Pandora2: Internal trackpad?


I have a weird idea that probably violates the laws of physics...


What if you had a second touchscreen where the keyboard is now but where you could apply a few different plastic layers to change functionality? I mean like the iPhone and iPad have keyboards, nubs and buttons that you can stick to the screen and use. If they fitted well enough, worked well and the OS was properly configured, you could change what you used on the fly.


Don't know how good those attachments are, though.
 
That's how the Razer Switchblade is, essentially. There's a touchscreen under the keyboard that can change depending on the situation and/or game. It looks really clunky to me, though, and there are no dedicated game buttons like a d-pad or analog nubs/sticks.
 
-Tj- said:
The thinness of the trackpad brings me back to what I said earlier, about it being too thin to be in an ergonomic position. It'd be recessed into the case, against the board, and your thumbs would have to reach over the case to get to it. My concern there is the edge of the case could possibly cause discomfort, though when I try it on my empty case here it doesn't seem that bad.


I'll put forth another option to you: optical trackpads. I believe this was brought up in other threads before, but they're very small (used on Blackberry phones) and could possibly be stuck either on the case cover next to the screen or under the game buttons or d-pad.
Click to expand...

Read title. Trackpad is internal, and accessed via removable controls.
 
Yes, I did read that, but what I'm saying is if you want the trackpad to be accessible to your thumbs and used like a laptop trackpad, which is what I gathered your goal was with this thread, your thumbs would still have to be able to get to it ergonomically. Perhaps I understood wrong and you didn't mean it to be used as such at all.


In any case, if such a thing were in fact built into the unit, I would still think it'd be better to have it work as a normal trackpad if there were no overlays on it. You'd add another layer of functionality to it by simply operating it bare.
 
Direct access to the touchpanel would depend on how thick the overlay-nubs could be made.


Of course if it were to be a full touchscreen direct access would be a must.


Power usage might be a problem though. :unsure:


What about an eink thouchscreen underneath a keyboard/game controls overlay?
 
No. Would not buy. It's very rare indeed that I ever bother using the touchscreen we already have, and I'd certainly not want a touchpad on the pandora 2. I'd go buy something else if this is the direction the community wants to take.


I do agree however that a small trackball (like in my Panasonic CF41 laptop) would be heavenly.


D.
 
ZXDunny said:
No. Would not buy. It's very rare indeed that I ever bother using the touchscreen we already have, and I'd certainly not want a touchpad on the pandora 2. I'd go buy something else if this is the direction the community wants to take.
Click to expand...

The main target is modifiable physical controls (buttons/nubs etc)


The means is an internal touchpad.


An extra feature is a user accessible touchpad


It would probably be possible to make a control overlay with a trackball...

Yes I

can

see how to do this, but it would be rather messy!
 
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A trackball would be nice, but you will not manage get a trackball by putting something on a trackpad.


Not sure how well the nubs work, but judging from how well trackpads work on laptops I assume it will be worse to replace proper nubs with "something scratching on a pad". Also I think those pads use relative and not absolute positions, although this might be just a matter of software.


Again: more options are always nice, but not when it means lower quality. I would always prefer a few well made input options over many that all have some drawbacks over the propper solution to do it.
 
To elaborate, the Pandora has a USB port... if you want another input option, use it.


Proposing that absurdly elaborate solutions to problem which don't exist should be built into the device at the expense of everyone involved, and the durability of the device, is nothing short of preposterous.


These threads are somewhat grating, as any Pandora 2 is not going to be imminent anyway!
 
It's not so much that people create these absurd threads to discuss the shortcomings of the Pandora 1 and dream about the P2, it's more that people do it all the freakin' time. And they do it to discuss ideas which are, frankly, preposterous.


Surely it would be a far more productive use of time to discuss what sort of options are available for the current Pandora to circumnavigate the limitations you perceive?


