PDA for sketching ?

[JonZ_]

Any of you use a PDA for quick sketches in Cafes or in commute? Are they good or worth it?

[Justin.]

personally I prefer the mini-sketchbook approach, but if you want digital...Get a DS and get the colors program. It's probably your best bet :D

[JonZ_]

What is DS?

[TheGnoll]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS

[Dose206]

personally I prefer the mini-sketchbook approach, but if you want digital...Get a DS and get the colors program. It's probably your best bet :D

That was gonna be my suggestion, and it's also gonna be my next purchase!

[JonZ_]

hehe, silly me. I knew Nintendo DS but it didn't ring any bells. It show how is my interest in the console world.

But can you export the files on PC or Macs?

[Kartoffel]

Isn't that DS drawing app homebrew (read: kinda illegal)?


Anyway, as far as PDAs go:
I've tried it. It's quite fun, actually. But keep in mind, that they tend to have very small screens.

If you don't want to spend Money on Software, get a Palm OS based PDA. There are a couple of good freeware drawing apps. (But don't buy a z22 or some other z-series unit. Those have quite bad screens)
You can see pictures done with it here: http://www.palmart.us/
They also have links to software (click on "tech info") - I personally like "Moe Paint"

If you go with windows mobile, there isn't any good free software (at least none I know of). But there are a few commercial applications which seem to be quite good (one of them is even considered a "photoshop replacement" if I remember correctly) - Then again, I don't think you need so many features for a mobile sketchbook ...

[SgtDirtbag]

Isn't that DS drawing app homebrew (read: kinda illegal)?
Homebrew is NOT illegal.
Using homebrew cards to run back-ups of (licensed) games you don't own is.

And I'd also recommend the DS over a PDA, since the DS has an analogue pressure sensitive display, which I think is rather uncommon among PDAs.

And if you buy a DS to draw, you get a sweet console for free.
Now that's a bargain. ;)

Oh, and it is possible to export the images.
Colors! uses the *.png format for its pictures.

This is the official homepage: http://www.collectingsmiles.com/colors/

[Vhan Juju]

Hey, I have a DS....and had absolutley no idea about this "colors" thing!!!

can anyone tell me what this is!? *so excited!*

Edit: oops, I looked at Sargent Dirgbags link, THIS IS SO KEWL!! AHHHH SO MUCH CABBAGE! (cabbage=my codeword for insperation)

w00t!

Edit...again: Homebrew! whats this! ahh!! my cabbage is rotting, how do I get it! noo! =deep breaths=

A edits, edits, Edit: Found the webpage...Doeh, this looks complicated! =bites nails= Wait! I'm a teenager! the worst thing that can happen to me is that I blow something up, or it catches a fire....eerrr I'm gonna need a media card..okey...okey...

[Jabo]

Just get an M3 Simply and a microSD card.

I was shocked (positively) to find out that such a portable console can do stuff like that after sparth mentioned it in the 12" Cintiq thread. I went to the next electronic store directly after work to get one, but they didn't know how to connect it to a computer. So, went home (gloomily), found out how to get a card in there, so now I just ordered a DS lite bundle. So excited to see what it's like. Yummy.

[csteingart]

http://colors.brombra.net/author.php?page=1&id=9
After I found monket's pics, I totally got interested in this software. Check out his freakin' rice cooker, sweeeeet!

I'd totally buy a nintendo DS just to run colors... if I had a clue how to get on on there? So you need to buy a card, then how do you get it on the ds, is there a usb output? How much is a card? Also I'm on a mac, does that matter?

Could some one post a "for dummies" tutorial on what you need, and how to get it on there?

-c

[SgtDirtbag]

Just get an M3 Simply and a microSD card.
True.

1.
Get the M3 Simply or the R4DS (http://www.r4ds.com/r4ds.htm), if you find one cheaper than the other.
You can't go wrong because they are both the EXACT same card, manufactured at the same plant, getting the same firmware updates etc.

They just have different names because there are two companies that licensed that thing.

The card should be around 30$-50$, haven't looked since I bought one half a year ago.

2.
Then you need a common micro SD card (Sandisk and Kingston are the best brands) to store the homebrew and perhaps a USB-card reader (both Mac and Win will recognize most of them as a simple USB-stick).
When I bought mine there was one included in the package, but you'd better check first if that is still the case.
A 1GB micro-SD should be around 15$.

