Hardware Next Thing Co. CHIP and PocketCHIP Review

Just thought I'd note those little metal disks aren't inherently unreliable. The Atari VCS joysticks used them, and many of those still function today(and on most of the ones that don't, the plastic stick broke before the switches did).
See also: 70s and 80s calculators(TI actually bought Klixon so they could sell calculator keyboards made with those switches).

You're just very familiar with a bad implementation of the technology.


The PocketChip itself is adorable, though that screen resolution is horrifying.
The keyboard's bad too, but at least it has some tactile feedback for both positioning and depression so it's infinitely better than a plastic membrane like the Sinclair ZX81 or Atari 400.

 

Oh, it is definitely damning with faint praise. I would loathe typing on the thing. I just thought the little disks were getting an unfair deal, mostly.

 

You gotta love Thingiverse...



piccie is a clicky!