What Will The Keys Be Like?

[Karel Jansens]

I would definitely like to see something with hard plastic keys, Such as the psion series 5 or psion revo, As they have slim sturdy keys with a smal amount of travel and good tactile feedback.
Trooper

Do you know how much the Psion's keyboard cost? And I'm not talking about the nifty slide-out mechanism, but about the actual construction of the keys? Psion used an intricate system of levers and springs to get their keyboard to be as excellent as it is (I actually keep a Netbook alive just to enjoy typing on it). But this niftiness comes at a price -- literally.

 

[Frogboy]

I vote for back lit keys if possible. I'd even pay a little more for that.

 

[fusion_power]

I vote for back lit keys if possible. I'd even pay a little more for that.

In theory, a backlit Keyboard shouldn't cost more than a normal Keyboard. You can illuminate a whole Keyboard with a single LED. AFAIK LED's costs just some cents. ^^

 

[Frogboy]

I vote for back lit keys if possible. I'd even pay a little more for that.

In theory, a backlit Keyboard shouldn't cost more than a normal Keyboard. You can illuminate a whole Keyboard with a single LED. AFAIK LED's costs just some cents. ^^


Would the keyboard that supports this cost more?

 

[Chip]

I vote for back lit keys if possible. I'd even pay a little more for that.

In theory, a backlit Keyboard shouldn't cost more than a normal Keyboard. You can illuminate a whole Keyboard with a single LED. AFAIK LED's costs just some cents. ^^


Would the keyboard that supports this cost more?


No. Look at any cell phone with backlit keys. Instead of an opaque key with a number painted on, they have translucent keys which are painted everywhere except the number/letter. when the backlight comes on, it shines through the unpainted bits, and the number glows. You're still molding a plastic key and painting it. There is not much difference from a manufacturing standpoint.

I prefer the design of the Jornada 720's keyboard:

I'm sure it's lovely, but there is no way Pandora will have a large, notebook-type keyboard. Those keys have individual hinges under each key, and Pandora doesn't have room for them in any dimension.

 

[Xmas]

For those so strongly opposed to "clickey" keys, I'd like to point out that there will certainly not be a microswitch under each individual key, like old clickey keyboards. Clickey in this sense simply means having a tactile click when the key is pressed, so it is obvious that you have in fact pressed the key. This is essential when the key travel distance is almost nothing. Without some tactile feedback people would be likely to press too hard, not knowing whether the keypress has registered or not. I have tested this out on a couple cell phones, and the keypresses are almost inaudible. You certainly won't be waking anybody up by typing on them.

I am sure most people want tactile feedback. But when someone talks about "non-clicky" keys it's not obvious whether they mean inaudible keys or "soft" feedback (like typical game controller or TV remote buttons) as opposed to "hard" feedback (most mobile phones).

Hard feedback is more likely to make a perceptible sound, and indeed the key click of my mobile phone is a bit annoying (though not as bad as the Start and Select keys of a DS Lite). Soft feedback keys are usually less rigid, and if they're large you can press them down on one side not being sure whether the keypress actually registered or not. However that also depends on how far the keys stick out, and I think the Pandora keyboard should be rather flat. Overall, for thumb typing I think I'd prefer slightly convex hard plastic keys with soft feedback and very limited travel, but hard feedback probably wouldn't be too bad as long as it's almost silent.

 

[Frogboy]

I also vote for non-clicky keys. Non-clicky meaning inaudible but enough feedback that you know that it registered.

 

[jdh2550]

Man, I'd love that Psion 5 keyboard... Look at it - a decent layout and it fits - just get rid of those gaming controls....

BTW - I know I'm a pessimist but how the heck are they going to meet a March or April delivery if they're still choosing the keyboard? Surely, this can't be done. Has anyone started a pool on when the p&|a will actually release? I'll take July 22nd.

Hey, I want it to come out earlier - I'm just having a hard time figuring out how they'll pull it off!

 

[Yrx]

Man, I'd love that Psion 5 keyboard... Look at it - a decent layout and it fits - just get rid of those gaming controls....

BTW - I know I'm a pessimist but how the heck are they going to meet a March or April delivery if they're still choosing the keyboard? Surely, this can't be done. Has anyone started a pool on when the p&|a will actually release? I'll take July 22nd.

Hey, I want it to come out earlier - I'm just having a hard time figuring out how they'll pull it off!

July 22nd is my birthday.