Instruction Manuel

[may88]

Come on guys, who ever reads the manual? I always spend days scratching my head till I figure it out myself or bin it and buy a more user friendly device. A manual!!, LOL lol :rolleyes:

Well I'll read mine. Just the once mind, with gloved hands of course.

 

[droneb]

Come on guys, who ever reads the manual? I always spend days scratching my head till I figure it out myself or bin it and buy a more user friendly device. A manual!!, LOL lol :rolleyes:

OMG, i do read manuals!, i had an awfull nokia 5300 (thank god it got damaged and in warranty i got a better model (Sony k810i)) the first one, if it wasnt of the manual i wouldnt have ever find where to change the voice box number (it was somehow so many lvls of options down).

the second one reading the manual i found that some free software could be downloaded for free (yes they gave a webaddress) also found some nice stuff.

its a matter of time, read the manual and start using it now, or never read the manual and always think how the He** do you do that.

also a manual has to be designed like if everyone in the world has an low IQ, somehow you must get it as close as fool proof(fools that at least know how to read or understand criptic graphics XD).


really people, some manuals are just plain Dumb, but you should at least take a minute to quickly peek and see if theres any important stuff.

 

[WizardStan]

Come on guys, who ever reads the manual? I always spend days scratching my head till I figure it out myself or bin it and buy a more user friendly device. A manual!!, LOL lol :rolleyes:

I always read the manual. No matter how intuitive the device may seem to be, any device of sufficient complexity stands a good chance of having features you would never think to look for, features that are most likely to be found in the manual, if you take the time to read it.
The number of "if you need a manual you shouldn't be getting a Pandora" posts disturbs me, as if admitting that there is a chance you may not know something is something to be ashamed of.

 

[renegadechic]

manuals are something i give my friends to divert their attention when i dont trust them to touch the actual device itself

 

[Pleng]

I always read the manual. No matter how intuitive the device may seem to be, any device of sufficient complexity stands a good chance of having features you would never think to look for, features that are most likely to be found in the manual, if you take the time to read it.

Yea. I usually read the manual, but not until I've used the thing for a week or two

The number of "if you need a manual you shouldn't be getting a Pandora" posts disturbs me, as if admitting that there is a chance you may not know something is something to be ashamed of.

What can I say? We're in geek land here and, from what I see on my uni course, know-it-all-ism is pretty much embedded in geek-attitude.

 

[Vorporeal]

Can we include a "pandora" man-page in the firmware?

 

[haptagud]

I feel most, if not all, of the people who have ordered a pandora to-date are going to either a) figure out any and all problems themselves or B) use the forums to help them solve their problems. That said however, I think a good little manual or a Quick-Start guide are/is essential. Without, the pandora will never move out of geek/niche status and it would be a shame for this unique product to not show what can be done when like minded people get together.

 

[Polossatik]

I feel most, if not all, of the people who have ordered a pandora to-date are going to either a) figure out any and all problems themselves or B) use the forums to help them solve their problems. That said however, I think a good little manual or a Quick-Start guide are/is essential. Without, the pandora will never move out of geek/niche status and it would be a shame for this unique product to not show what can be done when like minded people get together.

+1, while the current "batch" will not likely need manuals, that quick start is a good thing, together with some "home links" really visible on the default Pandora Gui to guide people who are not really that used to non-windows env to the wiki or how'tos / forums.
While indeed most of the time manuals are inglored, "quick start" - if done properly - will be looked at by at least a part of the buyers.

 

[Monk]

I'd have thought the usual basics - written well - like "how to improve the lifetime of your proprietary Pandora battery" and "do not use in Sauna" and of course 2do not touch the feedback circuit when live" should be part of the manual.

As for what software is available but not installed, documenting how to use the default method of downloading and installing apps should suffice - that program/interface/whatever ought to do a good job of illustrating not what is available "at ime of print" but RIGHT THEN, when checked. So the latest greatest GIMP would be listed, as well as the movie players and so on. Some way of having a "favourites" or "Most loved" type of section where the most downloaded apps in each genre are listed would probably be more useful, I suspect, than a printed list of "preferred applications" even if the "market leader" does not change often.