One would favour discussing ideas which are at least somewhat grounded in reality. The idea of removing the perfectly good physical controls in favour of a massively more complex, less responsive and prone to failure control overlay is patently absurd. I don't say this to be offensive, I say it because it's true. Those "stick on" controllers you speak of are unfathomable awful, and in no way would a multi-touch panel ever facilitate the sort of flexibility you discuss.


If you want to be at least somewhat realistic, you could dream of a removable keyboard which reveals a port into which any other replacement surface could be plugged. Unfortunately this would up mould complexity, build complexity and thickness to unacceptable levels.


Bear in mind that all this wishful thinking will be ultimately fruitless. The P2 will almost certainly be aesthetically identical to the Pandora ( creating a new mould would be extremely cost prohibitive ) and will simply be an internal swap-out of the board, including new CPU/GPU/RAM/WiFi and, if you're really lucky, perhaps a better (although in what way I couldn't imagine) LCD.


Finally, the Pandora has 2 analogue sticks, face buttons, shoulder buttons, D-Pad, a near-full keyboard, a full compliment of number keys (often missing on mobile devices and relegated to a Fn shifted state) and a touch-screen... what is it missing, really? At most L2/R2 buttons for convenience.
 
Less absurd:


Wat about filling out the lid with a 5" screen, moving the speakers and SD slots to make room?


Or putting an SD slot to the battery compartment?


Or putting a headset jack on the side?


Or an extended battery addon



Problems with no good solution as yet:


Touchscreen access limitations could make use of stock android impractical


USB dongles jam in pockets when plugged into Pandora

One solution with could also work with a P1:


An L-shaped USB adapter containing a USB 1.1 converter which allows USB devices to lie flat along the back/side of the device.
 
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I don't care it the screen is made to fill the entire top half, but the speakers must remain.


I'm all for a headphone jack on the side, but that would require moving the stylus to the other side to make sure the volume wheel is somewhat accessable in your pocket.


Both SD-card slots should be accessable without removing the battery.


I'm not sure how a extended battery addition would work, but it should not affect stock battery life.


An L-shaped USB thingie should be pretty simple to produce, if they don't exist already.
 
Binky said:
An L-shaped USB adapter containing a USB 1.1 converter which allows USB devices to lie flat along the back/side of the device.
Click to expand...
You could probably get one of these: http://www.ebay.com/...e-/160595933526


Not sure if that will work with USB 1.1, but I'm sure if it doesn't there are other options out there. There were a couple others I saw as well. Something long might block the triggers though.


If a 2nd headphone jack can be put on the side that's all good, but placing just one on the side and removing the original will make it impossible/uncomfortable to use. My hands cover the entire sides of the unit. For this, why not just use in-line volume controls that some headphones have, or get an in-line volume control adapter? That way you don't even have to reach into your pocket to change the volume. Something like this:


http://www.scansound...me-control.html


I'm not really sure why people keep asking to move the SD card slots or the headphone jack and stuff. While the unit is in use, these are possibly the most ideal spots for them, all things considered. :wacko:


If you're going to move the speakers, I'd prefer them to be moved to where the light pipes currently reside, and perhaps move the indicator lights to the lid. If the speakers pump sound thru the light pipe pillars you could play audio while the lid is closed.
 
I was thinking:


* Make the Pandora thinner by only including a 3Ah battery


* Sell a box which replaces the battery cover and contains another, identical 3Ah battery.


*Include circuitry to discharge the external battery first.


*You should be able to charge the addon pack independently of the Pandora
 
-Tj- said:
If you're going to move the speakers, I'd prefer them to be moved to where the light pipes currently reside, and perhaps move the indicator lights to the lid. If the speakers pump sound thru the light pipe pillars you could play audio while the lid is closed.
Click to expand...

If the speakers were on the front (where the volume/power controls are now), they could be larger, while also being heard when the lid was closed.
 
Considering the thickness of the current battery, you wouldn't be able to shave off more than a few millimeters by reducing the capacity to 3 Ah.
 
Could any height/width be saved by shrinking it?


Create room for extra input gear (e.g. mobile dialup bits, GPS)?
 
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