Comparing The Pandora And The Ds Lite

[BlueGreen]

Somewhere on the openpandora site it was mentioned that the Pandora is just a bit bigger than a Nintendo DS lite. I own a DS lite and I enjoy using it, so I'm wondering how the Pandora compares in other ways. Mostly here's what I'm wondering:

1. Screen brightness: Most of the time I use the DS lite on the lowest setting, but if I'm outdoors I usually end up needing to kick it up to one of the highest two settings. How does the brightness settings for the screen on the pandora compare?

2. Speaker loudness: About half the time I use my DS, it's to use it as a second/backup alarm clock. The only problem I have is that the DS is certainly not designed to serve like a PDA, so the alarm function is very simple. Can the Pandora get at least as loud as the DS lite, and does it use a slider like the DS or a software control for volume?

3. Screen Protectors: It's pretty easy to find replacements for the DS, but what about the Pandora?

4. Build Qualities: I don't have any problem putting my DS in my pocket, so does the Pandora feel as solid? Also, is the weight comparable to the DS?

 

[Prometheus]

1. Screen brightness: Most of the time I use the DS lite on the lowest setting, but if I'm outdoors I usually end up needing to kick it up to one of the highest two settings. How does the brightness settings for the screen on the pandora compare?

You have *much* more fine-grained control over the Pandora's brightness settings, the same as you tend to get on most laptops - there is an on-screen slider available which can be used to adjust it. I usually keep mine on the highest brightness setting (and still get ridiculously high battery life), and outside this seems to be comparable to the screens on the DS Lite or DSi - quite visible, but difficult to see if you're travelling and direct sunlight suddenly hits it.

2. Speaker loudness: About half the time I use my DS, it's to use it as a second/backup alarm clock. The only problem I have is that the DS is certainly not designed to serve like a PDA, so the alarm function is very simple. Can the Pandora get at least as loud as the DS lite, and does it use a slider like the DS or a software control for volume?

It's louder than the DS Lite, and roughly comparable to the original DS or the DSi in loudness. It uses an analogue volume wheel for adjusting this, and there are also software controls for it that are independent of that - sort of like when you hook up external speakers that have their own volume controls to a laptop, in a way.

3. Screen Protectors: It's pretty easy to find replacements for the DS, but what about the Pandora?

The screen is the same as the Archos 605 WiFi, so these should work.

4. Build Qualities: I don't have any problem putting my DS in my pocket, so does the Pandora feel as solid? Also, is the weight comparable to the DS?

The Pandora feels as solid to me. The weight is a little more than a DS Lite, I think, but I would say that it's comparable.

I hope this helps!

 

[BlueGreen]

Thanks for the speedy reply

It's louder than the DS Lite, and roughly comparable to the original DS or the DSi in loudness. It uses an analogue volume wheel for adjusting this, and there are also software controls for it that are independent of that - sort of like when you hook up external speakers that have their own volume controls to a laptop, in a way.

Do you mean that the volume wheel is like a shortcut similar to volume buttons on a laptop or is it more like there's software controls and then wheel is kind of like the volume control on external speakers similar to a desktop configuration? It would be nice to not have to worry about any truly analog settings as there's been a few times I forgot to set the DS to max volume and things didn't go to plan.

The screen is the same as the Archos 605 WiFi, so these should work.

Thanks for the info on this. It was one of the bigger concerns that I had with it.

 

[Prometheus]

Thanks for the speedy reply

Always glad to be of assistance.

or is it more like there's software controls and then wheel is kind of like the volume control on external speakers similar to a desktop configuration?

^ It's like this. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough before.

As long as you've set the software side of it to its maximum volume, you then only need to think about the wheel. This is what I do, anyway.

Thanks for the info on this. It was one of the bigger concerns that I had with it.

No problem, again.

If there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask.

 

[BlueGreen]

^ It's like this. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough before.

I should have read your first reply a second time. Oh, well, that's what a I get for trying to go on only 4 hours of sleep. It's a shame they're seperate controls, but at least I've had practice with my DS so it shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[rabidpoobear]

^ It's like this. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough before.

I should have read your first reply a second time. Oh, well, that's what a I get for trying to go on only 4 hours of sleep. It's a shame they're seperate controls, but at least I've had practice with my DS so it shouldn't be a big deal.

well the thing is, with the DS you're stuck with a hardware volume; you have no recourse. With the Pandora, you can either use the hardware, software, or both in tandem. It sounds like you should just use the software control and leave your wheel up all the way. that way you can lower the volume of programs using the digital controls, but your alarm will always be able to make some noise. just don't ever turn the wheel and you'll be fine. in fact if you were daring you could just remove the wheel and just use digital controls, like most phones do.

 

[openthebox]

Just adding my 2cents...

3) As others have mentioned the Archos 605 screen protector can be used here. I believe most used the one from Zagg's Invisible Shield. The thing is, it is not a perfect fit, the protector is about 1mm short on the sides. It is not a big deal, just make sure you make your left side the one that is missing the 1mm protection. Why? Because if you make the right side missing the protection and you are using your stylus to scroll a scroll bar, you can be running on and off the proctector. Can become annoying. I made this mistake, I haven't had time to re-apply and make this correction on mine yet.

4) Not really a comment about build quality (which I feel is fine), but the Pandora is bulkier than the DSLite. The DSLite fits fine in my front pants pocket, but feels quite uncomfortable placing my Pandora there, so it really depends how big your pocket is and how big you are.

 

[linc186]

Just adding my 2cents...

3) As others have mentioned the Archos 605 screen protector can be used here. I believe most used the one from Zagg's Invisible Shield. The thing is, it is not a perfect fit, the protector is about 1mm short on the sides. It is not a big deal, just make sure you make your left side the one that is missing the 1mm protection. Why? Because if you make the right side missing the protection and you are using your stylus to scroll a scroll bar, you can be running on and off the proctector. Can become annoying. I made this mistake, I haven't had time to re-apply and make this correction on mine yet.

4) Not really a comment about build quality (which I feel is fine), but the Pandora is bulkier than the DSLite. The DSLite fits fine in my front pants pocket, but feels quite uncomfortable placing my Pandora there, so it really depends how big your pocket is and how big you are.

Everyone forgetting there is a pandora case? Well, i guess you can argue it tightly fits...you always have a jacket/sweatshirt/sweatjacket pocket. I myself never use my pants pockets.