A big problem with portable MIDI file players is the small 40-character
liquid crystal display (LCD).  This can be difficult to read for older
people.  So there is still a lot of research to be done.  The most
promising technology is the up-coming Android-based smart phone and
tablet systems.  This system is a derivative of the Apple iPhone/iPad.
I was disappointed that most of these smart pads do not offer USB or
even serial port support.  They do provide Bluetooth wireless and
Internet access.

Old ideas from the 1960s of central computers (and controlled access)
are now being promoted by corporations as something called "cloud
computing", where you rent storage space for your data files on a
central computer system.  The advantage is that one can access the
files from anywhere, a disadvantage is that morally unacceptable files
can be restricted.

Smart Pads with large displays and cell phones have a local wireless
option called Bluetooth.  This was developed -- I kid you not! -- for
refrigerators, toasters and ovens in the so-called "Smart Kitchen,"
where the refrigerator can talk to the toaster and oven and more bread
can be ordered when the last piece is used, or the milk goes sour!

Bluetooth has replaced the serial port for local access control.
Probably a Bluetooth MIDI device could be implemented, but this is a
bit more complex than the simple 5-pin DIN connector used for MIDI.

The easiest way to use a standalone MIDI controller from a smart phone
or tablet would be to use the Internet protocols [e.g., TCP/IP].  There
are "development kits" aimed at high school students which simplify the
time it takes to build interface devices and to control simple robots.

For those interested, look up the Arduino.  This system teaches the
user first how to perform simple tasks such as blinking an LED when a
switch is pressed or reading a temperature probe and displaying it on a
LCD readout.  Some young people have managed to make closed caption
decoders for television programs.  This could be a way to display song
file names simply on an old television.

Communication between the Arduino and the laptop or computer is done
though something called a "bridge."  Most of these are USB-to-serial
bridges.  It is also possible to set up an "Ethernet bridge" to the
actual Internet.

An Ethernet cable would replace the 5-pin DIN MIDI connector.  The user
would connect to this through a web browser and a local area network
(LAN).  Unlike cloud computing, the MIDI files would be stored on the
controller.  One side of the controller would be connected to the
instrument, the other side to an LAN router.  The files would be stored
on the instrument.  With some effort setting up the firewalls in the
routers, the files could be selected and instrument could be played
remotely from anywhere there is access to this node of the network.

When the browser is launched, a web page would be displayed.  This
page would allow the user to select what songs or playlist are
performed.  Several years ago I was given a development kit that would
do this.  For those interested in the technical side of this, look up
the 21st century term "Zigbee."

There is still a lot to consider when finding a way to locate quickly
a single song from a scanned collection of 10,000 or more MIDI files.
The 21st century proposals presented here are a starting point.

Julie Porter