My Pandora 2 and ICP2 Keyboard Layout, GCW One/Dual(February 18th 2013)

[kuru]

The only thing that's a bit uncomfortable on the P1 keyboard is hitting Alt-F4, not that you'd need that often.


I love R and L functioning as Shift and Control, as well as Home/End/PgDwn/PgUp on the gaming buttons, that makes editing text a breeze when thumb-typing. I am sure that a lot of though has gone into the Pandora keyboard layout. And I enjoy that on a daily basis. It's plainly the best pocketable thing out there.


I have one touchscreen-only device, a 7" Cortex A8 Android tablet, and it freaks me out having to input just a search term. Even more so editing text. That's when I pull out my bluetooth keyboard in order to preserve sanity. Heck, even scrolling around a webpage sucks, always having to touch the screen. With the Pandora I just hit Pagedown, which happens to be where my right thumb is located anyway.

 

[Saber]

Well maybe you are right... I still prefer the first concept and the Slider Pandora

I'm glad albo. For me, today, it's a toss up between the Pandora 2 and the iPandora. Heck, i'll take them all.

The only thing that's a bit uncomfortable on the P1 keyboard is hitting Alt-F4, not that you'd need that often.


I love R and L functioning as Shift and Control, as well as Home/End/PgDwn/PgUp on the gaming buttons, that makes editing text a breeze when thumb-typing. I am sure that a lot of though has gone into the Pandora keyboard layout. And I enjoy that on a daily basis. It's plainly the best pocketable thing out there.


I have one touchscreen-only device, a 7" Cortex A8 Android tablet, and it freaks me out having to input just a search term. Even more so editing text. That's when I pull out my bluetooth keyboard in order to preserve sanity. Heck, even scrolling around a webpage sucks, always having to touch the screen. With the Pandora I just hit Pagedown, which happens to be where my right thumb is located anyway.

Thanks so much on the P1 keyboard feedback kuru. I know what you mean about "typing" on a virtual keyboard. A friend of mine gave me his iPhone briefly to type a few words on and I had such a difficult time with it. My hands and fingers are not large so it must be absolute torture for others without Siri. B)

 

[Saber]

Added phone concept. :wub:

 

[Binky]

Added phone concept. :wub:

Not niche enough to gain customers

 

[Saber]

Added phone concept. :wub:

Not niche enough to gain customers

I don't know if i'd equate a product's successfulness to its niche factor. Plenty of products are so distinct that they end up making little money in spite of being adored. I know i'm being biased here but I think the game phone is "niche" enough to draw individuals in from both sides.


We know consumers like to use their phones and play games on them. As it stands now, they can do one or the other, but not both without needing to poke the panel, add a BT gamepad, or buy an unspectacular(lousy screen) Xperia Play. Not everyone will leave their smartphone preference, and that's okay, but many I believe would. As it stands, a smartphone with built-in gamepad controls is different enough and useful enough to be a game changer to the handheld market.

 

[Binky]

Maybe a less obvious xperiaplay clone though?


will do concept drawing...


"I don't know if i'd equate a product's successfulness to its niche factor"


Even though this is OP&Co, not a big-name brand...?

 

[Saber]

Maybe a less obvious xperiaplay clone though?


will do concept drawing...

The Xperia Play was an inlet to the Playstation Store online service. When that faltered, Sony kept the X.P. around, as they always do with poor performing products(Go, UX, Tablet S). For them, it's a mere pittance to pay when they have huge sales elsewhere.

"I don't know if i'd equate a product's successfulness to its niche factor"


Even though this is OP&Co, not a big-name brand...?

Think small, stay small.


One far off day, Openpandora will be much more than four guys with two(or three) sellable products. Every company of note starts somewhere.

 

[Saber]

Made some changes here and there. -_-

 

[Binky]

Extra buttons on the side would be good

 

[Saber]

Extra buttons on the side would be good

Binky, which side of which one and for what purpose?

