Feedback on the Open Pandora device

[FaeMinx]

i didn't mean to say "piss off" as you mentioned, but after reading that you want to turn pandora into a netbook and dump what it has most valuable, you leave me no options. Don't get me wrong. You don't have pandora, i do. Trust me, if there's something that could be improved, i would say a better processor (>1ghz) and more ram, maybe a slimmer form factor. That's all.

What else to say about this... you summed up everything I was about to post myself.

I also wouldn't mind if the NAND were a bit larger...


Perhaps add a 'Mouse Nipple',


And L2+R2


Therefore Pandora 2:


Everything as it is now, but with:


*) 1 - 1.5ghz processor. (perhaps dual-core?)


*) 1gb Ram


*) 1gb NAND


Maybe:


*) Slimmer form factor


*) Added L2 + R2


*) Mouse Nipple ?? :rolleyes:

 

[Coldbird]

So Im not the only one who calls it "mouse nipple".

 

[marco23p]

So Im not the only one who calls it "mouse nipple".

I call it that to

 

[BaDToaD]

Let me just sort out your post for you.

I don't own the OpenPandora device and I have nothing intelligent to say, so I'm just going to run along now. Thanks. bye!

 

[valhalla]

[*]Be somewhere without open wifi networks (i.e. almost everywhere in Italy, if you don't want to track who is managing them, give your id, register, as required by law), use an usb HDSPA modem to connect to the internet.

Dang, I was hoping to live in Italy one day (at least part-time!) I take it that just applies to public wifis, there are no rules about your own private wifi are there?

public wifis only, if you have a private network you already gave your data/id to the provider that gives you internet access.


you may have problems if you keep an open access point, however (small random chance).

The minimenu is usable with fingers (but I usually just use the keys)

Is it? How do you scroll down the list?

err... with keys

 

[ManlyStump]

The minimenu is usable with fingers (but I usually just use the keys)

Is it? How do you scroll down the list?

err... with keys

Yeah, so not touch-screen friendly, unless you have 3 apps installed!

 

[anexanhume]

i didn't mean to say "piss off" as you mentioned, but after reading that you want to turn pandora into a netbook and dump what it has most valuable, you leave me no options. Don't get me wrong. You don't have pandora, i do. Trust me, if there's something that could be improved, i would say a better processor (>1ghz) and more ram, maybe a slimmer form factor. That's all.

What else to say about this... you summed up everything I was about to post myself.

I also wouldn't mind if the NAND were a bit larger...


Perhaps add a 'Mouse Nipple',


And L2+R2


Therefore Pandora 2:


Everything as it is now, but with:


*) 1 - 1.5ghz processor. (perhaps dual-core?)


*) 1gb Ram


*) 1gb NAND


Maybe:


*) Slimmer form factor


*) Added L2 + R2


*) Mouse Nipple ?? :rolleyes:

IMO NAND needs to only be large enough to house the OS. Any bigger than that, and you get into a debate about how much fast storage the user should be able to have. The problem is that NAND isn't cheap. Therefore, I think it makes sense to minimize NAND given their demographic.


By the time the pandora 2 comes out, dual cores will be standard high end and quad cores won't be uncommon. I don't see a need given the current state of things until Cortex A15 SoCs start showing up mid to late next year (I doubt batch 2 is even done then).


As for L2 + R2, I always though it made sense to make small buttons on the side of the device where your fingers already rest to hit the triggers. Thus, all you would need to do is give your middle finger joints a light press without taking your fingers off the triggers in back.


Other than that, the screen can always be better. (imagine a screen like the Vita, yes please)

 

[panik]

[*]Connect an Arduino, read sensor data, do cool things. (Well, this is a plan more than an experience.)

Ooh, has anyone actually connected an Arduino to their Pandora? That would be very cool!

Plug the Arduino in the USB port (I used a hub, don't know if it works without) and talk to /dev/ttyUSB0 using minicom or screen. This works out of the box on the Pandora. I also had the Arduino environment running in Debian booted from an SD-card, where it was just a 'sudo apt-get install arduino' away. Worked flawlessly.


Once you can talk to the gpio's on 5 Volt (I did that here), you can also use the UART on the ext-port, and/or bitbang the rest of the pins.

