A Pandora 2 Concept

[bismuthdrummer]

Even though this is Yet Another Pandora 2 Design, I don't think you need to stop. However, I think your immense creativity could take guidance from lucid goals and a practical, conservative approach. As I understand it, these are your goals:


A ) Improve the touchscreen access


B ) Hold portrait comfortably


What's not clear to me is why either a current or future Open Pandora customer would desire their device to have either of these things. The OP's purpose from its inception as far as I can see has nothing to do with A and as an immediate consequence, nothing to do with B. So my first question is, why have A and B as goals?


I would also submit to you that the clamshell design is still a current and valid form factor that brings myriad benefits to the table. Even the Asus Transformer utilizes it, and the Transformer line is a hybrid of tablet and laptop (a rather radical design). The shell protects the input and output interfaces, the hinge is simple to design/make/fix/use, and most importantly the opened device is the closest existing handheld to the same familiar gaming experience as holding a controller in front of the TV. My second question therefore is, why depart from the clamshell's benefits?

 

[Binky]

1. As touchscreen-centric apps are all over the place, it might be worth being able to use some of them nicely, especially if android is ported
   
2. Portrait/minitablet mode would be good for e-book reading, especially if a transflective display were used, as has been suggested a few times
   
3. I have nothing against Clamshells, and they do indeed have lots of advantages, My thoughts here are "If we don't come up with something better, use a clamshell for the P2, which will be good" But something better will only arise from mad ideas.
   
4. Some clamshell benefits are shared with other forms, there might be better alternatives, Maybe?
   
5. What does everyone out there think could be improved about the Pandora design?
   
6. What points about it are least important, and could be dropped to allow other improvements?
   

 

[vcoleiro1]

@Binky


Sounds like youre after the concept handheld thats been floating around for age's on the net: ie these ones:


Concept Handheld with real keyboard:

Concept Handheld with second touchscreen which can be used for a keyboard or gaming buttons like the Razor


- ie super flexible, not to mention the greatness involved in DS emulation by having a second screen)

 

[Binky]

• Does that fold the screen over to protect it?
  
• Some of those keys are way too close to the screen slider
  
• Camera would take up too much space and be expensive (if it has real, moving optics)
  

 

[bismuthdrummer]

1. As touchscreen-centric apps are all over the place, it might be worth being able to use some of them nicely, especially if android is ported
   
2. Portrait/minitablet mode would be good for e-book reading, especially if a transflective display were used, as has been suggested a few times
   
3. I have nothing against Clamshells, and they do indeed have lots of advantages, My thoughts here are "If we don't come up with something better, use a clamshell for the P2, which will be good" But something better will only arise from mad ideas.
   
4. Some clamshell benefits are shared with other forms, there might be better alternatives, Maybe?
   
5. What does everyone out there think could be improved about the Pandora design?
   
6. What points about it are least important, and could be dropped to allow other improvements?
   

3. I'm ok with madness.


5. I think your goals are correct observations of weakness in the Pandora design. Another issue is the thickness. Another issue is the ergonomy (although I actually am fine with a rounded edge box, feels just dandy to me).


6. Plastic. (EDIT: Well, it depends on what we would be opting it out for, I like how it feels today.)


Even if that concept model folds over, I'd still find clamshell more attractive...

 

[vcoleiro1]

@Binky


My strong preference is for the design with the second touch screen. You could swap the camera for a smaller one - it's allowed - lol


The second touch screen design gives the most flexibility and future proofing as not only can the bottom screen be used for a virtual keyboard, but it could also display


any array of virtual gaming buttons like the Razor. This would also allow you to cover any buttons future systems might come out with. It could also be used as the bottom screen in a DS emulator (how awesome would that be). So although a touchscreen is not the best as a keyboard - (but still pretty good these days), it gives you the flexibility to do other greatness with it.


You could make the screen flip over if you wish I suppose. ie slides all the way up then can be folded over. Gives you the best of both worlds. Having it slide all the way up would be good so you can see all of the bottom screen.


The whole thing I guess would run android and would also allow you to run android touch apps/games. Hopefully Android gets better, because its not the greatest at the moment.

