This is What the Pyra May Look Like...


ekianjo

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I did some quick and dirty work based on ED's renders to imagine what the Pyra may actually look like... :)



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pyrapromo.png
 
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thanks for the interesting article, well there wasnt too much to tell but the pics were def. interesting.
 
I like the fact the numeric keys are now going to be with the rest of the rest of the [alpha] keys, will make it easier to type them for sure.

Wondering a couple of things, which may have been discussed in other threads and I've just missed...

-Those 5 keys now up the top, where the number keys are on Pandora, are those media control keys?

-Given there's now the top row of keys, gaming controls, then the 4 rows beneath that ... Is Pyra likely to be a little deeper than Pandora, or perhaps the same depth but the keys on Pyra are more rectangular rather than the square ones on Pandora?

Looks like all the keys on Pyra will be the size of the number keys on the Pandora
 
It looks like Pandora.
To be fair, it's an early prototype. I'm pretty sure this will be improved upon, at least a little. One thing that worries me, though, is the keyboard. It seems that the keys are all going to be smaller than the ones we have currently, and for thumb typing this is not ideal... 
 
you sure are a neat guy ekianjo. Thanks so much for the picture. I actually am quite pleased with the way this prototype is. My concern was the exact same thing, the size of the keys. At least this is just a prototype and I believe ED said that he was going to make some changes once the chips are ready to go. For instance...working on the case so that the edges don't jam into the hand (I don't get this problem but some people do...I have rough hands most likely from playing different instruments all my life)...

but anyways I don't mean to go too off topic but I really do appreciate the assembly of the prototype parts that ED posted in the latest news article.
 
you sure are a neat guy ekianjo. Thanks so much for the picture. I actually am quite pleased with the way this prototype is. My concern was the exact same thing, the size of the keys. At least this is just a prototype and I believe ED said that he was going to make some changes once the chips are ready to go
Thanks, glad this was useful for other people too :)

The reason why I am concerned with the size of the keys is that it does not sound that it's something that can change later down the road -> ED mentioned he will get a prototype case and then contact the keyboards mat manufacturers for quotations... means he probably has some specs already fixed, I assume ? I really hope he confirms it's really oK even with reduced key size. This is a super important aspect of the device. 
 
The reason why I am concerned with the size of the keys is that it does not sound that it's something that can change later down the road -> ED mentioned he will get a prototype case and then contact the keyboards mat manufacturers for quotations... means he probably has some specs already fixed, I assume ? I really hope he confirms it's really oK even with reduced key size. This is a super important aspect of the device.
Yeah ... that's true...maybe it just looks bad in the pic but it might not be so bad once it's in your hand. He did say he was working on the keymat so this maybe be what we will be stuck with for now, but I am sure if he feels it doesn't work he will change it for the best. Let us wait and see. I have my faith in ED.
 
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As I understand it the keys are the same size as the number and start/select/pandora keys on the Pandora. Presumably one could cut up a spare Pandora keymat to make a mock-up of a small section of the keyboard. That would at least give an idea of usability with regard to the size of the keys.

I don't see this as being an issue myself. I've comfortably used much smaller keys on other devices.

It does occur to me that the smaller size keys is less likely to be an issue if the amount of travel required to fully press each key is also reduced, but I'm also hoping that less travel was one of the design criteria anyway.

- Neelix
 
It does occur to me that the smaller size keys is less likely to be an issue if the amount of travel required to fully press each key is also reduced, but I'm also hoping that less travel was one of the design criteria anyway.
 

Yeah, I think ED mentioned that before (and I believe he had tried some keymats as well). I'm not saying smaller key sizes are necessarily bad, but it's something that needs to be confirmed on extended use - to see if it feels "right". 
 
There's only so many ways you can have a clamshell device with a keyboard and gaming controls, of course it's going to look like a Pandora :p
 
The plastic between the buttons is going to be prone to breaking in your layout. Not much material, close to places where people press stuff -> that's probably not acceptable from a material strength standpoint.
It's hard to show it at an angle, but the amount of plastic between the buttons should be at least as much as is vertically between the keys on the keyboard. If we can get a top-down image of the layout, I could illustrate this much easier.

-God Ginrai
 
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