A few Colors and Packages (with a poll!)

[ssokolow]

Hmm.. I mentioned this before maybe just the outline of the plate should be kept metal colored, like a stylish silver lining and the rest colored in the same tint as the case.

I dunno. I'm worried about emphasizing the overall area of the plate too much and, given that the logo is made up of relatively thin lines (compared to something with volume like the light-up Apple logos on macbooks), I worry that any kind of silver border would fight with it for attention.

My impression is that the inevitable subtle differences in colour and/or texture between the dyed plastic and the anodized aluminum (plus whatever seam will be visible once ED's got "the right glue") would do that to just the right degree.

 

[buZztiaan]

Oh man ... this looks so nice! PLZZZZ

 

[Zorge]

Nice picture! But I think it's good the Nubs gets another color or a brighter color than the body.

 

[lulzfish]

How do the magnets factor into being environmentally friendly? I can't recycle a box with magnets in it, right? Do I take the magnets off first and use them to hang things on my fridge?

 

[Akko]

Agreed. The only devices I've ever seen which don't come with a charger are DIY parts like the Arduino and Raspberry Pi and devices which charge acceptably off a PC like my PRS-505 Sony Reader, which will charge off USB in 4 hours and then be good for a week of solid reading. (The PSP charger port is only for if you need to charge it in 2 hours.)

Don't forget the Nintendo 3DS... And that one uses a proprietary connector to make things worse.
I personally don't need a charger nor a cable for the Pyra (I have enough of those lying around) and I think that as long as it's stated obviously enough on the store page it's alright to leave it out. Especially since it's a standard USB-Cable and -Charger, and those are easy enough to source.

 

[ssokolow]

Don't forget the Nintendo 3DS... And that one uses a proprietary connector to make things worse.
I personally don't need a charger nor a cable for the Pyra (I have enough of those lying around) and I think that as long as it's stated obviously enough on the store page it's alright to leave it out. Especially since it's a standard USB-Cable and -Charger, and those are easy enough to source.

Ahh. All I know about the 3DS is that it's got upgradeable firmware, uses crypto to prevent you from moving your saves from one device to another, and is named after a gimmick.

We stopped buying Nintendo portables after the DSi introduced upgradeable firmware in an attempt to combat flash carts. (Aside from keeping my entire library of games in my pocket, I use homebrew to dump ROMs for my Pandora, play MP3/MOD/SPC/etc. files, and play various homebrew games like Knytt Stories DS and a Triple Triad clone.)

 

[buZztiaan]

Actually DS already had upgrade-able firmware.

 

[ssokolow]

Actually DS already had upgrade-able firmware.

Yes, but only if you short a jumper on the motherboard. The DSi brought a variant of the Wii's ability to receive OS upgrades bundled with games, which is why flash cart updates keep having to change which game they're masquerading as in the launcher UI.

Sure, the DS allows me to flash a BIOS without that annoying safety notice, but it wasn't until the DSi that Nintendo could runtime-upgrade the console to try to block flash carts.

 

[levi]

How do the magnets factor into being environmentally friendly? I can't recycle a box with magnets in it, right? Do I take the magnets off first and use them to hang things on my fridge?

That's what I do!

Regarding needing USB3 micro chargers, I think USB2 micro chargers will work fine - the extra lanes on a USB3 port are just for high speed data, not power. But I hope ED will include a cable from full sized USB type A to eliminate as much confusion as possible.

 

[Grench]

I wonder how many people have USB3 micro cables though. I know I don't have one, the Pyar would be my first USB3 compatible device.

I have a lot of them. It's good technology - the plug works great and is far more stable than a standard microUSB connector.

 

[fusion_power]

The cases are almost done, but not 100%. So some areas still have some gaps. Don't mind them, they will be gone in the end.

There are also some rounded edges at the inner side of the Sd-Slot openings, these should be flush and straight to fit perfectly to the lower case.

Here are some pictures of the two cases I received. One is gun-metal grey which doesn't look too bad, but for my opinion, it would look better if it's darker.

Darker would be better, indeed. But the direction is right. You should show them some of the mockup pictures here with the various case color ideas.

