Announcing Droidora - - - HELP WANTED

[Wootson]

The current Linux based operating system, in combination with the PND system and the PND Store, is very easy to use. Even for the average person without much knowledge of computers in general. Although a decent build-in tutorial system wouldn't hurt. In the sense of: CPU shows you how to do things by click-through tutorials.


However, Android on the Pandora would be a really good way towards a more mainstream userbase. If that is what OpenPandora is aiming for...


The option of having to choose whatever you want is what the Pandora stands for. So in that case there's nothing wrong with having both Linux and Android as a choice for the main operating system. I wouldn't have a problem with switching to Android as the main OS, but I reckon some people could feel betrayed by how the Pandora was marketed and sold (pocket Linux PC). Three years ago Android was not as matured as it is today, so that's also why most people chose Linux over Android. If there was a new voting today, I wouldn't be so sure if Linux came out on top again.


But, like said before, first there need to be more units in the wild. That is the most important thing at this very moment.

 

[WizardStan]

If there was a new voting today, I wouldn't be so sure if Linux came out on top again.

I considered that as well, but then I realized that the people that have their Pandora, the ones that stuck around, did so because it was something an Android device wouldn't do. There is room for Android, it is a pretty good OS now, but I wouldn't have bought the Pandora for Android, and I suspect that there are a number that agree with me.


If three years ago Android would have been in the position it is today then I think you're right, but at this point you've got a lot of committed linux users, enough to make a vote interesting to say the least.

 

[Caine]

I agree that getting production up and running again is top priority.


In case we have a stable Android version then it is easy to provide a downloadable image for an SD card or perhaps even a slightly more expensive Android bundle which includes a bootable preinstalled SD card with Android and a bunch of sane defaults.

 

[Prometheus]

There is room for Android, it is a pretty good OS now, but I wouldn't have bought the Pandora for Android, and I suspect that there are a number that agree with me.

I do agree.


That said, I suppose if it were possible to fit Android on the NAND, offering both as NAND options wouldn't be a problem, would it? Then those who find Android unusable even on much more "up to date", faster hardware (like myself) could use Linux, and those who would prefer Android can do likewise.

 

[skeezix]

More to point .. there is nothing wrong with choice. Nothing wrong with multiple firmwares.. a quick boot straight to minimenu one, a fancy one like we have with a few desktops; an android one; a strict console only one. Arch, Gentoo, Debian.


Its all a function of how many hands there are to go around and support all these.


I'd love to see Android on the Pandora, but not sure I'd use it .. it lacks a lot of what I'd want in Pandora. But be great as a boot option, so we could dip into 'droid when we wanted it.


I doubt anyone is against anything, so whats the point of discussiong? No one in their right mind is _against_ more choice


jeff

 

[Binky]

As them as wants android might not be those making use of the double sd card slots, why not sell sd cards containing android and a decent chunk of room to spare with pandoras, so you could plug it in, and have an android device with some built-in storage, and an SDHC slot (effectively)


or just have a full linux device with 2 sd slots?


Generally, I think we should continue to ship with a Pandora-specific OS with other options as they are developed. A fully working android port could be interesting!


How about a super-multi-boot SD card with androidish, debianish, archish, whateverish.


software-wise, I think the most important thing is getting power management perfected, which would probably reduce the number of boots per pandora per week significantly.


Remember that Android is just a linux distro, albeit a mutated one.

 

[Caine]

software-wise, I think the most important thing is getting power management perfected, which would probably reduce the number of boots per pandora per week significantly.

You boot your Pandora? I never turn it off, instead I just plug it in at the end of the day.

 

[Prometheus]

software-wise, I think the most important thing is getting power management perfected, which would probably reduce the number of boots per pandora per week significantly.

You boot your Pandora? I never turn it off, instead I just plug it in at the end of the day.

I boot mine, too. If it was similar to my 3DS (which is equipped with a battery that lasts about the same as the Pandora's does, at this point) in the sleep stakes, it would be fantastic, and I probably wouldn't shut it down often either. And then I'd NEVER get anything done. :lol:

 

[Binky]

I came to this community to late to get a US pandora


But wait two months...


I was thinking that It might be better for travel use if 10-15 hours meant 10-15 hours of use, not 10-15 hours of being on.


I'm guessing that 10-15 hours of use + very long time idle/sleeping would be enough for most short trips (without shutdown to save battery life, and without a charger to forget/loose/take up space)

 

[Caine]

I was thinking that It might be better for travel use if 10-15 hours meant 10-15 hours of use, not 10-15 hours of being on.

