[Eric] just told us about the watch he developed that displays info from a BlackBerry via Bluetooth. The watch displays updates, message alerts, incoming call information, and… tells time. Setup and control is handled with the BlackBerry keypad. The device is charged with a micro-USB connection and will last for about four days without a recharge. We’d chalk up the rather long battery life to the use of an OLED display, which will use less energy when a portion of the display is left black.
So why is it here? Well, he’s got a couple of blog posts that detail two of the final prototypes that you might find interesting. What else? Oh yeah, his original prototype used an Arduino with a Nokia 3310 LCD display. For those of you who continually call the Arduino a worthless toy, looks like it’s good enough to use when taking a product to market.
The Arduino may not be a toy (it’s just a development kit with an Atmel MCU)… however most of the “innovative” crap posted that involves an Arduino is just that–crap.
Since the Arduino is one of the easier and popular MCU dev kits, many beginners’ projects use it, and usually those projects are very simplistic (naturally). This leads to a self-inflicted stigma associated with the Arduino (e.g. “Arduinos are toys”).
Engineers get annoyed at the Arduino “fad” because beginners’ projects tend to trivialize actual engineering, which involves _far_ more than simple proof-of-concept hacks. Beginners should be aware of this difference, but of course the only way to learn is to start as a beginner!
Nonetheless, it sounds like you’re a bit overly defensive of the Arduino…
The Arduino may not be a toy (it’s just a development kit with an Atmel MCU)… however most of the “innovative” crap posted that involves an Arduino is just that–crap.
Since the Arduino is one of the easier and popular MCU dev kits, many beginners’ projects use it, and usually those projects are very simplistic (naturally). This leads to a self-inflicted stigma associated with the Arduino (e.g. “Arduinos are toys”).
Engineers get annoyed at the Arduino “fad” because beginners’ projects tend to trivialize actual engineering, which involves _far_ more than simple proof-of-concept hacks. Beginners should be aware of this difference, but of course the only way to learn is to start as a beginner!
Nonetheless, it sounds like you’re a bit overly defensive of the Arduino…
“Engineers get annoyed at the Arduino “fad” because beginners’ projects tend to trivialize actual engineering, which involves _far_ more than simple proof-of-concept hacks.”
And other engineers like it because it removes the tedious (and generally pointless for a prototype) process of setting up flags, etc, when bashing out a quick prototype requiring a microcontroller.
Doing things the hard way doesn’t automatically make it the better way.
wow,one decent,innovative use for an arduino doesn’t explain why every other post has one.
little sensitive about protecting the sponsors products,aren’t we?
He needs a hand modal, that’s one hairy arm lol.
why is there always more discussion about the platform than the actual hack?
I don’t own a blackberry but it looks like a nice complement to a mobile phone, something the phone companies should’ve been selling us years ago, instead this guy has beaten them to it.
I’d like to see something like this that can pair with your PC and gives whatever information you need, like an untethered hi-res LCD-smartie, maybe a couple of buttons or touchscreen to extend its capabilities a little.
@ Reggie
The windows mobile platform has allowed you to do this for years.
nice.. something other than crappy halloween shit
@alexsfox
That was a beautifully elegant way to describe your feelings on the Arduino. I agree with 95% of what you said. I wish everyone on here would argue this way… a lot more constructive than this over-excessive cursing and EE bigotry (yes, I’m an EE).
also, this thing is pretty impressive power-consumption-wise.
the battery is 150mAh lion-poly running an oled screen, motor, and bluetooth (as well as a couple other controllers im sure) for 4 days under moderate usage? thats pretty awesome.
im impressed that there was a way to get that bluetooth profile to work .. they can be finicky them blackberrys ..
I’m an arduino user, but I think that everyone should be looking at it’s increased popularity as a good thing.
[1] There are a lot more posts here now. No you don’t have to like every single one, but often you can find at least an ASPECT of the project that you find useful, or inspiring.
