Hmm, I really don't get the criticism of the keyboard. As I wrote in the article that went up on PandoraLive, my only real complaint is the number keys squished up there next to the hinge, and the thickness of the device at the bottom edge which makes typing a little more fatiguing than it should be. But I'm impressed how reliable the action is - press a key on my Pandora and it'll definitely respond, and how unlike previous rubber keyboards I've used it is.
I'd say my own criticisms of the Pandora hardware would be:
- the hinge could be a bit stiffer, and could lie a bit more evenly when closed (though that's something you don't tend to notice after a while)
- the touchscreen could be more responsive (although the screen protector I've added really doesn't help, I reckon)
- the nubs recalibrating themselves in the middle of a game of super geo wars killed that game for me
- took me a long time to figure out the optimal number and placement of little wedges of paper in the battery compartment to make the thing stay in contact if I ever took it anywhere.
- that the bluetooth LED isn't blue
- and how easy it is to scratch the silver paint (having just knocked mine off the arm of this chair into the pit where my laptop PSU lurks and getting a fresh scratch on the lid)
Positives are:
- Having shift on left trigger
- Audio quality (although sadly this has shown up the flaws in some of the cheaper headphones I was happy using on other devices)
- Battery life
- Keyboard layout - it may be limited in terms of the number of keys, but all the symbols you're ever likely to need are there, and the layout of most of them isn't too bonkers.
- USB2 host is surprisingly useful when the wifi conks out!
Of course, there's a lot of other stuff which is simply as excellent as I'd expect from a device in this day and age including the screen brightness which has worked fine for playing Yars' Revenge for me.
