Considering A Pandora

[Firebolt1176]

Hello to all, I am very new here. I'm considering buying a Pandora, but I'd first like to know some things before I order one for $330.

First of all, what does this console have that sets it apart from an Ipod Touch? I know it has plenty of emulators, but what apps and exclusive games does it have that makes it outshine an Ipod Touch? (Note: I am an end user, not a homebrew developer)

Second of all, where can I obtain files and programs for a Pandora? Can someone give me the link to an appstore, if it does exist? How much will apps cost?

Where will customer support and repair come from? Will OpenPandora repair my console if something happens to be or get broken?

Can someone give me a rough estimate of when I will get my Pandora, if I order now?

 

[b1llygo4t]

it doesnt really run apps in the sense that an itouch does. the pandora runs programs much the way your home pc does, that may be free, open source, or closed source(sold). the itouch can only run one app at a time and unless you hack it, will only run apps that have been approved by apple. like most other homebrew communities there will be a plethora of stuff to do. the limits are endless, but i wouldnt expect the iphone "pour a 40oz on the curb for my dead hommies" app to see the light of day here

the pandora has a one year warranty as required by law.

you will have to email them to see if there are any more from batch one available.

the rest of your answers can be answered here http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?/topic/44746-the-pandora-information-index/

::EDIT:: i said curb not curn!

 

[gaterooze]

It comes down to: real gaming controls.

 

[fischju2000]

Of course, never having to convert an audio, video, text, or other format file so it'll work helps too.

 

[taylor-madeak]

Hello to all, I am very new here. I'm considering buying a Pandora, but I'd first like to know some things before I order one for $330.

What is this "consider?" I came across the Pandora back in January 2010 when I was looking for something that might be an upgrade to the Wiz. I read the specs, saw that it runs a full desktop environment, and inquired about pre-ordering one without further consideration. O.O The device is that unique. My wife didn't hesitate to preorder one as a birthday gift to me.

First of all, what does this console have that sets it apart from an Ipod Touch? I know it has plenty of emulators, but what apps and exclusive games does it have that makes it outshine an Ipod Touch? (Note: I am an end user, not a homebrew developer)

A full desktop environment, including the ability to multitask. That alone means i[devices] can't touch it. Real gaming controls for your emulators and original releases are nice, too - I hate having to tap virtual buttons with my thumbs on an Apple touch screen, it just doesn't feel right. As for software, just about anything that has a freely available source code can be ported to the Pandora, within reason.

Second of all, where can I obtain files and programs for a Pandora? Can someone give me the link to an appstore, if it does exist? How much will apps cost?

http://apps.open-pandora.org

Most "apps" are free and open source, but the ability for developers to charge money for their closed-source Pandora apps exists in the appstore software. How much they'll charge for this or that app is unknown at this time because the Evildragon, Craigix, MWeston, and Fatih are still in labor trying to give birth to this brand new device.

Where will customer support and repair come from? Will OpenPandora repair my console if something happens to be or get broken?

Open-Pandora Ltd. will provide warranty support for the hardware itself, while the software and OS support will be a community effort. That's kind of the point of the device, really: it's a community effort.

Can someone give me a rough estimate of when I will get my Pandora, if I order now?

No, sorry. I'm in the final 100 or so orders and I'm hoping to receive mine by the end of June, but that's just my own guess based on watching the work progress from afar. Not even the dudes assembling and shipping the product can tell you when you'll get yours until they actually put a shipping label on it and give it to the mailman.

 

[neko]

First of all, what does this console have that sets it apart from an Ipod Touch?

No jailbreaking necessary.

 

[Rockthesmurf]

what does this console have that sets it apart from an Ipod Touch?

• Gaming controls
• Keyboard
• Ace community
• A full Linux OS (as well as cut down OS or two)
• Nice big screen

So if you don't want nice controls and a keyboard, and would rather have a worse community and run a crippled OS on a smaller screen, then I think the IPod Touch may just be the device for you. But you strike me as a intelligent chap, therefore I conclude you would be much better off with a Pandora! Time to order I think?

Steve

 

[JayFoxRox]

However, it's worth to note that there have been complains about the input hardware already and the OS is not perfect yet neither.
Generally I'd consider the Pandora being for users who want an expiremental device with expiremental software.

You should not expect tons of "apps and emulators", nor a perfect design for the next few weeks.

