Play along - create a PinePhone keyboard
(02-17-2021, 05:12 AM)dgdimick Wrote: Someone once told me:

"If you want a better XYZ, buy a better XYZ" - You can't expect the PinePhone to be the end-all-be-all of phones.

The PinePhone wasn't designed for anything other then a Phone, all other uses are "extras", this should be considered when trying to add additional functions.

Decide what you want to use the PinePhone for and move forward, for me, I'm looking at it as a small portable computer first, and a Phone as a secondary use.

As you state, Pinephone was designed to be a phone. This keyboard removes/reduces such functionality without the use of a dongle (blue tooth, wire mic, whatever). So folks generally have a good reason to complain about it. Especially since keeping the functionality of a phone is as simple as a 180 degree hinge. That being said, it probably raises costs too much, at least that's the only good reason I can think of for not designing with 180 degrees in mind.

In the end I'll buy it, because "Better XYZ" doesn't exist. Choices for PKB Phones are pretty slim, and none of them can use mainline Linux functionally.
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(02-17-2021, 07:03 PM)BronzeBeard Wrote:
(02-17-2021, 05:12 AM)dgdimick Wrote: Someone once told me...........

As you state.........
Yes, dgdimick really contradicts himself in one message, perhaps it's translation difficulties.
I have studied all the news and most of the forum regarding pinephone, it is clear that doing something else is not profitable for either the buyer or the manufacturer, and the choice made is practically the golden mean (marketing in this case makes sense).
I agree, I will also definitely buy what will be released, one way or another.
I would like to bring up one sober addition for discussion - maybe it still makes sense to place at least a tiny speaker in the keyboard with a tiny hole Smile, so that if necessary, you can still talk on the folded PDA phone and not rest your nose on the keyboard Smile Smile Smile
I don’t know how difficult it is to implement it in reality .. perhaps it would help to resolve the aggravated disagreement and attract more buyers - those who are currently not happy with the choice of the final version.

p.s. 360 degrees would suit everyone, as it seems to me, I don't know which is simpler, cheaper and more practical .. [Image: w9604578.jpg]
I personally don't like the slider at all. this design does not protect the screen. This is probably the only option that I definitely won't buy. better as now .. and nose into the keyboard Smile than the screen at the top.
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Lot of negativity here, I'd like to instead congratulate the pine guys, you've managed to bring this idea to life and the final product looks very well designed and polished from the pictures we've seen so far.

Yes maybe the situation with answering calls isn't perfect, but nothing on this earth is. Remember that for now you can always just plug in a pair of headphones with built in mic. We should be thanking the Pine people for putting in the effort to create this for us, and giving them constructive criticism on how they can improve for the next version.

It is far, far easier to throw criticism at something someone else has made than to make a better version yourself. To all the people here who are posting nothing but negativity, I'd encourage you to spend months designing and manufacturing a prototype, and then post it here if you think you could do such a better job.
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(02-17-2021, 07:03 PM)BronzeBeard Wrote:
(02-17-2021, 05:12 AM)dgdimick Wrote: Someone once told me:

"If you want a better XYZ, buy a better XYZ" - You can't expect the PinePhone to be the end-all-be-all of phones.

The PinePhone wasn't designed for anything other then a Phone, all other uses are "extras", this should be considered when trying to add additional functions.

Decide what you want to use the PinePhone for and move forward, for me, I'm looking at it as a small portable computer first, and a Phone as a secondary use.

As you state, Pinephone was designed to be a phone. This keyboard removes/reduces such functionality without the use of a dongle (blue tooth, wire mic, whatever). So folks generally have a good reason to complain about it. Especially since keeping the functionality of a phone is as simple as a 180 degree hinge. That being said, it probably raises costs too much, at least that's the only good reason I can think of for not designing with 180 degrees in mind.

In the end I'll buy it, because "Better XYZ" doesn't exist. Choices for PKB Phones are pretty slim, and none of them can use mainline Linux functionally.
I disagree there isn't a "better xyz", if I wanted a portable computer that was/is better then the PinePhone, I'd buy a tablet, that was able to run Linux on it -

https://www.fosslinux.com/43844/linux-ta...rivacy.htm

And before you ask me why I didn't, my needs and requirements are probably a lot different then yours.

Just as my choice of a VPN is probably different as well.
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It also think that the keyboard is not very comfortable.
Since there are so many negative comments on the current design, it might be worth revisiting it?
I'm sure the slider would suit everyone. But I understand that this can be impossible at the current stage.
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(02-20-2021, 04:31 AM)Shatur Wrote: I'm sure the slider would suit everyone.

No, it wouldn't. The slider would be better than nothing, but for what I want out of a keyboard this is much better.

It is my understanding that there were always two keyboard projects: a slider and a clam shell. And the slider isn't cancelled but just delayed, because it is much harder to design a slider than a clam shell.

Could someone with connections to the inside maybe comment on that? @Luke ? @tllim ?
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(02-20-2021, 05:08 AM)CharlieGordon Wrote:
(02-20-2021, 04:31 AM)Shatur Wrote: I'm sure the slider would suit everyone.

No, it wouldn't. The slider would be better than nothing, but for what I want out of a keyboard this is much better.

It is my understanding that there were always two keyboard projects: a slider and a clam shell.  And the slider isn't cancelled but just delayed, because it is much harder to design a slider than a clam shell.

Could someone with connections to the inside maybe comment on that? @Luke ? @tllim ?
I could be wrong but I don't think anyone "official" has commented on this thread since the early pages. We've been asked to play along and discuss ideas for the PinePhone keyboard but the only feedback we've received is in the form of monthly updates which appear to have totally ignored the issues we've been pointing out.
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Both Luke and TL have commented in this thread, but I agree the actual amount of information revealed wasn't too impressive.
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(03-02-2021, 06:59 AM)captainmorgan Wrote:
(02-20-2021, 05:08 AM)CharlieGordon Wrote:
(02-20-2021, 04:31 AM)Shatur Wrote: I'm sure the slider would suit everyone.

No, it wouldn't. The slider would be better than nothing, but for what I want out of a keyboard this is much better.

It is my understanding that there were always two keyboard projects: a slider and a clam shell.  And the slider isn't cancelled but just delayed, because it is much harder to design a slider than a clam shell.

Could someone with connections to the inside maybe comment on that? @Luke ? @tllim ?
I could be wrong but I don't think anyone "official" has commented on this thread since the early pages. We've been asked to play along and discuss ideas for the PinePhone keyboard but the only feedback we've received is in the form of monthly updates which appear to have totally ignored the issues we've been pointing out.

Your post, and others have me thinking a bit on all of this.

I'm thinking that the "officials" you seem to be looking for don't really exist beyond the scope of getting the hardware out to an interested group, and these "officials" look to this same group to develop a lot of these "add-ons" you're looking for.

I see this as how we have grown to use and enjoy most opensource projects, get the idea, and let the users build the idea, rather then the MS, Apple model of "spoon-feeding" the user base their ideas.

This shouldn't be taken as a slam, or slight, to anyone involved in anyway with the Pine64 project, and if someone does take it this way, I apologize, it's all on my inability to express the idea.

Thanks,
Denis
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Everytime I try to post in this thread I just start writing ramblings about what my ideal keyboard would be.

I do really like the design provided. As long as I can use it in my hands while laying down, I will be ecstatic. Because my original option was the Pyra that has only started coming out. I looked at making one myself with a Raspberry Pi 4, but while I can code that doesn't translate to electronics sadly.
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