Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

I was just wandering how important that is for casual conversation. Because here we have "ć,č,đ,š,ž" but using "c,c,dj,s,z" will do just fine. Sure, it's not OK for something official but for anything else.......In the early days of internet half of the stuff didn't even support our characters. That's the reason why most of us oldtimers are used to type that way even now.
Not to mention that in SMS days any of those characters would take up to 10 letters of you message. Another reason why we were avoiding them.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Does the QWERTZ keyboard really have extra keys? I only looked quickly because I didn't find good pictures of both QWERTZ and QWERTY, but it seemed that the the extra keys on the right come as a trade-off with fewer keys on the left, no?

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

No, the amount is fixed. QWERTZ has more functions combined to same buttons to make space for extra letters. But the extra letters (ö, ä, ü) have the same positions as in scandic qwerty layout on computers, so it feels more right.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

So if the key layout is the same, and we know the Pro1 is designed to be disassembled easily...

It should be simple enough to have a different regional keyboard design produced as a community project if there were enough interest to make it affordable?

One new set of printing for a molded keyboard membrane, and a new keyboard definition in software?

I'm hazy on the software side, but the mechanical side seems just a question of money, and if the community can't make that work, then it's hard to object to F(x)tec not making it work either, since they probably have to pay their engineers to get things done ;)
(unlike most community projects?)

One might even imagine F(x)tec providing access to the relevant keyboard mechanical design files (under NDA of course), and/or an introduction to their membrane manufacturer? Seems it would be a win/win?

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Give away access to one of there main draws to the phone ... probably not gonna happen. Now people hacking together there own is a possibility, but say goodbye to some of that warranty :D

x

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Access to the design file of a small piece of silicone rubber or similar. That's not the same thing as the complete design of the keyboard assembly, along with unfettered rights to use it as desired.

At a minimum, it's access to an incomplete graphics layout, and an 'in' to the keyboard manufacturer. The community produces a simple updated graphic and supplies it to the manufacturer along with funding to produce a small run of replacement keyboards. They are of no use at all to anyone who doesn't posess both a Pro1 and a strong desire to type funny characters most of us couldn't pronounce.

Face facts, if the phone was a runaway success, ebay will be full of shoddy replacement keyboard membranes in months. Producing an 'almost right' community version is very possible. The addition of a small bit of support from F(x)tec could mean a 'properly right' version, which can only add to Pro1 sales, with no financial risk and only a small expenditure in time on their part.

I'm not pushing that Fx should support this, I'm only making the case that they could, and they might, if the community got the ball rolling.

Oh, and 2yr warranty... who cares? I'm a hardware engineer. Once a new 'thing' is out of it's box, and I've satisfied myself everything works as intended, then conceptually the warranty is void. I might disassemble, modify or break the thing the same day, not for months, or (rarely) never. But I don't I ever even stopped to think about the warranty :o

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

This actually sounds very plausible. I'm even more positive about this phone now. :D:D

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Alright. As a user of the US_International layout (my language contains çéèàúêôîïëæœ but they are all possible with this layout), I think the Qwerty keyboard will be the best as long as dead keys can work, because it seems the corresponding keys are roughly positioned the same was as in a standard ANSI keyboard.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Confirming that,
Two of us exist.

Best regards to those who do worry about warranty issues.

...but living on the 'bleeding edge' is a rush of its own.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Visa declined here as well, and I don't have another card to "try" on the side...

I contacted my bank and they'll be looking into it, but no clue when...

@Chen: I take it there's possible improvements to be made on the payment side :rolleyes:
Any idea as to what is causing trouble for so many of us ?

There's been talks about the delayed payment being troublesome, but according to my bank, when the payments are authorized, the timeframe is not really taken into account (obviously there might be trouble if it happens years later :p).

Edit, 1.5 hour later: it went through, after the bank had to circumvent whatever security they have in place that was blocking the payment in the first place.
Now is a good opportunity to use the term emotional rollercoaster... :D

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

So, the consensus is then that QWERTZ is better for scandinavian (Finnish) speakers? Right? I tried to find a good picture from Fxtec website of both of them, but failed to do so.

Can't we just simply change characters on the keyboard to do Ä and Ö if using QWERTY? When I was living in the states I did it with my work computer and I think it worked well. Was it the ;: character maybe?

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

this...... warranty means shite today. We all know that everything will break as soon as that legal period is over anyway. So if it works OTB and across next few days than that's it.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Here's links to pictures, dunno if either of them is the final design or not...
QWERTY
QWERTZ
Well, personally I have been thinking that I'd like that QWERTZ more than QWERTY. That's because scandic letters are in their native positions (only needs to swap å instead of ü). I think it would be possible to remap the keys in QWERTY also, but natively has some commas etc in those positions, which you possibly need to remap to somewhere else...

