Back side of the display ugly?

[ksandom]

I've seen quite a few comments about the back of the display being ugly when the sliding mechanism is open.

I'd like to run a few thoughts by you:

* I've attached photos of my previous slider phones  (you'll need an account to see them). They look pretty much the same: What do you imagine being improved on?
* The screws being accessible is really good for repairability. Eg That exposed screen is going to be much more sensitive to drops than previous PC devices.
* As someone who has used this form-factor obsessively for many years: It's rare than anyone looks at the display back on normal day-to-day usage. They are usually pre-occupied with "Woah, what's what?!"

[gymbo]

ALL of these look better than the back of Astro!!

Yes, I agree that having the screws accessible IS an advantage, but that should not mean that it couldn't be polished at least a bit... As it stands now, it looks like a phone the Borg (in Star Trek) would be proud of.

I certainly don't want them to postpone the delivery by months, or even weeks, to correct this, but it SHOULD have been something they already had looked into, and have a quick fix for. (In my view it is so CLEARLY that it looks terrible the way it is now, that they should have thought about it already.)

At least a better finish on the surface, or even some colour, would "solve" the problem quite easily...

And although all the "backs" you have provided pictures of already look better than the back of Astro, you have the "added problem" from Astro that it is designed to sit on a surface with the back VISIBLE to anyone sitting across from you when open, which clearly is NOT the situation with the "sliders" you have posted pictures of.

As I have stated before, I don't usually care much for esthetics, but that does not mean that I would like something that, in my view, is just plain ugly! At least not when it SHOULD be easy to rectify.

[ksandom]

Hey gymbo, Thanks for your thoughts.

> to sit on a surface with the back VISIBLE to anyone sitting across from you

Fair point. My impression is that it will be less visible than you think, based on the angle that it opens at. But that's speculation for now. In any case, it is a relevant point.

I know this conversation probably isn't going to lead to real world change, but I'd love to understand your opinion better. Could you tell me more about:

* What is it about the current look that makes it ugly to you? - This might be obvious to you, but to me the device exactly matches my expectations.  So it would be great to understand it better.
* What could be changed to satisfy you? You mentioned "At least a better finish on the surface, or even some colour". Colour, cool. What are you thinking about the finish?
* What would perfection look like for you?

While thinking about this conversation, I've been trying to think "What would Apple do?" given that they are notorious for form over function: https://www.pedestrian.tv/tech-gaming/apple-magic-mouse-charging-lightning-pain-update/ . My best guess is that it would be brushed grey aluminium instead of matt black, they'd probably remove the assembly sticker, and they'd probably make the screws inaccessible. Can you think of anything else?

These questions are open to anyone.

[Daniel W]

I think we need to factor in that the Astro tries to achieve something no other slider, to the best of my knowledge, ever has, namely to completely slide the screen away from the base, leaving 100% of the bottom area available for the keyboard.

All other sliders I know of, exposes somewhere between 50 and 80% of the bottom, hiding some of the mechanics between overlapping parts, at the expense of cramped keyboards. Essentially, the Astro tries to combine the keyboard area of a clamshell with the outside main screen of a slider, without exposing the keyboard on the back of the device, as 360 degree hinges does.

While pebble-smooth phones may be visually pleasing or just so plain that there isn't much design left to potentially object to, I don't really care how my phone looks, as long as it works well. I open my Cosmo about thirty times a day, so if a minimal acceptable life span of the Astro is three years, the rock-up slider must work flawlessly about 33000 times.

Regarding Apple, I doubt they'd approve this form factor, at all.