Test results and an update

Hello again,

So as last mentioned, I purchased a couple of PQLabs frames from the new G4S line to test.  These are stellar frames.  The specs are bit misleading but that's not entirely unusual in the multitouch overlay camp these days.

I'm going to be relatively brief in this update with the promise of more details to come soon.  I went to a convention a few weeks ago called CETW.  The overall feel of the thing was less then what I'd expected.  I was still able to use the event for some good networking.  Just not as solid a lead as I'd hoped it would be.  CETW stands for Consumer Engagement Technology World.  All in all it was a fairly small affair.

The actual trip was fraught with problems.  A mix up with bags on my way out the door lead me to NY City with nothing but the bag of clothes and no wallet, ID, credit cards or other.  Fortunately I was able to get to and from the city without incident due to the TLC offered by Amtrak customer care (and some creative SMS from the lovely wife).

Add to this a serious twist in the weather, day one of CETW was the same New England was hit with a Nor Easter.  I apparently was not bundled properly for this weather as I got very ill by the end of the first day of the show and headed back to Mass.  By the next day I was starting to get a little sick but fought on.

Long and short of it is that I've spent the last couple of weeks with a "mild" pneumonia.  Slowly recovering, but the testing and reporting on such tests has been, understandably, lower priority to getting a whole lot of rest.

To give you the teaser I'd hoped to be a full fledged report:

I have a G4S from PQLabs to test side by side with the new ZaagTech X Slim Series.  The initial tests are remarkably close, but I don't want to let the cat completely out of the bag.

In additional news, despite being ill, I've launched our new and improved website at http://mesamundi.com.

Add to that a solid 24 hour Cyber Monday Sale for 5% off on our entire inventory (starting this morning)!

Well, signing off for now.  Back to resting and recuperating.

The ever changing landscape

Hello All!

I've been hard at work building up Mesa Mundi Inc. as a real repository for multi-touch resources.  We're testing some of the new PQLabs frames this weekend.  For those of you who know, I made the switch to ZaagTech's touch frames for a rapid product build a while back.  This was primarily due to spotty performance with the PQLabs product around the extreme edges (where a your system menus tend to live). Supposedly this has been corrected with the new G4 line-up.

Add to that a claim of a major speed/responsiveness boost and this could be an interesting weekend.

In other news (read "teaser"), I've been busy working on some new agreements for hardware which could lead to some very interesting new posts in the coming weeks.  Lets just say this, "The landscape is changing and it's changing very fast."

I'll post some comparison videos and such after the tests are complete!

[Update] The initial tests are done, but a long weekend with two small children has resulted in little to no time to collate data or process photos/video.  I'll post the findings soon.

If you simply cannot wait and were sitting all weekend with baited breath -- email me or post a comment.

It is that time again...

...to post something to the blog!

Lots of happenings the past few months.  PAX East was a whirlwind and, while not financially a success, has kick-started a large number of new opportunities.

The overall reaction from those who found us in the back of the technology floor was more than positive.  We're planning our Con circuit for next year with a few new additions due to the overwhelming response from Rooster Teeth as well as several others!

Since that fateful day(s), we've been hard at work refining our design and demoing our technology.  With a few potential customers in the wings currently possessing demo equipment, we could see a turn around from low volume sales to duhn-duhn-da! middle volume sales.  Most of this I cannot talk about in detail yet, however...

I can talk about a talk I gave last week at Boston University on the emergence of affordable touch technology, the state of the home-brew community and the general nearness of ubiquitous computing.  The attendees, mind you, probably did not get nearly half of that content out of my talk.  This is primarily due to my suffering from e-x-t-r-e-m-e stage fright!  Yeah, give me a potential audience of 60 thousand and I'm fine.  A room of 6 - 20 and I'm done for.

Still the response to the talk was great.  So I must have done something right.  Today we demonstrated our technology to a couple of departments at BU who seem quite interested in what we've got.

In addition to the general push to acquire more clients and improve our offerings, I've been working on a new web-site/store for the ol' company.  The new and improved mesamundi.com is live; however, it is not really ready for prime time.

Soon! It shall be ready!

Software.  We've got a new title coming out from one of our software partners.  It is a digital version of the board game Hansa Teutonica.  I'm very excited about this title as it will constitute our first fully funded (temporarily) exclusive title for multi-touch.  Yeah!

Cards, dice, etc!  More games to come.  We're embarking on an aggressive software development phase in which we are planning to release several card, dice and table games.  I'll be revealing titles and what not as we get further along.

next up, I'll post some photos from our recent work.

d20Pro on the NUIT40

And now what we really care about!  Touch Virtual Table Top software!  Unfortunately, we are still not multi-touch ready with d20Pro.  However, that is a GenCon 2012 goal.

And two quick videos

The NUIT40 MK-I has arrived in time for PAX-East!

Today I assembled the first prototype of the NUIT/TV 40-inch.  This is a multi-touch table kit I've been working on for a while.  This specific kit is taller than it needs to be to accommodate the screen and touch technology, however, this extra height lead to some pleasant and unexpected results!  I mean, I designed it that way, for realz!

This mystery feature is the ability to stash the power strip, ZBox HTPC (Zotac AD02 for this test) and all of the cables under the housing without blocking ventilation for any/all of the parts involved.  See the pics below. 

The "kitchen floor" shots show the ZBox and power strip sitting next to the device.  The ZBox is actually in it's VESA cradle, more space could be acquired by removing the cradle.  I've left it on to ensure that the device gets as much ventilation as possible.

The "dining room" shots show the NUIT40 with all of its guts stuffed back inside.  Mind you, in this build there are no mount points for the power strip or the ZBox.  But that is ease enough to do.  Still for a stationary build, or a build in which you might want to be able to pull out the CPU, this kit is complete.

There will certainly be more to show in the coming week as we enter PAX-East count down!

Board games and card games oh my!

So, we have a quick video to share from a friendly company that has been using our raw hardware and their software prowess to build out both board and card games!

The video really speaks for itself...

The NUIT40 is off to the fabricators

Below you'll find a sample of the drawings recently shipped off to the fabricators (MP Products LLC).  The project has moved from 6-sided enclosure to a 5-sided enclosure.  Why, you might ask?  Well, simply this;
A 5-sided enclosure like the one we're developing can accommodate a lot of different hardware.  Have your own LCD/LED TV? Awesome, if it fits our interior dimensions, this hood will fit it.  Want to build a DSI, DI, FTIR setup but want something pre-configured?  Well, the NUIT40 can do that too.  The interior is designed to accommodate pre-built or kit-built DSI/FTIR materials.

The real power here is going to be in the hoods ability to be whatever you need it to be for your project, from finished piece to DIY starter.

NUIT40 - The sides will not be transparent in the actual build.

There are two types of support bars; simple straight supports and  "H" bars.  Initially the "H" bar will sport a 300x300mm VESA mount, but alternate "H" configurations will be available shortly after launch.

Oh, and did I mention feet?  This a quick preview of a conceptualization of attaching feet.  We're still working on the final feet designs.  As always, input is welcome!

NUIT40 at Desk Height

NUIT40 as a Kiosk, Drafting Table, or Artist Easel? -- why sure!

I hope you enjoyed the preview.  I should have some pictures of the pre-release prototype available from our friends at MP Products, if all goes as planned, in the coming weeks.  And one more image...