Ask the Dragon - Date has been set!


Did anyone see the newest ED tweet?

If this is first time using the Pyra OS, what has he been using until now? >_>
What @rygD said, also not the first time he used Pyra OS on a prototype, but likely the first time with the new versions of the PCBs.
 
What is the difference between PyraOS and Letux?

The Wallpaper
 
What is the difference between PyraOS and Letux?

The Wallpaper
Well it's more than that. Letux is likely more generic to all of hns's other projects. PyraOS has a debian specific repository with community efforts like the DBP system, custom scripts, and Pandora like gui menus and such(Wallpaper).
 
@oskda Huawei Kirin, he says.

Thank you very much.

I have had 2 Huawei smartphones, and some family and friends have Huawei smartphones because I recommended it to them, but we pronounce that name in such a different way that I was unable to imagine it was Huawei (really I never heard Huawei in English or Chinese).
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Did anyone see the latest latest ED tweet?


I would say maybe ED likes his Pyra a bit too much, but the photo says it's the other way around. ;)

It is a really beautiful and impressive image IMO. That backlighted keyboard looks so great in black case :)
 
On minute 28:48 of video:
someone asked about Pyra without touch screen:

EvilDargon said: «I have no idea why you would not want that [touch screen]».

It is something I have though a lot of times since the Pyra beginning: having other pointer controllers, like for exanmple 2 analog nubs, I can prefer to eliminate the resistive touch panel in front of screen.

The problem with resistive touch panel is that it is HIGHLY REFLECTIVE, not 100% transparent (it losses some bright and color), and it isn't 100% flat (it is like a defective mirror and reflected images are some distorted).

I would prefer LCD without that resistive layer but WITH an non-reflective layer (or an non-reflective panel).

ED says: «the touch screen has one millimeter thickness».
I think it would be possible to put a 1 mm tick rubber around screen and plastic to compensate, or even a 1 mm non-reflective protective panel.

HOW MANY OF YOU would OPT for a Pyra without touch-panel BUT WITH NON-REFLECTIVE layer/panel if it were available at ED Shop?

If it weren't available for shopping (it may be we are too few for that), and it were an aftermarket modificaction, HOW MANY OF YOU would want to BUY other LCD and LCD+non-ireflective_Panel for that mod?

I love Pyra idea as machine, not only for gamming: for me it is FIRST A COMPUTER (of course, I have played much more games with computers than with consoles) and I value very much a less reflective screen (or a non-reflective screen). Even for playing a less reflective screen is better.

I have modern smartphones with glare displays, and old machines with resistive layer (for example 2 Nintendo DS and 2 Sharp Zaurus Linux pocket computers, a Nokia N97 mini), and I hate resistive layer the most, not for touch experience (some devices like Zaurus or Nokia resistive phones were good at touch sensitivity) but FOR REFLECTIONS, loss of color/bright and distorted reflections (they disturb more than reflections on glare displays, even worsen by the fact that resistive layers down bright/color).

On 1h23m27s:
you can see the reflectiveness and deformation (of reflected images) the resistive touch panel produces.
I have used computers and other devices with those resistive layers and they are annoying, so much I prefer to use analog nubs instead of touch, and to have a panel without that resistive layer (even as an aftermaket mod).
 
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I rarely used the touchscreen on my Pandora, even before I broke the screen entirely. But the slightly reflective touchscreen didn't bother me that much, although to be fair not having it might have made seeing the screen when outside easier, I guess.

If ED were to sell units without a touchscreen layer, I would be interested, but as he said in that video (as I recall; I've not rewatched) he receives the screens with the touchscreen already bonded, so it would be a special order and probably more expensive, oddly enough. I'd only really be interested if there was a bit of a discount, and certainly wouldn't pay any more for the privilege.
 
