Keep Pandora A Pmp, Browser, And Game Handheld Only!

[Magnulus]

I think I stumbled upon it on Lik-Sang at some point. Late 2005 or something, for pre-order. I remember being baffled that this machine didn't get any media attention from the bigger news sites.

But that's not what this thread is about! Curse you for derailing!!

 

[Clad]

And don't worry, we are keeping a very close eye on the EEE

Could you please stop staring at my EEE and send it already ? I understand it's very nice to look at (it's like a baby laptop, so cuuute) but I just can't wait to put my fingers everywhere inside that gorgeous baby.

Just kidding obviously, I understand it's asus making asses of themselves. But seriously, any idea when you'll finally receive that next batch of EEE ?

 

[Magnulus]

I just can't wait to put my fingers everywhere inside that gorgeous baby.

I wish you'd just stay in 12chan where you belong, pervert! ^_^

 

[Dubya']

And don't worry, we are keeping a very close eye on the EEE

Here's another one to watch, the new Cloudbook (aka Packard Bell Easynote XS, Via Nanobook). From the video, it apparently costs 599EU in Holland and 499GBP in the UK, so it's not nearly as price competitive with the Pandora in Europe as it will be in the US where it is to be released this month for $399 (vs. ~$320 claimed for the Pandora according to the wiki). ::

http://www.everex.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu6CtT-NAd4

 

[StealthBagel]

I have a lot of trouble understanding how the hell a tiny laptop with no game controls besides a keyboard, no HD and shitty battery life even approaches being in the same category as a gaming handheld..... some things are destined to be a mystery I guess. Maybe its charm is that the Eee PC is the gp2x of the PC world; it runs linux, it has massive design flaws and the controls are awful... oh and that battery life. But seriously who would have bought a gp2x if it only had a keyboard on it.

Man, its CPU is even shit for a laptop. And so little RAM.....

 

[Yrx]

I have a lot of trouble understanding how the hell a tiny laptop with no game controls besides a keyboard, no HD and shitty battery life even approaches being in the same category as a gaming handheld..... some things are destined to be a mystery I guess. Maybe its charm is that the Eee PC is the gp2x of the PC world; it runs linux, it has massive design flaws and the controls are awful... oh and that battery life. But seriously who would have bought a gp2x if it only had a keyboard on it.

Man, its CPU is even shit for a laptop. And so little RAM.....

I don't quite understand, either... Laptops aren't even very expensive anymore, so it's not like that should be a problem. Whateva.

 

[Dubya']

I have a lot of trouble understanding how the hell a tiny laptop with no game controls besides a keyboard, no HD and shitty battery life even approaches being in the same category as a gaming handheld..... some things are destined to be a mystery I guess. Maybe its charm is that the Eee PC is the gp2x of the PC world; it runs linux, it has massive design flaws and the controls are awful... oh and that battery life. But seriously who would have bought a gp2x if it only had a keyboard on it.

Man, its CPU is even shit for a laptop. And so little RAM.....

It's "shit for a laptop" because it isn't aimed at a laptop audience. And if you'd looked closer at the specs, you'd have seen that the Cloudbook has a 30GB hard drive. As far as the battery life, 5 hours is claimed, but field tests have shown that it's more like 4 hours (2.5 hours with WiFi-on web browsing).

My point is that in the US at least, the price of the two new UMPCs in the ~$400 category is very close to the pricing of the Pandora and, while not pocketable, they are much smaller and lighter than any notebook and vastly less expensive than notebooks that attempt to be that small and light. As far as the Cloudbook's CPU and IGP involved, compare them with the OMAP, then comment:

http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/chipsets/v-series/vx700/

http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/processo...e_by_design.jsp

# Operating System: gOS V2 Rocket (Ubuntu 7.10 with Enlightenment E17)
# Processor: 1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV Processor
# Display: 7" WVGA TFT Widescreen (800 x 480 native resolution)
# Memory: 512MB DDR2 533MHz SDRAM (1GB Max)
# Hard Disk Drive: 30GB, 4200RPM PATA
# Graphic: VIA UniChrome Pro IGP
# Audio: VIA VT1708A High Definition Audio Codec with built-in speakers
# WLAN: 802.11b/g
# LAN: 10/100 Ethernet
# I/O: (1) DVI-I port, (2) USB 2.0 ports, (1) RJ45 Ethernet port, (1) Headphone/Line Out jack, (1) Microphone/ Line In jack, (1) 4-in-1 Media Card Reader (Secure Digital, Multi-Media Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO)
# Battery: 4-Cell (14.4V, 2200mAh), rechargeable Lithium-Ion
# Dimensions: 9.06" x 6.73 x 1.16" (W x D x H)
# Weight: 2 pounds

These specs are crap compared compared to most any full-sized notebook, but they are certainly not crap compared with the Pandora. The Eee PC is selling like crazy in the US, so I suspect that the Cloudbook will, too.

