waiting for the Pyra - ancestors

[SAS]

Hi everyone

Long-term lurker here - back from the age of the Zodiac. Found Pyra some years ago while reading about the progress of neo900 and have been following the remarkable work of ED and enjoying the community, the civil discussions and the shared expertise (Y)

Now, I am anticipating to get Pyra 'soon' / in 2 months TM The main reasons for expecting it will fit among my daily used mobile devices are:
* pocketable / <6"
* hardware keyboard
* stylus
* touch screen
* current OS
* privacy friendly / possibility to meddle with OS.

The main usage scenarios are
* text based communication - XMPP / e-mail
* light browsing
* document creation - e.g. Markdown text files
* quick editing - e.g. sketches / stylus-scribbled revisions
* remote administration
* Nextcloud - notes / file management / talk.

I am interested what are you guys using as 'Pyra ancestor', specifically with hardware keyboard +/- stylus support. Currently, I am switching among three devices - Nokia N900 & Sagemcom Spiga & Fujitsu U810.

N900
* ++ most pocketable
* ++ excellent battery life + easily replaceable battery
* ++ microUSB charging
* ++ has a SIM card slot
* + sentimental value
* + excellent build quality
* + very good / almost excellent hardware keyboard + 'hardness' of the keys
* + excellent screen - especially for a resistive screen
* + reasonably good / 'best' (of the three devices) cameras - and back & front
* --- limited software support - e.g. NextCloud client / Win PPTP VPN/ etc
* - reduced enthusiasm in the community / rare updates / no intriguing new projects

Spiga
* ++ has a SIM card slot
* + more versatile OS - though Windows is limited to XP
* - keyboard too 'soft' / worst of the three devices
* - no tablet mode => difficult sketching / drawing
* + more compact, compared to U810
* tolerable, but not admirable battery life
* - difficult to find replaceable batteries
* - NO whole day usage
* - miserable / non-existent official support

Fujitsu U810
* ++ great / most suitable to my needs form factor. Wish the Pyra was the same...
* ++ Windows 7 compatible
* - terrible battery life - even with two extended batteries a whole day usage is impossible
* -- bulky - compared to the other two devices
* - no SIM card slot
* --- => not always on

So, what are you using as a Pyra ancestor :- ?)

 

[levi]

I used to rock Psion S5es but the LCD cable broke on those. Then I went for keyboard phones for a while before I got my Pandora, which again is out of use due to LCD cable woes. I'm currently rocking a fairly dumb phone for my cellular communication needs, and podcast playback, and my old EeePC for home/travelling uses. For gaming, I'm just using my old 3DS for now, but I'm really looking forward to being able to take some classic games with me on the move, and to not have to struggle with a 12 key keypad when I want to note something down (or pull my notepad from my bag, if I'm carrying that).

 

[ckblackm]

a Pandora, of course.

 

[ClockworkCoder]

I get a little of something between a BlackBerry Classic, Thinkpad and 3DS (or formerly a Caanoo). Hoping Pyra will satisfy most needs I have for these devices (except normal phone calls and more intensive programming / writing).

I also did used to have a Psion (forget which model but it wasn't colour) and have also used EeePcs. Nothing I've used has been quite like the Pyra though, and mixed reviews at the time initially put me off the Pandora (even if I was idly following its development for a year or so prior to then).

I'm also anticipating the resistive screen and hope I can use it for sketching.

 

[klapse]

Pandora, Droid 4 with Sailfish OS (GREAT Keyboard)
[doublepost=1547489374,1547489294][/doublepost]

I used to rock Psion S5es but the LCD cable broke on those.

I should still have a 5mx in the attic if it would help.

 

[wismerhill]

I am still using a nokia N810, but the physical keyboard is not usable anymore.
(Long) before that, I had a psion serie 5.