Well, as the Pandora got a DS Emu, and i also used some of the Menues on the Pandora via Touchpen, i wouldnt like my Pyra whitout Touchscreen,
Also the Pen is Great if i have to supscrite a Deliverie from a Truckdriver who lost his Touchpen,
They have these Touch Terminals these Days,,
 
I know that the touchscreen layer would be incredibly difficult to manually apply without a clean box and insane patience.

Some day when someone breaks a display, it might be an interesting exercise to dissect one to see how difficult it would be to surgically remove the touchscreen layer and replace it with a sheet of matte tempered glass.

Speaking of which, many of the above concerns could be overcome by placing a sheet of matte tempered glass -over- the resistive layer (yes, dissables it). That should cut out the inconsistent wear and reflective patterns greatly.

The plastic resistive layer will eventually show wear. This isn't a negative on the device. Like the brakes on a car, it is a known use base wearing. Those of us who use the touch screen heavily will likely be looking for a replacement in ~4 years as the spots where we stylus select on the screen slowly start to glaze from the inevitable micro scratches.
 
The hinge on my pandora is so flimsy I can't really use the touchscreen unless I hold it awkwardly or I open it 180° which also kind of sucks. I guess this is why Nintendo made the BOTTOM screen of the DS a touch screen so that you aren't pushing against the hinge.

If the hinge on the pyra is equally annoying I probably won't use the touch screen too much to be honest, but if its decent I have no problem with it being on there. It never bothered me.
 
I pretty much held my Pandora screen 180 degrees open all of the time anyway, cos if I moved without doing that the screen would flop anyway. It takes a subtly different grip to how you hold a DS, but I couldn't tell you what that is without trying it out.

The Pyra seems to have a stiffer hinge so that you can carry it about without it flopping open all the time. How well it'll cope with being poked at with a stylus remains to be seen though, and how still is stays over time also.
 
If ED were to sell units without a touchscreen layer, I would be interested, but as he said in that video (as I recall; I've not rewatched) he receives the screens with the touchscreen already bonded, so it would be a special order and probably more expensive, oddly enough. I'd only really be interested if there was a bit of a discount, and certainly wouldn't pay any more for the privilege.

I doubt it be possible to get Pyra without touch screen, so it would be an add-on or and aftermarket modification. Obviously you need to pay OTHER SCREEN, so it will be MORE EXPENSIVE, not cheaper.

I think those LCD screens are CHEAP and the benefit it would provide widely overcome the cost, but it may be you are more thrifty than me :) and you not only want to pay some more but some less :)
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Well, as the Pandora got a DS Emu, and i also used some of the Menues on the Pandora via Touchpen, i wouldnt like my Pyra whitout Touchscreen,
Also the Pen is Great if i have to supscrite a Deliverie from a Truckdriver who lost his Touchpen,
They have these Touch Terminals these Days,,

I had Nintendo DS emu in mind (I own 2 NDS Lite).

I suppose some people would love NDS games the best, but for me it was a really bad console because of its game catalog: only a few of them really interested to me, and I play near all of them WITHOUT touching display. For example two of my favorites are Advanced Wars Dual Strike and Dark Conflict and I NEVER used touch display with them. The only game a remember I liked in NDS and I needed touch screen in some situations is GTA Chinatown Wars (and it wasn't successful in market: reviews were great, and I liked it, but people didn't like/buy it too much).

The machines/games I love is much much wider than Nintendo DS, and I prefer to have better experience (less reflections/etc) on all that other emus than to have touch function for DS Emu.

My friend: about helping truck_driver/deliveryman in ITS WORK: don't worry: if you remove touch function in Pyra you don't loss the pencil slot, so you can have that pencil inside Pyra to help deliveryman. In fact I would maintain that pencil inside Pyra, the same I maintain pencil inside Nintendo DS slot, even if I very rarely use it.
for
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Speaking of which, many of the above concerns could be overcome by placing a sheet of matte tempered glass -over- the resistive layer (yes, dissables it). That should cut out the inconsistent wear and reflective patterns greatly.

