I just noticed that there's 128 MB of RAM

Yeah, programmers and developers will need it. Comes in handy if you want to run a web browser or Java app. I planned on having 256MB, but it would require more space on the board.

*edit* Just noticed that the specs seem (off the top of my head) very reminiscent of a PSP.

The screen resolution is the same, otherwise in other areas Project Paradise has superior hardware (except for graphics). Perhaps someone will write a PSP emulator when I finish this.

Im totally wanna buy the developers edition.  No hands down.  How much?  Whatever it is is worth it.  this is beyond awesome.  it's uberawesome.

How long until a possible developer's release?

Maybe around June is what I'm hoping when I can allow preorders. I want to get this released before the next school year (September).

One question about it though: Assuming it is produced in the United States, will it be possible to ship it to Europe, more specifically Germany? I would pre-order the developers edition as soon as possible, if shipping it over here would be possible.

Yeah, I don't see why not if you're paying for shipping.

I second the concern about the qwerty keyboard, so this calculator isn't meant for use on standardized tests?  Other than that tho, it looks so epic!! Its so shiny :]

Hmm yeah I think it might be best to re-order the letters, actually, to make them alphabetical, if you plan the calc to be allowed in tests. Otherwise, if it has a CAS and the like, then it won't be allowed so I guess it wouldn't be as much of a concern. Otherwise, I wonder if a qwerty calc could be allowed if the keyboard letters can be disabled completely?

The touchscreen and the audio jack already disqualify this calculator for testing according to the College Board. The standard edition will be a stripped down version and with a traditional case (think TI-84 or fx-9860G style). The developers edition are aimed to be the first for preordering and are targeted for developers, hobbyists and hackers. The developers edition is to help iron out the software and make suggestions for the standard (testing compatible) and professional (hardcore) edition, which will come out later.

Also, I've updated the keypad layout and included a mockup of how GIAC CAS would look running on it:


For the keypad, do you guys like silicone rubber or hard plastic? IMO, rubber does feel nicer, but it's easier to type with hard plastic. I'm trying to get the prototype of the case made.

Ok, I've spent the last week redesigning. I've taken into your guys considerations and have majorly revamped the calculator. I've also gotten a mockup design of what the calculator might look like, plus now it's final specs:


So what do you guys think of the design? Are the keys laid out all right? IMO, I think it looks pretty sexy. The current dimensions are 120mm (width) by 88mm (side length) by 16mm (height), so it should easily fit in your pocket.

Modifications:
* Now using a processor with OpenGL and multimedia (MPEG and H.264) hardware acceleration. OpenGL hardware acceleration should help speed up 3D graphing (and games).
* New LCD - 480x272 pixel resolution with touchscreen. The new LCD is either a transmissive LCD or a Casio Blanview, just like the one in the Casio Prizm. I'm thinking of using Blanview because it's designed to use less backlight and thus saves power. Still waiting for a response from the distributor for the pricing. If the Casio Blanview displays are too expensive, they'll be swapped out for the transmissive LCD.
* The calculator now uses for sure an integrated lithium ion battery. It's the only way to get everything to fit in the case. The battery is rechargeable through a USB connection to a computer or to an AC adapter.

The design is gonna be shipped off to manufacturer sometime this week and I should get the board back some time early next month. It'll be an exciting moment when it arrives.

I'm assuming that you will go over how to create a cross-compiler for C?  Java might be a little much, unless the ARM processor supports it natively.

Yes, I plan to have a wiki by the time preorders are ready. As for Java, I've been using OpenJDK and all the Java programs I ran seem to run fine on the first prototype. The final design has a faster processor and more RAM, so everything should be ok. Plus the processor has Jazelle. I'm not sure though if OpenJDK supports Jazelle.

@DJ_Omnimaga, I think Ashbad was referring to graphmastur's post. All three versions will be software compatible with each other.

Some good news, I might be able to get funding to build a prototype of the final hardware design soon. This should be exciting as it will be a good indicator of when preorders can start. I will keep you guys updated.

Wow, this is gonna be long.

This is awesome For the contest you are also planning to have the outside case too, right?

Well, I'll just probably place it in temporary plastic case. I'm broke as of now and cannot have a case manufactured.

Also I love the specs. Will the calculator be useable as a mass storage device like the Prizm?

Yes, I think that will be the best and easiest way for the user to transfer his/her files. Making the user install a driver and then some software would just be a hassle. That would also save me the trouble of having to develop the link software and driver.

This is amazing. If you can manage to get the cost below $200 I'll definitely buy it(I might buy it anyways, It looks awesome). My offer for help with any python programming still stands.

