Lol - Banned From Openpandora Forums

[WizardStan]

Oh absolutely, odds of trouble brewing for the Raspi are pretty low, but the Pandora project has really pushed my paranoid buttons so I can't really trust anything with a timeline 100% anymore

 

[Dunny]

All it takes is one tech-savvy headmaster or head of dept.

Aye, there's the rub right enough...

D.

 

[iprice]

Aye, there's the rub right enough...

Are you sure it's not the right nub?!

 

[EvilDragon]

Been gone a while (because moving the whole Pandora production to Germany was A LOT of work), but trying to visit more often here again

Yes, a lot has gone wrong. CC nearly caused the death of it all - if they would've been able to produce the Pandora as stable and fast as they told us they could, we could've produced and sold over 10,000 Pandoras until now... well, didn't work out, so something had to change.

It was August when I took on the task to produce the Pandora in Germany.
Basically, I'm now handling everything. I setup a proper plan back then, and everything is still going exactly as I planned it.

Production in Germany will start February.
I got all the parts for 1300 Pandoras here (I bought them off from Craig), the parts for the next 1000 Pandoras will be ordered within the next 2 weeks.

I've got over 800 new preorders (new users who didn't have to pay the full amount at once), which basically already funds the next 1000 Pandoras.
The only thing that makes me sad is that I can't deliver the all the Pandoras to the very first preorderers right now - but thanks to the money lost because of CC, I need to handle a delicate balance of new orders and delivering old orders.
It's all planned, and it will happen.

A lot of you probably know that there are points where I don't agree with Craig. That's normal.
He's got some good ideas (and he was crazy enough to start the Pandora), but there were things I would've done differently.

Well, now things are basically the other way round than before. I'm in charge of the Pandora production and Craig gets the units from me.

I'm working on making things more smoothly, and I'll take care of the community as good as I can.

Those who know me for a while know that I'm more a community member myself than some producer or manufacturer

Things are looking good right now, and I'll do my best to keep this going.

About Android on the Pandora:
It would be nice as optional OS. However, the primary OS will always be Linux.
The reason is simple: Linux is what sells the Pandora. Most of the current customers get it because it is a portable Linux PC and it has proper gaming controls.
If you like Android, you'd buy a cheaper and more powerful device.
It's Linux that's attracting the Pandora buyers

 

[Dead1nside]

I've got over 800 new preorders (new users who didn't have to pay the full amount at once), which basically already funds the next 1000 Pandoras.
The only thing that makes me sad is that I can't deliver the all the Pandoras to the very first preorderers right now - but thanks to the money lost because of CC, I need to handle a delicate balance of new orders and delivering old orders.
It's all planned, and it will happen.

Hi ED,

Applaud the work you've done already and that your business plan means the future of the Pandora is more secure. I look forward to the first Pandoras coming off the German production line in the not too distant future. However, as a first batch preorderer I am interested in the details of when I may get my unit, and what has to be done in order for this to happen. Perhaps at some point you could go into a bit more detail about this.

You're right about Linux being one of the attractions of the Pandora. I'm in favour of an Android port, but I wouldn't like to see it become the default.

Many thanks.

 

[EvilDragon]

I've got over 800 new preorders (new users who didn't have to pay the full amount at once), which basically already funds the next 1000 Pandoras.
The only thing that makes me sad is that I can't deliver the all the Pandoras to the very first preorderers right now - but thanks to the money lost because of CC, I need to handle a delicate balance of new orders and delivering old orders.
It's all planned, and it will happen.

Applaud the work you've done already and that your business plan means the future of the Pandora is more secure. I look forward to the first Pandoras coming off the German production line in the not too distant future. However, as a first batch preorderer I am interested in the details of when I may get my unit, and what has to be done in order for this to happen. Perhaps at some point you could go into a bit more detail about this.

A lot of work still needs to be done.
50 units per day need to be shipped, therefore, I need to find a shop system which is more suited for mass orders, which automatically transfers the shipping details to UPS / FedEx, etc.

It will be quite a lot of work in the beginning, shipping them all will not be easy, but I'll work on that as well

I'd love to send all first batchers a unit right now, but that's not possible, as the money for that isn't there.
Basically, the profit made with the new orders will fund the units of the first batchers.
As it looks right now, after 2000 - 3000 units all classic first and second batchers orders will be shipped, which means: Hopefully in 2 - 4 months after production start.

I'll also offer Premium as well (don't like the name premium, but it's the same).
If you don't want to wait, pay the upgrade price and get it right away. The additional money from that unit can be used to fund more classic batcher units, so it's an advantage for them as well.

As it will also be possible for existing users to upgrade their old unit with a new PCB, the refurbished units with 256MB RAM will also be sold anew for a cheaper price. Ideal for someone who just wants to play games.

And every Euro that goes back into the account increases the amount of classic batcher units shipped out with each 1000 units.

 

[Mjlink]

I'll be bulk importing the Pandora's from Germany and then breaking down the orders individually to distribute within the US.

This will save on shipping for US customers and also prevent any types of snags with US Customs /Homeland Security.

I also plan on assisting with warranty/repair/support within the US so Pandora's aren't flying across the pond unless they absolutely have to. I'll be witnessing the rebirth next month to learn the architecture of the Pandora starting with bare PCBs.

 

[WizardStan]

Does "US customers" include Canadian customers? Or will the rest of North America be serviced directly from Europe?

 

[DisgruntleElf]

I'll be bulk importing the Pandora's from Germany and then breaking down the orders individually to distribute within the US.

This will save on shipping for US customers and also prevent any types of snags with US Customs /Homeland Security.

