Anyone Else Here Losing Interest?

[lulzfish]

But I do think the app store is very powerful, and I think that we should make something similar available to pandora users - it is just so easy to add extra software that way, when you're bored or are looking for a particular utility or app.

The repositories for package-managed Linux systems have been doing this for ages, more or less.
Perhaps somebody can make [read: there probably already is, but I'm too lazy to search the forums] some sort of user-app repository where anybody can upload applications, but they have to run in a sandbox similar to the SD-based apps.

 

[AireTamStorm]

But after 6 months I started getting frustrated with a few aspects of the iPhone:
- lack of hardware controls or indicator lights
- lack of multi-tasking -- but even if jailbroken, it has an...
- underpowered CPU
- limited browsing compatibility (compared to a desktop browser)
- closed, unilaterally controlled platform
- AT&T
- iTunes
- limited Bluetooth stack
- all-touchscreen keyboard always results in more errors
- games clearly limited by the lack of hardware controls
- lack of user accessible file system
- importing and exporting data is a pain
- you can email photos one at a time but absolutely nothing else
- it still lacks a reasonable text editor ... you will be able to edit Google docs online before you will be able to write and edit text files and share them locally
- the best IM app costs $18 because it semi-successfully addresses the lack of multi-tasking
You just listed every reason I didn't get one, and why no other handheld can touch the Pandora.

90% of those comes down to one thing: The company squeezing its tight grip down on the consumer. I'd rather get a brainless Verizon phone and tether that all day than pointlessly buy a high end phone and try to hack my way into getting things done.

 

[solidstate]

These replies have actually perked me up a bit - I'm back to looking forward to it again. Someone used the word "fatigued" earlier and I think that this is an excellent way to describe it.

It's a bit like looking forward to a holiday. Initially you think about all the cool things you are going to do when you get there. Then when it gets nearer you have to be more sensible and do boring tasks like packing your case and getting cash. Then you have to put up with the travel (planes, airports etc) and you start to think whether it's worth the hassle.

But two days in when you are sat in the sun having a drink enjoying the scenery you realise it was all worth it.
I must be in the sitting on the 10hr flight stage at the minute.

Thanks for the pep talk.

 

[Monk]

I'm fatigued too - I think I have "post-re-pre-order-pandora syndrome"

 

[Exophase]

Since this is an iPhone topic, I'm just going to say how impressed I am with how useful everything is in the app store. I saw an Apple commercial the other day, it said "You're at a restaurant and you need to find out how much to tip. We have an app for that." Amazing, someone developed an app that does basic division. This is truly revolutionary and I applaud both the developer and Apple for making such a thing possible. I'm sure that not everything there can be of such amazing quality though, surely Apple hand picks the very best apps for their commercials.

In all seriousness though, the general trend seems to be that if anyone releases something on the app store that costs more than $3, people are instantly outraged. That doesn't say good things about the average quality of what's on there.

 

[EdCa22]

But I do think the app store is very powerful, and I think that we should make something similar available to pandora users - it is just so easy to add extra software that way, when you're bored or are looking for a particular utility or app.

The repositories for package-managed Linux systems have been doing this for ages, more or less.
Perhaps somebody can make [read: there probably already is, but I'm too lazy to search the forums] some sort of user-app repository where anybody can upload applications, but they have to run in a sandbox similar to the SD-based apps.


+1

I am aware of this... however, although I find it easy to install apps in this way (or using apt-get, urpmi or whatever) and although this has gotten much better (e.g. ubuntu is very good at not showing the user dependencies using its 'add/remove' tool) it is still comparatively soo simple with the appstore. The issue here is not mechanism, it's policy. I like that the pandora will have a very easy way to install software with a single file for each app... a repository and a nice simple gui for accessing it, searching, adding reviews and ratings etc. would be excellent.

 

[Kaze0110]

I'm utterly excited and feel like I'll never use it.

As I was mentioning to someone yesterday while sitting in the car, I was ranting and raving about how I wasn't going to be able to make rent because I'm getting one of these contraptions. To which I was then asked "What is it, what does it do".

Responding the best way I knew how, I said "It's got a keyboard, and wifi, and bluetooth, and it can play all these games that I've never wanted to play for a long time, and I really, really want it, so I can have it, then never use it."

