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Usage Tips
This page provides usage tips for specific types or models of phones, including:
It also provides detailed instructions on:
Standard phones and handheld devices
Standard handheld devices such as the one displayed above can simply be placed on the platform base such that the screen is directly beneath the camera. For many devices it can rest on the lower lip of the base. Once it is in place, clamp it with the rubberized vice grips. Adjust the camera height up or down to capture the entire display. If necessary, focus the camera to sharpen the image.
Flip phones
Project-a-Phone accommodates virtually all flip phones. The key to positioning flip phone is using the vice grips to clamp the display portion of the phone and resting the keypad on the lower lip of the platform base. There is a cutout in the platform base, just below the vice grip slots, into which you should insert the antenna of the phone, if the phone has an antenna. Try to clamp the device display directly beneath the camera lens. It may be positioned best when the phone is not completely open. Move the phone up or down in the vice grips to determine the best position for your particular phone. Adjust the camera height up or down to capture the entire display. If necessary, focus the camera to sharpen the image.
The Palm® Treo™ and Blackberry® PDAs
When using Project-a-Phone with the Palm Treo or Blackberry handheld devices, steps must be taken to accommodate the controls on the side. As shown above, the Treo can be clamped by the vice grips below the buttons, providing free access to them. This will require angling the camera to point at the screen by twisting the silver cylinder of the camera. To avoid the distortion created by angling the camera, the vice grips can be closed over the lower left-hand button (volume control), and the device will function normally.
For the Blackberry device, the wheel on the right-hand side should be positioned above the vice grips. If you do not need to use the "Back" button for your demo, you can depress it with the vice grips. The device will function, but the "Back" button will not be accessible. If you do need access to the "Back" button, clamp the device below the button and rotate the camera to point toward the center of the screen. The image will appear slightly trapezoidal.
The Sidekick II™
Although the Sidekick II is too wide to fit inside the vice grips on Project-a-Phone, with the screen extended, the vice grips on Project-a-Phone can lock the screen into place. The keypad then rests on the lip at the bottom of the platform base. To display the entire screen, the camera lens may need to be angled down by twisting the silver cylinder of the camera.
Launching the software
- Go to the Windows® "Start" menu, click on "Programs," find "Project-a-Phone" and click on the "Project-a-Phone" sub-menu; OR
- If you created a desktop or toolbar icon when you installed the software, double-click it.
You will open a window that looks like this:
Adjusting the image
- Zoom - 1. Zoom - After making macro adjustments by moving the camera up or down, you can zoom digitally by moving the zoom slider (13).
- Resize the window - You can resize the window by clicking the "Set Screen Size" button (12) and selecting a screen output size. (Larger screen sizes require more processing power for the same frame rate.)
- Camera Settings - You can adjust basic camera settings by clicking on the colored monitor button (11) and moving the sliders.
Click the blue arrows above the control panel to scroll. Once you adjust the settings for a specific phone, you can scroll to "Camera Settings: Profiles" and save a named "profile." Next time you use that phone you can instantly restore these settings. Click on the monitor icon again to hide the control panel.
You can adjust more advanced settings in the "Video>Camera Settings" menu (2).
Creating files
- Screen capture - To capture a screen shot, click the camera icon (9). A dialog box will ask where you want to save the image and in which format (JPEG, PNG, or BMP). The film button (10) enables you to start capturing multiple images at intervals.
To set the JPEG image quality or program an image sequence, choose "Options> Program Options" from the main menu (2).
- Video capture - To start capturing a video, click the "record" button (7). To stop, click the "stop" button (8). First, you can select various capture options in the main menu (2). You can set the screen output size and the frame rate in "Video>Capture Settings," or reduce the captured file size by picking a compression algorithm in "Video>Video Compression." To view the files, go to the "Browser" tab (1), click the "Video" button near the bottom of the screen, and double click your video.
- Audio capture - To record audio, make sure "Audio>Capture Audio" is checked under the main menu (2). Set the volume and the audio source under "Audio>Audio Settings". The audio source will usually be the microphone in your computer, but you can use an external microphone as well. You can reduce file size by selecting an audio compression algorithm under "Audio>Audio Compression.
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