 

[White Demon]

Mouse Nipple

Please no.


There is a reason they removed them from most laptops and replaced them with touch pads years ago...

 

[Muggie]

The reason I always hated touch pads is because you have to pick your finger up off of it when you reach the edge. With a "Mouse Nipple"(which I've always thought of as a pencil eraser on the keyboard not a nipple) you barely have to move your hand. I miss the days of those things.

 

[moz]

The new thinkpads still use them.

 

[FaeMinx]

IMO NAND needs to only be large enough to house the OS. Any bigger than that, and you get into a debate about how much fast storage the user should be able to have. The problem is that NAND isn't cheap. Therefore, I think it makes sense to minimize NAND given their demographic.


By the time the pandora 2 comes out, dual cores will be standard high end and quad cores won't be uncommon. I don't see a need given the current state of things until Cortex A15 SoCs start showing up mid to late next year (I doubt batch 2 is even done then).


As for L2 + R2, I always though it made sense to make small buttons on the side of the device where your fingers already rest to hit the triggers. Thus, all you would need to do is give your middle finger joints a light press without taking your fingers off the triggers in back.


Other than that, the screen can always be better. (imagine a screen like the Vita, yes please)

I would just like to have more flexibility with the OS - perhaps even dual-boot. I had no intention of using the NAND for user storage.


Of course, the Pandora 2 is many years away... by all means let's use the most powerful processor we can at the time.


I fully agree with your idea on how to implement the L2 + R2.

Mouse Nipple

Please no.


There is a reason they removed them from most laptops and replaced them with touch pads years ago...

Touch pads take up a great deal of room which we don't have. a Mouse Nipple could easily find a space in the Pandora. I personally prefer them to touch pads and think their implementation in the Pandora would work really well - Better than using the nubs; especially with something like DosBox (my real reason for wanting a Mouse Nipple).

 

[Eight Bit]

Hmz, I never use the nubs as a way to control the mouse pointer anyway. Far too slow and fidly. A mouse nipple would be just the same.


Touch screen and stylus are the way to go imo. Finger control works but I think the screen is a bit too rough for comfortable finger mousing.


What needs to be fixed is drag and drop with the stylus Somehow I can't get that to work properly.

 

[Prometheus]

There is a reason they removed them from most laptops and replaced them with touch pads years ago...

Yeah: Because it's cheaper to use touchpads (presumably because the lack of precision parts, lower accuracy, and problematic responsiveness of touchpads means that they cost rather less to use than a TrackPoint).


They're pretty horrible, even now. Thankfully Lenovo, Toshiba, HP, and Dell all still offer TrackPoints!


There's a reason I love the nubs-as-mouse feature on the Pandora - it's pretty close to a TrackPoint.

 

[Muggie]

I'm so glad other people like the mouse nipple! I thought I was the only one!

 

[Prometheus]

I learned to use graphics-editing programs with a TrackPoint (and by that, I mean using it almost as though it were a drawing implement in and of itself), so the accuracy is something I've always been fond of ever since. It was infuriating when it became harder to find them.


It's truly useful for properly digitising scans of sewing patterns, too, but that's a whole other story.

 

[GiraffeeDreams]

With everything, there is only one fault with the Pandora and that is lack of L2 and R2, but given everything about it that is simply amazing that is extremely minor, I have been meaning to connect my iCP to it and hold it underneath and possibly assign some of the buttons on that to L2 and R2 - if it feels comfortable it might be worth making a pandora clamp for it?


The Pandora doesn't need to be changed, that's just my thoughts but since the day I've had it, I've never wanted more from it as it exceeds my needs by miles.


My 2 cents.

 

[Prometheus]

The Pandora doesn't need to be changed, that's just my thoughts but since the day I've had it, I've never wanted more from it as it exceeds my needs by miles.

I think that about sums up my experience with it, as well!


Very well put.

 

[Morn]

Thankfully Lenovo, Toshiba, HP, and Dell all still offer TrackPoints!

I like trackpoint on my Lenovo, but just can't imagine how could I comfortably use it on such little device as Pandora.

 

[RobFord]

Mouse Nipple

Please no.


There is a reason they removed them from most laptops and replaced them with touch pads years ago...

I have to agree, I have both on my laptop and have never used the mouses nipple.