Pyra Media Coverage


error in the general info for english (at least on the pdf): "Using the integrated package manager you can quickyl install anything you need.
If you so wish, you can pick the desktop environment of your choice (Xfce, Mint,
Plasma, etc.)"

quickly would be better ;)
 
ED:-
EN-General Information updates:


Nintendo probably a TM sign.
Gnu - should be GNU?

quickly spelt wrong.

This is something we want to address with the Pyra. ...

rewrote:
Screws hold the case together, no glue is used, so the user can swap the boards. We trust you with a screwdriver!


The Pyra's 6000mAh battery is user-replaceable.

Price:

The Pyra's price ranges from 595 EUR to 745 EUR, both including applicable VAT, depending on the model. VAT or sales tax is not charged for orders shipping outside of Europe.
 
OK people, I've sent the following message to the youtube channel of Tek Syndicate:




Greetings, Tek Syndicate!

I've been watching your channel for some time and I want to congratulate you for reporting on technology subjects and privacy issues that hardly anyone ever talks about. Your videos are literally the only thing I regularly watch on YouTube; in fact, I have a non-existent footprint on YouTube and on any other social media, as evidenced by my empty YT profile. The reason why I decided to log in and send you this message is because I want to bring to your attention the development and production of a portable device that is built around the same principles that the Tek stands for.

Please keep in mind that this isn't a copy/paste message that I've sent to dozens of other tech sites. I've written this open message to get the attention of the Tek, and I will be posting it at the publicly accessible forum of our community. Please don't be offended if bits and soundbites from this get used in our PR campaign which is ran openly out of a forum thread, rather than being conducted secretly inside a luxurious conference room!

The name of our device is 'Pyra' and it is a pocketable laptop designed around modularity, flexibility, openness and fairness. Above all, it is a community-driven endeavour. I'm just a member of said community, and I am also an early adopter of this device, being one of 600+ members who have given a downpayment for its first production run. Within 3 days of open pre-orders, the community alone has managed to reach the minimum order quantity for an initial production run, without external PR and without using Kickstarter, Indiegogo etc. This means that our base goal has already been reached; all of us who have pre-ordered will be getting our reserved device.

I'm not asking you to cast your spotlight on the Pyra as a publicity stunt, but because I sincerely believe that the Pyra deserves a lot more attention and buzz from the IT community, both open-source and in general. So, if you decide to cover this story, please feel free to share it with any other outlets that might be interested. I think that this story will also serve as an example that illustrates the unfair practises of corporate giants who get away with selling crippled devices riddled with spyware and subsidised by ridiculous contracts, while polluting the environment and perpetuating a demand for what amounts to slave-labour.

Due to the uniqueness of the 'Pyra', it is very possible for wrong first impressions to be formed and for false comparisons to be drawn with other devices if some basic facts aren't conveyed correctly. The biggest misunderstanding is about the cost: many people don't realise the actual cost of a truly user-owned device that has been produced in humane conditions using conflict-free resources, and designed by an indie hardware developer. Ultimately, when examining the Pyra, most people don't know what they're staring at. Some will dismiss it in trollish fashion because e.g. 'their smartphone has a better CPU', while many others will truly appreciate the scope of this endeavour and all of the features that are on offer.

The Pyra is manufactured in Europe and combines features that no megacorp would ever dare share in a single device. It is driven by a user-upgradable 1,5GHz DualCore ARM CPU with 4GB of RAM, it has built-in game controls for ports/emulation, it comes with Debian Linux pre-installed, its schematics will be publicly available and it will be manufactured with fair-trade practises in mind. The device is full of connectivity, and its storage options can reach a skyrocketing 1TB with current SDXC technology. It will be built to last, going directly against the doctrine of planned obsolescence, while it is also unbrickable and made explicitly for hacking and modding; the moment you grab a screwdriver, a whole community will peek over your shoulder with curiosity and advice. The proven track record of our community's energy and effectiveness can be found in a device called 'OpenPandora', the Pyra's predecessor which is still going strong after so many years (since 2008), featuring a wealth of ported games, emulators and open source applications. We think that it's time for all this combined expertise to culminate into something even more incredible, something that will crack some walled gardens and send corporate heads spinning: A device produced fairly and owned solely by its end user.

Plus, it would be awesome if your 'Zweihander' indie game could have a version ported to run on the Pyra!

The official page and full list of features can be found here: https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/

Thanks you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,
Razy
 
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Here some wip, there is some stuff left to be done and light adjustments and whatnot.
I´m wandering about the backplate material too, what is it suppose to be?

A nice thing about this model is that it has a pcb and if I can find a picture of it (which I know there must be some around as I recall looking at one) I could probably map to it to have a cool acrylic version that actually shows the insides.

What is your final resolution needed? current ones are at about 3k horizontal size.
back.png

front.png

backb.png
 
Those renders are amazing!

ED, you still haven't said anything directly about production case colors. I'm likely to want to buy an additional case in each color. Be sure to order some extra plastics?
 