What's the cheapest you think you can get it?

Looking at the quote from my manufacturer, if I can have at least 50 made, they'll very likely be under $200. My best estimate for if everything is going incredibly great, is maybe as low as ~$140. Those are rough estimates and that's assuming that I've got the money to stock up the parts for production (which I don't have as of now). But to reiterate it'll highly be under $200. I guarantee that I'll try my hardest to make this calculator not only technologically competitive, but also price wise. I don't believe it will be fair for me to place ridiculously price markups like TI. I was kind of hoping that when I finalize the hardware and can get some of these made, you guys who have the calculator could then help patch up the Linux distro (operating system, software, etc.) The total price of the calculator will cover just the cost to make it and the funding I placed in to develop the hardware.

Will the final product be fully touchscreen? If so, you should make it iPod Touch like, sans restrictions and only for educational purposes.
(Teachers hate everything, typically.)

I was thinking of making two different versions of Project Paradise, one that's compatible with College Board testing standards, then one hardcore version for the ultra nerds (WiFi, touchscreen).

I suggest getting familiar with Clutter (http://www.clutter-project.org/). It's a very decent UI framework (note I say UI, not GUI/toolkits).
Key to having success in this field is a good GUI, and Clutter can do that for you.

I'll take note of that. When I finish the hardware, we can decide to put whatever software we want onto it.

- Same or even better battery life compared to a TI-83/84 is a must!

Eh... that's gonna be really hard (maybe impossible) to accomplish. My prototype currently runs on 4AAA rechargeable batteries rated at 850mAh and it's getting about 20 hours before needing recharge. However, my final design will utilize a newer processor manufactured on a smaller die, thus it's more energy efficient. I had a couple of extra stuff on my prototype, so factoring in new faster hardware and removing the extra stuff, you might at best get 40 hours. Hopefully that's good enough. The hardware in Project Paradise is just way too powerful compared to a TI-84 to have the same amount of battery life.

- Pricing should be under $160 due to competition prices.

Well, my best estimate I gave above should be some good news.

- Do not merely toss software onto the device (I'm sure you won't, but just as a reminder). You will need to find a way to wrap around the libraries with some seriously productive (and pretty) GUI.
- Desktop clicking != touchscreen tapping. Be careful!

I just plan to make sure I can get the hardware working. I was hoping that when enough people have the calculator, we can develop all the software and beef it up together.

- It should be AA/AAA battery powered to keep with current standards (and habits, per say)

It can run on AAA batteries. However, I was thinking of placing a Lithium Ion battery pack (with a high energy capacity rating) inside the calculator. That way, it'll have a longer battery life than typical batteries (thus lessening the battery life problem above) and can allow the calculator to be recharged over USB.

This is a very decent idea and hardware! If this becomes successful, we will back it up (and maybe make it OTARM?)!
And speaking of that... you must be an expert at this stuff, as you've developed hardware all by yourself!
Could you please assist us in the summer for OTZ80 and OTARM? (Obviously, 2 calculators - one powered by Z80s, another by ARMs!)

If my project takes off, I can use the resources to fund your projects. If I have the time, I can help you build prototypes, and manage the testing and production if you want.

Finally - is this project for educational purposes (a project a school?) or just for fun?

Both: for the community (fun) and an engineering project. I've been in the calc community for years and haven't really seen much progress on how calcs evolved. I thought it would be cool to build an ubercalculator and maybe other people would want one too. I'm also college student majoring in computer engineering, so even if the market doesn't have a place for this calculator, it make an awesome senior project (a requirement here at my university to get your degree).  It works both ways, so I don't really have anything to lose working on this project.

Is the internet connection wired to a PC or Wi-Fi/Etc.?

EDIT: I'm waiting for a video

Hopefully wifi.

It's WiFi. Again, the WiFi is probably reserved for the more high end.

Another idea I had, if I can make some prototypes of the final design and make sure they work, would anyone feel safe pre-ordering with a 2-3 week waiting time (for manufacturing)? I was thinking that if at least 50 people preorder, it'll be considerably cheaper than having each one built one by one. Would you guys just want the board (with LCD and keypad of course) or would also like an enclosure with it? I'm confident I can at least get some prototypes of the final hardware working by June.

My development board came in on Wednesday and I got halfway through assembling it. Still waiting on other parts to arrive. The board seems to power on all right, so hopefully I should be able to get the board up and running in the next couple of weeks.

so, what exactly are your plans for this if it doesn't make it to the market proper?(not that i'm being doubtful here...)
do you think you could build and sell a few on your own/release the schematics in private?(i am salivating a bit at the thought of this) regardless, best of luck to you!