 

[Binky]

@vcoleiro


What about a tactile keyboard on top of a touchscreen, a la touchfire?


Not good from a compactness point of view, but otherwise, you have real buttons, you have extra touchscreen real estate. Win, Win


Also, With a weird design, like that, custom software is a must (maybe a layer to use lower screen as keyboard under android as well as something to make full use of the design)


The Pandora isn't a smartphone....


Hey, wait, another idea!


top screen is super-tough capacitive screen with Monkey Glass or whatever it is.


lower screen is resistive (superior accuracy etc, and protected by upper layer

 

[vcoleiro1]

@vcoleiro


What about a tactile keyboard on top of a touchscreen, a la touchfire?


Not good from a compactness point of view, but otherwise, you have real buttons, you have extra touchscreen real estate. Win, Win

Hmmm, I suppose you could have that as some kind of add on, but I really doubt that would be any better than just having the touch screen. Besides capacative touchscreens are pretty good these days for keyboard typing. Id say a real keyboard would be 10/10 and capacative touchscreen would be 8/10.

 

[vcoleiro1]

I think there is a few dual touch screen tablets out - Sony has a couple dont they. So if android doesnt support it already, it soon will.


I Don't think its a weird design, it was one of the most, if not the most popular among concept designs.


You would need the bottom screen to be capacative for a touch keyboard to work . Both screen would be capacative.

 

[Binky]

Ah! here's a point!


If you put a touchfire overlay on top of the lower touchscreen, it solves the problem with the shoulders getting in the way!

You would need the bottom screen to be capacative for a touch keyboard to work . Both screen would be capacitive.

Why! Resistive touchscreens respond to pokes from almost anything! Also, resistive is kinda popular round here!

 

[Binky]

also, an overlay keyboard will appease those who want foreign key layouts, and strange custom control setups could be built for it

 

[vcoleiro1]

Each to there own, but a keyboard overlay for foreign key layouts would mean you would need an overlay for each foreign country. Not practical at all, nor is it needed for foreign key layouts . ie any foreign layout could be displayed on the second screen without the need for an overlay ?


Resistive screens are good for stylus's no doubt, they are not so good (in fact bad) as virtual keyboards.

 

[Nintendo]

IMHO, there's nothing wrong with the current Pandora design.

 

[bismuthdrummer]

While the dual touchscreen is by no means a bad line of thinking, it is a departure from the emphasis on physical controls the OP1 currently has.


Basically, you go the route of more touch real estate and less physical control, then you're bringing the OP back into the spectrum of touchscreen-based devices. Keeping in mind that most of our software (Linux and such) isn't at all designed for this, I think we are no longer discussing the Open Pandora 2 and instead discussing the iPandora (or whatever, I don't mean that pejoratively). It's just too different to brand as the second iteration.

 

[vcoleiro1]

Yes I would agree, its more like a concept OTHER handheld than a Pandora 2


Anyway, I believe the Pandora 2 is pretty much just going to have an upgraded CPU ie to 1ghz along with the double ram.

 

[Nintendo]

Yeah, the Pandora is too perfect of a design to mess around with.

 

[b1llygo4t]

Then an triple slide-out would be possible:


screen(with super-tough glass)


gaming controls slide out from that


and/or keyboard slides out even lower

if you used modern case design methods instead of the plastic hobby box from radioshack enclosure method OP uses now you could keep it just as thick as the current OP. the more glass and smaller metal modular parts used in the construction keeps things smaller and durable. the slide with the game controls should also have a smaller touch screen, then you could use it as a mouse. the keyboard and main screen sliders could be the thinnest so i would pack everything into the middle slide and orientate all the motion around that. you should be able to angle the screen once you slide it up. it should have gyro, compass and a webcam.

 

[Nintendo]

if you used modern case design methods instead of the plastic hobby box from radioshack enclosure method OP uses now

WTF?

 

[b1llygo4t]

does injection molded, two piece, t.v. remote-esque design sound better?


::EDIT:: im not saying its bad, i like it. im just saying the nature of the case design is clunky and dated.

 

[Nintendo]

Yes, much better. Thank you.