cosam
Active Member
Having received the thing only yesterday, I've not tried out anywhere near everything as yet, but here's a quick summary of the most noticeable points. Note that this is an honest review and contains my own personal opinion of what must be one of the first 100 units produced. Having a sample size of precisely one, I have no idea how other people's consoles compare to mine.
The Case: The paint finish on the case is a very nice satin black, and the thing fits pretty comfortably in your hands. Working at a desk is also quite doable. The screen may not click in an upright position, but it does stay put where you leave it. There are some minor build quality issues, what they'd call "fit and finish" in the auto trade. On my unit, the screen bezel wasn't pushed completely home, but this was easily remedied with a little tweaking. Unfortunately the way it fits has resulted in some minor scuffing of the paintwork near the clips. The L and R buttons are also a little wobbly, to the extent that the tabs which keep them from jumping out of the case can catch around the edges. This may be due to the screw at the rear of the case not being fully tightened, leaving a gap between the two halves. The battery seems to push to corners of the cover up a little. Hopefully it's just a matter of flattening out the "sticker" (for want of a better word) around it a little better. There was also a rough spot on the tip of the stylus. Users may want to give that a quick test and sand down if necessary before using it on the actual screen! Overall though, an ergonomic and nice-looking case.
The Controls: The D-pad is good, with nice travel and feedback. The ABXY buttons are pretty close together, but work great when you get used to them. The nubs are like nothing I've used before - very smooth and, although I've not used them in-game yet, moving the mouse pointer around with them is fluid and accurate. The keyboard isn't going to win any awards but considering the limitations of this type of keyboard, it's good. There are some minor imperfections visible under the clear sealant. The layout is however pretty terrible. Except for the letters, numbers, and major keys like enter and space, nothing is where you'd expect to find it, instead being scattered apparently randomly over the keys. Typing anything more than a couple of lines is going to take some getting used to.
Audio/Video: The screen is very clear and very sharp - you will not be disappointed! The resolution is also very impressive for such a small screen. Not a ghost in sight, either. It has a slightly rough finish, so can feel a little scratchy when using the stylus. Sound is clear and pretty good considering the size of the speakers. I have not tested with headphones yet.
Software: Although still early days, the xfce desktop is light and snappy. Unfortunately I didn't get the alternative Minimenu to work yet. Reflashing the firmware (not usually necessary, I have been hacking away at this thing) and installing updates was quick and easy. There's not an awful lot else to try out yet, but so far the Pandora has coped with everything I've thrown at it with ease, including full-screen video playback.
Overall: Although let down a little by the build quality issues, as a gaming handheld and computer: it's great. Technically speaking, it's a nicely spec'd machine and I can't wait to see what it can do when the software catches up. Well done, OP team!
The Case: The paint finish on the case is a very nice satin black, and the thing fits pretty comfortably in your hands. Working at a desk is also quite doable. The screen may not click in an upright position, but it does stay put where you leave it. There are some minor build quality issues, what they'd call "fit and finish" in the auto trade. On my unit, the screen bezel wasn't pushed completely home, but this was easily remedied with a little tweaking. Unfortunately the way it fits has resulted in some minor scuffing of the paintwork near the clips. The L and R buttons are also a little wobbly, to the extent that the tabs which keep them from jumping out of the case can catch around the edges. This may be due to the screw at the rear of the case not being fully tightened, leaving a gap between the two halves. The battery seems to push to corners of the cover up a little. Hopefully it's just a matter of flattening out the "sticker" (for want of a better word) around it a little better. There was also a rough spot on the tip of the stylus. Users may want to give that a quick test and sand down if necessary before using it on the actual screen! Overall though, an ergonomic and nice-looking case.
The Controls: The D-pad is good, with nice travel and feedback. The ABXY buttons are pretty close together, but work great when you get used to them. The nubs are like nothing I've used before - very smooth and, although I've not used them in-game yet, moving the mouse pointer around with them is fluid and accurate. The keyboard isn't going to win any awards but considering the limitations of this type of keyboard, it's good. There are some minor imperfections visible under the clear sealant. The layout is however pretty terrible. Except for the letters, numbers, and major keys like enter and space, nothing is where you'd expect to find it, instead being scattered apparently randomly over the keys. Typing anything more than a couple of lines is going to take some getting used to.
Audio/Video: The screen is very clear and very sharp - you will not be disappointed! The resolution is also very impressive for such a small screen. Not a ghost in sight, either. It has a slightly rough finish, so can feel a little scratchy when using the stylus. Sound is clear and pretty good considering the size of the speakers. I have not tested with headphones yet.
Software: Although still early days, the xfce desktop is light and snappy. Unfortunately I didn't get the alternative Minimenu to work yet. Reflashing the firmware (not usually necessary, I have been hacking away at this thing) and installing updates was quick and easy. There's not an awful lot else to try out yet, but so far the Pandora has coped with everything I've thrown at it with ease, including full-screen video playback.
Overall: Although let down a little by the build quality issues, as a gaming handheld and computer: it's great. Technically speaking, it's a nicely spec'd machine and I can't wait to see what it can do when the software catches up. Well done, OP team!