 

[SAS]

Well, one can expect even more 'Pandora, yeah ' around here, but I did not expect so many Psion fans

Eee PC /the original 2007 model / was too bulky / not pocketable for me, even with 'trekking' pants. N810 was my favorite Maemo device, but lack of SIM slot / data traffic made me move to N900 ....

Thanks for sharing!

 

[elw3]

Make it a poll.
Also: PANDORA!

 

[spud42]

iPac HX4700 and a foldout keyboard. 4700 still works well. no idea what happened to the keyboard?

 

[matzesu]

As my Main Handhelds, i use my First Batch Pandora (thought it have now some issues so its about time for a Pyra), a New 2DS XL and a Switch,
For Windows Games and some Home Office work, im using my GPD Win 1.5 (the Modell whit the Active Cooling Fan), but i want to use my Pyra for Home Office once i got my Device..

 

[rSl]

i use my 1-ghz edition mostly as an sx-64!

 

[SAS]

Make it a poll.!

OK - let's try this

Hmmm, it seems like I am not allowed to post links ....

Your content can not be submitted. This is likely because your content is spam-like or contains inappropriate elements. Please change your content or try again later. If you still have problems, please contact an administrator.

 

[ible]

@SAS IIRC noobs are not allowed to post links. give it time... (and posts)

 

[SAS]

@ible - Thanks! I guessed so

 

[λ the β-Redex Reducer]

I use N900 but the Pyra will not be able to completely obsolete it since the Pyra is unwieldy as phone and lacks camera. I am also getting the Librem5 which will together with the Pyra probably replace the N900 for me for the most part.

 

[ljones]

Two devices spring to mind although I don't use them any more. Both are from around the beginning of the decade.

The first one is the ben nanonote a really tiny computer that even makes the pandora look large. At the time I had hoped to replace a PMP with this device but it never happened. Don't know of anything about at all today that is that small -- a raspberry pi zero gets close, but it dosen't have a screen and keyboard.

Wish the nanonote had been continued and updated (for example with usb host). Unfortunatly it never was.

And then there's the Efika MX Smartbook. At the time this looked like a really good device - it had roughly similar specs to the pandora but a larger screen and bigger keyboard. Alas it also requires lots of propietary software to work and the company that made it walked away after a few years.

Neither are supported or made today.


ljones

 

[jutleys]

I am using a GPD win 2 great device but no mobile comms built in.

 

[Eight Bit]

The Casio FX-710P was my first baby back in the 80's!

Unfortunately I was not allowed to use it in math class at school as I could put entire formulas in it and got the right answers without having to think about why, or learning the actual math.
iirc it could do basic stuff too and I made small text based adventures on it.

I remember it broke and I opened it up to see if I could repair it. Lots of really small screws... but ended up disassembling and destroying it.
I wish I still had it...

After that I had a couple of digital organizers but those didn't cut it for me. It was more an address book than a computer like the casio was.

In the 90's I got me a Psion S3a which I still have. I never use it anymore though.
I always liked the form factor of it, also when shut. And I loved the fact it could draw graphs and I could program on it. OPL3 I think it was, now I don't remember any of that.

Now I have and use my Pandora and a separate nokia phone. Still eagerly awaiting the Pyra, hoping that will in due time make the phone obsolete.

 

[levi]

Yes, OPL was the basic/pascalish language for the Psions, which also tended to be featured on the SonyEricsson UIQ phones, and I think was an installable on easly S60 Nokia phones.

The Casio FX-710P was my first baby back in the 80's!

Unfortunately I was not allowed to use it in math class at school as I could put entire formulas in it and got the right answers without having to think about why, or learning the actual math.
iirc it could do basic stuff too and I made small text based adventures on it.

I remember it broke and I opened it up to see if I could repair it. Lots of really small screws... but ended up disassembling and destroying it.
I wish I still had it...

I think I have something along those lines in the loft. No idea if it still works. I also have a slightly later one that came in a black case, but that may not even have been a Casio - I'll have to check.