Will the perfect form factor ever have a comeback?

#palm #pre #physicalkeyboard

@jimmac I'm more of a Moto Razr fan :-p

@jimmac webOS my beloved, it was so good that I could actually code on my Veer and its graphics and UX flowed so well even compared to phones of today... while I don't like GNOME on desktop, GNOME mobile actually looks like it enhances the webOS interaction style and keeps the good parts unlike the modern android/iOS with their HALF-SWIPE RECENTS GESTURE

@jimmac N900 but thinner, is what i want

@jimmac No.

@jimmac There are more form factors that won’t ever come back, sadly. Like this one:

We have SUVs in our pockets.

#suv #mobile #webos #peakdesign

@jimmac yeah... I'm a bit horrified that now my "small" phone has a 6" screen, and I can't really use a virtual keyboard on a smaller one comfortably anymore.

Bring back physical keyboards and smaller screens!

@jimmac @archenemy That opinion demonstrates a total lack of understanding of the needs of those of us with poor/impaired eyesight. Hint: I *NEED* a big phone, I can't easily read text on a regular sized one. (Don't tell me to pinch-zoom, then I only get to read about 4 words on screen at a time.)

Pixel art is illegible to me: emoji are just a confusing blur.

@cstross @jimmac @archenemy What if it was the same size and pixel density of your current phone, but _also_ had a slide out portrait keyboard?

@mdm @jimmac @archenemy You're talking about the Astro Slide 5G, right? It's neat, but arrived half-baked and two years late after the ODM went bankrupt in 2022. Meanwhile, gestural/swiping keyboards make touchscreens usable (sort-of).

NB: don't try to buy an Astro Slide, I have no idea if they're actually shipping and the software is half-baked (I speak from experience). Great concept, but I really want it as an iPhone.

https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/astro-slide-5g

@jimmac So... yes, I'm looking for small and open phones. Some day I hope to experiment with #esp32 + #Espruino + modem. But if there are other solutions, I'm interested too.

@cstross @jimmac @archenemy I am a similarly decrepit individual. The perfect form factor for me is the iPad mini. I would love it if Apple implemented CarPlay features with headsets and more voice-controls so I could send and read messages from my iPad in my backpack instead of grabbing an iPhone.

@Seanochicago @jimmac @archenemy I doubt Apple will do that: our best hope is the persistent rumour that they're working on a folding phone—but it probably won't surface before 2026 and will cost more than an iPhone *and* an iPad Mini (because why wouldn't they price it high).

@cstross @jimmac @archenemy The folding phone fad reminds me of the palmtop rage that happened right before the iPad was released. I will bet money that a iFold is not in the immediate stars.

@Seanochicago @jimmac @archenemy i'm certain Apple is tracking the folding trend and has prototypes ... and equally certain they won't sell one until (a) they can make it more reliable than Samsung/Google/etc's rather crappy offerings and (b) can sell it for the price of an iPhone Pro Max *and* an iPad Mini combined (because it will cannibalize the market for at least one of those devices).

@jimmac I spoke about this the other to a buddy. Phones have lost their character from the past. The swivel days... The flip days... The days where you dropped the phone and put it together yourself.