i too own a n900 and i too are looking for devices with a hwardware
keyboard included.
i used to be a big fan of graffiti (v1), but after using the n900 with its
keyboard for two years now i have to say, it's no match.
writing is much faster, using a shell for complex tasks was not really an
option with an onscreen keyboard and best of all, it does not use up
precious screen space.
a bt keyboard is not really an option:
- it's just another piece of stuff you have to carry and remember
- using bt needs power (i know, the builtin hw keyboard does too, but as
much?)
- keyboard needs power
- it's not necessarily reliable (there's a recent report of failure and i
remember others)
- how do you hold both phone and keyboard in, say, a bus or the train?
with the builtin keyboard it's just one piece and holding and typing is
one.
while i understand your points, it doesn't really address the request but
just stresses GTA04's limitations ;-)
cheers
Hi,
Am 27. Februar 2012 11:51 schrieb Nikita V. Youshchenko
yo...@debian.org:
So I would like to encourage to share what you are working on
(kernel? driver? user space?) and what you think would bring forward
the Openmoko community a small or big step.. Any idea is welcome
(even if you think we already know about it).
If anything is welcome then...
I've left OpenMoko commutiny long ago, but I'm really disapponted by
today's devices and I want to return. Unfortunately N900 changed my
mind
and now I consider hardware qwerty keyboard not an option but a must.
I will immediately order any GTA04 successor that will have qwerty
keyboard.
I was about to write the same thing. I own a HP Pre3 with a keyboard,
and
I dont want to miss one on my next phone. But today, the phone droped on
May I ask why you need a (mechanical) keyboard?
The reason why we don't cry hurray, we add one in the next release
is that it is *very* complicated to get one that works well (you most
likely
don't want a bad one just to have it).
The first aspect is mechanics. A keyboard should be sliding in and out or
otherwise the device becomes much bigger than dictated by the display
(which should also become bigger).
Next thing is: what is a really good keyboard? How much pressure, which
button size, etc.
Then, we have to define a keyboard layout. QWERTY or ABCDEF. Add
numeric keys or make them Num+QWERTY to save one row of keys.
And to unsimplify, we need a US, a UK, a German, a French, an Italian
layout and maybe Chinese, Japanese etc. This is doable by exchanging
keycaps or keymats - but we have to stock and provide several different
ones.
Finally, designing a really good and working keyboard is almost as
expensive
as designing a new injection mould...
Compare this with readily available small bluetooth keyboards in the
25-50 EUR
range... So we simply recommend to purchase such a thing because we never
can get one such cheap.
All this could be so simple if we have a software keyboard on the LCD :)
Just choose what you want by software. Choose between different input
methods. No hardware changes needed. Robust against water, and keycap
wear off.
This is why we try to avoid making any keyboard.
So let us understand what the issues are with a onscreen keyboard and
try to improve that. Let's join forces of this community and develop the
best
and really useable on-screen keyboard in the world!
Nikolaus
___
Openmoko community mailing list
community@lists.openmoko.org
http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
--
Schon vor dem Come-Back von Modern Talking wusste ich:
Dieter Bohlen ist der Preis der Freiheit.
Heinz Rudolf Kunze
___
Openmoko community mailing list
community@lists.openmoko.org
http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
