Should Pyra have a Camera?

[Granitehead]

edit: I've just read a poll about the expected delivery. If it really is 2015 then I think it is yet not too late.

Forget that poll. 2015 might be realistic, but that poll doesn't say anything about the actual date. It's more of an "I'm bored, what could I do? Ah yeah, create another poll on the Pyra board, they love those."-thread than anything useful.

 

[Caine]

I thought that EvilDragon already stated that there would be no camera. Do I remember this incorrectly?

Personally, I would like to have one (I prefer a builtin one, but USB would be ok). The Pandora (and Pyra) are fantastic devices for Getting Things Done.

A camera would add much to its task capturing capabilities, regardless of its quality (well...text should be readable).

Take a quick picture of the whiteboard at the end of a discussion, of a hole in the wall in need of fixing or of a bill which needs to be split.

Just set the default save location as your GTD inbox and your task has automatically been filed for processing.

It would be nice to not have to carry around an extra device for such tasks as having everything in a single system is quite important for GTD.

 

[Natsu]

At this point, people are just trying to change his mind. This or alternative.

I wouldn't mind a secured USB camera if it actually looks like it part of the case, especially if it has flash

and doesn't cover any other ports.

 

[erico]

Yep, that would be fine with me, probably a 8mb camera similar to the likes of a galaxy note 2 would be nice.

I don´t see problem into the quality stuff, just like the mic, it dosen´t need to be super high quality, but it needs to be there.

 

[Natsu]

Yep, that would be fine with me, probably a 8mb camera similar to the likes of a galaxy note 2 would be nice.

I don´t see problem into the quality stuff, just like the mic, it dosen´t need to be super high quality, but it needs to be there.

If there's an overturn, I don't think we are getting anything higher than 5MB. Which is fine.

 

[Caine]

At this point, people are just trying to change his mind. This or alternative.

I wouldn't mind a secured USB camera if it actually looks like it part of the case, especially if it has flash

and doesn't cover any other ports.

I see, that's unfortunate.
From the point of view of the Pyra as a convergence device, this is the only major feature that is missing.

 

[oxym]

^ If the camera is the "only major feature that is missing", I'd like to confirm the phone (voice calls support) capabilities of pyra.


I know that there is expected 3G version, but it is not made clear whether it is data only or voice+data?

 

[Asatiir]

I'm glad the pandora doesn't have any cameras, there are enough cameras on devices as is.

 

[WizardStan]

I'd like to confirm the phone (voice calls support) capabilities of pyra.

Confirmed

 

[_wb_]

I'm glad the pandora doesn't have any cameras, there are enough cameras on devices as is.

That is a strange argument. There are also enough screens on devices as is. The fact that it is included in many devices could be just hype/trend, but it could also mean that it is actually a useful feature that people like to have.

Or are you just saying: I already have another device with a camera, so I don't need to have one on the Pyra?

I don't think a camera is essential for the success of the Pyra, but it's still a nice feature to have. To me, the long-term goal is to have one ultra-portable device that can replace all other portable devices: laptop, game console, music player, media player, PDA, e-book reader, phone, tablet, camera. Of course for any of these specific tasks there will always be dedicated devices that are (much) better at it. That is OK. We can't be as portable as an mp3 player and we can't have a keyboard and screen that are as comfortable as on a full laptop. It's a compromise device. It's a swiss army knife, not a chef's knife. It's what you would take to an uninhabited island (together with a small solar charger) if you could take only one device.

 

[Asatiir]

I'm glad the pandora doesn't have any cameras, there are enough cameras on devices as is.

That is a strange argument. There are also enough screens on devices as is. The fact that it is included in many devices could be just hype/trend, but it could also mean that it is actually a useful feature that people like to have.


Or are you just saying: I already have another device with a camera, so I don't need to have one on the Pyra?


I don't think a camera is essential for the success of the Pyra, but it's still a nice feature to have. To me, the long-term goal is to have one ultra-portable device that can replace all other portable devices: laptop, game console, music player, media player, PDA, e-book reader, phone, tablet, camera. Of course for any of these specific tasks there will always be dedicated devices that are (much) better at it. That is OK. We can't be as portable as an mp3 player and we can't have a keyboard and screen that are as comfortable as on a full laptop. It's a compromise device. It's a swiss army knife, not a chef's knife. It's what you would take to an uninhabited island (together with a small solar charger) if you could take only one device.

I'm not talking about trends, I barely ever used the cameras on my 3DS and Vita and feel like they're just an unused extra, but that's just my opinion.

 

[_wb_]

I'm glad the pandora doesn't have any cameras, there are enough cameras on devices as is.

That is a strange argument. There are also enough screens on devices as is. The fact that it is included in many devices could be just hype/trend, but it could also mean that it is actually a useful feature that people like to have.


Or are you just saying: I already have another device with a camera, so I don't need to have one on the Pyra?


I don't think a camera is essential for the success of the Pyra, but it's still a nice feature to have. To me, the long-term goal is to have one ultra-portable device that can replace all other portable devices: laptop, game console, music player, media player, PDA, e-book reader, phone, tablet, camera. Of course for any of these specific tasks there will always be dedicated devices that are (much) better at it. That is OK. We can't be as portable as an mp3 player and we can't have a keyboard and screen that are as comfortable as on a full laptop. It's a compromise device. It's a swiss army knife, not a chef's knife. It's what you would take to an uninhabited island (together with a small solar charger) if you could take only one device.

I'm not talking about trends, I barely ever used the cameras on my 3DS and Vita and feel like they're just an unused extra, but that's just my opinion.

But isn't that just because those are special-purpose game consoles, and games do not really need a camera?

