I should probably post this in the technical forum, but I'll start it here as my mind's fresh.

I've been thinking of the various problems related to people running out of space, and the other issues like connecting stuff via the serial port, the new 10baseT connector, the radio input. It seems to me we need one unified input/output system to solve all these problems.

My concept is to have a port on the empeg, that's dockable for in-car use but can also be accessed when not docked, that acts as a bus system for communications to and from the empeg. The USB is out - not only is it not dockable but the master/slave system makes things very difficult to do both (as empeg keep telling us). A few other things, like Firewire, have been suggested but are also a bit expensive to add on, both in terms of cost and board space.

The idea I'm toying with is to use ThingNet (i.e. whatever seems to be the best peered device network hardware) and hook everything else off that. For instance, the radio tuner would be a ThingNet device, as would the serial port, and any other things (such as a GPS system, external display, external storage systems, etc. etc.) that you'd like to attach to the empeg in the future.

The reason this thread is here is that I see a great use for this ThingNet in providing extra storage space. Have a dockable 'external storage unit' with a latch to bolt the unit firmly into its case (in, say, the dash, or the boot, or wherever). Bring it in with the empeg (connected by a ThingNet cable separate from the dock-to-empeg-bay connector) to update it, and then put it back again. No more worries that you might fill up your 100GB unit; just buy another 50GB ESU.

And now the laughter starts.

Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.