I think a paper manual is certainly an excellent idea, and well worth NOT belittling. Like PC manuals, it is likely to prove of little interest to a great many users, but probably of great interest to another segment of the customer base - making it disproportionately important/useful.

 

[haptagud]

A small Quick-Start guide covering the setup and install of the machine etc should also be available at the Homepage, at least, and hopefully printed out for future batches. Something like this, going through the basics...

 

[openthebox]

People need to stop with the "if they don't know X, they shouldn't be buying a Pandora in the first place."
OP is not trying to be a club of elitists. Just because someone is not savvy enough to operate the Pandora without help, it shouldn't mean they don't deserve one.
It's their money after all and you don't own OP.
The more people buying the Pandora, the more successful the product will be; which is good for everyone.

I think it's important to include some type of manual because:
1) It makes the product look more professional.
2) The product will be reviewed by some major online sites. No reviewers will give a positive spin on "You can always search for an answer on their forum" bit. Any positive feedbacks from them goes a long way.
3) A happy customer is not a frustrated customer. Don't make a consumer jump through hoops to find an answer for simple questions.
A simple manual for the most common tasks will be much easier to lookup than having the user search a forum.
Don't we already complain about people not using the Search function to find an answer instead of opening up new threads? With a simple manual, this will cut down (it won't eliminate) some of these threads.

I think the manual should include things such as :
* where to get the up-to-date user manual or an extended version.
* the address of this forum
* the address of the archive (maybe not possible because of emulators)
* instructions on how to
--- set up internet connecting, wifi, ...
--- hook up and use the video out feature
--- how to install apps with example like Firefox
--- hot to install drivers for usb devices that Pandora does not support natively
--- how to put it to sleep and explain why it's useful.
--- etc...

Other things:
* Tell the user about the difference between the 2 USB ports. There was alot of questions on this and it won't be obvious for the average users.
* As others have mentioned, give users some hints regarding the proper use of the battery to help enhance user experience.
* Free advertisement, let the consumer know what other possible accessories are available.
* Tell them using any usb devices (like a thumb drive) will draw extra power from the battery.

These are some of the few things I can think of.

Make it friendly and they will come.

 

[fusion_power]

I think it's important to include some type of manual because:
1) It makes the product look more professional.
...

Indeed a very important point. A good Product just had to have a manual. And sometimes, good products also have good manuals (sadly not always).
I think a Pandora Manual could be very useful if there are detailed instructions inside of how you disassemble the unit etc... It's better to use a guide for this than destroying the Pandora during "learning by doing" experiments. And I think many users want to disassemble the Pandora sooner or later.

 

[openthebox]

I think a Pandora Manual could be very useful if there are detailed instructions inside of how you disassemble the unit etc... It's better to use a guide for this than destroying the Pandora during "learning by doing" experiments. And I think many users want to disassemble the Pandora sooner or later.

I don't think they can include that. Isn't opening the case a way of voiding the warranty?
I know that this is suppose to be a kit that encourages disassembling, but to protect OP from users without green thumbs, I don't think they can include such thing in their manual. I think someone will eventually create a guide and post it in the forum though.

 

[Squidge]

I agree that they shouldn't include how to disassemble the device in the instruction manual. How to remove the battery, sure, but don't go much further. Maybe put a "how to disassemble" video onto the website or youtube however for the people that want it instead of people breaking the device trying to get it open.

They have said before however that opening the device doesn't invalidate your warranty. However if you return it for defects under warranty and it shows signs of misuse (such as you dropped it, or you soldered two tracks together causing a short), then they reserve the right to refuse the warranty (possibly allowing you the option of paying for the repair)

 

[jlepley]

The people saying that the Pandora team shouldn't include a manual because none of the people who need a manual are going to buy it in the first place clearly don't know squat about business. You market the device to as many people as possible. And it's awfully hard to expand your consumer base if you have a narrow definition of what your consumer base is. The Pandora Team is a business. They're going to want to make a profit off of their hard work and innovation.

