DivePhone: A Promising Technology

[mikemill]

What happens if the phone is turned off, due to a reboot, or due to a dead battery? I reboot my Iphone often, and the battery dies often. You make it sound like it saves it to memory, but you can confirm that please?

What the hell are you doing with your phone? I can't recall the last time I rebooted my phone. And battery dying is a simple fix: but it on the charger regularly. My phone goes days on a charge.

 

[Thalassamania]

Again, I am assuming, but all that needs to be in memory is a time stamp and the "condition" of each compartment, say, at the time of surfacing. Recalculating the current status is a trivial problem, so there is no need to keep writing to memory, all you need for recovery is that information and the current time.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

DivePhone software shuts down all the other functions of the smartphone before diving and restores them when closed. Thus you can't receive or make calls, connect to internet or surf on twitter while you are underwater. We know that would be distracting and dangerous. DivePhone is not designed to 'use the smartphone' while diving, but use its hardware capabilities to do the dive computing.

Shutting down of the phones' other functions and applications also increase their reliability since phones usually crash while processing them. DivePhone software is simple and refine enough to not to cause reboots.

you will probably sell a lot of these, and if the case are like other underwater cases it will cost more that a good dive computer. I'm technology savvy and I just don't like depending on one device to do everything, IE camera, navigation, laptop, and now dive computer. Don't want to cancel a dive, or a trip because I forgot my charger and my battery is dead!

 

[emoreira]

I would trust such a device if the whole Operating System and applications are replaced. I've seen too many times my Samsung Galaxy S Android OS crashing and reloading.
Besides, all the functions, like an IPhone, are accessed via touchscreen. How can the diver touch the screen with the housing ?

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I would trust such a device if the whole Operating System and applications are replaced. I've seen too many times my Samsung Galaxy S Android OS crashing and reloading.
Besides, all the functions, like an IPhone, are accessed via touchscreen. How can the diver touch the screen with the housing ?

Apparently my iPhone is a freak then, because I rarely reboot, and can't recall the last time a program forced a reboot.

There's no reason to use the touchscreen during a dive. The only reason for using the buttons on your current computer is to get information that's not on the screen. The screen on an iPhone is big enough to display everything, all the time.
Load the app, drop it in the housing, and you're set. Might not even need to load the app. Drop it in the housing and jump in. When you hit the water, the sensors trigger and, if the app is not already running, runs it.

 

[Dr Dog]

i think its pretty exciting, I am sure early version(s) would be not that reliable...but just think 5 years from now

 

[Mark Derail]

I'm an XCode / IOS developper (new) that is looking at getting DM-level software on portable devices on the boats, and possibly UW with a decent housing.

In order for the "product" to be worthwhile, it needs to take advantage of all the smart phone features, like multi-media and GPS.

Dive ops that want to record & post directly to their website & Facebook, an example. Names of the divers, etc.

 

[Thalassamania]

I would trust such a device if the whole Operating System and applications are replaced. I've seen too many times my Samsung Galaxy S Android OS crashing and reloading.
Besides, all the functions, like an IPhone, are accessed via touchscreen. How can the diver touch the screen with the housing ?

A competing device claims: "The functions are carried out by a tap to select function which allows for 5 "buttons" so to speak, the phone's accelerometer reacts to taps on all 4 sides and the front." I assume this one does something similar. I am intrigued by this because the first commercialy available dive computer known as the "Cyberdiver" (I've still got one in a plastic bin somewhere) used a "thump" switch for input ... I always thought that was the perfect interface for a diver.

 

[Innovasub]

Worse would be the risk of a flood. Just how much is a brand new Iphone?

You are correct, the risk of flooding exists in all housings; You can also use an iPOD Touch that costs around 200 USD with our Divephone.

 

[Mark Derail]

A full Suunto dive computer + wireless transmitter costs (retail) over 2,000 !

Imagine if a 20$ software and your existing smartphone did the same thing, all you need is the wireless transmitter at about 400$ + housing.

I paid 600$ for Suunto Cobra's that are physically tethered with a high-pressure hose. So I don't have a standard analog, no-battery, console / meter for remaining air.

If the DivePhone can compete with these numbers, there's a chance.

The transmitter is the killer feature - and the killer price. Not the 200$ housing.


Heck - I just want to be able to bring my electronic car key on me, instead of "hiding it" somewhere when shore diving far away from a LDS.