An idea pool for features that intends for professionals

[xiongxioi]

This is an thread started to gather ideas from all of you handsome and delightful gentlemen.

Pandora started as a niche product that was intended as the perfect emulating machine, but it changes over the years due to all the apps made by proud members of the community. It's already playing an important role in many of us's life besides gaming and hobbits.

Thus, I think it's better than any time to gather up ideas to make its successor even better.

No formation is required, just post up thoughts you have in that big wallnut located in your skull and let the discussion begin.

I will share mine first to start it of.

1. I don't know how others demonstrate powerpoint presentations on a big projector, but I usually connect my Ipad's botton data socket onto a HDMI converter, and thus get my things on board. (no pun intended). It would be great if pandora 2 can be readily connected to any screens and projectors. I'm not familiar with the detais, so if you have any design suggestions, just post it down below.

2. Pandora's keyboard is kind hard to type. Especially if its used to prepare a wordy report. Reduce the distance and feedback would be a welcomed change.

3. Mic jack. Recording with pandora's small build-in mic is a huuuuuge pain.

4. Add in some zoom in, zoom out, start, pause buttons. Preferably on the sides.

5. Make the screen a bit larger. Just a little bit would do.

6. Is it possible to connect a pandora 2 to the 3g network? Not sure if this is needed though, but it would make accessing my inbox a bit easier.

7. Give P2 a loooooot of memory, if I'm ever going to run AutoCad with it, I don't want to wait for a few minutes to zoom in and out.

 

[thatgui]

1. I don't know how others demonstrate powerpoint presentations on a big projector, but I usually connect my Ipad's botton data socket onto a HDMI converter, and thus get my things on board. (no pun intended). It would be great if pandora 2 can be readily connected to any screens and projectors. I'm not familiar with the detais, so if you have any design suggestions, just post it down below.

This would be Displayport then - with the proper implementation we would have vga,dvi,hdmi or dp directly (a passive adapter is needed of course). Probably very costly and there is the probability that you need an additonal circuit to implement this.HDMI is (sadly) more likely

3. Mic jack. Recording with pandora's small build-in mic is a huuuuuge pain.

Afaik the Pandora already has one (combined with the headphone jack). I do not think a dedicated jack is needed - if you already plan on using a mic, it should not be problem to remember to take the proper adapter with you.

4. Add in some zoom in, zoom out, start, pause buttons. Preferably on the sides.

I would rather see this implemented as third function of a stanard key (FN) instead of having a dedicated button (we are in dire need of every button we can get)

5. Make the screen a bit larger. Just a little bit would do.

I guess this is one of the few things everbody agrees on, but in the end will be determined by (long term) availability

6. Is it possible to connect a pandora 2 to the 3g network? Not sure if this is needed though, but it would make accessing my inbox a bit easier.

Not very likely due to certification costs (money and time). USB Dongle or portabel access points need to suffice.

7. Give P2 a loooooot of memory, if I'm ever going to run AutoCad with it, I don't want to wait for a few minutes to zoom in and out.

A lot of RAM is always good, but not always reasonable in a budget calculation sense

 

[WizardStan]

3. Mic jack. Recording with pandora's small build-in mic is a huuuuuge pain.

Afaik the Pandora already has one (combined with the headphone jack).

(Non-Apple) standard TRRS headset jack plus a high quality line-in on the EXT port. When it comes to audio, MWeston is da'man!

 

[Franko]

It's already playing an important role in many of us's life besides gaming and hobbits.

You had me at hobbits!     


Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  What's a chaotic good, magical garden-gnome supposed to do?

 

[leathco]

Don't think 3g is needed. Current Pandora can use usb 3g sticks already, and even those are dying out thanks to mifi. I use an overdrive pro to get my Pandora online when I'm away from WiFi and it works great. I think it would just add to the cost of the unit when it's so easy to add with usb or a myfi device.


Would love to see hdmi output on the next device. A Mic in Jack seperate from headphone jack would be nice too.

 

[Batou456]

4. Add in some zoom in, zoom out, start, pause buttons. Preferably on the sides.

Space is usually bound to pause/play, and the Pandora's Space button is highly accessible, so I'm going to tend to question the need for a dedicated media button when we're already button limited.  There's something of an ongoing dialogue about adding L2/R2 shoulder buttons with a trade off of shrinking the port section.  While the usual focus is to add things like Fn & Alt to the current Ctrl & Shift key functionality it would certainly be possible to bind those instead to a zoom in or out.  Or use some of the face buttons such as those currently bound to page up/page down.

What I'm trying to say is that you have the option on the current system, and it should be possible on a follow up but the real question is whether you want to unbind something else to bind it to that.  Note bindings can be program specific, although that occasionally leads to the need to rebind stuff if the program doesn't return the default gracefully.

6. Is it possible to connect a pandora 2 to the 3g network? Not sure if this is needed though, but it would make accessing my inbox a bit easier.