Of course it is a bit thicker, that's nothing new. The larger battery needs more space as well as the replaceable CPU-Board.

You could have used an wider but more flat battery then.

On, one request: could you step onto the Case to proof how durable the Polycarbonate is?

 

[Willhelm]

*crack*

 

[Orbstheorem]

@EvilDragon What about the e-SATA converters? I don't see any room in the box if we decide to buy one of those. (Or are they smaller than I think?)

 

[Grench]

That's what I do!

Regarding needing USB3 micro chargers, I think USB2 micro chargers will work fine - the extra lanes on a USB3 port are just for high speed data, not power. But I hope ED will include a cable from full sized USB type A to eliminate as much confusion as possible.

Including a microUSB 2.0 cable with the unit would make more sense as a charging cable as it can be used to charge from either the microUSB 3.0 port or the debug port. microUSB 2.0 charging cables work on microUSB 3.0 ports.

With either connection, charging speed is going to be very dependent on the handshaking done between the device and the charge adapter to switch up to higher amperage charging.

The best USB AC wall chargers I've found are the white Samsung 2.1A. But then I'm using Samsung Note III phones and a Note Pro 12.2 tablet on them.
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@EvilDragon What about the e-SATA converters? I don't see any room in the box if we decide to buy one of those. (Or are they smaller than I think?)

I'm betting that those and USB chargers and cases and keyrings and coffee mugs and other accessories are all extras that can be included in a larger shipping cardboard box that the pretty box rides in.

 

[erico]

Great news and videos. They are unlisted, shouldn´t they be made public?
Bigger box=bigger box art, but I think the smaller is more productive and better for the logistics (not that I know anything about these).

Metal plate looks wonderful as it is for me, I crave to see the logo lighted up.
Pyra´s higher height also seems to confere a powerful aspect into it...like a sandwich with LOTS of ingredients!

 

[txus]

I would not include any cable at all, neither USB 2 nor USB 3.

If you market it as a charging cable, it makes sense for it to be 2.0, since the main charging port is a standard micro USB 2.0 and it could still be used with the 3.0 port ( I'm a bit concerned about the durability of that port on the long run... It appeared to be just soldered on the PCB, like the one on the N900?). As some people have already pointed out, the extra lanes on the 3.0 cable are just for data transfer, and do not imply faster charging. And like you said, ED, almost everyone has a charger at home, meaning almost everyone has at least one of these 2.0 cables lying around.

If you market it as a data cable to transfer stuff from your PC, then a 3.0 cable would be the right choice, of course, but then again it would still be kind of off the mark for a device like this which is supposed to be a mini computer on it's own, and not as versatile for charging as a 2.0 cable, since it can not be used with the port marketed as the main charging port.

A better alternative for many would be to include a working USB 3.0 OTG adapter, which are far less common than the cables discussed before, and which would actually add some real value to the whole package. Just trying to give some constructive criticism!

 

[ssokolow]

How do the magnets factor into being environmentally friendly? I can't recycle a box with magnets in it, right? Do I take the magnets off first and use them to hang things on my fridge?

That does puzzle me.

What's wrong with the "tabs on the lid and slots in the sides" design that the Pandora box used or the "tab on the lid and slot in the bottom" design the Retrode's box uses?

 

[Bachstelze]

AFAIK, FSC paper is better for the enviroment compared to bleached recycling paper, as the bleaching process is not very environment-friendly.

Why should the paper be snow white? Its printed, so you wouldn't see much of the white. The orginal Gameboy carton was plain brown printed carton, and it worked.
Any who said bleaching? The normal school paper blocks have nearly all a Blauer Engel certificate, and they are white.

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

I will mod the Pyra case for my Pandora!

 

[Djoga'Ro]

Me puzzles that someone worries about the magnets in matters of the environment. What have magnets ever done to you?

Apropros charging, is it known to men how much current the Pyra can take? And what voltage while we're at it? My charger can output .85A@5V. Assuming me using the Pyra while charging, that would take like forever - >7h, ifffffff every electron would go into the battery. That's little less than what the Pyra needs in terms of time to drain it, when it makes an efford.
So I'd need an upgrade and would like to know, how much A and V would be doable.