There are no large companies behind the Pandora too. If you want to play games by EA etc - go with another device instead.

 

[SomeGuy99]

Furthering what JayFoxRox just said, it may be better to come back in six months time when the bugs have been ironed out and plenty of applications have been released. We're sort of in the Alpha phase of the project at the moment.

 

[LineOf7s]

Well the good news is, I suppose, that even if there are some available (apparently there are not) and he ordered one, chances are it'll be quite a long time before he gets to see one... and by then (more or less) the vast majority of these current issues will be fix0red.

Yay?

 

[Elanzer]

Comparing the ipod touch to a Pandora is much like comparing an ipod touch to a laptop. There are just too many advantages of a complete desktop OS to list, and both devices are not even remotely comparable.

 

[may88]

Pandora is a grower not a goer. You're going to need to be a little techy and be prepared to get your hands dirty on occasions.
The forum is here to help.

From me this is such a unique bundle I cannot resist. It's a little tiny laptop with a reasonable amount of grunt to be useful.

If you like homebrew and retro over commercial then stay. Not all titles will be free although nothing on the appstore (this link it so pandorapress - a great source of digesting Pandora news - RSS feed this), has a cost against so far. This is only just being populated now. This is not all there is out there.

You're unlikely to get a first batch Pandora now. The plans for when the second batch will follow are being discusses at the moment and the latest consideration was to continue production through from the first batch straight into the second. That might happen but I suspect the OPT will need some form of rest. Pre-ordering for the 2nd batch has not opened yet and there will be delays. As said above things will be more newbie friendly by the time you would get yours. It's still a pre-order so you need to have faith and part with your money before receiving the goods. An alien concept for some.

nuff said!


edit - finish a sentence

 

[EmuGuy]

Short summary - Buy both, depending on your needs.

If you already have a giant iTunes library, I'd stick with Apple devices for how well it all works together. Pandora won't sync with iTunes. The Apple App Store has tons of apps, some are junk, but I've found several I use everyday (shopping lists, weather, twitter, sports scores, tv schedules, Skype, remote controls, etc).

Where the iPod fails, for me, is video...doesn't support nearly enough formats, and only syncs with iTunes. Whereas with Pandora I'm hoping to drop practically anything onto my SD card, without converting it first, and start watching. I don't typically buy movies or TV shows from Apple, due to the DRM, but again if you already have a big collection, I'd stick with Apple.

iPod Touch also fails around here, as others have mentioned already, when it comes to gaming controls. Unless you're only playing games that require you to tilt the screen (using the accelerometer, and they are some ok ones out there), I personally hate trying to play platform games with a touchscreen...a truly terrible experience. I have the c64 app and it's unplayable.

Some people also hate the iPod touchscreen keyboard...I don't mind it, although it lags a little when it first loads up.

I tried jailbreaking my iPod Touch, but it got so slow and crashy, it wasn't worth it. Sometimes closed platforms are meant to stay closed.

Pandora will also have multiple web browsers to choose from (apparently Chrome is on the way)...tabbed browsing will be nice!

Anyway, for me they serve different purposes, and I'll probably carry both every day (upgrading to the new iPhone this summer...as a Mac user, my Blackberry won't be missed). Looking forward to being able to just copy anything to Pandora, instead of having to sync stuff all the time. Basically it comes down to how much are you into Apple's 'walled-garden'? Also, how much do you depend on a tightly knit experience? Pandora will be very much a work in progress for most of it's life (and that's the beauty of it). I own a GP2X (it'll be 4 years on June 9th!), so I'm looking forward to that experience again, watching the community fill the Pandora app store with goodies and customizing the hell out of everything.

As far as quality of games, no there won't be big EA games or stuff like that...the beauty of homebrew is the indie gems that come out of nowhere, and communicating with the developers.

And I'm sure I'm forgetting tons of other stuff. Hope this helps!

 

[fearofshorts]

Don't forget the battery life!
2-3 times (I think) better!

 

[Mjlink]

If its any correlation, my iphone will most likely retire quite soon. Its 2G and I can't get it to tether to my Pandora for Internet.

I tried gaming on my iphone, it sucks, at least old school/retro stuff.

Pandora has the best gaming controls I've used on a handheld. I own a Dingoo and had a GP2X F200. Everything else is a bonus regarding the Pandora beyond Emulation. I've been playing SNES & MAME, portable and most importantly, with great control.