I'm talking about video conferencing, scanning QR codes to visit websites, stuff like that.

 

[Yoyobuae]

I'm talking about video conferencing, scanning QR codes to visit websites, stuff like that.

Camera or cameras? Because the the two above uses would require to have both, front and back facing cameras.

 

[Asatiir]

I'm glad the pandora doesn't have any cameras, there are enough cameras on devices as is.

That is a strange argument. There are also enough screens on devices as is. The fact that it is included in many devices could be just hype/trend, but it could also mean that it is actually a useful feature that people like to have.


Or are you just saying: I already have another device with a camera, so I don't need to have one on the Pyra?


I don't think a camera is essential for the success of the Pyra, but it's still a nice feature to have. To me, the long-term goal is to have one ultra-portable device that can replace all other portable devices: laptop, game console, music player, media player, PDA, e-book reader, phone, tablet, camera. Of course for any of these specific tasks there will always be dedicated devices that are (much) better at it. That is OK. We can't be as portable as an mp3 player and we can't have a keyboard and screen that are as comfortable as on a full laptop. It's a compromise device. It's a swiss army knife, not a chef's knife. It's what you would take to an uninhabited island (together with a small solar charger) if you could take only one device.

I'm not talking about trends, I barely ever used the cameras on my 3DS and Vita and feel like they're just an unused extra, but that's just my opinion.

But isn't that just because those are special-purpose game consoles, and games do not really need a camera?

I'm talking about video conferencing, scanning QR codes to visit websites, stuff like that.

I was on the move so I couldn't reply properly. Cameras are definitely useful in devices, I cannot deny that, but in my personal use of handhelds such as the Pandora and many I would unlikely use it. I do understand anyone's desire to have the camera there if the Pyra is their primary or preferred device (can't blame them with that kind of battery honestly) for such uses, but again I am talking out of my own perspective as I barely use video conferencing and even rarer with QR codes and even when I do I would usually prefer to use my phone, tablet and/or laptop for that (and dedicated cameras if you count photography). If the Pyra features a camera it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, but if there's an option to have it without, I would go for the latter.

 

[szr]

I'm glad the pandora doesn't have any cameras, there are enough cameras on devices as is.

That is a strange argument. There are also enough screens on devices as is. The fact that it is included in many devices could be just hype/trend, but it could also mean that it is actually a useful feature that people like to have.


Or are you just saying: I already have another device with a camera, so I don't need to have one on the Pyra?


I don't think a camera is essential for the success of the Pyra, but it's still a nice feature to have. To me, the long-term goal is to have one ultra-portable device that can replace all other portable devices: laptop, game console, music player, media player, PDA, e-book reader, phone, tablet, camera. Of course for any of these specific tasks there will always be dedicated devices that are (much) better at it. That is OK. We can't be as portable as an mp3 player and we can't have a keyboard and screen that are as comfortable as on a full laptop. It's a compromise device. It's a swiss army knife, not a chef's knife. It's what you would take to an uninhabited island (together with a small solar charger) if you could take only one device.

I'm not talking about trends, I barely ever used the cameras on my 3DS and Vita and feel like they're just an unused extra, but that's just my opinion.

I really see this sort of argument all too often, that if you haven't found feature x to be useful, that neither has or would anyone else. Please try to consider that other people would and do find it useful to have a camera, especially one that can be aimed frontwards for video chatting, for example, which would be very much inline with the jack-of-all-trades goal of the device, as I understand it.

 

[szr]

I'm talking about video conferencing, scanning QR codes to visit websites, stuff like that.

Camera or cameras? Because the the two above uses would require to have both, front and back facing cameras.

Or a single camera that can be aimed/swiveled, as has been suggested previously.

 

[Granitehead]

I think a camera embedded in the hinge would be ideal, so it could be turned 180°. Don't think it would be that hard to implement.

From the poll it's clear that not everyone wants a camera, but it's quite a big minority which wants one and if it had one (combined with the phone capabilities) I think the target audience could grow so that that minority actually becomes the majority.

Someone else already wrote something like this: It just has to be there, it doesn't have to be great, we have dedicated cameras for that. Just like the microphone.

Edit: ED confirmed there won't a camera though, didn't he?

But maybe we could get him to talk with the case manufacturer about such a camera in the hinge anyway, maybe if it's not too expensive.

Or maybe it will just be something for the next iteration.

 

[Asatiir]

I really see this sort of argument all too often, that if you haven't found feature x to be useful, that neither has or would anyone else. Please try to consider that other people would and do find it useful to have a camera, especially one that can be aimed frontwards for video chatting, for example, which would be very much inline with the jack-of-all-trades goal of the device, as I understand it.

I already addressed what I thought on a post after that particular post.

 

[Yoyobuae]

I'm talking about video conferencing, scanning QR codes to visit websites, stuff like that.

Camera or cameras? Because the the two above uses would require to have both, front and back facing cameras.

Or a single camera that can be aimed/swiveled, as has been suggested previously.

The mechanical aspect of a swivel camera would have to be dealt with (ie. modify case design, extra costs due to more complex plastic parts, etc). Then there's the electrical aspect too (another flexible cable which can break, etc).

Also where would it fit in the clamshell? Either the lid would need to have a hole straight thru so the camera can be pointed in either direction, or maybe one complete corner of the lid rotates?

Anyway, if no camera is added theres always the option of getting an USB laptop webcam:

Can be manually pointed in either direction too.

 

[Natsu]

Or a single camera that can be aimed/swiveled, as has been suggested previously.

Not going to happen. Have a better chance at a usb camera that you can extended by usb.

Can be manually pointed in either direction too.

No flash. Too big for the Pyra. Defeats the purpose because of it's size.