Nothing to show, but a lot happened.

[groovechicken]

The best mobile keyboards I have ever used were the Psion Revo and Series 5. That design really only works on a purpose-built device, though. For the scale we are discussing, the HTC MyTouch Slide 3G had a pretty amazing keyboard in terms of the feel, although the layout wasn't perfect. The blessing and curse of the Pyra will be it's multi-purpose nature. You can't have a perfect keyboard while trying to cover so many bases. It doesn't have to be perfect, though, to be excellent.

 

[rygD]

I've always wished the pandora could have chicklet keys like the hp200lx.  Mine is an absolute joy to use.  Smaller keys, but way easier to work with than the pandora's gigantic ones because of their hard edges and lack of "wobble".

Yes, more LX love.  I like typing on my 100LX more than my Pandora, but Pandora does more.  It is a bit like going from typing on a buckling spring keyboard to a squishy, weird feeling rubber dome one.

I'd also like a magnesium alloy case and sapphire screen, but we can't have everything.  =)

I support a magnesium (or something) case, but that will probably only happen after we get them, if even then.

You can still feel the buttons thanks to the spacing.

I know the spacing will be the same, but has it been decided if the Pyra keys will be flat, or less convex?

 

[FaeMinx]

Personally I would love to do away with the domes altogether. I would much prefer flat or even slightly concave keys... (not much though, you would have to maintain the same curve present on a full size keyboard. On Pyra's key size this would be barely noticeable... probably too much trouble to try and achieve, so best to stick with flat keys).

=~. O =

 

[Neelix]

Either way I do think there should be bumps or ridges (or some other easily noticed texture) on the F and J keys. Even though touch typing won't be possible It's still useful to get a touch reference for the position of the keyboard keys, and the F and J keys are where most people would expect to find such reference points on a qwerty keyboard.

- Neelix

 

[ThinkPad]

I hava a question guys,

As far as I know, A docking station/port replicator will be devolped in the future right?

So how it will be implementated ? via the USB 3.0 or there will be a custom port or something ?

 

[Binky]

Probably via several of the connectors

• video using the HDMI out
• charging and USB slave using microUSB
• USB devices using USBhost ports
• Maybe even a HDD bay using the eSATA port
• etc

I don't think theres room for a dedicated connector

 

[ThinkPad]

1G Ethernet on the docking station is a must !

Just saying...

 

[Grench]

You can still feel the buttons thanks to the spacing.

So - perfectly flat key tops then?  Interesting.

You're right though - could still 'count' by running the thumbs over the gaps between the keys.

Is there any chance of a referential marker on the F and J keys?  (lump, bump, indent, other)  Essentially a landmark for the thumbs to find without looking down?  Though this will be much less of an issue with the back lit keyboard - it will be clear where your thumbs are at by how much light is coming up out of the keyboard (thumbs mask the light).

With flat top black keys and back lighting - how much can get negative printed on each key?  Colors or just 'white'?

My preference would be for translucent glowing keys with multi-color printing for the different shift-altGr-Fn-other shifted keyboard settings - but it was made clear that others prefer the black keyboard with glowy letters.

Sorry - getting into more detail than needed for a news article.

Thanks for the update!

 

[DrHAX]

Wow I can't believe how much distaste there is for the Pandora keyboard.. I've typed over 300,000 words of stories on it... and I've had no issues.. starting to wonder if the Pandora was just a perfect fit forme then. However with flat... matte keys I worry about bloody wear.. my netbook had those keys and after being used to type stories they had glossy rings in the centre before it was warped from the constant typing

.. that's my worry. I power use the Pandora and my netbook

Keyboard wear is a value concern

Sent from my Z665C using Tapatalk

 

[Askarus]

matte keys I worry about bloody wear.. my netbook had those keys and after being used to type stories they had glossy rings in the centre before it was warped from the constant typing .. that's my worry. I power use the Pandora and my netbook Keyboard wear is a value concern

That's what the designers will take care of.

They know that the keyboard is for heavy typing.

