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At the expense of more software dev and a bluetooth module, It would've been more extensible and versatile if it had just used BT for input (HID) and GPIO rathe

At the expense of more software dev and a bluetooth module, It would've been more extensible and versatile if it had just used BT for input (HID) and GPIO rather than creating yet another proprietary connector and forbidding the use of GPIO and a keyboard simultaneously. Why not integrate the most popular one and use BT for the rest? Great, we've re-invented what already exists. Sigh.

eternityforest 2y ago
Having a micro sized detachable BT keyboard would be amazing, but it would still need to charge somehow. It seems like the whole point is that it's one integrated piece you can slip in a pocket, not a collection of hacker gadgets with separate chargers and USB cables you have to be careful about.
- magic_smoke_ee 2y ago
  Build-in either a keyboard or the gamepad. I have BT mice, keyboards, gamepads, and other things that already handle how they charge (USB-C). But it's not a single thing if you're carrying around other parts anyhow, and those appear kind of flimsy. And I already have a general purpose computing device with networking capability that goes in my pocket, a smartphone... so why would I want to put it my pocket if it does less?
  - eternityforest 2y ago
    You might want a dedicated device to control some lights or scan some barcodes that you can hand off without handing off the most expensive thing you own, that unlocks almost every piece of personal data you have. A built in keyboard could be a failure point, and gamepads are well known to fail. I'd trust five layers of frameworks and thousands of lines of code more than a cheap switch. If they really wanted maximum reliability, I would prefer they charge the keypad with NFC and talk to it over either BLE or just the NFC itself.
saidinesh5 2y ago
From the looks of it you can still use your Bluetooth keyboard as it is with the Linux bluetooth stack, except you have to figure out a way to power it .. yet another battery? I think you can just create another module that'll split the gpio to keypad and other purposes as it is just a USB keypad..

eternityforest 2y ago

Having a micro sized detachable BT keyboard would be amazing, but it would still need to charge somehow. It seems like the whole point is that it's one integrated piece you can slip in a pocket, not a collection of hacker gadgets with separate chargers and USB cables you have to be careful about.

magic_smoke_ee 2y ago
Build-in either a keyboard or the gamepad. I have BT mice, keyboards, gamepads, and other things that already handle how they charge (USB-C). But it's not a single thing if you're carrying around other parts anyhow, and those appear kind of flimsy. And I already have a general purpose computing device with networking capability that goes in my pocket, a smartphone... so why would I want to put it my pocket if it does less?
- eternityforest 2y ago
  You might want a dedicated device to control some lights or scan some barcodes that you can hand off without handing off the most expensive thing you own, that unlocks almost every piece of personal data you have. A built in keyboard could be a failure point, and gamepads are well known to fail. I'd trust five layers of frameworks and thousands of lines of code more than a cheap switch. If they really wanted maximum reliability, I would prefer they charge the keypad with NFC and talk to it over either BLE or just the NFC itself.

saidinesh5 2y ago

From the looks of it you can still use your Bluetooth keyboard as it is with the Linux bluetooth stack, except you have to figure out a way to power it .. yet another battery? I think you can just create another module that'll split the gpio to keypad and other purposes as it is just a USB keypad..