Some of the iphone Apps are good, but nothing that's going to make me upgrade to 3G, 3GS, or the new 4G, iPad is a joke IMO, I laugh everytime I see the billboard with one. It's so BIG.

Just downloaded Colecovision, I'm sure that will be as stellar as everything else at this early inception of hardware in the wild.

Peace & Pandora,

Link

 

[aatu]

A little bit of overlap with others, but here's my take:

Sorry if I'm too blunt, but the Pandora probably ain't for you just yet. You sound like a typical mass consumer (not in offense, 80% of the population count as such), and this product probably won't be as polished as you would like it to be. At least for another 8-12 months. By that time, they may have a solid ground and they probably have fine-tuned most of the stuff to be ready for general public.

I might be wrong about you being a typical mass consumer, but somebody coming to a forum of this type of device and asking how it would compare to anything from Apple ... is quite revealing. And no, I'm not an elitist (at least I hope so), I'm just trying to prevent you from plunging into something that's not yet ready for you and thus minimizing the bad PR for the project.
(3/11-rule: People tell good news or positive experience to approximately three people. Bad news and negative experince is usually told to eleven people.)

So, as a summary: wait a little, then decide. Follow the forums for a few months so you get a better picture of this whole thing, so you know what to expect.

But this is just my opinion/prediction. But ask yourself this: would you be ready to try Linux on your desktop? If the answer is "Possibly", then don't order yet (emphasis on "yet"). But if the answer is "Absolutely!", "I'm installing it just as we speak" or "Already have it", then yes, you should order it. If you're asking yourself "What's Linux?", then I have bad news for you, my friend.

PS. ...No, it still sounds like an elitist view. Bad me. But I still stand by it.

PS2. Regarding the "when" (craigix is one of the maestros on this project):
http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?/topic/53754-controller-limitations/page__view__findpost__p__861400

 

[EmuGuy]

aatu has summed it up nicely. I don't think your post was elitist, rather matter of fact. The user experience makes or breaks these devices. Good recommendation for him to wait and see.

 

[bce23w]

I admit aatu, at first I was like "Woah, I've gone blind, no wait I just rolled my eyes all the way back," but then I was like "But yeah, probably."

Or rather, in my own words: This is a hobbyist device. You can mess with it. You are encouraged to. Sometimes, you may even be required to. I happen to believe almost anyone could be a hobbyist, but many of them claim they don't want to. If you want something that "just works," as they say, don't buy the Pandora. If you really want something that you can code on, or that you potentially could do absolutely anything and everything that the hardware supports, then do buy one.

It's a revealing comparison. I think the Pandora and the iPod touch/iPhone are almost precisely opposite platforms.

 

[SomeGuy99]

Hobbyist, yeah.

When I was a kid I was into RC cars. Now there were basically two options on the market:

1) Toy radio controlled cars. Typically by Nikko, or at least the ones I had. You could get some pretty neat models, and they looked really flash and gave a your good few hours of play. You could even go for the strangely designed stunt cars, or a hovercraft or whatever. On christmas, or your birthday, you just take thing out of the box, put in some batteries and you're off driving repeatedly into table legs, annoyed parents and pets.

2) Model RC cars. Three or more times more expensive, and you have to build them yourself! I bought one second hand that was pre-made so for me this doesn't count. They're more fragile than the thick plastic of your toy car, come with a more sophisticated controller that requires 12 batteries, are harder to drive and have a run time of only ten minutes. So what's the difference? Pure power and speed, as the full potentional of the car is available to you - the ten minute run time is because the car can travel at over 20mphs!

As as I got mine I took it out into the street and EVERY kid from the neighbourhood came out and watched in awe as the thing ripped down the road. My toy cars would almost stop on rough terrain like grass or mud. The model car? No sweat!

The model car simply had way more potential and raw power, and gave you more control, but it was a less user-friendly experience. Despite only being able to run for ten minutes at a time, the other kids were buzzing over it. We build ramps and dirt courses and used to race the car on our bikes. The simple pleasure of performing 20mph powerslides was something the toy car could never provide.


That's the difference between an Ipod Touch and a Pandora.

 

[Firebolt1176]

Well, thank you for all your posts. Now I really want a Pandora, but I'd like some clarification on something: are the Pandoras currently being assembled of the first batch or the second batch? Sorry if this sounds stupid.