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The National Semiconductor WebPAD™ s ystem’s tablet
user interface is simple and easy to use. It consists of an
interactive touch screen, scroll pad, and several user-configurable buttons. Speakers and a microphone are built in.
Additionally, several ports have been added to the side of
the tabletto allow for connectivity to USB devicessuch as,
an external keyboard,headphones and an external micro-
Geode™ SP3GX01
phone.
The main way to interact with the tablet is through the
touch screen. Links and menus are accessed by touching
the screen directly over their titles. Additionally, the touch
screen is sensitive enough to allow for handwriting recognition software to be used as a means of inputtingcharacters. The touch screen on the tablet works with any type of
pointer, from a stylus (included) to the simple touch of a
finger.
All of the buttons on the tablet, including the scroll pad,
are user-configurable, except the power button. The user
can change the definition of the buttons by entering the
system configuration mode (see section 2.0 "System Configuration"). Some of the buttons suggest clearly defined
operations, like the scroll pad, but the definitions are
changeable.
To input text, whether for an email, search criteria, or to
enter a URL, a virtual keyboard is available. The keypad
works the same as a normal keyboard and is accessed
from the QNX menu button or the Virtual Keyboard task
box at the bottom of the screen. The user touches the
screen just above the desired key and the letter appears
next to the cursor.
1.1GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE
When the tablet finishes booting, the graphical user interface (GUI) is started, as shown in Figure 1. The GUI contains a window area and a task bar. The background of
the window area contains an application launcher. Touching either the icon or button beneath the icon invokes the
desired application. When applications are invoked, their
windows reside in this area.
The task bar contains a menu button and two icons in the
lower right corner for the vir tual keyboard and RF link status. The menu buttonis labeled “QNX” and offers the user
another method of launching applications. To use the
menu, touch the QNX button and then the desired application.
Touching either of the icons in the lower right corner starts
the corresponding application. A task box then a ppears
on the task bar (see sections 1.1.2 "RF Link Icon" and
1.1.3 "Virtual Keyboard Icon").
Invoke
Email Reader
Window Area
Invoke Web Browser
Invoke
News Reader
QNX®Menu Button
FIGURE 1. Application Launcher Screen
www.national.com4(Confidential) Revision 1.2
RF Link IconVirtual Keyboard IconTask Bar
1.1.1QNX Menu Button
Touch the QNX pop-up menu button to view the menu of
available applications. To invoke an application, simply
touch the name of the application.
1.1.2RF Link Icon
The RF Link task displays the status of the radio link.
Selecting the icon on the task bar invokes the Link Status
application, showing the user the strength of the radio signal from the base station (see section 1.5.4 "Link Status".
This icon indicates whether the RF link is up or down.
1.1.3Virtual Keyboard Icon
Touching the Virtual Keyboard icon invokes the software
keyboard which allows the user to interact with the system. The soft keyboard is the main method of entering
URLs, responding to emails, etc. when no external
devices are attached.
1.2LEDS
The tablet contains two LEDs (one amber and one green).
The amber LED is on the left side of the tablet, just above
the two user-defined buttons. It is a charge indicator. If the
LED is on, the battery is fully charged. If the LED is blinking, the battery is being charged. If the LED is off, the system is running off the batteries.
The green LED is on the right side of the tablet, just below
the power button. It is a status indicator. If the LED is on,
the tablet has been powered up.If the LED is blinking, the
batteries inside the tablet are low on power. If the LED is
off, the tablet has been powered off.
Geode™ SP3GX01
Scroll pad buttons are also user-defined. At their default
settings, the buttons are used to scroll around in web
pages. Pressing one of these buttons scrolls the screen in
that direction. The user can reconfigure these buttons but
it is not recommended. These buttons have a built in
repeat function, therefore, if they are reconfigured, the
function may be initiated multiple times with each press of
the button. Refer to section 2.2 "Buttons Configuration
Options" for details on configuring the user-defined and
scroll pad buttons.
1.4RESET BUTTON
The tablet also contains a recessed reset button, located
on the left edge. This button is used to perform a hard
reset to the system which puts the system into a known
reset state. This should only be used if all other attempts
to remedy any problems have been exhausted.
1.5APPLICATIONS
Applications range from a web browser and email reader
to MediaPlayerand touch screen calibrator. Each application has its own function.
Table 1 summarizes the available applications and their
access mechanisms. The subsections that follow provide
descriptions of each of the applications.
1.3BUTTONS
The tablet has sevenbuttons:
• One power button
• Two user definable buttons
• Four buttons that form the scroll pad
The power button is in the upper right hand cor ner of the
tablet. To tur n the system on, simply press the power button. The system will remain powered on until the button is
pressed again.
The two user-defined buttons are on the left side of the
tablet. These two buttons can be configured by the user to
perform a variety of operations. The initial settings of
these buttons may vary,so the user should verify the initial
settings of the buttons before they are used (see section
2.2 "Buttons Configuration Options"). Pushing both userdefined buttons at the same time invokes the touch screen
calibration application. See section 1.5.1 "Touch Screen
Calibration" for details on this application. If the application configured for a particular button is running when the
buttonis pressed, the applicationis aborted. This includes
pressing both buttons to abort the touch screen calibration
application.