Our Computer needs made Easy
Do it Your Way
One Bamboo
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Contents
Introduction
basic tasks
Screen documents
intuitive input
the zonepad
Summary 1
Summary 2
Overall benefits



The power is in the
zoneguide

   Contact:
 Tim Marshall
 phone:  +44 (0) 870 7451105
 email: web@onebamboo.net

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The screen is landscape oriented, the printed paper is portrait oriented. The display is designed to be dynamic in the way information is viewed which can't be transferred to paper.

Mousing over an icon or highlighted text will show a panel with related details. So you can read all the information in the document without scrolling or having to click on a new heading. Just point at the item.
NB some information is only visible while the mouse is over the icon, others remain in view until another item is selected (mouse pointed to it).

If there is more information on another document, it will also have an arrow icon () to show that a new document will be loaded.

Use the Printer Friendly Pages for paper copy.

The zonepad will make it so that you don't have to point. The Concept
Our computer needs made easy

By analogy do we want to pop down to the local shops on a bike or in a 54-seater coach?

Our basic needs are:
1. access to the web
2. emails
3. Intuitive text processor for:
  a. simple documents (eg letters)
  b. more powerful document (with sound, vision, tables etc)
  c. personalised applications (using a structure for specific tasks)
4. better screen documents - easy to use and read on the screen.
      (paging and indexed, no scrolling)
5. better input method for on the move and away from the desk (eg armchair)
6. Doing these tasks anywhere, with a pocket sized box and any display available
7. Being able to control things remotely. (it become the remote control for everything}
8. Not being afraid of malware every time we use the computer.


It is not a large project, but once done it has the potential of replacing all computer keyboards, remote controls and reducing the number of PCs necessary.

The zonepad is the catalyst for the project. Something simple ... 1. basic tasks

With the introduction of Microsoft Vista the Operating System has become very powerful and all powerful. But we have to use all that power even if we want to something simple. Most of the time we don't want the power of the computer, we just want to do simple tasks, but we are locked into the big system doing it the big system way.

There are times when we need the power of the computer, but for other times a different approach allowing us to do things our way would be good. There are a number of tasks we do all the time that could be done in a small system: Access the web, generating email, simple documents, generating simple spreadsheet. And most of the time it would be good to display it on a screen rather than printing it out. Currently, it is easier to print out documents because they are designed for the printed page or for scrolling on the screen. They are not designed for the displaying. Even web pages fall back on scrolling which immediately makes it difficult to read on the screen.

The other thing that would make things easier would be a better input method. The keys on the keyboard are fixed characters, commands are usually mouse button (very often with 'accelerator keys' available) showing that the mouse is slow and inconvenient. Key entry is the most convenient way so the new keyboard must be single handed (for convenience on the move or at least away from the desk) and the mouse equivalent buttons must be able to show which key to press. In addition, if the keyboard is embossed in a defined way, the keys can be found by feel and so touchtyping become almost automatic. This input method is not a keyboard or a mouse call it a zonepad. Something simple ... 2. Screen documents

The structure developing here is a screen document structure which allows everything to be read from the screen in a convenient way. It would be similar to web pages but without the scrolling. Document would be paged through (using paging keys) but having the ability to set the layout the way the user want. As with webpages, it will have the ability to show different layers or panels depending on the document. An index or contents panel is available on part of the screen. Document navigation keys appear as a 'zonepage' which is a layout of the zonepad with the icons for navigation within it so that the relevant key can be identified easily. If the document needs editing the zonepage becomes letters or punctuation or whole words. With the dynamic way the zonepad works entering whole words becomes feasible (if you find it inconvenient, you don't have to use it). If you've just entered a long word, it would be great if you didn't have to retype it all over again, or a name or even a phrase. It would use selective text: as letters are entered, words starting with those letters are shown. The possible words could be from a general dictionary, or specific to the document being written, or words that have been used so far in the document.

The screen document structure is a text document but it can also include sound, animation and video (something a printed document can't do). The document would be basically a text document which also calls up sound and picture. The application is part of the zonepad using only text documents with sound and picture files. Something simple ... 3. intuitive input

Currently the keyboard is part of the Operating System with programs or applications using routines from the operating system. With this system, the zonepad is part of the application with the zonepad keys calling up tasks within the application. The structure is completely independent of any Operating System but generating documents that can be displayed on any available screen. In the portable mode it could have it's own screen to display commands and text. It can then be used as a remote control for anything that need control, the tv, security system, control equipment, washing machine.

With the tv it becomes an intuitive control with words or text instead of numbers and scroll buttons. Channels are prompted by their name or logo, sound and video control is also more logical. Navigating round ceefax becomes selecting words from an index with users being able to make a 'bookmark' list. Then they can select the page by pressing their predefined zonepad key.

We have the ablility to do things the way we want but have been overwhelmed by the Operating System controlling how we do things.