 

[DrHAX]

I hope so most computer companies fail to do so. Or maybe I just have abnormally abrasive fingerprints.

 

[klapse]

I hope so most computer companies fail to do so. Or maybe I just have abnormally abrasive fingerprints.

I wore through the keyboards of my Nokia N810 and N900s. Having even slight amounts of dust/dirt on thumbs will massively increase the wear.  No problems with my Pandora keyboard yet. Hope the Pyra is just as durable.

 

[Grench]

I hope so most computer companies fail to do so. Or maybe I just have abnormally abrasive fingerprints.

I wore through the keyboards of my Nokia N810 and N900s. Having even slight amounts of dust/dirt on thumbs will massively increase the wear.  No problems with my Pandora keyboard yet. Hope the Pyra is just as durable.

On the bright side - having a relatively inexpensive keymat ($10-$20 range?) and a vendor (ED) who has a history of willingness to sell parts means that you can have a -new- keyboard in your Pyra as often as you care to replace it.  

If we can order additional parts during the initial order phase, I'd likely buy 2 spare keymats, 2 spare stylus and a 2nd battery at day 1.  Maybe even a complete set of case plastics too.

 

[rygD]

Wow I can't believe how much distaste there is for the Pandora keyboard.. I've typed over 300,000 words of stories on it... and I've had no issues.. starting to wonder if the Pandora was just a perfect fit forme then.

For me it isn't really distaste.  The Pandora keyboard is good enough.  Most keyboards are good enough.  I prefer better than good enough.  Sometimes you can't tell how good something like a keyboard is until you have used something better or worse.  Just like sticking with the resistive touchscreen is better for accuracy in a desktop invironment, an improvement of the keymat could help with tactile feedback and other minor things to improve the user experience on the Pyra.  Had I never used devices with better keyboards I might not have a preference.  If I had done as much typing with my Pandora as you I probably would not notice the squishiness.

 

[spiralofhope]

Wow I can't believe how much distaste there is for the Pandora keyboard.. I've typed over 300,000 words of stories on it... and I've had no issues..

I think it's a combination of you finding a good fit for your hands and tastes, and I'd bet you haven't been spoiler by a really excellent keyboard.

I'm surprised you've been able to type that much.  Shocked, really.  There has never been optimal lighting where I can actually see the writing on the keys without being stabbed in the eyes by glare.  Touch-typing is impossible with the round tops and wobble.

When I say the hp200lx has a superior keyboard, I really mean it.  An absolute joy.  I'd easily sacrifice backlighting and pay way more for a keyboard like it.  On top of that, its smaller keys meant it could have a full keypad too, which is amazing for people who do things like spreadsheets, or for some very oldschool dos games.

No problems with my Pandora keyboard yet. Hope the Pyra is just as durable.

I'd bet it will be better.  I've got the earlier black plastic Pandora, which was replaced by a stronger plastic since then because of cracking issues.  Lessons have been learned.  =)

I like what others suggested about replacement parts.  That's not the sort of thing a company like Apple would ever do.  Not without official stores and official certification and official profit margins.

 

[rygD]

When I say the hp200lx has a superior keyboard, I really mean it.  An absolute joy.  I'd easily sacrifice backlighting and pay way more for a keyboard like it.  On top of that, its smaller keys meant it could have a full keypad too, which is amazing for people who do things like spreadsheets, or for some very oldschool dos games.

It would be great to get something like the early LX keyboards.  Another thing I noticed that may help with how easy they are to type on with tiny keys is that they have a lot of space around them.  There are no gaming controls, and the HP palmtops are wider than Pyra/Pandora so this was more of a possibility.  If the Pyra were that wide it would be fine for me, but people with smaller hands or shorter fingers may have problems thumb typing and playing games.  I will be happy with any improvements made to the Pyra keyboard, but I really hope we get the plastic key caps or something of similar feel.  Also less wobble and squish.

 

[Binky]

Just to throw in my experience, the pandora keyboard is very much usable. I can type quite fast on it, and without excessive strain or fatigue.

