New Renderings: Hires And Pandora-res With Size Comparison

[Tobriand]

I thought it was going to be CTRL/ALT on Start and Select respectively (for easier typing)...

Also, I imagine the video port will end up on the front, unless there is a separate headphones port, for the simple reason that otherwise we're back to having phones output on the back of the device, which lots of people don't like (personally, I'm indifferent to, but hey).

 

[Squidge]

I thought it was going to be CTRL/ALT on Start and Select respectively (for easier typing)...

I'd say CTRL/ALT on the middle of the keyboard is going to be more difficult to use than the shoulder buttons whilst thumb typing, but anyway, it's a software thing, so it'll be configurable

 

[Xmas]

I'd say CTRL/ALT on the middle of the keyboard is going to be more difficult to use than the shoulder buttons whilst thumb typing, but anyway, it's a software thing, so it'll be configurable

I'm more worried about the Shift and Fn keys for thumb typing. They're both on the side of the keyboard which means to press them together with another key from the same side of the keyboard you'll either have to stretch your other thumb or shift your hand position.

There are only a few keys which could be comfortably combined with any other key on the keyboard, and these are the shoulder buttons, Menu, Select (Start is probably too far up), and probably the G key. Of the four shift functions (Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Fn) I think that Shift and Fn would be most frequently used for normal text typing (uppercase letters and punctuation), so they should be mapped to the shoulder buttons, while Alt and Ctrl could be mapped to Menu and Select, respectively. Now you could turn the Shift key into Tab and Fn into Esc.

 

[Zarneth]

CTRL & ALT will be available on the shoulder buttons.

ESC + TAB will be available by pressing two keys at once.

Done
Good to hear on the Ctrl+Alt. And I guess the Esc+tab is in acceptable positions last I looked at the render. And Pg Up/Down look to be on the < and > keys. But what about Home and End? I use them rather a lot myself, specifically in combination with shift. Then there's backspace. I didn't spot that anywhere? That needs to be relatively easy to use too.

 

[javaJake]

Home and End button keys are definitely not necessary. If they can't fit it in without some work, I'd say leave it off for now. It's not that I wouldn't use them too (although definitely not as much as Ctrl or Alt) but I just wouldn't mind if they were left out.

 

[fatalerror]

WOW, this looks great! Good Job!

 

[Chip]

I'm more worried about the Shift and Fn keys for thumb typing. They're both on the side of the keyboard which means to press them together with another key from the same side of the keyboard you'll either have to stretch your other thumb or shift your hand position.

Every qwerty cell phone I've owned has used "sticky" shift and FN keys. I figured Pandora would do this as well.

 

[CoMiKe]

The only thing I really don't like enough is the keyboard shape.

I would prefer all the keys to be aligned on both borders instead of that piramid shape. That way, it would look a little more professional, I think.

Also, the Ctrl and Alt keys are necessary, IMHO.

(Sorry, I haven't read the entire thread).

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

I actually like the shape of the keyboard. notice the A style of the keys, probably there because that is where your thumbs might rest when using the dpad, analog and action keys so you don't accidentally press a key on the keypad.

Addition:
My latest render:

 

[A_SN]

One of the shoulder buttons has to be Shift. It's the only key you use the most in combination of other keys, you can type entire words with the shift key down. Or it doesn't have to be if you have a shift key on each side of the keyboard...

I think it the shoulder button allocation all comes down to, which buttons will you hold the most often while pressing other buttons?

 

[imec]

That rocket looks more threatening than usual. :lol:

Anyways, is the hinge on the right side or the left side? Is it like the DS where there is a metal washer and a hinge on one side, or did you guys somehow put hinges in both the left and right side in order to compensate for the excessive pressure it will have to endure because of the touchscreen? (I can' tell in the render, it looks like both sides have aluminum washer thingies)

 

[Squidge]

One of the shoulder buttons has to be Shift. It's the only key you use the most in combination of other keys, you can type entire words with the shift key down. Or it doesn't have to be if you have a shift key on each side of the keyboard...

How about if the shift key is sticky? (and I don't mean because you've tipped some sticky substance on it! )

 

[Yrx]

Is it just me, or on EvilDragon's new render, the action buttons are spaced further apart? Because that makes me happy.

I would still like the buttons switched like on the SNES, but it's not like that really matters.

It looks great.

 

[gaterooze]

Keep in mind that for certain text-heavy programs, you probably could also map the Dpad and A/B/X/Y to whatever extra keys you like.

btw are mine eyes deceiving me, or are the <> keys larger than the rest? Do they need to be? Could you make those two smaller and fit an ESC or something next to those?

 

[A_SN]

One of the shoulder buttons has to be Shift. It's the only key you use the most in combination of other keys, you can type entire words with the shift key down. Or it doesn't have to be if you have a shift key on each side of the keyboard...

How about if the shift key is sticky? (and I don't mean because you've tipped some sticky substance on it! )

That would be the third choice (a stick shift key is called Caps Lock, isn't it?)

 

[dabomb3627]

why do we have to decide which linux key goes to which button? just have a first-time-startup-config-program in which you choose the various key bindings. problem solved!

 

[danboid]

Linkous:

We have to decide on the key mapping because there will be a default key mapping for whatever OS comes with the Pandora and we should aim to have it as well-configured as possible ootb.

From what I've read on this board, p&|a will be using X11, just like 99% of other graphical Linux machines. By fat the most useful and popular X11 key combo is CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE to quit X11 and get back to a text console when things go haywire. This is very useful when developing and testing software as it saves you having to do a full reboot when things go wrong, instead you just have to reload X11. Chances are good on the pand that someone will be testing a game that will require the shoulder buttons to be mapped to L and R instead of CTRL and ALT which would invalidate the 3-finger salute and so, unless some dedicated CTRL and ALT buttons get added then it might be a good idea to change the default X11 quit key combo to something different for the pands custom xorg? Otherwise I think having the shoulder buttons mapped as CTRL and ALT is a good idea.

The pandora devs have the opportunity to make lots of people very happy now by leaving the dedicated headphone socket on the front with the SD card slots and then adding a full AV socket capable of video out, microphone input or acting as a second headphone jack on the other side with the USB and AC connectors. That would be VERY cool!!!

 

[Squidge]

That would be the third choice (a stick shift key is called Caps Lock, isn't it?)

No. A "sticky shift" is one where you press Shift once and sticks for exactly one non-modifier key and then returns to normal. If you double-tap the Shift key, it then acts as Caps lock until you tap it again. This way, it makes it easier to do single capital letters and other stuff requiring shift just once (such as Ctrl-Shift-Del).

 

[chris_r]

Are the keys on the keyboard still flat? They really need to be tapered or rounded so that they are separate from adjacent keys even while right next to them.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]