Extra Features That People Wish The Most

[supershospy]

I think it would be cool if the Pandora 2 had a FPGA. It would the ultimate device. Imagine... Not only could you develop software for it, but you would be able to develop hardware logic as well. Open source cores could be used and developed. Need some type of hardware acceleration? Configure the FPGA to do it!

Note: This idea may not be practical.

 

[DAP]

1) Make the USB port fully standards compliant. (this is the only thing I consider a "bug" in the current design, the rest are just design choices I don't necessarily agree with).
2) mini-DisplayPort. HDMI would be fine, but HDMI requires paying fees to include. Displayport while not as common does not require any licensing fees, and apple has announced that they will license their mini display port connector for free. Svideo and VGA are obsolete, even if they are still common.
3) A display that fills the entire lid of the Pandora. move the speakers to the base, or delete them entirely.
4) GPS receiver with antenna that folds out of the lid.
5) 6 axis accelerometer/gyroscope.
6) action button in joysticks (push down to click)
7) second set of shoulder buttons.
8) More RAM & FLASH, especially FLASH (Yah, I know, Need to get TI to make a part that has more RAM and FLASH, Perhaps an internal microSD slot would help.)
9) Built it microphone.
10) Cell phone (not that I'd use this, but it would make more people interested)

Keep the keyboard & joysticks, this is most of what makes Pandora appealing.

 

[dagger]

What's the problem with the USB port? What peripherals won't work because of that?

 

[peca]

What's the problem with the USB port? What peripherals won't work because of that?

Pandora use only High Speed 2.0 port, neither Low Speed, Full Speed nor 1.1 compatibility. If someone need connect such device, then he must use USB HUB that provide signal translation OR connect it to USB OTG Pandora port which may require adapter from mini AB USB to standard female USB A.
edit: For clarification, I'll take it as a feature, not a bug!

 

[Squidge]

8. The internal flash is only meant for the OS, so why does it need to be larger? Secondly, why do TI need to make it? The OMAP supports various ram and nand, as long as it's in the POP design.

9. Already exists.

 

[Tor]

4) GPS: the built-in ones are more often than not far from the state-of-art. What a miserable thing the Nokia N810 GPS chip is. Instead, I use a high quality, small, robust, cheap, long battery lifetime, bluetooth GPS receiver (very very small), which I mostly keep in a small pocket in my jacket, and when driving I can put it in a favorable position on the car. And I can easily upgrade when there's something better available (done once already), without replacing the Pandora. And I can use the same GPS receiver with a bunch of other devices that I own, including a Palm with TomTom.

In short, I don't want or need or see any point in having a built-in GPS in the Pandora.
Not at this point. Somewhen in the future all GPS chips will have reached their final, high-quality, low-price, nothing-can-be-done-anymore state, and they can then be built in to every electronic device out there. Until then I prefer my replaceable bluetooth GPS devices, thank you very much.

 

[Eniko]

9. Already exists.

The Pandora comes with a built in microphone? Really? :blink: How come I missed that one?

 

[paolo]

0) Touchscreen 16:10 with two-presses detection like ip-hone
1) HDMI output
2) COM port
3) Possibility to buy & replace with not to much effort a solid stainless steel body so I can wear it in my pocket while climbing, snowboarding...
4) Internal sd card (replaceable by unscrewing body) to be seen as hard disk to put only the very basic OS on
5) at least 2 full sized usb ports and distant one from the other
6) built in sirfstarIII GPS
7) built in camera (no matter if shitty)
8) accelerometer stuff
9) IrDa
10) package LMsensors working (if not already )

 

[CandidStan]

What's the problem with the USB port? What peripherals won't work because of that?

Pandora use only High Speed 2.0 port, neither Low Speed, Full Speed nor 1.1 compatibility. If someone need connect such device, then he must use USB HUB that provide signal translation OR connect it to USB OTG Pandora port which may require adapter from mini AB USB to standard female USB A.
edit: For clarification, I'll take it as a feature, not a bug!


Who the hell wants to use a slow 1.1 or 1.0 device?

9. Already exists.

The Pandora comes with a built in microphone? Really? :blink: How come I missed that one?


Hey you Pikachu FTW.

 

[Grench]

A lanyard hole.