The existing Pandora has a USB host, and thus can accept a USB 3G radio modem.  It also has Bluetooth and Wifi if your preference is for tethering with a hotspot.

A built in modem would add significantly to complexity and cost, and honestly I doubt the demands there.  Tablets, which call out for that kind of capability, tend to sell much better with pure WiFi devices then their radio modem equipped counterparts.  Additionally if that is your thing going through a Radio Modem dongle or hotspot means you have less to angst about the wireless modem going out of date or not supporting this or that particular standard, as you can get a USB modem from the carrier that you want and is more or less guaranteed to work.

 

[Askarus]

I'm a supporter of 3G/4G modem.

I don't like the fact of having to deal with multiple devices.

Internet everywhere on a Computer like the Pandora would be awesome.

I just say Jedi Knight, Teeworlds, YGOPro. And for a successor of the Padndora which has (hopefully) enough power to play some mmorpg games it's surely nice as well.

 

[Franko]

Most polls seem to suggest that a "Pandora Phone" just wouldn't be practical - especially in a wide, clamshell type of design.  It also would add a lot of prohibitive costs to the project - which we just don't need.  I think the OP Team needs to NOT overextend themselves.  They should go for the most important and cost-effective options that are available at the time that they do decide to launch a "P2".  I think we all agree that a larger screen is a must - from all the polls that I've seen, most people agree that a 5"-5.5" screen (such as a Galaxy Note has) is about the right size.  Using that visual sweet spot for a P2, if you make the entirety of the screen the "top" portion of the unit, then you won't have to increase the size of the unit.

I also think that HDMI-out is a necessity.  I think that I read somewhere back that ED was amiable to having that if/when a P2 is produced.  The extra cost ($10,000 a year?) would be negligible for a project of this manner.  I was glad to hear that.

As for the connectivity to projectors?  You should have that now (I think) - if someone makes you a custom (composite) TV-out cable or you wait "2 months" for the official ones.  I'm fairly certain that there are some projectors that take a composite signal (with the old RCA plugs).  At any rate, a "P2" should adopt the latest and greatest standards for outputting a signal to an external screen/source.

The RAM question might be a tricky one though - it would depend upon availability and what SOC's offer what - when the time comes for the P2.  I'd be happy with 1GB - but 2GB would really excite me - if we get up to Windows XP type of emulation possibilities.  That still is way off though - at least a year (or possibly two)...if I'm reading the tea leaves right.    Frankly, I'd be happy with a bit better CPU/GPU speeds,  a bit more RAM and some more optimization.  If we can get user mode working in Qemu and can run x86 Linux programs natively...then we'd have sooooo much more possibilities for software/ports.  If I could play say a Neverwinter Nights 1 (linux version) on a "P2" that'd really be something.  Sorry, that was the hidden gamer inside of me coming out again...

 

[xiongxioi]

It's already playing an important role in many of us's life besides gaming and hobbits.

You had me at hobbits!     


Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  What's a chaotic good, magical garden-gnome supposed to do?

Nice catch, Gnome. -_-

Most polls seem to suggest that a "Pandora Phone" just wouldn't be practical - especially in a wide, clamshell type of design.  ...

A pandora phone sounds good, but most engineers are buying contracted phones. People who are saving money by buying their own phones are mostly people who won't buy a pandora. :rolleyes:  Not to mention that will limit our soc options.

If we can save money by using adaptors rather than have build-in HDMI ports, that would be OK too. It's not like HDMI is the standard for projectors.

More memory would also mean less battery time. So, a fine balance is indeed necessary. 8gb would be an overkill, but 2 to 4 seems good to me.

Maybe we should go with the 28nm A7 rather than A15. That would need a lot multicore optimization though. (But the good thing about A7 is its backwards compatibility)

BTW: I thought garden gnomes usually communicate via writing messages on the back of big cats and sustain on licking milk bottle caps, am I wrong? h34r:

 

[ArchiMark]

More RAM and a bit larger display as others mentioned would be nice if it will fit with current size Pandora.....but I'd like:

1.  a more comfortable keyboard to type on, those round top keys are not so great....and a bit hard to depress....

2. a bit thinner overall in thickness would be nice....make it easier to fit in pockets, like the UMID M1 and Sharp Zaurus's I had....shirt pocket computers!...

 

[Franko]

More RAM and a bit larger display as others mentioned would be nice if it will fit with current size Pandora.....but I'd like:

1.  a more comfortable keyboard to type on, those round top keys are not so great....and a bit hard to depress....

2. a bit thinner overall in thickness would be nice....make it easier to fit in pockets, like the UMID M1 and Sharp Zaurus's I had....shirt pocket computers!...

