Play along - create a PinePhone keyboard

[Boern]

Hey guys.
I'm Andrey, the designer behind The Other Half Keyboard for Jolla Phone back in the days we've created together with Dirk van Leersum and Kimmo Lindholm.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/27500387...Smartphone




I've invested quite a lot of time in the search for a perfect pro-user layout so if you would like to use it or play along - feel free to contact me. There are a bunch of different layouts ready, including Russian, Finnish, Hindu and so on. Also I'm still in touch with the manufacturer of the key plate so I guess it would be possible to make a batch (even though I think it will require some adjustments to the silicone base since it wont be fit to the domes you'd use).

Cheers!

This keyboard looks awesome. Might be even usable for gaming with that layout.

[Luke]

Hey guys.
I'm Andrey, the designer behind The Other Half Keyboard for Jolla Phone back in the days we've created together with Dirk van Leersum and Kimmo Lindholm.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/27500387...Smartphone




I've invested quite a lot of time in the search for a perfect pro-user layout so if you would like to use it or play along - feel free to contact me. There are a bunch of different layouts ready, including Russian, Finnish, Hindu and so on. Also I'm still in touch with the manufacturer of the key plate so I guess it would be possible to make a batch (even though I think it will require some adjustments to the silicone base since it wont be fit to the domes you'd use).

Cheers!

@wazd  !
I was literally meant to email you today. Could you please email me on l.erecinski@pine64.org?
I emailed you !
looking forward to hearing from you

[Beattie]

I'd like to play with the 3d models that Pine64 has posted, especially the keyboard but also the Back. Unfortunately the STL files I created from the STP files (using an online converted) don't seem to slice. Using FreeCAD to read/edit the STP files does not seem to work. Is there any Linux software I can use with the STP files?

[murak]

Hey guys.
I'm Andrey, the designer behind The Other Half Keyboard for Jolla Phone back in the days we've created together with Dirk van Leersum and Kimmo Lindholm.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/27500387...Smartphone




I've invested quite a lot of time in the search for a perfect pro-user layout so if you would like to use it or play along - feel free to contact me. There are a bunch of different layouts ready, including Russian, Finnish, Hindu and so on. Also I'm still in touch with the manufacturer of the key plate so I guess it would be possible to make a batch (even though I think it will require some adjustments to the silicone base since it wont be fit to the domes you'd use).

Cheers!

You got my vote, but i´m biased because I´m both scandinavian and a fan of old games  Please get in touch with pine64 directly as well.

[SwordfishII]

Hey guys.
I'm Andrey, the designer behind The Other Half Keyboard for Jolla Phone back in the days we've created together with Dirk van Leersum and Kimmo Lindholm.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/27500387...Smartphone




I've invested quite a lot of time in the search for a perfect pro-user layout so if you would like to use it or play along - feel free to contact me. There are a bunch of different layouts ready, including Russian, Finnish, Hindu and so on. Also I'm still in touch with the manufacturer of the key plate so I guess it would be possible to make a batch (even though I think it will require some adjustments to the silicone base since it wont be fit to the domes you'd use).

Cheers!

I actually quite like your keyboard, and it seems like pine is looking for a simple and quicker solution for a slide keyboard while they work on the clam shell so this might be the best bet.

Is the sliding mechanism for the Jolla also open source? Do you have any designs/insight? It might (or might not) be easier to simply modify that complete design for the pinephone.

[Djhg2000]

Hey guys.
I'm Andrey, the designer behind The Other Half Keyboard for Jolla Phone back in the days we've created together with Dirk van Leersum and Kimmo Lindholm.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/27500387...Smartphone




I've invested quite a lot of time in the search for a perfect pro-user layout so if you would like to use it or play along - feel free to contact me. There are a bunch of different layouts ready, including Russian, Finnish, Hindu and so on. Also I'm still in touch with the manufacturer of the key plate so I guess it would be possible to make a batch (even though I think it will require some adjustments to the silicone base since it wont be fit to the domes you'd use).

Cheers!

I really like how this is like an old style laptop keyboard without gaps between the keys. The curved keys are a nice compromise to still make them distinct to the touch at these sizes.