[2] Arduino is a stepping stone to bigger/better/more compilicated projects – and for most it’s the FIRST STEP. The price, and ease of use, means more people are into “hacking” than ever before.
Anyways that was off topic.
This project is pretty damn awesome – would love to see even more details of the development process.
Arduino debate aside, I think it’s really cool that Allerta posted details of their development process. I wish more companies would do that. Their CEO must be a pretty cool geek :D
bobob-
I see only “arduino hacks” in the category listing. You’re not suggesting that there are other microcontrollers out there, are you?
Anyway, I really like this project because it’s like the wireless lcd I used for debugging some time ago and I would have killed for this instead of my 1×16 lcd. Clouds happy mr. Sun and stuff!
Where does it talk about the Arduino on the InPulse blog? I looked and looked, even did a search on the blog page and came up empty.
@bill hates
Hear, hear
@EdZ i like the way you think.
“Doing things the hard way doesn’t automatically make it the better way.”
@alexsfox I agree with what you said in full. It’s especially annoying to see idiots getting all bug eyed about “hacking” when all they’re doing is making a high powered LED flash.
This is an impressive feat though. This device started as nothing, now actually is a useful purpose. Well done.
Don’t know what will be in the Future, but i think it’s good idea!
The arduino is a powerfull development tool, I think people on here only bitch about it when they are been used in situations where it is not needed or use of such is over the top.
if it hasn’t already, an alarm to detect disconnection from the blackberry may be a good idea. My friend keeps leaving his phone on trainS and at restaurants, luckily I have been there most of the time but one time he did end up losing his iphone.
The arduino isn’t a ‘worthless’ toy. It’s just an annoyingly overpopular and simple one.
@ damox, Yup, you have been able to do it on winCE for years, more expensively with more power consumption and more weight hanging off my wrist than a mere watch sized unit :)
The hardware is really interesting but what impresses the hell out of me is the work on getting the blackberry to cooperate. Those damn things are ORNERY. Every time I’ve tried to develop for mine I end up jumping through endless hoops to get a partial kludge to work.
I love me some arduino, but that daemon on the blackberry is the real story IMHO.
I think it is awesome! What hardware was used is not that important to me.
[flame on]
Flame war about arduino, at this time looks like provocation from hackaday. As someone mentioned, at all 3 links and all blog entries are not such phrase arduino.
Are hack a day get paid or what?
@Jancans,
We don’t advertise Arduino on Hackaday. We have banner advertisements, you can see who buys advertising from us.
He submitted his story to us. This is an excerpt from his email
“I hacked together the first prototype by interfacing a stock arduino with one of those cheap Nokia 3310 displays. It’s only evolved since then…”
Well, for $150 & no winmo support. FAIL
lol
just kidding i’d get one in a heartbeat if I had a bb
Want one for the iPhone.
i really love this Blackberry because of its functionality and design. this is a very cool electronic gadget for staying in touch with your friends and family members —
I took a look at this project. Also i looked at all the comments and i honestly can’t believe all the bad comments about it’s a arduino and hacking. Wow so what it’s a arduino micro processor what if it was a Pic controller or a Pi controller would you be making the same comments because it’s a micro processor? Maybe not. The point is that the guy made a watch he spends countless hours Coding designing and building to make this watch And i give him props for that not everyone can do that. Yes of course there are hundreds of thousands of watches out there that people design and build with micro processors of all kinds. Even they took a watch that is all ready out there and Improved on it big time to make it better or battery that last longer even a better screen for the watch. Which brings me back to what i was saying countless hours in coding designing and building also not giving up. I my self are in a process of building my own watch i been working on for 7 months now i looked at thousands of digital watches online from design point and see what batteries last the longest or blue tooth parts that take low power and I’m still in the processor of looking for something to add to this watch of mine. The point is you can make all the fun you like at this guy project all you like but remember one thing he put this up in here what do you have to show for it?