Ergo, I'm ever so psyched, even though I admit I'll be enthralled for a while, and eventually will set it carefully amongst the pile of my other former-high tech software that I never use.

 

[Magic Sam]

Hi,

I imagined myself going around the office showing everyone my cool new toy.

QUOTE

When my Pandora finally arrives I don't think anyone will be interested in seeing it. Everyone who likes gadgets in the office now has either an iPhone or iPod Touch.


Do you buy things for yourself, or for the others ?

Bye, Magic Sam

 

[Ravnos]

The constant delays have pretty much killed my interest in the device. That may change when I actually have one in my hands, but for now I do not really care. I consider myself out $365 or whatever it is I paid, and if a package happens to show up before January 2010, then great. If not, whatever.

I was also pretty interested in Android until the MWC. And that had the same problems. A whole lot of vague promises of "soon" and "it will be awesome! Someday." Nothing to back it up, though, and what little was shown will never be worth importing to Canada for a number of reasons. So I do not care about that either. I am now planning on picking up another S60 phone, probably an E71, since the iPhone does not interest me and I would rather have cancer than a WinMo phone or BB.

Seems like a bleak time for open source gadget nerds like myself. Maybe someday someone will turn it around.

 

[solidstate]

Hi,

I imagined myself going around the office showing everyone my cool new toy.

QUOTE

When my Pandora finally arrives I don't think anyone will be interested in seeing it. Everyone who likes gadgets in the office now has either an iPhone or iPod Touch.


Do you buy things for yourself, or for the others ?

Bye, Magic Sam


Surely that's part of the fun of getting any new gadget (notice that I said Part). The Internet is full of unboxing or blending vids - so it can't be just me.

 

[WizardStan]

QUOTE
I had a geek meet coming up in September and it seemed the perfect opportunity to flex my geeky muscle.
I'm intrigued by this, how do you go about organising these kinda things, sounds like fun!
Find a large group of people on the internet. This group should generally be focused around something distinctly nerdy, such as a C++ support forum, a MUD or other online game (WoW IS NOT NERDY!), or an open source handheld gaming computer, for example.
After the group has reached some kind of "critical mass" (a difficult to determine number, but it's probably in the thousands) post into that public forum that you're going to be making a trip to somewhere for some reason, and if anyone would like to meet up, perhaps you could swap stories, play some games, grab a few beers, that sort of thing. It especially helps if you know there is actually someone there already interested in meeting new people off the internet.
It'll only be 1 or 2 people at first, but as the idea catches on and more people become interested in the collective group, it'll grow. After a year or two, you'll eventually be able to say "I'm having a <nerdy subject> oriented meet in 3 months time in my city! The plans will be to do <nerdy thing> and <other nerdy thing> and then we'll <maybe a more normal thing>! All are welcome! Bring your <object of nerdiness>"
A whole schedule will then naturally evolve out of it, with different people hosting such meets at different times.
Of course, the whole thing falls apart if you just can't get enough people interested.

 

[darkblu]

Since this is an iPhone topic, I am just going to say how impressed I am with how useful everything is in the app store. I saw an Apple commercial the other day, it said "You're at a restaurant and you need to find out how much to tip. We have an app for that." Amazing, someone developed an app that does basic division.


behold the benefits of fully-pipelined fpu ; p

QUOTE

This is truly revolutionary and I applaud both the developer and Apple for making such a thing possible. I am sure that not everything there can be of such amazing quality though, surely Apple hand picks the very best apps for their commercials.

In all seriousness though, the general trend seems to be that if anyone releases something on the app store that costs more than $3, people are instantly outraged. That doesnt say good things about the average quality of what's on there.



i am in a love-hate relationship with the pronoun-phone (ipod touch, in this case). on one hand there are many things which apple did right with the platform, on the other some things are driving me bonkers. but then again, that's typically apple. and it is like that with almost all their hw and their sw products alike. if i would have to describe apple in a single sentence, it would be:

brilliant engineering harnessed to produce disposable products.


ps: it appears some people in here are interested in the pandora for all the wrong reasons. disenchantments imminent.