There is one thing I'd like to add though; since it might be desirable to use legacy X11 applications on a PinePhone (unlike on a Jolla Phone) I'd suggest adding a touchpad function similar to that of the PlayStation 3 Wireless Keypad:

This was the most descriptive video of it I could find so I guess it wasn't that useful on a gaming console.

I noticed the < and > arrow keys don't have any Fn key symbols and the same for Enter/Backspace, so that's where I'd place the left/right click buttons for the touch pad (which one you use depends on if you're left or right handed). Touchpad mode would have to be toggled by a keyboard combination like Fn+Ctrl which would enable quick toggling on the left side.

The touch pad likely doesn't need to be the full size of the keyboard either but I guess that comes down to what's convenient for production.

The most important thing here is that it doesn't change the physical shape or connection requirements of the keyboard. I does bring up the cost and it's no likely to be terribly accurate without the tweaking resources of someone like Sony, but it should be able to do the job.

Another option would be to add a small trackball like on those early HTC Android phones (I had a Magic and the trackball was fantastic) but then we'd need to find space for it, or to have an actual touchpad on the rear like the PS Vita had. In those cases we could probably add dedicated buttons for the mouse clicks but I feel like that's going pretty far from the elegance of the pictured keyboard design.

[Boern]

I think I saw somewhere the option to use the touchscreen as a touchpad. So you wouldn't actually need a dedicated touchpad if that is implemented in your OS.

[lonze]

I was just thinking about PinePhones camera and speaker locations. Would it be too weird if the keyboard was narrower than the phone so it would not cover them. It would also be easier to write for people with short thumbs like me.

[SwordfishII]

There is one thing I'd like to add though; since it might be desirable to use legacy X11 applications on a PinePhone (unlike on a Jolla Phone) 

A solution I used on a Linux tablet that only had a keyboard was keynav and a custom keybinding that initialized on startup.

Here is a video about it that someone made.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OkOb2aD-dVg

Basically it sets up a 4 square grid. If you cut right it turns the right two grids into 4 grids (one move eliminated half the screen) again using a direction, up, down, left or right you reduce that half by another half. You can keep going if you want but the goal is to have the center + where you want the mouse to go. Then you use a designated mouse click button and the mouse moves to that spot and either right, left or center clicks.

It sounds confusing but it is really simple and useful if you don't have/want a mouse.

The video shows the default bindings but it's easy to change them. He also cuts more than he has to but it shows how accurate it is.

It works surprisingly well and quickly, although gaming is definitely out.

[x0r]

@wazd 



this keyboard no have capslock, but why have ins?

Meybe add more than one function key? this keyboard are small, meybe add fn0..2 ?and normal Function N F1, F2...

@all

If keyboard are too small why not add second keyboard in oposite side?
https://ibb.co/0DtG0xP
for example not needed F0..15 1..0 !@#$%^&*()+_ uses only small keyboard.

I wrote this in my other posts.

(Chodzi o to by klawiatura dolna była tylko do liter, tab, entera i ew. ktopki, przecinka, strzałek i pgup. home
Wtedy poruszamy sie po dokumencie i wprowadzamy dane, jesli potrzebujesz jakis dodatkowych klawiszy otwierasz kolejną szufladkę z klawiszami. Tak to pisałem ostatnio.
Choc jak pisałem tez wczesniej, moim zdaniem skoro klawisze z ux50 mieściły się na dwa razy mniejszej powierzchni, to teraz klawiszy starczy nawet na moja wersje mini.
Większość ludzi, wolała by jednak klawiaturę w formie psion5. Nawet jeśli klawisze były by węższe jak w klawiaturach mechanicznych robionych w chinach)


@CharlieGordon Nie mam do Ciebie żalu, nie wiem dlaczego miałbym mieć. Tu jest normalna społecznośc hakerska. I nikt nikogo nie musi przepraszac ;-)
Na prawde większosc ludzi jest normalna i żyje z daleka od nowomowy i politycznej poprawności. Pisz co chcesz. Ja niestety za słabo znam język by odniesć się do wszystkiego i boje się też że zostane źle zrozumiany, a nie tego, że ktoś się uśmieje z moich pomysłów. (w sumie dlatego pisze to po polsku a nie w Twoim języku czy po angielsku)