I don't know how many times my Tapwave Zodiac got knocked out of my hands to be saved by the lanyard around my left wrist. If I can find a place to safely drill a 1/16" hole diagonally through the plastic on the Pandora, it will likely be the first device mod I do.

Good point. Very good, in fact.
I see a lot of cameras, both digital and film, in my line of work, and nearly every physically damaged camera has one thing in common: they never had the lanyard or neck strap attached. When a customer brings in their smashed camera along with the original packaging,

I agree that a hole for a lanyard would be a good feature. I'd use one of the Wii wrist straps, for when I'm using the thing 'on the run'.

The wrist strap on my DS has saved it more than once.

QUOTE
and you see the lanyard still packed in the tiny bag at the bottom of the box, it's hard not to roll your eyes.

Ok, but you'd better not laugh if I ever show you my vacation pictures and half of them have the lanyard dangling over the lens!

The last posts I saw from the development team implied that they are working through the prototypes for cases. If there is any chance of having this simple? modification done to the version 1 plastic, what is the best way to bring this to their attention?

They don't have to include the actual lanyard in the box, but having a tiny hole to put one in would save me from taking mine apart, finding a thick spot in the plastic, drilling it, then reassembling.

 

[VRAndy]

Who the hell wants to use a slow 1.1 or 1.0 device?
Just about anyone who wants to use a keyboard or game controller. Among others.

 

[Squidge]

QUOTE
The Pandora comes with a built in microphone? Really? blink.gif How come I missed that one?

The microphone is up in the right hinge hump in between the 9 and 0 buttons. It can be used with the lid open or closed since it has the hole facing up and slightly in toward the user (somewhat like the power LED).

2) COM port
10) package LMsensors working (if not already )

The Pandora has a comport available on the EXT connector, it just needs wiring (+MAX232 or similar if you wish to do +/- 10V as only MK0's have that chip builtin). A 9-pin DSUB is a little large to add to a small handheld device...

There's no SMBus, so LMsensors package is impossible. There's also no LM75 or LM78...

 

[VRAndy]

1) Make the USB port fully standards compliant. (this is the only thing I consider a "bug" in the current design, the rest are just design choices I don't necessarily agree with).
Agreed.

QUOTE
3) A display that fills the entire lid of the Pandora. move the speakers to the base, or delete them entirely.
PRobably a tough one. They've got to use off-the-shelf screens.

QUOTE
4) GPS receiver with antenna that folds out of the lid.
This would be cool, but GPS decoders are suprisingly expensive. ($50 or more.)

QUOTE
6) action button in joysticks (push down to click)
I disagree. With the size of these thumb-pads we're going to operate them by putting a lot of downward pressure. (Put a penny on a table and slide it around without pushing down. It's awkward.)

QUOTE
7) second set of shoulder buttons.
This would be cool. They wouldn't have to be arranged vertically. They could be towards the center, like the Wii Classic controller.

QUOTE
10) Cell phone (not that I'd use this, but it would make more people interested)
No thanks!

 

[paolo]

There's no SMBus, so LMsensors package is impossible. There's also no LM75 or LM78...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooD'OH!


P.S.: Noooooooo

 

[sterling976]

Additional features? How about these:

• Coffe Maker
• Voice Translator
• Electric Razor
• Coffee Maker

Just like this little jobbie.

Back on topic, I think a second set of shoulder buttons would be nice. There's a set of solder pads for them, though. They're labeled 'Spare R2' and 'L2 Spare' in that pic. I look forward to seeing what happens when some crazy mo-fo enterprising individual with an iron and some flux decides to do-it-himself. I think VRAndy's on the right track with the Wii-classic layout of the shoulder buttons.

 

[Endurion]

A lanyard hole.

The last posts I saw from the development team implied that they are working through the prototypes for cases. If there is any chance of having this simple? modification done to the version 1 plastic, what is the best way to bring this to their attention?

They don't have to include the actual lanyard in the box, but having a tiny hole to put one in would save me from taking mine apart, finding a thick spot in the plastic, drilling it, then reassembling.




+1 for this....

on the more not realy serious note.... a keyboard like this would be nice:

http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/

 

[DAP]

8. The internal flash is only meant for the OS, so why does it need to be larger? Secondly, why do TI need to make it? The OMAP supports various ram and nand, as long as it's in the POP design.