But it could certainly do with some improvements, including:

• hard tops
• less domed tops
• less glossy tops
• shorter travel
• more positive, less squishy action (with clicks)

 

[_wb_]

Wow I can't believe how much distaste there is for the Pandora keyboard.. I've typed over 300,000 words of stories on it... and I've had no issues..

I think it's a combination of you finding a good fit for your hands and tastes, and I'd bet you haven't been spoiler by a really excellent keyboard.

I'm surprised you've been able to type that much.  Shocked, really.  There has never been optimal lighting where I can actually see the writing on the keys without being stabbed in the eyes by glare.  Touch-typing is impossible with the round tops and wobble.

Touch-typing is impossible anyway on a keyboard that size, unless you have small fingers.

The glare is annoying indeed, but irrelevant once you are sufficiently used to the keyboard. Blind thumb typing is surprisingly effective if you have Shift on a shoulder button. For that reason I don't really care about backlit keys -- it will only be useful to me in the first few dozen hours of use, and only if those hours happen to be in the dark, which is not my typical ambient lighting condition. After that, typing is blind anyway.

I have coded 6 programs from scratch on the Pandora keyboard (3 games and 3 applications), in total about 20,000 lines of code. I am currently writing a novel on it, I wrote about 35,000 words (about 100 pages) so far. I have also written many meeting reports on it, no idea how much text that is in total but probably quite a bit.

I am generally happy with the Pandora keyboard as is. The areas where it can be improved are mostly already taken care of in what has been said about the Pyra keyboard. On the Pandora, the keymapping for symbols does not make sense, the number row is too hard to reach, a dedicated TAB and Compose key would be very practical, as well as shoulder buttons for Alt and Fn/Meta. I think/hope this will all be fixed in the Pyra keyboard. The keys themselves are quite good for thumb typing -- the relatively long travel ensures that you can feel the keys without having to worry about accidental presses. While the amount of force needed to register a key press is too high for comfortable touch typing, it is perfect for thumb typing.

So I hope the Pyra keyboard does not change too much compared to the Pandora keyboard. Flat keytops could be fine, but I'm slightly concerned that this might imply either less key travel and easier accidental presses, or the same travel but more wobble. Also, a different material for the keytops has to get the balance right in terms of texture/grip: I think the Pandora keyboard material is a bit too slippery (but it's not a big problem because of the dome shape, which helps to get more grip), if the keys become flat the keyboard may become too slippery, depending on the material. Of course I don't want to type on sandpaper keys either, but the balance has to be right.

And of course the main use case to optimize for is handheld thumb typing. Putting it on a table for touch typing or two-finger pecking is something that has to be taken into consideration, but without compromising on the main use case, which is handheld thumb typing.

 

[ekianjo]

So I hope the Pyra keyboard does not change too much compared to the Pandora keyboard. Flat keytops could be fine, but I'm slightly concerned that this might imply either less key travel and easier accidental presses, or the same travel but more wobble.

It would actually be great if ED could conduct some test with people like you (who type a lot with the Pandora) when he has prototype mats and case

-> i.e. select 4-5 community members who do a lot of typing on the go, for different purposes, and send them a prototype mat/case for impression and feedback (without the actual hardware inside, just the keymat + case for testing how it feels). -> then feedback the info to the keymat manufacturers.

 

[edgex004]

So I hope the Pyra keyboard does not change too much compared to the Pandora keyboard. Flat keytops could be fine, but I'm slightly concerned that this might imply either less key travel and easier accidental presses, or the same travel but more wobble.

It would actually be great if ED could conduct some test with people like you (who type a lot with the Pandora) when he has prototype mats and case


-> i.e. select 4-5 community members who do a lot of typing on the go, for different purposes, and send them a prototype mat/case for impression and feedback (without the actual hardware inside, just the keymat + case for testing how it feels). -> then feedback the info to the keymat manufacturers.

Perhaps also to a few members who really dislike the Pandora keyboard to see if the upgrades can satisfy happy Pandora users and not so happy users. One prototype could also be passed among a few different members.