The plastic resistive layer will eventually show wear. This isn't a negative on the device. Like the brakes on a car, it is a known use base wearing. Those of us who use the touch screen heavily will likely be looking for a replacement in ~4 years as the spots where we stylus select on the screen slowly start to glaze from the inevitable micro scratches.

You CAN'T apply nor remove touch layer easily, even screen can get damaged if you try to remove it.

But you can buy a LCD display without it. BOE manufactures that LCD obviously without touch panel, so if would be possible to get without it.

About adding a matte tempered glass over the resistive layer: it won't fit as it would be thicker, but if you use an LCD without touch resistive layer you can put up to 1 mm tempered glass over LCD screen, as touch resistive layer is 1 mm thick according to ED.

You are right about other problem with resistive layer: it may wear with use if you are not too careful. I have my Nintendo DS near intact (it may be I use touch display rarely in NDS), but lots of people have their resistive display more or less worn out.
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I use my Pandora's stylus and touchscreen all the time :)

You are pencil-touch addict :)

I am on the opposite side: if I have physical keyboard/gamepad, I rarely touch a penceil-touch display. Only in modern smartphones, where there is no keyboard/etc, I use touch screen.

I am a PHYSICAL keyboard/gamepad addict :)

I have a Thinkpad Helix 2 (with 11,6 inches capacitive touch + Wacom digitizer pencil screen), Nintendo DS and 2 Sharp Zaurus Linux pocket computers (with resistive touch screen), and I use PHYSICAL KEYBOARD or PHYSICAL GAMEPAD all time :)
 
Only in modern smartphones, where there is no keyboard/etc, I use touch screen.
I carry a compact full-size Bluetooth keyboard with me at all times in case I have to send a text message or otherwise interact with my so-called-smart phone.

[I used to think that whoever came up with the idea of a computer without a keyboard was a moron, but since then I have realised that it is a triumph of smart-phone manufacturers (or perhaps their marketing departments), who are like the weavers in The Emperor's New Clothes. Smart-phone buyers are, of course, the Emperor, paying staggering amounts of money for nothing while believing the absurd proposition that a picture of a keyboard is just as good as the real thing.]

I will probably continue to lug around my Bluetooth keyboard when I get my Pyra. I'll use it when I'm sitting at a table/desk. But for the hours each day I spend standing on the bus/subway, having a keyboarded device that I can operate with one hand is essential.
 
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You are pencil-touch addict :)

I am on the opposite side: if I have physical keyboard/gamepad, I rarely touch a penceil-touch display. Only in modern smartphones, where there is no keyboard/etc, I use touch screen.

Out of interest... Am I the only one envisioning touch screens covered in graphite every time someone refers to the stylus as a pencil? ;)

--Neelix

Edit: added back a couple of accidentally deleted words to make the sentence make sense.
 
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Out of interest... Am I the only one envisioning touch screens covered in graphite every time to the stylus as a pencil? ;)
Hmm... not sure. English is a funny language. We say "pen input" and "stylus input" but we don't normally say "pencil input", but we could. And yes, "pencil input" did make me think of a graphite pencil (and I wondered for a moment whether a wooden pencil or a mechanical one would do more damage). But for some reason "pen input" doesn't make me imagine ink all over the screen -- my brain seems to have a separate compartment for "pen" in this context.

Which got me thinking: The Pyra stylus could be made more useful if there were a retractable pen or pencil in the blunt end. Then one would never be without something to write with. :)
 
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Which got me thinking: The Pyra stylus could be made more useful if there were a retractable pen or pencil in the blunt end. Then one would never be without something to write with. :)

I have considered that. The silo is effectively 5mm OD. Mounting a mechanical pencil lead into it wouldn't be difficult, but a lead advance would be. The concept would be easier with a ball point pen - but that has other issues as your case would write on your pocket.

If you're willing to forego fitting into the stylus silo there are loads of cheap options for a Pyra stylus with writing utensil built in.
 
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