While the Eee PC and Cloudbook can't be pocketed, they are so small and light that either one and a small USB gamepad could fit nicely in a 9" long, 3" thick case wighting perhaps 2.5-3 lbs. Not pocketable, but extremely portable and far less of a hassle to lug around than any notebook, even ones costing many times the price. Not pocketable, but highly portable devices primarily aimed at a Mobile Internet Device type application but with definite highly portable retro-gaming/emulation potential. And it's only going to get better with the Eee PC supposedly coming out in a touchscreen version later on this year.

I agree that the Pandora and these UMPCs aren't precisely in the same category of devices. However, they are close enough that they may draw away some customers from the Pandora. For instance, in my case, I'm waiting longer before buying the Pandora than I'd previously planned (was going to buy it as soon as it was available) in order to see what happens in the UMPC race in the coming year.

 

[quote]

And don't worry, we are keeping a very close eye on the EEE

Here's another one to watch, the new Cloudbook (aka Packard Bell Easynote XS, Via Nanobook). From the video, it apparently costs 599EU in Holland and 499GBP in the UK, so it's not nearly as price competitive with the Pandora in Europe as it will be in the US where it is to be released this month for $399 (vs. ~$320 claimed for the Pandora according to the wiki). ::


Nah, I don't think so. In my opinion that thing has a totally differet market.....

 

[lubidog]

Whilst Dub'ya has a point, for me it is the fact that this is being brought out by us, with all our devs that makes me want the Pandora.

I got a N800 recently and love it. It is a fantastic gadget. But the support from independent devvers, although very good, isn't anything like for the handhelds we support on these boards!

Swings it for me.

 

[Dubya']

And don't worry, we are keeping a very close eye on the EEE

Here's another one to watch, the new Cloudbook (aka Packard Bell Easynote XS, Via Nanobook). From the video, it apparently costs 599EU in Holland and 499GBP in the UK, so it's not nearly as price competitive with the Pandora in Europe as it will be in the US where it is to be released this month for $399 (vs. ~$320 claimed for the Pandora according to the wiki). ::


Nah, I don't think so. In my opinion that thing has a totally differet market.....

I can only provide my reasoning for holding off on the Pandora, but just for now. However, I am definitely not a hardcore gamer. I may very well end up buying the Pandora instead of a UMPC this year because I'm sure this is just the beginning of a whole string of truly low-cost UMPCs and there are some major chipset/processor improvements on the horizon that won't be available until _2009_.

 

[icurafu]

A VIA C7 at 1.2GHz with UniChrome may not be that much faster than the Pandora as you might assume.

 

[telegramguy]

I got a N800 recently and love it. It is a fantastic gadget. But the support from independent devvers, although very good, isn't anything like for the handhelds we support on these boards!

Are there any good youtube videos of the N800 playing various emulated arcade / console games?

thanks

 

[Exophase]

I got a N800 recently and love it. It is a fantastic gadget. But the support from independent devvers, although very good, isn't anything like for the handhelds we support on these boards!

Are there any good youtube videos of the N800 playing various emulated arcade / console games?

thanks


Neo Geo: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qI_iyExZ7As
NES: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ihMPQXp6sNE

You can see the major flaw here, the lack of buttons requires the touch screen to be used in conjunction with the d-pad (I don't have a Nokia N770/800 but I've used this style of dpad on my Dell Axim before and it's not very good at all). Since the screen isn't multi-touch you can only press one action button at a time, not that you'd be able to really do more without a different layout anyway. That will definitely mess up at least some games.

There are probably some devices like this that have better gaming controls but I doubt any will be like Pandora in that regard.

 

[gaterooze]

And there's the perfect illustration for anyone wondering why the Pandora will be better than other such devices...