rygD
Nihilistic Mystic
I choose not to want a camera.
Is Pyra expensive outdated hardware?
- Thread starter danielo515
- Start date
Even if we were to put a camera in there, there isn't a mobile camera that would be satisfactory to all the people that want a camera in it. So why put one in there at all, and just let the consumer choose what type of USB camera they want and get one themselves? We have all these USB ports for a reason.
Btw if people stop bringing up the paranoia nonsense, we wouldn't have to talk about the mic. 
I honestly didn't mean to make this a camera thread, so I'm done "here".
Because the modules shown was good enough. Better than no built in camera and inconvenient usb cameras.
I honestly didn't mean to make this a camera thread, so I'm done "here".
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Well these Camera port pins may not even be brought out from the SoC's BGA pads. Meaning there may not be anything to tap into.
Edit: Also, The PCB being several layers thick there is no guarantee the traces you want will be accessible.
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edgex004
Advanced Member
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Hmmm... ok thanks for explaining.
rygD
Nihilistic Mystic
I think the only way to get this thread back on track is to move the camera stuff to the other thread.Btw if people stop bringing up the paranoia nonsense, we wouldn't have to talk about the mic.
Because the modules shown was good enough. Better than no built in camera and inconvenient usb cameras.
I honestly didn't mean to make this a camera thread, so I'm done "here".
You might want to check your definition of paranoia.
Caine
Hardcore Member
I agree. The OP did briefly mention the lack of a camera, but the content is better suited for the other thread.
rygD
Nihilistic Mystic
Ok. I don't see people saying they don't want something because of problems it may introduce as paranoia, but as long as what you are thinking matches up with the definition, cool, I guess.
Anyway, the answer to the title question of this thread is "no" in my opinion.
Are smartphones "outdated hardware" because their CPUs and GPUs are weaker than what I have in my desktop machine? Of course not. It's a different form factor, with a different intended use, different built-in peripherals, different power requirements, etc.
In my opinion, even a dumbphone is not "outdated hardware". Yes, you cannot play Angry Birds or Candy Crush on it. But it is better at making and receiving phone calls than a smartphone, and its battery will last one or two orders of magnitude longer.
The Pyra is going to be a pretty mediocre smartphone. It's also a pretty mediocre laptop. And a pretty mediocre handheld game console. And a slow desktop PC. And a rather low-capacity portable NAS. And a very expensive media player. And so on.
The point is: it's all of those things at once. And in that respect, it's pretty unique: the Pandora is the only other thing like it. And the Pyra will be better than the Pandora.
Are smartphones "outdated hardware" because their CPUs and GPUs are weaker than what I have in my desktop machine? Of course not. It's a different form factor, with a different intended use, different built-in peripherals, different power requirements, etc.
In my opinion, even a dumbphone is not "outdated hardware". Yes, you cannot play Angry Birds or Candy Crush on it. But it is better at making and receiving phone calls than a smartphone, and its battery will last one or two orders of magnitude longer.
The Pyra is going to be a pretty mediocre smartphone. It's also a pretty mediocre laptop. And a pretty mediocre handheld game console. And a slow desktop PC. And a rather low-capacity portable NAS. And a very expensive media player. And so on.
The point is: it's all of those things at once. And in that respect, it's pretty unique: the Pandora is the only other thing like it. And the Pyra will be better than the Pandora.
Oo I haven't been around much lately, what was changed regarding the resolution?
The resolution of the Pandora is 800x480, and if you ask me, that is actually a good resolution for a 4.3" screen. Sure, there is software that expects more vertical pixels, resulting in dialog windows that are taller than the screen etc, but that's a software problem. In terms of pixel density needed to get a nice image, 800x480 is still good enough imo.
levi
Still fresh, damnit!
rygD
Nihilistic Mystic
Yes. Also your desktop is outdated if it isn't using the latest and greatest and can do anything someone would want a dektop box to do.
danielo515, if you want a Pyra get one and don't try to compare it to things of a completely different nature. Enjoy it for what it is. If you have needs it can't meet then add what is needed or get something else, just as you would with any other device. Since you are planning on getting one just don't get caught up in the little details and I think you will be happy.
danielo515
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It's clear that I made a mistake comparing the Pyra with something else. But it is easier to expose an idea with examples. What I wanted was to get some clear explanations about the functionality of the hardware: if we are going to miss some more power soon, if we are going to lack some drivers support, if it will be much more powerful than pandora or just a slightly better device with the same support for the same emulators but a bit faster... that kind of things. Also I wanted to know if it will be enough to a more or less day to day professional use.
I did not wanted to turn this into another camera thread, but that is something that went naturally I guess.
Thank you very much to all those that explained me the current status of Pyra.
Regards
rygD
Nihilistic Mystic
The Pyra will work fine for all Pyra purposes for the forseeable future. This means it can play games and do general ARM Linux stuff. ED posted a video showing browsing on a devboard with a handful of tabs open, and that was already a massive improvement over browsing on a Pandora for me (only 2 tabs on my Pandora, with swap, right now because things get slow when I open too many, compared to around 30 on my laptop and smartphone). I don't know what you think needs "more power", but I will try to address it below.
There was another video, can't recall the emu (Reicast, I think) or the game right now, but it was running full speed or faster without optimization, as I recall. I think the emulator that was being used does not run great on even 1GHz Pandoras, so already a significant improvement, and the prototypes aren't even assembled and being tested yet. As for "more power" it depends on what you are trying to do. Please provide examples of what you want or need to do.
It depends on your profession. I can see how the Pyra would work for some tasks for me, but not for others (that may require specific software that is only for x86 or Windows). I would definitely want a real keyboard and larger monitor for some things. Again, provide examples of what you expect to do.
I wasn't ignoring your driver question, I just don't have an answer.
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danielo515
Member
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Hello rygD,
Thank you very much for your answers. I saw the videos you mention because I have been seeking pyra stuff on YouTube for a couple of days. Of course the videos you mention are a great improvement over what we have now. One thing I would like to do is answering a post in a comfortable way like I'm doing right now on my computer. Playing any dreamcast game full speed is also another nice addition. Another thing I expect is to play full speed all the emulators that are currently lagging on Pandora.
I am more or less an html5 developer, so I would like to use pyra for Web Development (attached to a bigger screen) but I also want to be able to run html5 applications like native ones. This last thing is probably more a matter of software support rather than hardware one.
Network audit would be also a nice thing to play with.
Regards
Thank you very much for your answers. I saw the videos you mention because I have been seeking pyra stuff on YouTube for a couple of days. Of course the videos you mention are a great improvement over what we have now. One thing I would like to do is answering a post in a comfortable way like I'm doing right now on my computer. Playing any dreamcast game full speed is also another nice addition. Another thing I expect is to play full speed all the emulators that are currently lagging on Pandora.
I am more or less an html5 developer, so I would like to use pyra for Web Development (attached to a bigger screen) but I also want to be able to run html5 applications like native ones. This last thing is probably more a matter of software support rather than hardware one.
Network audit would be also a nice thing to play with.
Regards
ekianjo
Hardcore Member
That comment was for wifi speed.
rygD
Nihilistic Mystic
Oh, so higher wifi speed increases the resolution, nice.
