Free ideas, get your free ideas

I'd really like to see the products I've described here and I'd probably buy them. I have started trying to contact consumer electronics companies to give them a link to this site, and if any do visit, I just want to say that these ideas are completely public domain--I have no need for credit or compensation. I work on other things that require lots of intellectual property protection, but I'm giving my product ideas (the ones I post here) away to all comers.

A better camcorder

Update: 9 short years later, it's here, looking just like the sketch I made. Many models look similar, but this one is what I drew; although they still typically forget wireless sound. Nice to know I was right.

From 2009:
Remember when they called them "camcorders?" That sounds like Sony in the 70s or 80s...

There is a new crop of video cameras that are the size and weight of toilet paper rolls. They record on SD media instead of tape or disc or something. No moving parts. They cost $200 to $1200, roughly, and the higher end models record HD. I want one, except that no one makes a model with the features I absolutely must have. Every one of these new designs has a fold-out view screen that makes the camera unbalanced and gives the otherwise rugged camera its only moving part. And none of them as a mic in jack--they all record audio from a built-in mic and that's it.

So, here's my design for the camera I want to buy. I bet it could be priced in the $300 range and it would sell very well.

It's a plastic tube, maybe gloss yellow in case you drop it (not stereo system gray or whatever). The front extends for a sun shade over the top of the lens, like a surveyor's transit, and the back is recessed. Centered on the back is a small (1.25" diagonal) view screen with lines on it like a studio monitor--safe area, center. Below the screen, also in the center, a jack for ear buds so that the operator can hear the audio being recorded.

Down the center of the top of the tube we have a big red "Rec" button at the back, a plastic belt loop that doubles as a sight, and zoom (Tight/Wide) toggle buttons in front of the belt loop. Everything is centered so that it works for lefties or right-handed people.

The lens is on the front and under it, a mic jack. The camera comes with a stereo mic plugged into that jack, but you can replace it with a wireless receiver that plugs into the same jack and which comes with a clip-on lavalier wireless mic. (I can't believe they sell a $1000 camera with 20x optical zoom and the best you can get is the sound at the camera, not at the object you're zooming at.)

The lens has a built-in cover. Twist the hood and the lens cover closes and the buttons are all disabled. When it's off, children can't mess with it, and you can't accidentally record the inside of your jacket pocket. Any adult will naturally twist it right and voila, now it's ready to go.

There are three belt loops around the middle and it comes with a strap that locks with velcro, so that you can mount the relatively shockproof camera on a roll bar or a helmet. If you need to connect it laterally, use the transverse strap it comes with and just attach to that. (The current crop of cameras have absolutely no connection points. It's duct tape all the way.) Of course, there is a tripod mount on the bottom.

Also on the bottom is a jack for an optional A/C adapter. If you have the thing on a tripod or in a security mode, you don't have to use the battery. Unlike other cameras, though, there is no wasted technology for using the camera as a battery charger. That's a separate thing.

This camera has no playback. The current SD cameras all do, but it's a waste! Create a new product, a battery-operated video player (like a DVD player) with an SD card input. So, no playback, no hinge-out screen, no extra buttons (or, god forbid, touch screen). You want to see what you shot, pop it in your laptop.

Normally, the camera goes to sleep when its motion sensor detects no movement for a few seconds. It wakes up when you move it sharply or when you press the Rec button. It might take a second to be ready to go. A button on the side toggles between Sleep and Always On mode. Whenever the camera is twisted on, it comes up in Sleep mode.

Another button on the side is a push-to-talk Audio Memo button. You push the button and it records audio only until you let go. The idea is you can mark your own scenes "Ludwig's birthday, handheld, remember to use sepia filter" or "My Big Adventure, scene 8, take 2."

Video and audio is recorded on the SD card such that the time and date are recorded for every frame. The camera can't superimpose anything on the video--do that during editing, if at all. But this way we know by timestamp what audio memo goes with what video.

The camera records up to 1900 x 1080 HD video. It has an amazing optical zoom, auto-focus, and image stabilization technology.

Open a panel in the side to slide in the battery (centered in the lower part so that the camera feels balanced). The SD card pops in and out here. It would be nice if there was a compartment for a second SD card. A mini-USB jack here connects the camera to a computer for configuration. The config program sets the clock, can upload video and audio, and can set things like "never go to Sleep mode."

