Pyra ancestors poll

[Pyramancer]

Until fairly recently I was still using an HP 200LX.

Twice I tried to wean myself off it but was unsuccessful.

The first time was with an Apple Newton (a stone age tablet) and it was sort of okay. It was the only keyboard-less computer I've ever used that was almost usable. (It had a stylus and good handwriting recognition.) But when I wanted to write my own software for it I learned that I would have to pay Apple several thousand dollars for the privilege so I threw it away and I will never buy an Apple product again.

The second time I tried to kick the 200LX habit was with an HP 320LX. This was the worst computing device I have ever had the misfortune of owning. It was a Windows CE ("wince") machine and it failed before the one-year warranty was up. I didn't even bother to send it back to HP for a replacement -- I was glad to see it go, and got another 200LX!

Eventually I could no longer afford to keep getting 200LXs repaired (disintegrating case plastics), and for the last year or two (or three maybe) I've just been using an 11" notebook running GNU/Linux. (I guess that fits into the "non-touch screen device, no stylus (e.g. netbook)" category although in the poll I voted "other - please, specify in the comments".) It's an awkward machine when standing up on a crowded subway or bus. And it's far too big. And difficult to use with one hand. And the battery life is atrocious. But it serves reasonably well nonetheless.

Oh, and I suppose my phone counts, since when I got it I thought it would replace the 200LX (but it failed miserably). It's a Samsung Galaxy SII (that's II as in 2), but it is utterly useless as a computing device (because of the pathetic toy programs that populate the Android universe (and the lack of a keyboard)). It sort of works as a phone but I really think a phone (mobile or otherwise) needs a full-size handset and separate controls that are visible when the handset is to one's ear (without having plastic surgery to have one's eyes extended out onto stalks).

 

[ElPoco]

I'm using my Pandora. For some time I used a GPD Win, but I need to replace the battery and I'm not thrilled at the idea of spending 60 EUR to get one. So I'm sticking to the Pandora until I can find a way to get a cheaper battery.

 

[ClockworkCoder]

and I'm not thrilled at the idea of spending 60 EUR

Ouch! That's worth factoring in when considering buying...

 

[matzesu]

I also used my GPD Win for some times as a "Pandora", and its pretty cool because its runs Farming Simulator 2014 (where there is a pretty awesome Unimog MOD), i also have some cool Windows Games on it, but at one Afternoon, i wantet it to play some Tetris whyle i waitet for a Haircut, but its wantet to install a Windows Update, so i reaktivatet my Pandora after this ..
The Pandora ditnt play Farming Sim, but therefore its dosnt have forced Updates so its plays Tetris when i want it
But my GPD WIN Batterie still works great

 

[ElPoco]

Ouch! That's worth factoring in when considering buying...

ED used to sell them for 26 EUR, but it's out of stock. GPD sells them for 25 EUR but there are 35 EUR for shipping. I'd like to find other people looking for a battery so that we could do a group order.

 

[NovemberJoy]

I'm currently using a Win 2 and a standard Android phone. The Win 2 does pretty much everything I want in a portable, but it has a few things where I prefer the Pyra and Pandora's way of handling it, like a resistive touch screen with a stylus, easily replaceable and repairable hardware, and extremely long battery life with acceptable performance. The phone...well, it pretty much only gets used for media playback and communication. Being able to combine it together into one device would be cool, assuming the Pyra ends up being exactly what it's promised to be.

 

[Criticalmass]

I have fond memories of my line of Nokia Communicators (9210i, 9300i, 9500, E90) and all their quirks, breaking hinges (I think I got 4 warranty replacements for the 9500 before switching to an aftermarket cover), Series80 and Symbian eccenticities and the great community that supported and enhanced the devices. Never had anything like them again (okay, I totally missed out on the Pandora), except for a short tryst with a GPDWin which was sold almost as fast as it was ordered - the hardware was a disappointment, and Windows just isn't a portable small scale OS.

Nowadays I carry a Note8 and quite enjoy stylus input, but it's just not the same as a full keyboard. I'm really looking forward to the Pyra to go back to the old days.

 

[bagmouse7]

The battery in my GPD Win has expanded to the point where it won't sit flat on the table :-(
I still game on the Pandora, but I don't like taking it out of the house.
If I lose it or break it, it won't be easy to replace...

 

[NovemberJoy]

The battery in my GPD Win has expanded to the point where it won't sit flat on the table :-(
I still game on the Pandora, but I don't like taking it out of the house.
If I lose it or break it, it won't be easy to replace...

I guess I was lucky, then, since my Win battery just kind of died instead of expanding and dying. I basically can't use it because it has about two minutes of battery life and dies even when plugged in, which seems to be an issue with the firmware that was fixed in the Win 2.

 

[Alphasys]

I use a raspberry pi zero-W with separate HDMI screen, mouse and keyboard over bluetooth, till I get my hands on my Pyra. It's small, it's slow, it's a hassle to use when I can't VNC into it via a host PC, but it works.