I guess so. Although there is not enough space for ä,ö,å in Pro1's QWERTY layout. So you need to figure it out somehow. But shouldn't be a problem, particularly if you have done it before... I thought that it would be lesser evil to have q and z swapped.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

I am also scandinavian and ordered QWERTZ layout. I think that it is easier to remap Ü->Å and Y<->Z than try to add ÅÄÖ to QWERTY. However, I have previously used Droid 4 (Lineage OS 14.1) with QWERTY keyboard and FinQWERTY app. It does the remapping nicely. I think that it should be possible with Pro1 also atleast in Android.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

That.
Usually i block calls from my VISA institute since i know they call ~2x month and try to extend the service since i am a cheepo contractor with 100% pay at the end of each month. Important stuff comes via email anyway. Luckily they called from different number 10 minutes after the transaction and i was like "One moment, that timing has to mean something" *heartbeat intensifies* :D

Leaves to wonder, are all credit card transactions "better" protected nowadays and only we now know since we share experiences? When did that happen. I remember clearly when a ferry company withdrew 11k€ instead of 1,1k€ without notice, leaving me stranded for some days some years back...

To Scandic layout topic,
My colleague uses stickers on his QWERTY lenovo to have it qwertz. May that be a cheap option to print semi-transparent stickers? Probably not due to small keys?

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

@British The best way to contact regarding payment related is to info@fxtec.com

I'm mostly working on the manufacturing side and contact via info will be quicker. If you are on Telegram I can also send you the relevant contact. :) Many thanks

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Can you tell me what SIM card I would need to run this phone on Sprint? Want to make sure I'm all ready to go when the phone comes in

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

No need, my point was merely that there may be something to be done on your side to iron out all those security blockades people (well, their banks, to be precise) are encountering ;)

My case was ultimately solved, but it will probably happen to other people, and that might induce a bit of stress and incomprehension (administrative woes with the bank notwithstanding) :D

TL;DR: payment can go through from the get-go, or can fail and require the bank checking on stuff, but should probably be less painful.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Sprint (until the T-Mobile merger is complete) is a CDMA carrier. Which means they only use SIM cards for their LTE service (so only VoLTE phone calls would work), and they have to manually allow all phones to use their service. It has been a long time since I was on Sprint, so things could have changed, but I'm not sure that the Pro 1 will work on Sprint...

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Hah, today I got a call from a Finnish network operator. The guy wanted to sell me data plan. And he actually managed to sell me that data plan. At this point the guy must have realized that he should try to sell me everything else he could, so he started with phone networks, then e-books, Netflix kinda app and so on. I was getting frustrated to whole conversation, and now he asks if I need a new phone:
"So, what phone are you using at the moment?"
"Nokia N900"
"Huh, that's pretty old. Have you thought about buying newer phone?"
"Actually I have ordered a new phone already."
"Really? May I ask what phone did you buy?"
"It's called Fxtec Pro1"
"Oh. haven't heard of it. What's it like?"
"You should google it and check it out"
"Okay. (googles) Oh, a QWERTY phone! Finally somebody is bringing them back! Oh, and it has Android. And 3,5mm phone jack."
"Yep"
"Now I feel like I just found my next phone. Have to say, that as my job is to sell things to other people, this is first time my client managed to sell anything to me"

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

As far as I know the phone will work, but I doubt Sprint will know which sim card to give me, hence why I'm asking here. They probably don't even know this phone exists

https://www.fxtec.com/networks-bands-pro1-support/

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

That's what I'm saying. They have to MANUALLY activate your phone for your account. If they don't know it exists, then you can't use it. I had another phone from a different start-up years ago, and the same was true for that phone. If they don't "ok" it, you can't use it. The bands that the Pro 1 uses doesn't mean much if they block you from using their services.

Also, what do you mean by which SIM card? Are you talking size?

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

No not size, sim card model. Every phone registered on the Sprint network typically has a sim (ICCID chip) for LTE coverage. They have cards that work with multiple phones, but cards are not interchangable. Ex: pixel 1 card can't be used in a pixel 2, but can go to another pixel 1 or any other phone that takes the same model card. But they can be reused and do not store personal info. I think it goes by phone generations typically. Do a quick search for cards and you'll see what I mean they all have different product codes.
I've never activated an unknown phone before on the network so let's see how this goes.
I think Verizon customers will have to varying degrees a semi similar problem

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

I found this information:

And this:

Both make it very clear (to me) that the ICCID is nothing more than a way for your carrier to identify you and know whether or not you are allowed to attempt to use their network. It is nothing more than an identification number on your SIM, not a separate card for your phone.

