21–30 of 289 posts
I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.
It can be better real estate management to use a Graffiti virtual keyboard - that is what some of us still use on Android.
I realized I had no idea what actual platform these were (I'm old enough to remember longing for one of these but never had one back in the day). It's powered by the NEV V20 [1] processor, which is a 16-bit chip that is code and pin compatible with the more famous Intel 8088. The NEC chip was launched in March of 1984 which is interesting given that the Psion 3a came in 1991. It feels like today launching a product b…
Well. The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 has an ARM Cortex-A53 SoC. The Zero 2 was released in October 2021, and the A53 line in October 2012. I don't think you'd struggle to find other A53 devices being released after 2019.
It almost feels like the A53 line is a bit of a special case, but then again, so was the 8088...
I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.
Because it would be utterly useless for the 99.999% of the population. And also because, like any dreams of that kind, it's better if it remains as such, you really do not want to see it shattered if anyone actually made such a device
I used to be a heavy user of my Psion Revo back in the 2000s. It had a highly usable full-featured office suite, and I truly used it as a laptop replacement at the time. I was able to touch-type my university course on it, and it could even fit a shirt front pocket. Honestly, the only thing that quickly made it obsolete was the lack of network connectivity (limited to infrared). It's still one of the computing device…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because it would be utterly useless for the 99.999% of the population. And also because, like any dreams of that kind, it's better if it remains as such, you really do not want to see it shattered if anyone actually made such a device
Would beg to differ. Many people would love to a e-ink display (no color needed). It is better on the eye, and saves battery, and you can read it in the sunlight. It is not good for watching video, but I'm sure I'm not the only who don't like watching moving pictures on small screens. Most ppl just want to read and send text.
no they don't, unless you are living in some alternate reality I'm not aware of
I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.
I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.
The formfactor did not really fail in the market but it just completely disappeared along with their software platforms. The thing that actually failed in the market was those software platforms. Keyboards were just collateral damage.
Android and hardware keyboards never really were a thing. I think there were a few niche models but none from mainstream manufacturers like Samsung. At least I don't recall anything that was seriously marketed in this space in recent history.
Apple actually sells keyboard covers with their ipads and they are super popular because real keyboards are essential for knowledge workers. But nothing similar is available for the iphone. There's nothing preventing that from happening except Apple deciding for their users that tiny touch screen keyboards are good enough when on the ipad, which has a much bigger touch keyboard it clearly isn't. I can see a contradiction here. That can't both be true.
A few reasons I can see that might explain why manufacturers don't like the idea:
1) it adds cost and introduces more failure modes (mechanical issues, keys failing, etc.). Apple knows a thing or two about failing keyboards.
2) it makes the devices thicker. Swappable batteries disappeared for the same reason. Once Apple got away with gluing in the battery to make the phone thinner, everybody else copied that and never looked back.
3) Android support for this would complicate UI and the touch keyboard appearing. That probably is a minor one and fixable but I given that there are few android phones with keyboards, probably not a lot of testing is happening for this. IOS seems to actually handle this nicely on the ipad.
Having used a few very robust Nokia models with keyboards, I think especially business users would appreciate a modern take on that formfactor. I don't think anyone gave this a serious try recently. Instead everybody seems to obsess about curved screens, folding screens, adding lots of camera lenses that mostly go unused, etc. So, manufacturers attempt to differentiate with features that don't really matter; which seems like it's a race to the bottom. But those same struggling vendors seem to avoid doing things that might actually differentiate them more meaningfully. Things like keyboards, swappable batteries, etc.
I loved my Psions. I truly miss having a smaller form factor computer. If I could possibly an iPhone with an attached physical keyboard, I’m certain that I could do a huge amount of work that I presently do with my laptop. (I know I can get an external keyboard but there’s something far more useful and satisfying about a properly integrated device.)
I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because it would be utterly useless for the 99.999% of the population. And also because, like any dreams of that kind, it's better if it remains as such, you really do not want to see it shattered if anyone actually made such a device
Would beg to differ. Many people would love to a e-ink display (no color needed). It is better on the eye, and saves battery, and you can read it in the sunlight. It is not good for watching video, but I'm sure I'm not the only who don't like watching moving pictures on small screens. Most ppl just want to read and send text.
If you just want to read and send text, any phone will do. And it won't have the annoying slow update on e-ink display. (Have you tried typing on one?)
The Psions were nice toys, but not a lot more than that. I had a 5 and the build quality wasn't great. The pointer clip inside the body broke fairly quickly, and the covering on the device itself started peeling off.
The folding action was very clever and the software was decent enough. But I'm not sure I ever used it for anything except occasional notes and some basic spreadsheeting.
Its appeal was that it looked like a serious business-y microlaptop.
That was impressive when real laptops were still blocky, thick, and very heavy. Now that they're not, it doesn't really have a use case.