Pyra christmas update :)


Obviously, these connectors make no sense for a phone, but they do not matter for size. Battery + 2x Plastic + Modem/Antenna/SIM + Board + Buttons/... is the lower-part thickness. Full-size USB seem to be "outside" of the battery area, full-size SD is thinner than the modem.

Yes, I thought of that too. The total of components maybe are "thicker" than the full size USB so it could be a nonsense change.

I could use the Pyra for replace my mobile phone but being realistic it is not comfortable for most of the people (for me too).
 
Same to all!

ED is referring to a SBC (OMAP5EVM/IGEP5/BeagleBoard/Bone/RasPi/...) format
where you connect a keyboard and mouse through USB and a monitor through HDMI.

But a Pyra Phone could be interesting. And doable by reusing most components
(e.g. display+touch module, CPU board(s), connectors, software, but not the battery)
of the Pyra by designing a different main board.

What would be expectations for such a device?
I don't know... do you mean a phone without a physical keyboard? That'd be missing "that certain something" for me. I wouldn't want to carry a phone AND a Pyra either. What are you thinking in terms of how this phone would be used by users and developers? It seems to me that this hypothetical phone might be one of these things that are neat from a technical point of view, but otherwise out of place. Note: I actually need a new phone, I don't really want to carry a Pyra around at all times, but then again, the Pyra has exactly the things that I'm looking for in a phone (Internet access with physical keyboard and desktop software, privacy, isolated modem, long battery life and replaceable battery). It's just missing a flashlight. A camera with a physical cover would be nice for me, but I'll gladly trade it for the aforementioned features.

Anyway, I also have to note that I cannot imagine that graphical software that was developed for a "Pyra phone" would be a lot of fun to use on a Pyra in most cases, not all developers would have both devices. Maybe the better approach would be to develop official modular mods for the already existing Pyra (I don't know how feasible that would be, might be not the right approach, maybe for phone use the size of the Pyra is a dealbreaker for some after all). How about an external set of microphone and speaker, or an external E-Ink mod?

I'd also think that something similar could be a good approach for an SBC, that it's basically a set of mods. You could make the mainboard so that it fits into a lower part of a Pyra case that can be bought separately, and then you can use a pyra battery as UPS. If you have a Pyra SBC, and a new CPU board comes out, you can buy Pyra spare parts and stick the old board in there to use as your new phone. That'd be making good use of the Pyra's modularity, repairability, and ~openness (no license discussion in this thread please, open a separate one!). Then again, maybe the result would just be a worse arduino. I guess the best bet for any kind of Pyra offspring hardware is to ensure that the Pyra as a development platform doesn't become too fragmented, and that at least some individual hardware parts are reusable.

Hmm... there are several projects where a hardware is modular in some ways, but the way that the modules are, they could not sensibly be used in other kinds of hardware. I would love a popular hardware platform that foregoes... something, in exchage for making it work across device types. Sort-of like a IBM PC for a new age of small mobile devices, Internet of things, and a future where understanding computers means understanding today's societal changes.

Hmm... wait, could you maybe make the Pyra dock so that it is the base module of a Pyra SBC? Upgrade your Pyra, put the old CPU board in the dock, maybe add some other auxillary hardware - boom, it's an "SBC" (maybe with a built-in KVM switch for when you dock the Pyra?). That'd be one dock that even I would buy...

Yeah, I'm using the acronym SBC very loosely... deal with it, suckers. :)
 
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Hmm... wait, could you maybe make the Pyra dock so that it is the base module of a Pyra SBC? Upgrade your Pyra, put the old CPU board in the dock, maybe add some other auxillary hardware - boom, it's an "SBC" (maybe with a built-in KVM switch for when you dock the Pyra?). That'd be one dock that even I would buy...
Yes, that's exactly what I think he meant by a Pyra SBC model. I hadn't really thought of us buying a SBC mainboard and case to stick our old CPU boards in though, that's a good point. A case with space for a 3.5in or 2.5in hard disc could even work as a nice small media server or workstation - perhaps the SBC mainboard doesn't need all of those SD cages even.

A Pyra phone model might be interesting too, but a lot harder work in fit and finish I reckon. You could save space in that case probably by losing both of the full-sized SD slots, and moving the micro SD slot to a dedicated channel, but you'd absolutely need to keep the cell chip unlike the SBC config. With a screen on the outside it'd probably need to be capacitive though, which changes the interface between the sub-mini notebook of the Pyra original, and the phone version though, which will need and lead to quite different phone software I suspect.
 
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Yes, that's exactly what I think he meant by a Pyra SBC model.
I don't think so... There has been lots of talk about a docking station for Pyra, and also about a stand-alone non-mobile desktop board that's based on Pyra, but has anyone considered combining the two and building a dock that a Pyra can be docked to, but that also has CPU board connectors and can be converted into a stand-alone system by adding a Pyra CPU board?
 
[doublepost=1482738488,1482738036][/doublepost]My personally want to a docking station than a basic mainboard. Because I don't like two PC, it make things complex.
I just need one Pyra go out or plug in it with a docking station at home.

IMO a docking station isn't needed because I can simply plug in a keyboard, mouse and monitor with a pyra. Also not to be mean to ED, but a desktop Pyra would have to cost almost as much as a regular one, and wouldn't sell well outside the community with cheap alternatives like
the Pi available.
 