 

[Pleng]

Since this is an iPhone topic, I'm just going to say how impressed I am with how useful everything is in the app store. I saw an Apple commercial the other day, it said "You're at a restaurant and you need to find out how much to tip. We have an app for that." Amazing, someone developed an app that does basic division. This is truly revolutionary and I applaud both the developer and Apple for making such a thing possible....



Yup. I love iPhone adverts

CODE

With the new iPhone you can browse the app store and PAY for things that on other phones come as standard. And that's when you realize....

 

[Eniko]

I'm not losing interest in the Pandora, because I bought it for it's distinct set of features, not because it is a neat gadget and I have to have one. The distinct set of features not found on other devices will still be relevant months from now, so I'm still excited.

I am losing interest in the forums though. Coming here less and less, mostly because nothing of substance seems to get discussed anymore.

 

[darkstorm classic]

I am losing interest in the forums though. Coming here less and less, mostly because nothing of substance seems to get discussed anymore.

Are you saying that superb topics like "pandora should wait till the omap 2384397848 is available" and "you know what would be good? A SLIDING KEYBOARD!", not to mention the ever popular "where's my refund pandora is vaporware whyisnteveryoneasangryasme" topics lack substance? That's outrageous!

 

[hells_dark]

I'm not losing interest in the Pandora, because I bought it for it's distinct set of features, not because it is a neat gadget and I have to have one. The distinct set of features not found on other devices will still be relevant months from now, so I'm still excited.

I am losing interest in the forums though. Coming here less and less, mostly because nothing of substance seems to get discussed anymore.

+1

 

[MDave]

Instead of talking about why your losing interest in the forums, in the forums, why not contribute something yourself? The forums aren't going to get better on their own

 

[Bramrash]

They will when the pandora starts shipping. Hell, they will in a couple of days when we see the CNC case.

 

[chole]

My enthusiasm waned a little when I actually got my order confirmation, because that put me (mostly) past the "Is it even gettable!?" stage. Every few days, I would read a new thread here, spontaneously start bouncing in my seat, and softly say "gimmegimmegimme!" like a child.

I'm less like that now, but this doesn't change anything about the reasons why I wanted it in the first place: It's the only device that has all my preferred requirements for a portable device:

* small enough to fit into pocket
* screen is protected when not in use
* touchscreen
* display at least VGA resolution
* hard keyboard
* strong free app support from the start
* Qt-friendly
* 802.11
* external storage slots
* enough memory for multitasking to be bearable

Before this, the closest I got to what I wanted was a Sharp Zaurus SL-5500. It did some of the above, except that the wifi (via CF) was really wonky, the battery (and the battery level indicator) was pretty horrible, the tiny amount of DRAM was regularly overloaded, and the resolution -- while solid for its time -- is no longer acceptable for me. There have been faster and better Zaurii (clamshells, even!), but they've been phenomenally expensive and still don't quite fit all of my feature requirements.

For what it's worth, I give big props to the HandEra (even sounds a little like "Pandora", eh?) 330. Lasted weeks on four AA batteries, better CF wifi support than the Zaurus, better screen rotation, arguably crisper (albeit grayscale) screen, far better sound output, built-in microphone.... I really wish that I hadn't gone rock climbing with the poor thing thoughtlessly stuffed into my pocket.

Anyway, nice plusses on the P∧∨a that seem to surpass other, similar devices include the honkingly huge battery, the boot manager, the PSP-compatible DC port (I got this neat retractable USB-to-DC charger that could work nicely, if slowly), and those gaming controls ("Froot" -- a Puzzle Bobble clone -- was pretty much the only non-touch Zaurus game that was bearable to play with its "dpad" and buttons).

Amusingly, the P∧∨a would only need a doubling of DRAM to be comparable to the big mail-, IM-, and application- server sitting in my room (hence why I'm looking at those spiffy new Plug Computers at the moment).

 

[Eniko]

Instead of talking about why your losing interest in the forums, in the forums, why not contribute something yourself? The forums aren't going to get better on their own

When I have nothing interesting to say my contribution is in just not posting anything. And yes I realize I posted something that contributed practically nothing, but at least it was in context of losing interest.