You can use it for about 10 hours. It stays on for longer, but not days longer.

 

[craigix]

I came to this community to late to get a US pandora


But wait two months...


I was thinking that It might be better for travel use if 10-15 hours meant 10-15 hours of use, not 10-15 hours of being on.


I'm guessing that 10-15 hours of use + very long time idle/sleeping would be enough for most short trips (without shutdown to save battery life, and without a charger to forget/loose/take up space)

No, it really does last for 10-15 hours of USE.

 

[WizardStan]

No, it really does last for 10-15 hours of USE.

As an MP3 player with the screen shut, it had an estimated 25 hours of continuous playback. That was estimated after 1 hour of playback took the battery from 100% down to just 96%. One day I'll probably actually try running 25 hours of solid music and see how it lasts. And I've got that DSP decoder I promised Notaz I'd write.

 

[Binky]

I came to this community to late to get a US pandora


But wait two months...


I was thinking that It might be better for travel use if 10-15 hours meant 10-15 hours of use, not 10-15 hours of being on.


I'm guessing that 10-15 hours of use + very long time idle/sleeping would be enough for most short trips (without shutdown to save battery life, and without a charger to forget/loose/take up space)

No, it really does last for 10-15 hours of USE.

Whoops! Badly worded post!


does this make it clearer?

 

[WizardStan]

"Sleep" is about 35 hours from 100% to 5%


But yeah, a week long low-power mode would be preferable. I've no idea how some of these devices achieve it, outside of magic.

 

[Phelsumania]

disbelieve all you want i genuinelly get over 9 hours web browsing, 8 hours gaming with clock set at 500mhz, 6.5 hours with clock at 1ghz and an idle time of 14:50 from a full battery (although i have never timed the idle time) and i have never timed the life with the lid shut in screen off mode yet


today i had 25% battery left when i turned it on a 5pm it is now 9.30 and i still have 11% left and i hhave been on the panda the whole time

 

[Prometheus]

disbelieve all you want

Sadly, it's only natural for people to disbelieve it, when almost all manufacturers of electronic goods only present the very-best-case scenario for battery life, which doesn't happen under the circumstances any normal user would be using the device under.


I won't say that such manufacturers lie about it, because it is possible to get the claimed figures, but it's certainly a hugely deceptive practice, and one that people are sadly attuned to at this time.

 

[Caine]

Sadly, it's only natural for people to disbelieve it, when almost all manufacturers of electronic goods only present the very-best-case scenario for battery life, which doesn't happen under the circumstances any normal user would be using the device under.

Perhaps we should advertise it as 30+ hours for mainstream audiences then

 

[fusion_power]

But having a fully working Android, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, etc. as SD-Card installation would rock - that's what we've got the two SD Card slots for

Ubuntu Support for Mobile Devices will be also improved in the near Future: http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/820


I hope that the Pandora also can benefit from this. ^^

 

[DaMummy]

disbelieve all you want

Sadly, it's only natural for people to disbelieve it, when almost all manufacturers of electronic goods only present the very-best-case scenario for battery life, which doesn't happen under the circumstances any normal user would be using the device under.


I won't say that such manufacturers lie about it, because it is possible to get the claimed figures, but it's certainly a hugely deceptive practice, and one that people are sadly attuned to at this time.

surprisingly, Nintendo is one of the rare cases where they actually give you the correct numbers, and you see how people went ape-shit about that. so you cant blame other companies from over-advertising their battery life

 

[Prometheus]

disbelieve all you want

Sadly, it's only natural for people to disbelieve it, when almost all manufacturers of electronic goods only present the very-best-case scenario for battery life, which doesn't happen under the circumstances any normal user would be using the device under.


I won't say that such manufacturers lie about it, because it is possible to get the claimed figures, but it's certainly a hugely deceptive practice, and one that people are sadly attuned to at this time.

surprisingly, Nintendo is one of the rare cases where they actually give you the correct numbers, and you see how people went ape-shit about that. so you cant blame other companies from over-advertising their battery life

It's not surprising at all - I gather that they've generally been the same about the graphical capabilities of their hardware (and I vaguely recall that on occasion they've understated them a bit), when competitors have massaged their own numbers.


Anyhow, I'm not blaming anyone for the over-advertising, though I do find it deceptive and wish that there were some sort of regulations in place to force real-world figures to be given (as opposed to "You get this battery-life! (But only if the screen is practically off and you're not using any of the advertised online features.)" ). I was just pointing out why folks naturally disbelieve high battery-life claims. :lol: