PDA web interface, wlan, thoughts....

dissident75 · 07-26-2002, 12:04 PM

Ok, never posted here before but have been watching and reading with interest. I just wanted to throw an idea out there.

I do web developtment with ColdFusion and was coding a project at work and had an idea. I am curious if there would be any interest in a piece of software that allows a pda to access and control winamp wirelessly via a wireless LAN.

I was thinking intitially of this setup. MY HP Jornada sitting in a Auto PDA mount, with a wireless CF card connected to a book PC.

The book pc would boot from a CF card and running personal webserver and ColdFusion Server, and an application written in coldfusion that would allows me to browse driectories, songs, and playlists. Essentially turning my PDA into a color touchscreen remote control to the whole thing. Also since it is a web interface the look can be easily modified.

Now the missing piece, I need to know if there is a utility that would allow me to control winamp at the command line? Haven't checked it yet so I dont know if there are any switches that can be passed.

Any thoughts?

MGP3Car · 07-26-2002, 12:28 PM

The Winamp command line is really limited, but there is a general plugin that you might like to use - 'CLEveR' which extends what you can do.

Or perhaps there's a general plugin with an external interface (XML or web perhaps) that lets you do everything - if not I might write one

~MGP3Car

BTW - Like the HitchHikers reference, but be careful when you say it, it could cause intergalactic war (unless the fleet gets eaten by a small dog

).

dissident75 · 07-26-2002, 12:58 PM

Hmmm.... more or less exactly what I was looking for. I guess it's time to start coding.

Anythoughts on the concept?

MP3DUB · 07-26-2002, 02:55 PM

If you search the board, I know a few web based "things" have come up, and i think a few were webserver based (php/sql/etc) html playlists, so you could click on a link and have a song/album/artist played. You might be able to gather how they interfaced winamp.

dissident75 · 07-26-2002, 03:40 PM

Well, the idea is to completely remove the need to put in any control hardware, only thing may be a gamepad (or just the guts of one stuffed into a custom box) to control rudimentary functions. The idea of a wireless color touch screen remote is too hot while keeping a completely stock apearance.

Considering its a lease vehicle, that necessitates the need to not cut for screens or drives or touchpads. If I owned it it would be a differant story.

Of course on the other hand, the thought that ANY 802.11b device could interface. Maybe even run VNC as aux control from a laptop. Maybe I'm just going overboard, but it's the geek in me saying "yeah but this could be too cool to not bother".

However that gives the concept of wardriving a slightly new twist....

MGP3Car · 07-27-2002, 05:58 PM

Thoughts on the concept?, I like it, the single flexible interface to control the player and anything else and it's your PDA, It's definitely the future. The real question is where do you put the processing power and how do you interface, too much power in the PDA and it'll be huge, not enough and you'll duplicate the local boxes. It's all a bit too esoteric.

I love the idea of wireless, I suspect that bluetooth (ignoring the current standards debacle) will be the future standard for this type of local peer to peer control. Again without trying to jump on the latest 'technology bandwagon' a SOAP interface could be the future of connecting box A to box B, with Java being so strong even the millions of marketing $ that MS will chuck at .NET I don't think that'll derail the open standards.

I personally took the easy way out and have an all in one solution, I've even chickened out on wireless lan as I don't want to spend £200 (as I don't have a base station).

Enough babble...........

eugenen · 07-27-2002, 09:22 PM

Write a simple html page on the mp3 box and use IIS to serv it up to pocket IE on the web page. Just layout some buttons on the web page and have them execute scripts or call the vb app. Then you can also remotly control the player from your pda, laptop, computer inside the house, whatever is in range. Thats the plan I have for mine when I get to that point. I am basically going to have a wirless web server that will also allow me to download mp3's to the pda while I'm in the office. I may have to mount a small antenna on the roof of my truck to get extra range when I have to park at the opposite of the building.