Electronic Music Stand - is almost here (touch tablet device)
20091124 at 02:26 UPDATE: Crunchpad dies, iPad born
I think my take-away from recent developments is that none of these devices are really suitable. It will be interesting to see future tablet devices using the android platform, however.
UPDATE: Requirements clarification
The “two pages up” requirement is no joke. The left hand page is given no consideration for “turnability” — the right hand page is often laid out specifically to make page turning easier. “Touch-enabled” requirement changed to “touch-enabled or foot-switch capable”
Idea
I have envisioned an “electronic music stand” device for many years. It may be a reality very soon with minor modifications to the fabled touch-enabled tablet iPad device from Apple or the Crunchpad. I hope it will be possible to make one of those into a prototype. It may soon be possible to modify a cheaper tablet device or other internet-enabled “ebook reader” to achieve these goals.
Requirements
- Landscape mode
- 2 pages up
- entire page “clickable” — translates to “touch” — page 1 to go back, 2 to go forward
- touch-enabled or foot-switch capable for turning pages
- Minimum 6 hours operation on battery
Tricky bits
- direct support for PDF display in browser or natively on the device
- When not internet-connected must be fully functional, except for “score search”
Optional bits
- audio playback (via MIDI or mp3 version of score)
- audio record (record from “line in” to digital audio / mp3 file)
- auto-page-turn via “listen” (using “mic in” or “line in”) (difficult but not impossible)
Attractive bits
- sites such as Free Scores.com or IMSLP.org are ideal places to find potential customers
- the required modifications to the device are rather simple
- your entire library of music weighs almost nothing
- you can find new scores without leaving the music stand (if internet-connected)
- electronic sheet music services & tablet devices are converging now
- entire orchestras may want the device
- color not required, but can be used to advantage if available
- notation software makers such as Sibelius may be interested; their online score publishing and sharing service does similar things, but can’t be put on a music stand
Unfortunate bits
- I have no experience and no contacts in the consumer electronics area
- I don’t think I’m the first to conceive of this
Hopeful bits
- this should be do-able without violating any patent
- it’s an obvious outgrowth of touch-enabled tablet devices
- tablet device makers will have sorted out their patent issues already
richardwalker
Kindle adds native PDF reader
“Kindle, already the #1 bestselling, most wished for, and most gifted product on all of Amazon.com, is now even better—with 85 percent more battery life and a built-in PDF reader,” said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “These two significant enhancements are available now.”
To read their personal or professional documents, Kindle customers simply email PDFs to their Kindle email address or move them over using a USB connection. Customers that prefer to have their PDF documents converted to the Kindle format simply type “Convert” in the subject of the e-mail when sending documents to their “@kindle.com” address.
Amazon also announced today that previous purchasers of the new Kindle will also receive the 85 percent battery life improvements with wireless on, and native PDF support via a firmware update automatically delivered via Whispernet wireless. Native PDF support will also be available for some earlier versions of Kindle via an automatic Whispernet wireless firmware update.
richardwalker
This makes me very sad, because fewer suitable devices in the marketplace means a slower realization of the device’s promise for performing musicians.
The End Of The CrunchPad | TechCrunch
It was so close I could taste it. Two weeks ago we were ready to publicly launch the CrunchPad. The device was stable enough for a demo. It went hours without crashing. We could even let people play with the device themselves – the user interface was intuitive enough that people “got it” without any instructions. And the look of pure joy on the handful of outsiders who had used it made the nearly 1.5 year effort completely worth it.
Our plan was to debut the CrunchPad on stage at the Real-Time Crunchup event on November 20, a little over a week ago. We even hoped to have devices hacked together with Google Chrome OS and Windows 7 to show people that you could hack this thing to run just about anything you want. We’d put 1,000 of the devices on pre-sale and take orders immediately. Larger scale production would begin early in 2010.
And then the entire project self destructed over nothing more than greed, jealousy and miscommunication.
…
And with that, the entire project self destructed.
richardwalker
15-inch Vega android tablet incoming! | AllTabletNews
2010 is going to be quite the year for Google tablets. The first Android tablet is already on sale, but there are plenty more planned, and now another to add to the shopping list, the Vega Android tablet: a giant, 15-inch keyboardless computer with 3G and top graphics shoved in. Who needs an Apple tablet?
richardwalker
MICROSOFT’S TABLET: NICE CONCEPT | AllTabletNews
Based on this concept video, I’m beginning to see the appeal of Microsoft’s secret Tablet. They’re not really trying to replicate the multimedia experience that Apple may be doing and others as well (e.g., reading books, playing games, watching movies, etc.), but rather, creating something more akin to a day planner.
richardwalker
Notion Ink Enters Tablet Wars With Android Device | Gizmodo
Notion Ink is apparently readying an Android tablet with a Pixel Qi display—the very same that was rumored to be used in the Apple tablet. Just like at it, it’s like something from our dreams…
… a purported 48hr standby battery life… A-GPS, a digital compass, accelerometer and proximity, and curiously ambient light and water sensors. There’s even a 3.0-megapixel camera with autofocus, capable of recording video.
richardwalker
The MusicPad Pro from Freehand Systems comes pretty close — for $900
UPDATE: This is a not a branded Kindle and the scores are “new engravings”
In addition to its new Kindle offering, the sheet music publisher sells a stand-alone digital sheet music tablet, the MusicPad Pro Plus… All scores consist of modern engravings rather than reprints.
UPDATE: Apparently this device is tied to their online score site
Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Genre: Art Music (???)
Scored For: Piano Solo
Publisher: FreeHandMusic.com
Pages: 775
This title is not available in: China (!!!)
Product ID: 309936
Price: $27.95
This price seems fairly hefty for an elecronic edition; I’d have to see it to determine if the “new engraving” is worth it. I hope they make it easy to choose between their editions and free scores (scores scanned into such as IMSLP.org)
Lacks
- two pages up
- touch
- general touch tablet or eBook reader capability
The “two pages up” requirement is no joke. The left hand page is given no consideration for “turnability” — the right hand page is often laid out specifically to make page turning easier.
This looks like a modification to a version of the Kindle, but apparenty disables the Kindle functionality — I see no mention of Kindle support, or general “eBook” reader capability.
A very clever device could use a combination of time keeping and video input to allow a gesture like a quick nod of the head to trigger a page turn with no hands. More practically, a foot pedal switch (such as mentioned below) could work well, and bring the cost of the whole affair down quite a bit. A basic eBook reader with a foot pedal switch should be do-able in the $200-$400 range.
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richardwalker
Google and HTC Working On a Chrome OS Tablet | Gizmodo
Everyone is clamoring about tablets these days—ourselves included—so it’s not too surprising that Google and HTC are set to join the fray. They are reportedly working together on a Chrome OS Google Tablet.
Smarthouse, an Australian publication, reports that HTC and Google have been collaborating “for the past 18 months” and have produced “several working models of a touch tablet,” including one outfitted with Google’s Chrome OS. We wrote why a Google Tablet would be a good idea last month, and with the Apple Tablet discussion reaching a fever pitch, it’s harder and harder to get excited about a Chrome OS netbook from Google.
article | tagged music, performance, score, sheet music, tablet device 