I do believe that is what Craig was going for with the iCP2.  He's just run into his normal troubles.  Maybe the keyboard of the iCP2 will be a winner?  Who knows?  I'm not so enamored about hearing the "dome stickers" post...but maybe that's related to something else besides the actual "keys".  I still have to wait on it to judge whether it's going to be suitable for a proper tactile keyboardish response that we all want.  My mind can't fathom nor handle the thought that Craig could right now be trying to place clear keyboard stickers upon thousands of iCP2's....

 

[ekianjo]

You dont need lots of RAM on a handheld system. First it will eat up your battery like crazy, then it's completely unnecessary on a Linux system that takes very little RAM in the first place. 

If your software needs tons of RAM, it's probably because its very badly designed. 

And you dont need 3G. Just use tethering from your phone, like everyone else, so you dont have to pay for a separate 3G subscription. Or buy a 3G dongle if you really need one. 

See how poor were the sales of PSVita with 3G. Nobody wants that.

 

[Franko]

More ram on a handheld device doesn't need to eat up the battery if your SOC has sufficient power-management capabilities - that's going to be even more of a pressing point with mobile devices....whether they're ARM or x86.  The big.Little has it under control I think.  I'd like 2GB...that would be manageable and bring a lot more emulation possibilities to us.

 

[Asiyura]

I agree with ekianjo, if you need 3G or better on a device, either get a usb dongle or use a 3G mobile wifi router.

Having 3G chipset in every devices you own is a waste of money.

@Franko, I don't think the main factor of emulation is the RAM, I mean, the original XBOX has 64Mo RAM and is able to run many emulators and large games! (I should try the PSX emulator on it to compare with pandora )

 

[Franko]

^ I'm thinking about a future "P2".  I'm not interested in original Xbox specs...I do appreciate your sarcasm however.  The main factor of emulation is of course the code - the software and what developers do to make the software work on any given platform.  Then we have the CPU/GPU raw power....that's what makes my overclocked 1GHz Pandora run this shareware tic-tac-toe program flawlessly.  Then you have the RAM, and then you have sheep and then you have the lower tier, or as I like to call him, monstercameron.  He's never going to buy a Pandora.  He's said it himself a few times....oh well.  Then you have the 7th tier of hell, The Royal King of all fuck-ups of Nottinghamshire, Sir WasteAlot, Craigix the iCP2nd..  I really like this guy...he's regal and eccentric and knows just how to avoid a phonecall.  He has to dig out of this - but he can.

 

[Y-trewq]

I think that everything should be doubled. Cpu gpu ram.. Screen could be a bit bigger too.  Hdmi out and a total of 4 shoulder buttons, as those shoulder buttons could do the zooming in and out too. And of course no compromises on battery life. Im not much of a nerd, more like a general consumer so i have no idea if thats doable.  And even if its doable is it too expensive. Or just too big for your pocket.  Anyway, it would be a beast.

 

[ekianjo]

that would be manageable and bring a lot more emulation possibilities to us.

Emulation has nothing to do with RAM... 

 

[ekianjo]

I think that everything should be doubled. Cpu gpu ram.. Screen could be a bit bigger too.  Hdmi out and a total of 4 shoulder buttons, as those shoulder buttons could do the zooming in and out too. And of course no compromises on battery life. Im not much of a nerd, more like a general consumer so i have no idea if thats doable.  And even if its doable is it too expensive. Or just too big for your pocket.  Anyway, it would be a beast.

Hdmi out, this has been discussed 1000 times already. It's no. Because you need a license for HDMI port. So you cant, unless you want to pay your Pandora double the price. 

 

[Asiyura]

I'm thinking about a future "P2". I'm not interested in original Xbox specs...I do appreciate your sarcasm however.

I talked about XBOX case only to give you an example, I could have used Dreamcast, it's fitted with 16Mo of main memory, 8Mo dedicated to video and 2Mo dedicated to audio. But it's still able to handle many emulators quite well.

What I try to make you understand is that ram isn't a real concern for emulators that will be able to run on an eventual pandora successor (even PCSX2 recommends only 1Go RAM - 2Go if you're running vista & co - and it won't be able to run on a pandora successor). More ram is useful for multitasking, multi-tabs browsing (resources-hungry browsers FTW), gimp, compiling source code, etc. … not games and/or emulators.

 

[kuru]

The - again resistive - screen will be bigger and have a higher resolution, the speakers will be moved to the bottom part.

The keyboard layout will be changed, have 4 rows under the gaming controls, so numbers are easier to reach. I can't remember if the spacing of the keys will be touched or not. The numbers row will be replaced by system buttons, can't say for sure which besides power. The keys will be easier to press down, I have typed on a keymat that is going to be used as sample for the P2's. The space bar will probably be moved to the center of the keyboard.

The new nubs are based on a magnetic design and feel a lot better, no grinding inside and perfectly centered. They also click, so there will be our mouse button right there. Pretty sexy if you ask me.

As for an idea, a working citrix receiver would appeal to some of us.  But that's closed source software I guess.