Last year at CES, Bug Labs made a splash by unveiling their build-a-gadget system, made out of programmable, separate electronic parts like a webcam, a GPS receiver, and a cellular antenna.
This year, the company is adding new ‘building block’ modules including a Pico projector and a 3G box. Because the whole project is open-source, I’m most looking forward to seeing how the Linux ninjas will modify the Pico feature into one that improves the overall fun factor to a feature that has been underwhelming. (Yes, I’ve said that before.)
Out of the box, the Pico is powered by a DLP (at 480 x 320 resolution), 9 lumens of brightness, and stereo sound. It was developed with Texas Instruments, which also developed a couple of the other Picos. This means the video quality should be at least as good as the others. As for the 3G module, it has a SIM card input as expected and connects to any GSM network.
There are other new modules at CES 2009 that will add even more functionality to the gadget. There’s BUGwifi, a module box that adds extra 802.11b/g wi-fi, Bluetooth 2.0, and EDR radio to connect the with peripherals. And there’s also BUGsound, which adds omnidirectional mics and extra jacks to give the frankengadget the ability of a music player and a voice/audio recorder.
None of these modules have been given a set price, but they should
all run between $50 and $80, like the others available now. These will
be released by March of this year.
I was intrigued with this moddable gadget idea ever since I heard
about it last year and these additions are interesting to me, but I’m
not so sure everyone else is into it. Swapping modules is fun for a
nerd like me, but keeping track of them without losing them, in
addition to the high hands-on factor, is bound to turn people off.
What do you guys think? Is this still interesting or have you moved
on to the more expensive but fully serviced gadget like the iPhone?
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