I also plan on assisting with warranty/repair/support within the US so Pandora's aren't flying across the pond unless they absolutely have to. I'll be witnessing the rebirth next month to learn the architecture of the Pandora starting with bare PCBs.

Are you saying your the new official US distributor of Pandora? Will orders be placed through you in the near future or are you just a warehouse/repair shop?

 

[Mjlink]

Does "US customers" include Canadian customers? Or will the rest of North America be serviced directly from Europe?

As far as I know, just US.

 

[Mjlink]

Are you saying your the new official US distributor of Pandora? Will orders be placed through you in the near future or are you just a warehouse/repair shop?

I'm helping ED with the preorders as a good number of those are coming to the US. ED will be handling the orders, I'm just putting orders together and sending them out from one large bulk order from Germany to individual shipments within the US.

 

[Deed]

Been gone a while (because moving the whole Pandora production to Germany was A LOT of work), but trying to visit more often here again
(...)

Hi !

I am a long time lurker here. I've been following from time to time the pandora development from the beginning, maybe 3 or 4 years ago ! Just wanted to say you good luck with your new Pandora plans You really deserve it )

 

[EvilDragon]

Been gone a while (because moving the whole Pandora production to Germany was A LOT of work), but trying to visit more often here again
(...)

Hi !

I am a long time lurker here. I've been following from time to time the pandora development from the beginning, maybe 3 or 4 years ago ! Just wanted to say you good luck with your new Pandora plans You really deserve it )

Thanks. I'll try to do my best

 

[Phawx]

I don't really come around to the Pandora anymore, currently waiting for something like an Xperia Play 2 or some such to land. But I just wanted to drop a line and put in a vote for Android sometime as well.

 

[akator]

Not only do we need Android boards, but Raspberry Pi boards as well.

In response to some of the previous posts:

The Pandora got plenty of coverage, especially for a device that didn't exist for years after it was announced. IIRC, I first read about it on Engadget.

I was extremely excited about the Pandora, but I wasn't going to plunk down hundreds on a preorder for a device that no one had actually seen. After all, anyone can create 3D renderings of something available for preorder. Now that the Pandora has been out, it still isn't readily available, the price is too high, and those nightmare stories about preorders still not being filled years later are unacceptable.

The Raspberry Pi has more coverage because the developers are far, far more open with the progress of their project. They show actual unfinished hardware doing things. They aren't taking preorders. And their devices cost either $25 or $35, meaning people are more excited and likely to take a chance on one because it doesn't equal a month's car payment.

 

[gruso]

The Raspberry Pi is looking really cool, and I plan to get one. I have to comment on some of your comparisons though.

- We saw unfinished Pandora hardware doing things tons of things. It's what kept people interested for the most part.

- The Raspberry Pi has been all the talk for about a year, giving it the appearance of an instant success. But it's been in hardware development for 3 years, and was conceived 6 years ago. I wonder if there still would be as much hype, had people been following it since the beginning.

- The Raspberry Pi doesn't need preorder funds because they have financial backing already. Who backs them is not readily offered on their site from what I've seen (I read that they are supported by a chip maker, but I can't find this info now). You might say that if they were more open with this, they would look less like a motley crew of hobbyists who managed to get everything right, and more like the well funded development team that they are.

- They have good media coverage because they had a media strategy. Nothing to do with openness.

- Price... I'm sure you're not doing a price comparison anyway. That's not really possible.

 

[Prometheus]

- The Raspberry Pi doesn't need preorder funds because they have financial backing already. Who backs them is not readily offered on their site from what I've seen (I read that they are supported by a chip maker, but I can't find this info now). You might say that if they were more open with this, they would look less like a motley crew of hobbyists who managed to get everything right, and more like the well funded development team that they are.

It's Broadcom, Gru. A number of the foundation's founders work for them (as well as at Cambridge University), and, as I understand it, convinced them to back it. They are open with it, though - you have to give them that (it's mentioned in most articles, on the site here and there, and all over their forums). I think a brief mention of it still has a place on the front page of their site, even, in the blog entry that talks about the date of the completion of the first batch, and the datasheet for the SoC, which Broadcom allowed the release of.

And therein is the other important thing about the Raspberry Pi: It's a charity and a non-profit organisation, and that's something that oughtn't be left out when comparing it to a commercial venture - they get better breaks on component pricing, and are able to cut the price "to the bone" (their words) for exactly this reason, and probably have the funding not to run into some of the issues with factories and suppliers that a lot of commercial start-ups end up encountering.

 

[gruso]

Thanks for the clarification. No mentions on their About or FAQ pages, so it's easy for the casual visitor to miss.

 

[Unfathomable Depths]

Well, got my RMA'd Pandora back and it's better than I remember.

Been upgraded to the 1002 Rebirth Edition. It clocks to 1050 but becomes unstable when running PCSX-ReARMed. Mupen runs Mario flawlessly though. That said, PCSX runs everything I've thrown at it. 'Team Buddies' never got passed the titles, now it runs, full speed, no problem, overclocked. I've not had anything from my, admittedly limited, PS1 library run.

Running at 900 is the norm now. Doesn't take a lot to feck it up though - Chromium is a big offender, just stops responding to single touch and behaves as if you've long touched it.. Perhaps I'm now used to Android and expect more..

I've booted into the experimental kernal a couple of time and it just fecks things up - time/date gets fecked up pretty badly. Which seems insignificant until you log onto a https site. Google+ hates it and rejects the date error.

Overall. Just pleased I got it back.

N64 Mario. So fecking nice - and a game I never really got into at the time...

10/10

 

[DisgruntleElf]

And you didn't have to pay Craig a "visit". I must admit I would have loved to see that play out.