from https://www.invisible-computers.com/ for years and I love it. Not affiliated; just a happy customer.
My heart made a little jump when I saw this, I've been working on this project for years and I do not take it for granted that my users are starting to recommend the product.
I am here to answer any questions anyone might have.
I understand your desire to build out an "ecosystem" of app and everything, however, I'd really like an option to go fully on my own and skip your iOS/android app.
Is it something that you plan on doing and document? Or is there an easy way I can ssh into the device and figure out on my own?
ssh-ing is hard because there is no USB port. There isn't even an USB controller on the board, just some rudimentary UART pins. The usb plug is just for power.
How does it communicates with anything from the external world? This same channel could be used for sshing or anything
Actually, from another comment
> Privacy Information: Plese note that the data is proxied through the Invisible Computers API backend and a non-reversible hash of most recent image is stored for up to 48 hours.
So there's some mechanism to make API calls to your own cloud infrastructure, but customers can't use it to skip the middleman and send things directly to the device? I hope I'm reading this wrong, because that's awful.
Oh man, glad you’re still going. For some reason I remember you getting a ton of critical feedback last time this was posted - glad you’ve persisted. Keep on my friend.
Last time I posted, the bezel on the screen was about twice as wide still... :D And even so, while I had a few comments who were ripping me for the huge bezel, most people still liked it! So this actually encouraged me :D
It's not something I have tried yet. I would be worried about the readability of text in this case.
When it comes to the layout, there is definitely a lot that could be done, that hasn't been implemented yet. I am always working to add features but of course there are always more ideas than time. :D
(For example, I recently, I added the option to display the calendar vertically:
This thing looks like a lot of fun, however it looks like the device is "tethered" to some kind of back-end service you provide, rather than just being a standalone device on the network. Can you explain how communication with the device works?
Is there any option to self-host that backend service? I'm not comfortable, from a mental health perspective, with integrating a device into my life routines that could suddenly stop working through loss of a hosted service.
What's the actual communication technology? Is it Wi-Fi? Cellular?
Edit: I see elsewhere you state it's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. From a Wi-Fi perspective and workplace deployment does it support 802.1x?
> Is there any option to self-host that backend service?
Not yet, I want to support that in future but it's not possible yet.
I have personally decided that I will keep the backend running even if I decide the project isn't worth it for me any more... but of course, I understand the this is no 100% guarantee.
> From a Wi-Fi perspective and workplace deployment does it support 802.1x?
Uhhh, I don't know.. how would I check that?
I admit that this is still a bit rough around the edges...
As a simpler alternative, if you just want to build some layout for yourself and you do not need user management, you can simply render it as an image on the internet and point the device to it:
> Privacy Information: Plese note that the data is proxied through the Invisible Computers API backend and a non-reversible hash of most recent image is stored for up to 48 hours.
Wait? It's always proxied through your service? So there is no way to show something on the screen without you also being able to see it? That's a big nope for me.
Ooh that looks interesting and not TOO expensive, for a "out of the box" solution. Does it work well / is it self-sufficient without phone once you set it up? Can you adjust the scale, scroll easily, etc?
Founder here. You can adjust how many of the upcoming days are shown, and you can adjust the first and the last hour of the day.
This really allows you to dial in the information density.
For scrolling, I am not quite sure what you mean - are you referring to a button that would allow to move the time forward on the calendar? (That doesn't exist yet)
Thanks! I wasn't sure if it's touch-screen (like e.g. Kindle) or an entirely passive unit; so for example if it's showing this week, can a user scroll on the unit to see what's coming next week? :)
A touch screen might be cool, maybe for a future version... but it would drive up the price.
From a product perspective, I wonder if people wouldn't rather pick up their smart phone if they want to look at their calendar more deeply. I don't think the device should try to compete with the smart phone, it can only lose.
FWIW: In family scenario, being able to quickly check next week (a simple scroll), can be very beneficial as we plan our kids activities etc (but I understand you don't want to overcomplicate it, and everybody has "just one more thing it needs":). I'll have a chat with my wife on whether it's something she would use as currently is; I'll be happy to share feedback either way if it's helpful :).
Yea, you are definitely not the first one who suggested adding one or two "action buttons", even if there isn't a touch screen. So I am definitely taking that idea seriously.
I am here to answer any questions anyone might have.
There are some more pictures on the shop page here: https://shop.invisible-computers.com/products/invisible-cale...