Most likely just the ports in the back. As in the USB 3.0 OTG, USB 2.0, SATA and HDMI.
 
regarding the docking station: as all the ports are allready at the back of the pyra, what will be the added benefit of this device?

regarding 'pyraphone': i don't like touch-input, so a keyboard is a must for me. a 4g-pyra would be the optimal 'phone' for me, i guess.
but as i have no real need for voice-comm atm, i'm not in the market for a phone right now. if i would need one, i value the 'privacy aspect' most,
- secure, trustable (debian) os,
- off-switchable radios,
- near to no sensors (what it can't measure/collect, it can't send, i want to generate the data via voice or kb-input myself, not some sensors i now nothing about),
- an open (fpga based?) baseband modem without government backdoor, pretty please. :)
 
regarding the docking station: as all the ports are allready at the back of the pyra, what will be the added benefit of this device?
It's most likely use would be a single stationary thing to slide into and not have to have 6 accessories to fill the same role. It could have Ethernet and a SATA Drive bay. The OTG 3.0 port could provide Regular 3.0 Host ports with an external powered hub inside it. Full sized HDMI plug... Etc.
 
Hello and Merry Christmas!
About this EM simulation - in my university if we want to tweak some technology (we usually deal with steel forming), we link simulation program's solver and optimization engine (even very simple one) directly. Some people use commercial software for this linking, I use tons of Perl scripts :). Problem is formulated, converted to input files and then simulation is executed. Objective function value is computed from results (here it may be crosstalk average amplitude, or maximum, etc.) and is used to correct problem, then again. Maybe if author of simulation has access to the solver, such approach may be used?
One tip about this method: If you have free terabytes, save all results. There are no ideal objective functions and some may cover things which never happen.
Unfortunately my experience with numerical simulation of electromagnetism ends in starting an example simulation in Opera once. Yes, it crashed :).

About docking stations (for me, usually X forwarding and Syncthing is quite enough). As I see, in Pyra there will be only two important things:
- USB and Power - to connect keyboards, mice, drives, etc.
- Audio/video output (?HDMI?)
It's not a high-performance computer, super-fast-hyper-ultra-SCSI is not needed! :).
I think after Pyra will have all connectors in final places, even tries with 3D-printing something to stick plugs in specific places may end with a nice dock. I use docking station in my notebook, but I use only USB, video output and serial ports from it. DVD drive is connected via USB.
 
@PCXT

SATA comes free it's a built on feature of the OMAP5 SoC, it would need a small adapter on the Pyra as it's using a kind of kludgey way of providing it as it's piggy backing on the data pins a USB 3.0 port to do so.

The Pyra has a micro-HDMI port already, if the docking station provides a full sized one that could be handy.
 
What would be expectations for such a device?

I am not interested in a stand alone PC or phone based on the Pyra hardware. I am more interested in a pair of companion devices.

1. A Bluetooth controller using the Pyra keyboard & nubs. Run it on 2 AAA rechargable batteries.

Yes, I am aware. It is still a good idea.

2. A 5" e-ink display with mic, speaker, headset port, bluetooth, coarse touchscreen as dpad and a few 4? AAA rechargable batteries.

Consider it to be a Bluetooth handset/headset with a slow update display to mimic (in grayscale) the Pyra screen (which could be off). Reader, audio player, dialer pad, handset that fits in a shirt pocket and has the power and connectivity of the Pyra to back it up.

So, two independent devices that would augment the Pyra - and potentially many other devices.

Another potentially interesting but likely too odd device would be to combine those two ideas on either side of the same 1cm thick device. eink on one side, full controls on the other, mic, speaker, headset jack, easy to get swapable batteries, nearly no CPU power, useless without a Bluetooth host device.

OK, so I'm a niche within a niche market.
 
And it would have to be able to play tapes!

1564325101_9650c211b5.jpg

[doublepost=1482798355,1482796812][/doublepost]j/k of course but the unit IS a bluetooth controller with keyboard and controls if you want it to be... just not on AAA's

The Dock is already a good idea, it would be nice to just slide it in a slot somewhere and have it connected to a monitor keyboard and mouse and speakers straight away. I'd imagined some sort of battery powered USB hub-dock with built in speakers myself, great for when I'm on vacation

Also I'd be more interested in spending money on stuff like silicon plugs for the ports, made to measure protective casing, a good quality clip or pouch to put in on my belt (with access to shoulderbuttons and headest port). Or additional designs to replace the pyra logo in the lid with if you'd want to.
I know you're already hella' busy @EvilDragon but if you want to make money.... :)
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who wants that sort of stuff.
 
I fully intend to use the current Pyra as my primary phone. If there's going to be any development on this front, my only wish would be a more comfortable Bluetooth earpiece. Jawbone doesn't seem to be developing any new models and Sennheiser's Presence is a bit heavy/uncomfortable... On the software front, maybe some investigation into Bluetooth privacy? Voicemail application with voice to text? Overhaul Linphone?
[doublepost=1482825692,1482825647][/doublepost]
The only reason I would buy a Pyra phone would be if it has a slide out qwerty keyboard :D I miss those kinds of phones, like the N900 :(

Also of interest: http://neo900.org/
 
For the phone part, how about a DECT server inside the Pyra. There are USB dongles out there, that do such a job. This way, one could easily use any available DECT phone for calls. Nowadays even some stylish DECT phones exist.
 
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