I was going back through the empeg.com web site, and found this picture of one of the earlier prototype units. The display layout in that picture would be nice to have as an option. And it looks to have a progress bar, meaning a countdown should be easy to implement as an option.

What I'm curious about with that software is how easy was it to control back then? I can just imagine that being the main interface and having to cycle through music simply with the next and previous buttons. The empeg software has definitly improved quite a bit, but don't trim out older features while making new ones unless a specific reason comes up.

My empeg site is:http://24.236.3.131/empeg/

Yeah, I find the presence of a progress bar in that screen shot interesting. I like the current layout better than the one in the picture (the giant time displasy is a bit silly to me), but a progress bar would be a cool option.

-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

mumble mumble fake screenshot mutter mumble

:-)

** GASP **



Tony Fabris
Empeg #144

Ha. Impossible! that never happens in software development. Ever.

Calvin

Ahh. that explains how hard it was to control back then. You just had to guess what was playing while this fake image was being displayed :-)

My empeg site is:http://24.236.3.131/empeg/

Hey, at least the track title was correct once in a while. And the time display was right once per song.

"Even a stopped clock is right twice a day".

Tony Fabris
Empeg #144

not necessarily - some of my songs are shorter then 3 minutes:)
-mark

...proud to have one of the first Mark I units

Lack of countdown didn't bug me too much. What DID irk me was the fact that the baby blue faceplate and handle weren't available. The handle especially; it looked so ... Macintosh. I figured we'd see orange, red, amber and green too -- and that it was only a matter of time until the Empeg was re-designed in a nearly clear plastic.

Seriously. I mean it.

-- Bleys

"If you would judge, understand." -- Seneca

The hardware wasn't mocked up in that photo. I wasn't aware that the blue panel was any different to the one we now ship, but maybe the photography made it seem lighter, or maybe we changed tint at the last minute.

We had prototype handles anodised in a number of colours, and they mostly looked quite nice. Unfortunately the anodising company screwed up the production run at the very last minute, reducing our options to shipping black handles or facing further delays.

Rob

That post was about as sarcastic I get. Ok ... it's not quite as sarcastic as my beer tap comment in another forum.

I PREFER the simplicity of the black handle. I've always commended the elegance I see in the unit's simplistic look...

-- Bleys

"If you would judge, understand." -- Seneca

Sarcasm is over my head right now, I'm still too hung over from yesterday.

Catch me with some more tomorrow :-)

Rob

Unfortunately the anodising company screwed up the production run at the very last minute, reducing our options to shipping black handles or facing further delays

This tends to imply that you could ask them to do it now, though? Have you thought about offering the handles in different colours as an after-market accessory, then? I would certainly be interested in buying a matching blue handle seperately.

The panel was actually a different blue - the one on the issue3 unit (shipping ones are issue4's, the new one is actually an issue7) was made by a US company who we didn't use for production parts - the emc wire mesh was on the back and was very sharp if you caught your hands on it! Shipping units use a laminated mesh, with no sharp edges...

Hugo