I always read the manual. Even if I know I can figure out most of the stuff myself, I read the manual to make sure.

 

[Asmo]

 

[typs lik dis]

Is that IE5?

 

[kagato]

I think OpenTheBox nailed it with his post.
The Pandora doesn't need a full 100-page manual, but it really should come with something like a Quick Start Guide to make sure the customer gets up and running smoothly.

I think it should include:

• A list of the included components (device, stylus, battery, charger, cd) so you know you got everything you paid for
• General specs: especially stuff like running & charging times
• Device care information: cover-your-ass legal stuff (do not submerge, set alight or taunt), maybe good charging practices etc.
• Device explanation: labelled diagrams for the connectors & controls listing the standard terminology (useful for tech support)
• "Before you start" instructions: installing the battery, first charge etc.
• Basic device operation: on, off, restart, standby; default behaviour when closing the lid
• Basic details on how to use the default UI: even if everyone is an experienced Linux user -- and not everyone will be -- there will be device-specific stuff in the UI that won't be intuitive for everyone. Things like the behaviour of the Pandora Key under different circumstances, etc.
• Configuration information (wifi, etc)
• Basic software installation
• Any special steps for system maintenance: especially firmware upgrade and recovery
• Where to go for further information (online manual, forums etc)
• Recommended software repositories

Everything could probably fit on 4 pages, so it could be a single sheet A4-sized (A3 folded in half), or even A5 is small print is tolerable.

Here's an example quick start guide that was printed for A5 size. The full manual was provided on CD (so some important stuff wasn't included on the QSG), but Pandora could probably get away with an online-only manual (eg Wiki).


PS. I produced the above QSG, and would be happy to help with one for the Pandora.

 

[MWeston]

An operations manual is required for FCC testing so we will definitely be making one. The bulk of how to use Pandora hardware is pretty simple, but I can see a few things that are good to explain. Stuff like how to reset the unit and battery charging considerations will be in there.

Some community support on the manual might be wonderful. ED is in charge of it because he is the pretty rendered picture guy but his time is limited. Maybe he will pop in here and have a comment some time. Perhaps this discussion can continue to discuss things that you might not understand and want clarification on. I can't think of much but since I designed it, I know the hardware inside and out.

Here's a good one: Can I run the system without a battery?

Unfortunately that answer has returned to a big fat NO. I think there is an errata issue with the non battery mode (called CVM). It runs without a battery if the LCD and Wifi are off (power drain is low) but then it won't charge the battery properly (takes about 30 hours!). No CVM and everything runs fine but you can't yank the battery.

 

[droneb]

... The full manual was provided on CD (so some important stuff wasn't included on the QSG), but Pandora could probably get away with an online-only manual (eg Wiki). ...

Im Really against Online Manuals even much less Reference for help on Forums.

maybe on the first batch of pandoras i can look away, but next batches its a MUST that manual goes phisical at least on a CD/DVD, but never online.

i really find awfull that some products goes saying to use download the manual and the drivers on this webpage, what happens if the webpage is no longer available?, changed address?, now we are going to ask you to pay for the drivers?(got a product that did this after a year of use).

also i find it really annoying not to say "something i hate to do" is to go soaring tons of threads on a forums to get your answer maybe answered, if so, also that you have to register to read anything or to post the question instead that most of the times they just keep unresponded (something that wont happen on this forum, but posible). another thing to hate is that some of the people think they are elite just go stomping in capital bold letters, "oh i cant believe someone asked that" or "search it" even "learn to use ...".

if i usually cant take that kind of responses as a Developer and general IT consultant, what would you think regular/common/newbie users would feel?

Some community support on the manual might be wonderful. ED is in charge of it because he is the pretty rendered picture guy but his time is limited.

Count me in, i want to help writing /Translating to Spanish.