Textprocessor

 Zonepad

The Zonepad is the catalyst for the whole concept. A dedicated standalone system using the standard keyboard and mouse would not work. The advantage of the zonepad as the input method is that the 'keyboard' can be set up the way you want, fits in your pocket, controls all remote devices you want to link to and give you access to the web or any networked information without any danger of contamination by unwanted rogue programs. Your dedicated computer in your pocket.

The layout is unimportant as long as the positions of all the keys can be easily defined and found. To do this it has a zoneguide as part of the zonepad that fits round the keys in such a way that each key is uniquely identified either by showing the whole zoneguide on the screen or an icon that identifies the key position relative to the zoneguide.

It is the zoneguide that makes all the difference. It allows the small number of keys to do all the tasks necessary. It enables the actions of the keys to be changed dynamically: letters, punctuation, document navigation, word entry, line drawing. Each task has zonepages available that are only shown when needed so the screen can be used wholly for display without icon buttons all over the place.

The zonepad needs to be small and single handed if it is to be used on the move and from the user's armchair. It needs to connect to the PC or network. It is only a small step to include the basic tasks application within a processor on the zonepad, then the zonepad can use any available screen. When more powerful tasks have to be done the zonepad will connect to the PC or network as the keyentry control with the ability to be setup the way the user wants. summary

A single application (like Outlook or Evolution) that does all the basic tasks we use the computer for: web access, email, simple document (eg memos), more powerful documents (eg reports) including sound and vision, tables (small scale spreadsheets) and presentations (webpages or powerpoint type).

All the text processing is based on a screen display structure (rather than the printed page and scrolling). The text is displayed in a panel defined by the author. If the text can't fit in the panel, it is paged using a single key. It can have other screen control like making a particular point the top of the page. If the font size changes it doesn't effect the display, just the amount of text that will fit in the panel. In addition there is a panel showing the section titles which can be use to jump to the section. The input control (currently keyboard/mouse) becomes part of the application.

To make it convenient and usable on the move and in your armchair it needs a better input. The keyboard is basically fixed keys (characters), for commands the mouse is used as a pointer to buttons. Keys are the easiest input method but the difficulty is identifying which key to press. The solution is the zonepad. The zonepad uses a method that easily identifies on the screen which key to press. 'mouse buttons' have an icon added that show which key to use. In addition the zonepad is embossed in such a way that the key can also be found by feel without having to look at it, so the user is immediately touchtyping. The zonepad uses a number of 'zonepages' prompted on the screen which change dynamically depending on the context.

The application is independent of the Operating System using whatever screen is available including the tv or a PC or a network monitor. The zonepad becomes part of the application or program rather than part of the Operating System. Each key selects a routine or command within the application. So, in fact, the application becomes part of the zonepad. summary (continued)

The zonepad will include the hardware and software for the application and be able to access the network (and hence the web). It uses any screen available (tv, PC or network monitor) to which it will send text documents as well sound and picture formats. Documents can be store on a network or using the onboard memory card.

It can't get a virus, spyware or trojan, or become a zombie because it doesn't store or run other programs. It could also help with spam problems. When more powerful applications are needed it becomes the input for them (on a PC or over the network/web) with the user having greater control of the way they work because they can set up the zonepages to do the tasks they require.

Once connected to the tv it becomes the remote control but in a more intuitive way, channels are selected by name, ceefax is navigated using the index rather than numbers, the users set up their favourite pages and access them quickly using the zonepad. It can also be the remote control for the hifi, video, DVD etc and anything else in the home, office or factory.

This is not a big project, apart from the zonepad it uses common features from current programs. But once completed it has the potential of replacing all computer keyboards, remote controls and reducing the number of PCs necessary. It can make the web part of the tv or mobile phone. It will need much less power and give users much more control of how they do things. In the third world it will allow entry into the digital domain at a very low cost.

It could be standalone - independent of the Operating System using any available screen.
It could be an RSI Alternative 'keyboard' replacing the keyboard and mouse.

The zonepad is the catalyst for the project. Overall Benefits:

Zonepad in your pocket :-

Access the web and email
Uses any available screen or screens
Remote control for anything - intuitively
Screen document - easy to read and navigate on the screen (no scrolling, with page size that fits the screen)
Embedded intuitive text processor - simple to complex documents
- for generating documents
- for setting layouts - includes tables and simple spreadsheet modules
- for generating work structures - applications you can do quickly with pen and paper but are difficult to set up on a computer
Malware free - independent of the Operating System, no rogue programs can be run on it.

Zonepad benefits:

Single handed, small enough to go in a pocket and have the basic applications on board
All control is by keys
The mouse icons that clutter up the display disappear and are only visible when needed
The dynamic nature of the zonepad allows more versatile control or data entry (eg whole words or blocks of text can easily be listed and entered).
Help pages become part of the application with direct instructions of actions (icon for a keypress is shown with the help text)
Users can set up tasks or actions to be added to a zonepage so frequently used tasks can become a single keypress. (this may be a sequence of normal keypresses) Examples

To be added