As far as interchangeability goes, I imagine each phone needs to be activated to each card, so you can't swap without the card being activated to that phone.

EDIT: Just to be clear, I was only trying to help save you from purchasing a phone you couldn't use on your carrier. I would be very pleased to hear that you can use the Pro 1 without any issues. It has just been my experience that Sprint and Verizon don't play nice with "unknown" phones. Hopefully the Pro 1 having CDMA bands will help with this? I sincerely hope it works out for you.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

What you are talking about here seems to be quite horrible to me!

I am very happy that in general a SIM can be put into any phone and it works. Sprint seems to be a US provider. I am really sorry for you that you have to deal with this. In whole Europe, Brasil, Australia and even China it just works.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

**** now you got me worried...

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

The phone will work if phone has registered IMEI -number... It does not matter what SIM you put on it...

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

The only thing that is leaving me with a litle doubt is the fact of not knowing it FxTec will have Sailfish support and if it will be needed to pay another license to Jolla

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

This doesn't change much. I am certain the IMEI wasn't registered when I imported Droid 4s from the USA. I am even more certain the $3 GM Modules I got from Aliexpress have no registered IMEI. So this rule doesn't seem to apply here. And I am happy that the government has to do several more steps to trace my activities by cell towers here. After all I haven't done anything bad.

Also I am quite curious: What happens with tourists who visit?
Do they have to register their phones when entering the country? Do foreign SIMs work regardless of them being in a registered IMEI phone?

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

It will almost certainly have a decent community port, and therefore you will have nothing to pay since community ports only feature the free content (no Alien Dalvik, no MS Exchange, no text prediction). If one day Jolla offers an official licence for the Pro1, I'll throw at them all the money they want anyway.

Chenliangchen confirmed again yesterday that the community port of SFOS can reasonably be expected sooner or later:

https://reho.st/https://0x0.st/zfnq.png

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

For myself, I have no use for text prediction, or MSExchange.
I'd like Alien Dalvik in principle, but confess I don't have it installed on my X daily driver, so I wouldn't really miss it.

I had community port on my X and on Gemini, and the only downside I really had in both cases was BT would never connect to my car. When the official SFOS for X came along, BT started working straight away. Not sure on the Gemini - I'd already given up on it when the official version came along :o

In other news - looks like F(x)tec took their money from my account this morning :) :( ;)

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

There will be community port available and if it is stable enought f(x)tec is seeking official support from Jolla. It was mentioned at f(x)tec forum somewhere.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Will it be available with dualboot? If one day it has Jolla support will it be a paid version?

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Dual boot is technically feasible but not done yet according to one of the porters, said Chenliangchen on Twitter some days ago. If we have an official SFOS version one day, then yes, I guess we will have to pay for a licence to cover the proprietary features and support, unless they consider previous paid licences (like Sailifsh X) are compatible. But the free community port would still be available.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Registered with Sprint, not the government. If you're visiting the US, you'd want to bring or borrow a phone and SIM that could roam on T-Mo or AT&T -- and of those two, I'd pick the pink one. IMO it would be a real PITA to try to use Sprint or Verizon CMDA on a short-term basis with imported equipment.

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Is anyone intending to use this phone on a US CDMA carrier like Verizon or Sprint? I highly doubt I'm the only one in this boat. I'm sure I still have time to cancel my order but I don't want to do that...
Really want to use this phone
I opened a thread on fxtec forums and tweeted them as well. Still no real answer...

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Well you could also .... ummm .... wait.

I know it's hard :D, but wait to see how it's reviewed and others may test it on the networks you need.

x

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Trying to avoid waiting any longer than I have to, but yes that's still an option. It's unreasonable to think that this phone won't run on 2 out of the 4 major US CDMA carriers. It was built with the proper radios, but there's key info missing regarding how to activate, sim chips to use etc. Just waiting for a concrete answer back from the team

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Well, it seems I missed all the fun this last days .... I hope I'll still be in the first batch by ordering the Pro1 now :|

EDIT : I have also the card declined problem and have to wait until Tuesday for calling my bank :c

Re: Are you Ready? F(x)tec Pro 1 HW Keyboard Phone
 

Your out of Luck. No sim card for Sprint in the US and they are CDMA not GSM for voice.

The only two carriers in the US that are GSM are AT&T, T-Mobile