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It's here at last! I am getting acquainted with it as I somewhat clumsily type this post on the keyboard itself. Getting used to the size, feel and layout. I'm going to share some initial impressions and just take the moment to be super excited to finally have it in my hands! First, some photos.
Size comparison with Palm m500
Pinephone palmtop ready for action
Overall I think it feels pretty good. There is a satisfying amount of key travel and the sound when pressing a key is very quiet. Like quieter than any keyboard I can remember typing on of any type. Normally I like a little bit of key noise to go along with my key travel but I'm ok with it here. Being highly mobile I think quiet is probably good.
As was reported by some of the first to receive their keyboards mine also seems a little reluctant to register keypresses on the top row. Making sure to press firmly when using the top row helps but it is not perfect. Fortunately there is an easy DIY modification to the keycaps that is reported to fix this issue. We'll see if Pine64 addresses this issue as more people get their keyboards. I will report back once I make the modification.
The hinge feels great. It feels very solid like it will stay where you want it with no problem. It opens up 180 degrees which gives you plenty of freedom to get the right angle for the situation.
There are a couple things I have noticed that are not ideal. For one, there is no right shift which makes typing capitals and some symbols on the left side of the keyboard annoyingly difficult when thumb typing. Also, by default the arrow keys are accessed via holding the function key. I suppose it depends how much you use the arrow keys whether this bothers you or not. There may be other little things I haven't noticed yet.
Luckily any layout issues will not be much of a problem in the long run. The firmware is completely open and designed to be easy to change layouts to your preferences. This is something I will surely explore in the future.
My expectations for this accessory were quite high. It really transforms the Pinephone into a different kind of device. Now it is a clamshell palmtop computer that happens to have a cell modem and a touchscreen rather than a smartphone. There are two important aspects I haven't touched on yet. Battery life and how the keyboard and its battery interact with the OS. The keyboard has a big honkin 6000mah battery inside to go along with the Pinephone's 3000mah battery. Needless to say I expect 200% more battery capacity to completely solve any runtime shortcomings. Once I've had time to test more thoroughly I will write a follow-up post.
Despite some minor complaints I'm pretty thrilled with the keyboard. As a unit the Pinephone when installed in the keyboard accessory is signifiicantly larger than the phone by itself. It is wider and more than double the thickness but it does still fit in a pocket. My plan is to make this Pinephone palmtop one of my primary computers. More on this as it develops.