As for selling it, would it be like the Pandora?

If someone wants a board, they could order one from me and I'll have one built. However, the processor on my development board doesn't have enough pins for a keypad since I'm using a LQFP variant which is easier for me to solder. The final design requires the processor in the BGA package which has more pins, but I don't have the tools and skills to solder that type of package. For that, I have to get a company to build those boards. So if someone wanted to buy a board right now, it'll probably cost around $300-$400 US and it won't be guaranteed to work as I myself haven't built a BGA version of the board.

Looking at my budget, I only have enough money to build two more improved versions of my development board using the LQFP package. A BGA version is out of the question for now. If I could win this contest at my university, I would get enough funding to finish prototyping the project, designing the enclosure and probably get a couple dozen of these units manufactured. I'm fairly confident my project would win in the technical area with just my prototype, but the judges are most likely gonna doubt that people would want to buy it or that a market exists for this. All I need is a killer presentation and I think I've got this sealed.

This looks quite nice so far. The only suggestion I have would be to make the bottom bar a bit smaller so the icons won't look pixelated. This is an ambitious project so I hope it works out well. Have you managed to find where to get all the hardware you will need?

I have a board being manufactured in China right now. I'm waiting for the board to arrive (around the end of January) here so I can start assembling it and soldering all the components. It'll take me a while (a couple of weeks) to solder the board since there are a lot of components and they're really small. I also have a couple of LCD's for experimentation (5" monochrome touchscreen and a 3" color touchscreen)

Also a suggestion for the OS would be to put an emphasis on maths, such as making all math tools visible first along with programs. That way it is still seen as a calculator rather than just an handheld. That said, if that works out, it would really rule if the price is not too high either, as it could even compete against some tablets/mobile devices and not just calcs.

I agree, there needs to be a strong emphasis on math. Instead of having to wrote most of the software ourselves, I was thinking that we can already use free powerful math software available (like Maxima or Octave) and have them be packaged with the calculator/mathematical PDA.

That said, if that works out, it would really rule if the price is not too high either, as it could even compete against some tablets/mobile devices and not just calcs.

Also, if you go for a touchpad, make sure it's responsive but not annoying to use like on a laptop. Touchscreen would be ok, or clickpad if a touchscreen is too expensive. Clickpad should really be to the right or left, though, not in the middle like the TI-Nspire.

Touchscreen would make the project considerably cheaper (device will be more compact, no need to manufacturer keypad and buttons, and less PCB area). In fact, I could probably build the board and case for around $100. But there are already a lot of PDA's like that on the market and in that price range already.

My vision is that this calculator to have the power of a PDA, but in the form a traditional graphing calculator. Touchscreen would also mean that this calculator would be instantly banned from school testing.

What hardware are you planning to use for this (as a base system)?

The hardware is all designed by myself. The calculator uses a ARM9 processor @ 450MHz which has the ARMv5TEJ instruction set. There are versions of Ubuntu (xubuntu) designed to run with that architecture, but I'm pretty sure it'll bog down the processor and is probably complete overkill for a $140 mathematical PDA/uber graphing calculator.

Someone on another forum asked for pictures or drawings of the hardware. I'll be happy to take pictures of the hardware when it's working, but I'm really hesitant releasing schematics. Some Chinese company could rip off the project and make cheap clones, which would then make my time and the money I spent in this project a waste. The closest I'll ever show of the hardware internals is a routed PCB design of my development board:


On the left, this board has a TV output jack. That's just for me to play around with. It's most likely not gonna end up in the final design. The main goals of this board:

1) See if it powers up
2) Boot the kernel
3) If the kernel works, try to test the peripherals (LCD, TV output, audio, USB mini port, SD card, etc.)

After I checked off those things, I'll make revisions to the board and then have another board created. I plan for the hardware to be finalized by this June.

EDIT: And if anyone is wandering where the LCD is connected to on the board, this board is a development board I designed. I have the LCD on a breakout board with 0.1" pin spacings. The LCD is attached to the pin headers on the board.

EDIT:

Wow! I this the first time you are making your own calc/computer? It seems like a pretty big project. But good luck!

I have built some calculators before, but really simple ones just for fun. I'm a second year computer engineer in college and I just thought, even if it doesn't make it to the market, it'll still be an awesome senior project.

Awesome! I was reading the other thread and I like the pace we're cracking the Prizm. But with the wiki it should now be easier to centralize all the information.

Someone should write up all the stuff we know about the add-in header and also create another page to list out the hardware specs (SuperH 3 processor, 32MB flash, etc.)