I guess my requirements is a microcontroller that just works. Let me elaborate.
I have a Galaxy S8. It has a:
* Accelerometer * Barometer * Gyroscope * Hall sensor * Proximity sensor * Fingerprint scanner, Iris scanner, Magnetometer
Ignore the last bullet. It also has WiFi, Bluetooth, and GSM. I don't have access to any of this data without putting in some work, eg. I can't get pressure readings from the barometer, or my location from the GSM. I'm expected to just use them as is.
Now take the ESP-32 which comes from the other end of the spectrum. I can cobble together a setup with all the sensors and communication protocols (recognizing that the ESP-32 comes with a few built in), but I have to write/copy a mountain of code to get them all working and integrated. The same goes for something like a RPi.
What I would like is a board that has these capabilities built-in with an API on top of it. So I could say something like:
``` import easy_api as ea
my_location = ea.get_location()
if my_location == (1,2): wifi_con = ea.connect_to_wifi("SSID", "PASSWORD")
message = ea.get_new_sms()
if sender(message) == "000-000-0000" and content(message) == 1: ea.buzz_piezo(duration = 5) ```
It's ease of use for prototyping that I'm looking for.