Where to buy this Human Keyboard?
- Thread starter patrick295767
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patrick295767
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Sorry. I have forgotten to attach the most important pic. 
pic04, showing more details about it:
http://i.imgur.com/bMuWfB2.jpg
The considered keys, i.e. F and J, have a mark, and are positioned both at 6.3-6.5mm (symmetrically). Keys such as Colon, Semicolon, Fn, and Menu/Help have also a reason to be there. They can be reached easily, and it is similar to conventional keyboards. The Position of Tab should be as well there. A Tab where it is on the Pandora is also a problem, although it might sometimes look like reasonable to be there. Sthg interesting. Try to do the alt+ctrl+F1-12? Fn and Del, you see also the prob.?
If you wanna have a good keyboard, you try to respect few things. I dont want to bash on Pandora. I am really happy that a similar "Open" Project with Linux could be managed.
Now, it is unfortunately too late. It has been released, and they don't want to produce any other keyboards for the Pandora.
pic04, showing more details about it:
http://i.imgur.com/bMuWfB2.jpg
The considered keys, i.e. F and J, have a mark, and are positioned both at 6.3-6.5mm (symmetrically). Keys such as Colon, Semicolon, Fn, and Menu/Help have also a reason to be there. They can be reached easily, and it is similar to conventional keyboards. The Position of Tab should be as well there. A Tab where it is on the Pandora is also a problem, although it might sometimes look like reasonable to be there. Sthg interesting. Try to do the alt+ctrl+F1-12? Fn and Del, you see also the prob.?
If you wanna have a good keyboard, you try to respect few things. I dont want to bash on Pandora. I am really happy that a similar "Open" Project with Linux could be managed.
Now, it is unfortunately too late. It has been released, and they don't want to produce any other keyboards for the Pandora.
Last edited by a moderator:
I appreciate that keyboards can be well or badly designed, and that it is important to get it right.
Having said this, the dimples on the J and F keys are more useful for ten-finger typing, for which the pandora's keyboard is not suitable.
You still haven't explained why the Pandora would benefit from a more symmetrical keyboard design, and my point about the accessibility of tab still stands. I'd also like to add that the space key is ideally placed for pressing it with one's right kuckle.
It might also help if you were more careful with your use of English, not because everyone here is a grammar-snob, but because It is quite hard to understand what you are saying
Sorry to be so critical, but if you cannot hold a a coherent discussion (i.e. make valid responses to other people's points) then there is no point posting on a forum.
The Psion device in your post above has far more space for keys, you might as well compare the pandora's keyboard to a full 105-key PC-style 'board.
How much typing have you done on your pandora? It sounds as thought you are approaching the whole problem from a theoretical perspective.
Have you had a look at the keyboard on the iControlPad2 (made by the same people would designed the pandora) ?
Having said this, the dimples on the J and F keys are more useful for ten-finger typing, for which the pandora's keyboard is not suitable.
You still haven't explained why the Pandora would benefit from a more symmetrical keyboard design, and my point about the accessibility of tab still stands. I'd also like to add that the space key is ideally placed for pressing it with one's right kuckle.
It might also help if you were more careful with your use of English, not because everyone here is a grammar-snob, but because It is quite hard to understand what you are saying
Sorry to be so critical, but if you cannot hold a a coherent discussion (i.e. make valid responses to other people's points) then there is no point posting on a forum.
The Psion device in your post above has far more space for keys, you might as well compare the pandora's keyboard to a full 105-key PC-style 'board.
How much typing have you done on your pandora? It sounds as thought you are approaching the whole problem from a theoretical perspective.
Have you had a look at the keyboard on the iControlPad2 (made by the same people would designed the pandora) ?
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*cough* Well, yes...Are you really supposing that we didn't think about the Psion keyboard when the Pandora keybed was discussed? Or the Sharps, or the HP-lxes? I personally have 3 Psion 5mxes, 3 HP-lx, an Atari Portfolio and a small bunch of other handheld computers. I am, of course, not in any way reponsible for the construction of the keyboard - I was there and took part in the discussion, is all. So did several others on these boards, and several no longer around. All these varieties of keybeds hav been discussed.
The Psion keyboard is wonderful, but it needs a lot more space, needs to have a bunch of patents licensed, and would cost about half the original cost of the pandora in parts alone. Excellent - Yes. And excellency costs money and space.
So yes, constructing a good keyboard needs good science. Good science is also to take heed of the limitations of the problem. The size means that a Psion style keyboard is out. If I remember correctly, parts of the HP design is also patented. And, of course, it will be used mostly for thumb typing (given the size), which means that dimples on the F and J are really missing the point. It needs to be able to co-exist with the gaming controls. It cannot cost too much. Now, with all those limitations in place - go design that keyboard.
Did it turn out perfect? By all means, no. There are certainly things to improve, both from a layout and a keybed perspective. But do lay off the attitude of "Oh, you bumbling fools who discussed your way to this subpar keyboard! Had I just arrived in time, I could have saved you all with science!", because it is obvious that you couldn't - You don't even try to understand the factors involved.
Nothing is where it is by accident. There is a reason for everything. Except possibly for the ¥ and the ß - those I don't know about
PowerGod
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I used the Pandora to edit a LOT of text files/scripts/programs, and I found it's keyboard very well done and sometimes even better than the one of my PC, cause you don't have keys so distant and you don't have to move your arms.
The shoulders buttons used as SHIFT and CTRL plus the HOME/END/PG.UP/PG.DN in the game buttons are the BEST THING EVER !! I can easily do selections and copy/past in the fastest way possible !!
The only things that gave me some problems are the lack of "nation specific" keys, but the US special characters are the most used in programming anyway.
About the mark on F and J I don't think is really so important, cause your thumbs are most of the time in the same position while you hold the Pandora with both hands, so you know how distant are the keys from them, and if you really don't want to see (or can't see) the keyboard, you can use the Pandora Button or the NUBS as a reference.
The thing that must be improved is the DEL/BACKSPACE/INS key issue.
The shoulders buttons used as SHIFT and CTRL plus the HOME/END/PG.UP/PG.DN in the game buttons are the BEST THING EVER !! I can easily do selections and copy/past in the fastest way possible !!
The only things that gave me some problems are the lack of "nation specific" keys, but the US special characters are the most used in programming anyway.
About the mark on F and J I don't think is really so important, cause your thumbs are most of the time in the same position while you hold the Pandora with both hands, so you know how distant are the keys from them, and if you really don't want to see (or can't see) the keyboard, you can use the Pandora Button or the NUBS as a reference.
The thing that must be improved is the DEL/BACKSPACE/INS key issue.