3.
Load the most current firmware for your mediacard from their homepage and simply drag and drop it onto the SD-card.

4.
Put the homebrew also on the SD-Card, plug it into your media card, throw that one into your DS and off you go. : D

5.
If there are problems, send me a PN, I'm sure I can help. : )

Let's recap:
- Nintendo DS
- Mediacard (M3S or R4DS): 30-50$
- micro SD card (kingston or sandisk): 15$
- usb-card reader if you don't have any
- newest firmware

[Jabo]

I got all of it (DS lite, M3 and 1GB microSD) for EUR 198,- and also ordered 2 additional pens, in case the one shipped with the DS lite get's lost (another 10 bucks). I think that's the cheapest portable digital painting device you can get. And it even has pressure sensivity, which most PDAs don't have.

Too bad the seller won't accept PayPal via bank account (as always) :upset:

[Molly]

CA member 'Sketchling' has been using Colors on his DS, and successfully added his doodles to the net....click http://images.sketchling.com/index.php?gallery=Sketches%20done%20on%20my%20DS

[SgtDirtbag]

@Jabo: That's a good price. And get yourself Phantom Hourglass! ; )
@Molly: Holy handgrenade, now those are some kickass arguments to get a DS with colors! : D

[Vhan Juju]

<This is were vhan's emote of himself going compleatley insane goes>

MAN, I'm so THERE!!! I always thought that the programs like this were way outta my leage money wise...

Hey, quick quesion....do ya think that I should upgrade to the DS lite? or keep my origional one...

I noticed that some of software had seperate downlaods for the origional ds...nd now I'm worried that some won't have it for the old one at all!

(Plus I need a really good excuse to finally get a DS lite, yarg!)

[sparth]

ordered the whole thing yesterday for my DS.
can't wait to test COLORS.

s

[SgtDirtbag]

<This is were vhan's emote of himself going compleatley insane goes>

MAN, I'm so THERE!!! I always thought that the programs like this were way outta my leage money wise...

Hey, quick quesion....do ya think that I should upgrade to the DS lite? or keep my origional one...

I noticed that some of software had seperate downlaods for the origional ds...nd now I'm worried that some won't have it for the old one at all!

(Plus I need a really good excuse to finally get a DS lite, yarg!)
The DS Lite screens are much brighter, that's what made me buy it.
That, and the fact that it looks a helluva lot better than the first model.

--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PETOjwb3bng

[Jabo]

From what I've heard (I was never a console person, my last console was the original Playstation, over ten years ago), the DS lite is really worth the money when switching gears from the DS. The brightness levels seemed to be a problem with the old DS, while the DS lite has 4 brightness modes, the brightest being as bright as a high-quality LCD monitor. Here's a series of reviews on the DS lite, rather well done: Part I (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xp7Be1qsblI) Part II (http://youtube.com/watch?v=eC-3HoPOD9I) Part III (http://youtube.com/watch?v=HzXQICqsa5I)

And here's two videos, one from Colors! in action (note that you can upload the pictures directly to the Colors! Gallery when you have WLAN activated, hot as hell), the other a virtual iPod for the DS:

kOf4QHFGIUI

MUpAlKknlEQ

[Vhan Juju]

The DS Lite screens are much brighter, that's what made me buy it.
the DS lite is really worth the money when switching gears from the DS

yea...(starts running around the room to find stuff to trade)

ok, one old DS, + gamecube + playstation2 = DS Lite? (maybe some cash for the card too) ...teenagers salary...+sigh+ lol

[Jabo]

Here's what seems to be the successor of Colors! currently in dev by the guy who invented the techniques for "Waking Life". Looks... advanced. Holy shit, that'd be awesome. You can scroll images and stuff :o Sorry, I'm easily attracted to fanboying.

C12oQalay9Q

[Vhan Juju]

Oh....I can't see it..is ther a link?

I'm still so excited about this!! AHHh so kewl!

[Jabo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C12oQalay9Q

[Zilant]

Wow.
I am so damned glad I clicked into this thread.
Thank you Justin and Sgt. (oh wait, there's a button for that now...)

Excuse me while I pluck my DS from the jaws of my closet.

[ICH]

I got a WM (PocketPC) PDA Phone whit VGA screen but it so hard sketching on his little screen, whitout levels of pressure.
Anyway, there is a lot of cute applications for sketching.
Conduits Pocket Artist is incredible, a kind of little photoshop whit layers, filters, tools, and support PSD files! http://www.conduits.com/products/artist/
Phatware Phatpad is more simple and more "notes" oriented, but for some design illustration work really well, his output is a kind of vector file. Unfortunately you can't export as EPS or other know vector format, but you can import on the PC-Side client and scale loseless, then export on raster.
http://www.phatware.com/phatpad/index.html

[JonZ_]

holy, maybe my present for xmas will be a DS after all :o

Thanks everyone