The kit includes: the camera, a battery, a standalone battery charger, a starter SD card, CD with Win/Mac config software, USB cable, ear buds, stereo microphone, and wireless clip-on mic. The wireless mic could be an accessory, but it would greatly improve home videos. The A/C adapter is optional--most people probably won't want it.

Joe Normal buys this camera, charges the battery overnight, picks it up and starts shooting his kids playing. He uses the stereo mic and doesn't worry about a tripod or strapping the camera to anything. After a week of shooting cute scenes, he opens the side, pulls out the SD card and inserts it in his computer. He's got video.

(I hope someone who can produce this camera finds this post somehow. I don't need credit or money; I'd just like to be able to buy one of these. The current manufacturers are way out of whack with what a video producer needs/wants.)

The Home Phone

Sometimes, I wonder why the phone can't be more intelligent. A lot of smart people are working on cell phones and pdas, but the basic home phone system remains essentially unimproved.

We have three kids, five in the family, so we bought a Panasonic KXTG6074B a few years ago at Target. Base station and 3 or 4 satellite phones. It announces calls based on caller ID: "Call from lohs gatos dog" when the Los Gatos Dog & Cat Hospital calls. When a telemarketer calls from out of state, it often announces "Call from six-one-seven-five-two-three-oh-nine-one-eight." It repeats this several times. We're watching TV. The phone rings. The phone rings again. Then it says all those numbers, rings again, repeats all the numbers, and rings again before finally shutting up.

So, I'm thinking, life can be better than this. First I want a button on the phone: IGNORE. Cell phones have it. But when I press IGNORE, it says "Always?" If I press the YES button fast enough, it says, "Voice Mail?" and if I press NO fast enough, that number is now permanently blocked. When they call, they get a message saying so. "The owner of this phone number has permanently blocked calls from this number: six-one-seven-five-two...."

When I press IGNORE, the default is just this once. That's what happens if I don't do anything else. Ignore just this once instantly silences the phone. It gives the caller a message explaining "The owner of this phone number cannot be disturbed at the moment. Please leave a message."

If I press IGNORE and say YES to Always, the default is to offer the caller voice mail. That means that every time that number calls me, they'll hear "Please leave a message."

The way the phone works in the US is that they send a 48-volt signal down the line to make the phone ring. In the olden days, that voltage powered the coil that rang the bell. The phone most certainly does not have to respond to that signal by ringing a freaking bell or by making any sound at all. A few seconds later, Caller ID information comes down the line. At that point, the phone should "ring" based on who is calling.

Our Panasonic has programmable rings for different people, but it's kind of dumb (it doesn't recognize that one person can have two or three numbers that they call from). Also, I can't remember which cheesy tune goes with which person. Why can't I record the announcement for the people whose calls I want? "It's Mom!" would be kind of to-the-point. Imagine--instead of (ring) (ring) "Call from Sporleder Bert", we'd get (ding) "It's Mom!". Man, that would be convenient.

I'm not Pavlov's dog. Why in the world would I install a bell in my house that outsiders can ring at any time and then train myself to get up and rush to the phone whenever I heard it? When I buy a phone it should work for me, not for the people who want to talk to me. But I do understand that there could be an emergency.

So, when my phone tells you to "Please leave a message," you can enter a six-digit code I've given you that will cause the phone to get my attention if possible. Good human interface design should be like a good servant. The butler stands at the door, clears his throat and says quietly, "Your mother is on the phone." If you ignore him, he goes away. But if Mom gives him the six-digit code, the butler shakes me awake and hands me the phone. At that point, the phone rings really loudly.

Another way most of us know something might be important is when the house phone rings, we don't answer it, and our cell phone immediately rings. Someone to whom we've given our mobile number to is anxious to reach us. Depending on your friend and family situation, that may or may not be important (for me, it would be).

Oh, and police and fire departments are experimenting with reverse-911, where they have a machine call to notify you of problems in your neighborhood. The police department also routinely calls you if there's a 911 hangup or a neighbor reports something. So--give them your six-digit code. Our police department maintains electronic records of gate combinations, alarm company phone numbers per house, and even alarm deactivation codes--another code won't overwhelm them.

Okay. Now connect the phone to your wireless network and see what we can do. For starters, we could log everything. Why not? Keep the phone company honest. Answer trivial questions about how often you call someone vs. how often they call you. My inner geek is showing. How about seamless integration with VoIP?

More later. I've got issues with my TiVo.