Why should the built in flash be used only for the OS? Why not applications and data? Why do laptops have large hard drive?
With that small built in flash, its like going back to the days when PCs only had floppy drives.

The reason I mentioned TI is that it is a POP design. meaning the memory is added to the processor before TI ships it. Makes it hard for 3rd parties to add aftermarket memory to the system.

QUOTE

9. Already exists.



Good to hear, I did not know this.

4) GPS: the built-in ones are more often than not far from the state-of-art. What a miserable thing the Nokia N810 GPS chip is. Instead, I use a high quality, small, robust, cheap, long battery lifetime, bluetooth GPS receiver (very very small), which I mostly keep in a small pocket in my jacket, and when driving I can put it in a favorable position on the car. And I can easily upgrade when there's something better available (done once already), without replacing the Pandora. And I can use the same GPS receiver with a bunch of other devices that I own, including a Palm with TomTom.

In short, I don't want or need or see any point in having a built-in GPS in the Pandora.
Not at this point. Somewhen in the future all GPS chips will have reached their final, high-quality, low-price, nothing-can-be-done-anymore state, and they can then be built in to every electronic device out there. Until then I prefer my replaceable bluetooth GPS devices, thank you very much.

Poor built in GPS is a choice of the manufacturer. I don't think the Pandora developers are that stupid.
The problem with external GPS units is that they are a separate device requiring separate batteries, and/or a separate cable. Meaning more often than not, they will be left behind. I have a Garmin iQue 3600 PDA/GPS that has a foldout antenna. This unit is getting very long in tooth, but it was very convenient to have the GPS built in.
Having a built in GPS does not preclude you from using any external GPS you want instead.

Who the hell wants to use a slow 1.1 or 1.0 device?

Just about every USB keyboard, USB mouse, USB to serial adaptor, USB to parallel adaptor, and USB GPS in existance is a "USB full speed" or "USB low speed" device quite often (though incorrectly) referred to as a USB 1.1 or USB 1.0 device.

note: USB 2.0 does NOT mean or imply "USB High Speed". USB 2.0 hosts (anything with an "A" connector) must be capable of "USB High Speed", but must also support "USB full speed" and "USB Low Speed". Calling a USB device (anything with a "B" connector) "USB 2.0" is meaningless, it tells you nothing about how fast it operates.

 

[emcp]

GPS would be a wasted feature for the majority of the community also

QUOTE
+1 for this....

on the more not realy serious note.... a keyboard like this would be nice:

http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/


mm [cough]

QUOTE

kinda of like the optimus maximus OLED keys



already said

 

[peca]

Who the hell wants to use a slow 1.1 or 1.0 device?

Just about every USB keyboard, USB mouse, USB to serial adaptor, USB to parallel adaptor, and USB GPS in existance is a "USB full speed" or "USB low speed" device quite often (though incorrectly) referred to as a USB 1.1 or USB 1.0 device.

That's OK. This amount of devices must be plugged to USB HUB anyway. So, not a problem. ;-)

BTW, I bought Chicony 9865 keybard with integrated hub (2 ports). If it will not be enough, I'll add another 4 port hub into it. I guess that this (+ mouse and + usb2vga) will be good productivity solution.

 

[Squidge]

Why should the built in flash be used only for the OS? Why not applications and data?

Applications and data go onto the SD cards, OS goes onto the internal NAND. You shouldn't store any of your own data on the nand, as it could be (but shouldn't be) lost after or during an OS upgrade, or it may cause an OS upgrade to fail. This has always been the case.

QUOTE
The reason I mentioned TI is that it is a POP design. meaning the memory is added to the processor before TI ships it. Makes it hard for 3rd parties to add aftermarket memory to the system.
TI ships the OMAP 'bare', and the PCB assembler fixes the memory to the OMAP. Why would TI waste time gluing various combinations of flash and ram to there omaps before selling them? It would be an administrative nightmare. It makes more sense to just sell the chip itself and let the individual manufacturer choose chips as required.

This POP technology is one of the things that not many PCB assemblers do at the moment (see MWestons post here). Also we have some trays of OMAP chips without the memory attached to them if you would like photographs