Thanks, the last bits, finding an angle and tuning things for that, is usually the most time consuming.
Photography wise, it must look "tasty" to the point one would want to kiss it. :D
 
Well that black one certainly fits the bill in that respect. :)
I find that red a bit garish though. Perhaps something closer to this? Someone mentioned a few days back that it had them drooling into their keyboard. ;)

I'm also wondering how the logo plate would look with a brushed metal finish, though I'm not sure if that would actually be an option but that's what came to mind when ED first brought it up.

-Neelix

EDIT: fixed link
 
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Nice renders, I like the looks of the black Pandora when it is opened. I would like the logo on the black Pyra to be black though.
 
erico said:
View attachment 28345
Click to expand...
Wow. The lit up logo doesn't look so bad in a black case. While I still think a dark grey would look a little nicer I won't have any problem going with black if it looks like that pic. The red is ok, but I think it really needs to be much darker.

As for the metal look vs case matching logo plate, I would have to see them to decide what I like. There is potential for both to look bad. If the "matching" color is slightly off it might be better to show off the aluminum, however that could grab attention in a bad way, too. My preference at present is to not color that plate, as it is easier to get them made for all case colors without needing to worry about anything else.
[doublepost=1462530194,1462530077][/doublepost]@erico can we see some renders with aluminum colored plates? (If it isn't too much trouble or time, that is.)
[doublepost=1462530318][/doublepost]And a triple post: did the logo change back to the earlier version? Compare the render to the logo at the top of the page.
 
i like me a bright red; it doesn't hurt to have renders in different colors. but it would be nice to have the final logo plate in (it should be level with the back of the case, right?)

hopefully at 3k the renders don't look so grainy... or is that the intended effect?
 
Does the hinge actually allow usage at the angle shown in the render? I thought it is still the '~170° only' design.
 
_jr_ said:
Does the hinge actually allow usage at the angle shown in the render? I thought it is still the '~170° only' design.
Click to expand...
The hinge won't snap in place at other angles, but it should be able to stop at any angle assuming what ED says the hinge area being a bit tighter than the Pandora.
 
TrashyMG said:
The hinge won't snap in place at other angles, but it should be able to stop at any angle assuming what ED says the hinge area being a bit tighter than the Pandora.
Click to expand...
Hoperfully there is less variance in production than with the Pandora. With the Pyra's keyboard backlight I actually don't care that much, though. For me the only use case for not using my Pandora fully opened is typing passwords in total darkness. Still I think that renders of half opened Pyras may create false impressions.
 
EvilDragon said:
I do wonder though: it's missing the metal frame around the logo at the back... is that made from the latest blender file?
Click to expand...

As a design element, I'm still not so sure about the aluminum frame. Maybe I will learn to like it more.

Plastic matched to the case how it looks in those renders was, IMHO, awesome.
 
_jr_ said:
Hoperfully there is less variance in production than with the Pandora. With the Pyra's keyboard backlight I actually don't care that much, though. For me the only use case for not using my Pandora fully opened is typing passwords in total darkness. Still I think that renders of half opened Pyras may create false impressions.
Click to expand...
ED said he had them make the hinge area more of an oval shape to increase friction, so it should hold in place better. FWIW, my Pandora still stays open on a table or whatever at that angle.

Grench said:
As a design element, I'm still not so sure about the aluminum frame. Maybe I will learn to like it more.

Plastic matched to the case how it looks in those renders was, IMHO, awesome.
Click to expand...
The aluminum will be used to make the logo more accurately. I think the lighting might look uneven with plastic around the logo, as well (bleeding through the thin areas).
 
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EvilDragon said:
I do wonder though: it's missing the metal frame around the logo at the back... is that made from the latest blender file?
Click to expand...
Yep it is the latest, I might have misplaced the plate, check this one image here, the plate is the top one right? Is it supposed to align with the lid surface?

rygD said:
...And a triple post: did the logo change back to the earlier version? Compare the render to the logo at the top of the page.
Click to expand...
Seems to be the same to me, probably a perspective thing?

_jr_ said:
Does the hinge actually allow usage at the angle shown in the render? I thought it is still the '~170° only' design.
Click to expand...
On current render it is open at 120°, it seems fine to me as the latest Ed´s picture, transparent proto pyra, is open at probably a similar angle.

ible said:
...but it would be nice to have the final logo plate in (it should be level with the back of the case, right?)
hopefully at 3k the renders don't look so grainy... or is that the intended effect?
Click to expand...

It seems it should be leveled, I will fix it. Don´t worry about the grain, it won´t be there on finals...though I always enjoy a little, almost invisible, amount of it. Makes it feel like a photo.
But for publicity reasons I will probably get rid of it all. Color is probably going to be matching the current home page and the current renders (dark red) so we have it all in sync.
Black is only there so I know how much light this material can take before it is not black anymore. :p

So the logo plate should be aluminium right?
I know this one is not important but can someone point me to pictures of the pcb? back and front?
Is there supposed to be a model for the daughter board and LCD board?

edit: The image is probably not safe for work...techporn...:D

pieces.png
 
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