 

[Binky]

Four down each side of the iCP+, P2 and slider models, so that the user can assign arbitrary commands/scripts/actions to them.


Could also have accompanying LEDs for use as wifi/BT/USB/etc toggles

 

[Saber]

Four down each side of the iCP+, P2 and slider models, so that the user can assign arbitrary commands/scripts/actions to them.


Could also have accompanying LEDs for use as wifi/BT/USB/etc toggles

Oh, I see now. It's like the specialty key row they have on some premium laptops. If space and ergonomics allowed it, i'd put these extras along the front side, but I don't see room on the pcb for them without removing something.


The other thing you mentioned was the lightpipes. For me, I find them for the most part unnecessary. On my laptop, I have one white light for power on, one yellow for wifi/BT, and one white light that tells me the cpu is busy doing something. That's less than the usual amount and the only one I can see is the wifi/BT, because the other two are on the sides.


When I use wireless, I have an icon in the taskbar that lets me know it's on so I barely notice the keyboard wifi light. I also have a big 13" screen that shines brightly with refreshed html page turns that also tells me wifi is working. For an accessory, a wifi/BT status light is perhaps needed, but for a laptop, or a mini-pc with game controls, well, probably not so much. I wouldn't miss the lightpipes, at least most of them, if they were retired. Charging and fully charged lights are fine though.

 

[Saber]

Added Home Console.

 

[Binky]

^ might be cheaper if the pcb had components on both sides, and relied on a iCP variant for control

 

[Saber]

^ might be cheaper if the pcb had components on both sides, and relied on a iCP variant for control

True, but then we lose the whole "OMG it's like a Super Nintendo, PS1, N64 but with the controls on the actual system!!!" part.


I see the Home Console as an add-on for those with a Pandora and a full emulation PC for those who don't want to spend the money for it's feature-rich portable sibling. Easy to add a couple iControlPads for multiplayer, or a BT keyboard and mouse, for those who prefer their gaming or PC-ing wireless.

 

[Binky]

I think it would be more worth doubling the pcb space by loosing the keyboard/etc


Using it to add a built-in retrode, massively improved TV-out connectors, optical diskdrive


If its going to be handheld, it can't have outdated connectors


If its not going to be able to connect to old hardware, why not get a generic mini-PC


It would also be worth swapping the ARM chip for an x86 - people care what it can emulate, not how much power it uses

 

[Saber]

I think it would be more worth doubling the pcb space by loosing the keyboard/etc


Using it to add a built-in retrode, massively improved TV-out connectors, optical diskdrive


If its going to be handheld, it can't have outdated connectors


If its not going to be able to connect to old hardware, why not get a generic mini-PC


It would also be worth swapping the ARM chip for an x86 - people care what it can emulate, not how much power it uses

HDMI should be enough for most users for TV output. The optical disk can be plugged in one of the USB ports instead of bulking up the thin chassis for that rare instance. We want it to still be semi-portable while keeping costs down.


An -x64 version built for gaming would be wondrous. Dolphin and PCSX2 paired with some ICP's seems delightful.

 

[slaeshjag]

A CPU powerful enough to run Dolphin or PCSX2 would probably catch fire if put in a pandora case. Or at least melt a hole through it.

 

[Binky]

A home console has no need for:

• built in gaming controls
  
• small size
  
• low power consumption (apart from cooling issues)
  
• high portability
  

As a retrogaming device it would be good to have

• large amounts of cpu/gpu power
  
• ability to communicate directly with old hardware
  

 

[Nintendo]

I did have a plan where the lid would be a mini-tablet computer (with high speed USB port(s) + TV-out), the lower half would be an icontrolpad+keyboard+battery setup with a usb-->wireless usb converter.


They would be held together with shaped magnets that could be used as a latched hinge, also provide a power connection across the two parts - while making it possible to separate the units.


Unfortunately the magnet would make use of external HDDs impossible.


Next idea: - more space between controls / screen, no problem locking at 135o

That looks hot :wub:


A 5.5" screen instead would be nice too.