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- Hacker News
- This might be a good alternative to Terminal. I can use a cheap e reader like the Boox Go 7 to display whatever.by adamsmark
- I literally wanted to use RasberryPi to build this for my desktop since i loved those desk widgets showing cool info like the weather or time ... this is so cool!by XLowPingFNX
- The flight sim community is going to love this project for home cockpits.by Jemm
- Congrats, this looks very cool! I haven't tested it yet, but is it possible to make it work offline? I'd prefer devices running unsupported or unmaintained operating systems to avoid Internet access altogether.by TheJCDenton
- I see you. I am thinking about providing a self-hosted version.by buibuibui
- The oldest device I found that works with ScreenWall as a widget display, is an iPad 3 (2012)!by buibuibui
- This looks cool and useful. I'm trying to better understand what's going on behind the scenes.
If the technology is browser-based, why are we being asked to sign up? What are we signing up for?
If the technology runs through third-party infrastructure, is the data e2e encrypted?
by joymonger - Hey, owner here. I think it‘s wonderful that you find it useful! Your questions has been answered in the comments already, because some people asked the same. But I think what you probably want is a way to use this without a cloud and run this locally in your network. Please keep an eye open on the website! I will publish a self-hosted version soon! Keeping old-devices from beeing thrown away is my number one priority here!by buibuibui
- I am interested to hear what features you guys want in the next iterations! While building ScreenWall, I actually had art installations, home dashboards and train depature info screens in mind. Interacting with the screens and triggering events across other screens is also in the pipeline. Would be cool, if you can give me some crazy ideas, so I can prepare the client runtime better.by buibuibui
- ScreenWall builder here. Thank you so much for the wonderful feedbacks! Please keep an eye open on the website! I will publish a self-hosted version soon and open source! Keeping old-devices from beeing thrown away is my number one priority here! They deserve a second life.by buibuibui
- I've wanted to build this myself for a long time but couldn't figure out how to overcome the spicy pillow problem.
Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree, but I thought it was risky to leave a phone plugged in all the time. Does it need to be a modern version of Android OS that has the smart charging that stops at like 85%?
by JackMorgan - >I thought it was risky to leave a phone plugged in all the time
I have had phones on a charging dock for long periods. No issues.
Unless you have some budget small brand phone that was too cheap to be true, most phones are fine plugged in.
by khurs - The safest option is probably to remove the battery and run the phone from a (well defined/build) external power source, e.g. like this: https://yaky.dev/2022-09-06-smartphone-without-battery/by cydodon
- Oh wow, although I submitted it some days ago, I somehow got on the front page! Thanks for that! Also as a note: this platform is nowhere near finished! I had this idea in my mind for a long time that I wanted to reuse my old phones and tablets as displays in my home. I also know that finding the right apps for these old platforms is a challenge in itself, that's why I went the route of creating an ES5 (that nobody writes anymore!) web app that most of these devices still support. The client's whole purpose is to display canvas and media files that the server dictates on-demand via websocket, while keeping a synchronized clock. On Instagram I always saw these very cool widgets like retro clocks, split-flip boards, YouTube subscriber counters that I felt urged to buy. But I thought to myself that the old phones I already have could also do the same. I am a long-time software engineer myself, but could never take the time to validate whether my ideas work. So I thought, why not try it out with Codex. After long prompting, supervising and correcting, I got a very usable solution that I now pleasantly use myself at home.by buibuibui
- Gotta get a lot of downvotes here but I don't care, I stand by my opinions: this is the best example that not all vibe-coded apps are "slop". If you have enough experience (or are smart enough to speed-run experience), good ideas, good attention to details and decent taste you can totally vibe-code cool things that are worth sharing. This true/false dichotomic attitude towards apps you see here from many HNers where "written by hand: good/vibe-coded: bad no matter what" really rubs me the wrong way.by darkwater
- Very nice project, thank you for sharing it on HN! May I ask why login is required, and how are emails/passwords stored?by rippeltippel
- I have a pile of phones on my desk going back several generations because I've wanted to build exactly this but it's been a constant "soon" project.
Thank you for accelerating "soon". This is wonderful.
by qdot76367 - You can also vibe-code your widget if you want! You are not restricted to use the built-in ones. Just copy the "Canvas Widget Guide" you find under "Left Sidebar > Create > Smart Widget > Tutorial" and copy that article in ChatGPT or Claude while describing what your widget should display.
Then paste the code to "Create > Smart Widget > Edit the Code" in the Widget Details. (this flow should be more intuitive...)
You are able to send JSON data to your widget via an API.
It's all just canvas and old Javascript code!
by buibuibui - Usually I replace a smartphone because it has some hardware fault that makes it unusable and it is hard to repair or the cost of repair vs capability is not very favorable.
Even if I was replacing smartphone before they died, I would probably sell them anyway. Do people really have various phones in working order waiting in a drawer?
by prmoustache - I never sell anything, everything finds a new life.
I got a Sony Xperia Compact from maybe 2016. I use it as a bicycle navigator / recorder. Recently it stopped reading SIMs, probably rusty contacts, but all I need is wifi to update OSMAnd and send me the tracks I recorded.
I also have a very old tablet, maybe 2014. My SO uses it to view movies with VLC and TV via TVHeadend.
by pmontra - I take my previous phone kayaking. Once I have downloaded the appropriate maps over wifi, I can use it for navigation, logging and photography without being worried by the prospect of dropping it in the water.by mannykannot
- Hell yes and even tablets.
I keep everything. Usually I use it so long it's not worth selling it anymore anyway. The problem is even old tablets are often too slow to use for something as simple as home automation control because home assistant uses so much JavaScript
by wolvoleo - I try to get rid of my old stuff ASAP, it reduces clutter both physically and mentally.
I know many people who had their old phones and computers lying around because they didn't invest the time to transfer the data. Not long after, the phone was unusable either due to hardware problems or forgotten passwords, and the data is lost forever.
by jerlam - I have four old androids and one old iphone. I tend to like global dual sim phone brands that often have poorer North American connectivity -- plus they aren't whitekisted by AT&T --and I live in the states, so people aren't exactly clamoring to buy them.
- Usually I replace my phone when the battery is almost dead and a full charge doesn't last more than a few hours. At that point the phone is usable but not good enough to sell. I usually keep it as an emergency backup phoneby gonzalohm
- I will upgrade when my device is many generations out of date. So no one really wants to buy one and I will then buy not the latest but a generation or two “out of date” so it’s cheaper. So I have a heap of phones over the years that no one wants. Not even me.by NeuroWinter
- Junkyard Jumbotron redux? ;)
https://github.com/mitmedialab/Junkyard-Jumbotron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAUtSVSTbzU
by kotaKat - That’s what I was thinking. I loved that project.by takenotice
- I like the wall position detection feature via markers! :)by buibuibui