Non-gaming Apps

[chad78]

What non-gaming related applications do you want to see Pandora's native OS support. I realize that if Maemo or Ubuntu is ported to the Pandora - all kinds of apps are available. But, in a vanilla Pandora - what do you want to see there, other than gaming?

Here's my list:

• Web browser (AJAX support)
• Chat client
• Basic word processor
• Email client
• News feed reader
• Calculator (scientific)
• Clock (stopwatch/alarm/timer)
• Calendar
• Address book
• PDF viewer
• Ebook reader
• Image viewer/organizer (w/slideshow)
• Media player (video & audio - most major formats)
• Comic reader
• To-do list

Some other things I'd like to see, but understand it might be a while...

• Flash support
• MS Office doc/ppt/xls viewer
• Simple Spreadsheet
• Image editor
• Drawing program (touchscreen!)
• More advance office software (OOo, KOffice, etc.)
• Money management software
• html editor
• FTP (Client/server)
• VNC (Client/server)
• VOIP
• Media player - all major formats

And, yes, I realize if OOo runs on it - an Office viewer would be pointless - but I'd like to at least see the docs, and that's more likely to happen soon than having a full office suite ported. So I listed both.

So, what's your list?

 

[Alex.]

A sketchbook app, and I mean something a bit more specialized than a generic image editor. Something that lets you start drawing right away as soon as you open it, without an arbitrary-sized canvas, zooming, or filters - just pens, brushes, and an eraser. It could also have some journal elements, like keeping track of what you drew each day and organizing this into easily browseable information.

 

[kevcal]

Some sort of spreadsheet app would be very nice..
Stopwatch with splits/laps... (I have a great one on my phone).
Guitar effects software (mic-in & output to amp).

The possibilities are endless I guess..

 

[barzoule]

sketchbook app! i'm 100% for it
(with maybe a way to save/export in a useful format (png/jpg) for reuse in other program.

other request:
IDE+compiler+debugger

 

[Karel Jansens]

• TeTeX and LyX.
• Something like ArtRage2 (that's a Windows painting app with a marvelous interface. Sadly not Open Source, although a free version is available. Look here:ArtRage Link). Someone want to make a Linux lookalike? Please?
• FBreader
• Gnumeric
• Inkscape or Dia (for when LyX is just that tad too complicated)
• Any flatfile database that is as easy to use as Psion's excellent Data.

Mind you, I'm not demanding anything, merely politely stating my personal desires. Being a non-developer myself, I'll gladly take whatever someone else makes available...

 

[Mr B]

I'm by no means an expert on the matter, but the Debian ARM resources have been said to be "THE" place to look for software. Items like chat clients, web browsers, email and text editors and so on, should be there already. Requests for media players and alike seams almost like ridicule, it's been said over and over that if nothing else, VLC will be ported to the Panda.
B!

 

[aliking]

I'm really excited to see how innovative developers can take advantage of the gaming controls on the Pandora for non-game apps.

For example - web browser could have one analogue to scroll the screen, the other to work a mouse pointer, dpad to zoom, L & R to cycle tabs - you can do most browsing without moving your hands from gaming positions. Having a relatively small screen would be much less of an issue if you can easily pan and zoom things around - whether we're talking about web, photos, spreadsheet, offline map viewer, whatever.

Or you could have control combos/Mouse gestures for shortcut keys, e.g. L + Dpad up to insert a certain smiley in chat or 360 left analogue to send email.

What about all the stuff you can do with multitouch, but using a stylus and an analogue controller? That's powerful stuff that no other device can offer AFAIK.

 

[anexanhume]

I'd like to see a couple of emulators come out for it

Seriously though, I'd like some nice web browsing, popular pdf and document format support, and rest is gravy.

 

[Trip]

A decent RSS reader and a good program for downloading and viewing video RSS feeds/pod casts, as these are the things that I most rely on from my Nokia N800.

A PDF reader that lets you save book marks and can auto zoom to the correct size of screen + has auto centering. This would be superb for reading tutorials.

A good web browser with Java and AJAX support should be a given.

A Full implementation of the OpenSSH client. The N800's version is very hard to use without a keyboard and I would want to use it for configuring my server.

A decent movie player.

A decent audio player.

An easy way to back up, edit and sync all the phone numbers on my mobile phone in case I loose it

I still haven't managed to find a good enough email program for a hend held. Maybe there will be one out by the time I can afford to buy the Pandora?

erm.. I think that's all I'd really need to make me happy for the non gaming stuff.

EDIT: oops almost forgot a decent port of Pidgin for mobile chatting

 

[Megamixman]

Abiword, Gnumeric, FBreader or Evince, Texlive ( since TeTex is no longer maintained), Inkscape, FF3 or the microb equivelant, Email ( Modest? ) Calendar/PIM, Gnokii ( Plan on adding my own BT)

Pretty much the major PDA software

 

[chad78]

QUOTE
I'm by no means an expert on the matter, but the Debian ARM resources have been said to be "THE" place to look for software. Items like chat clients, web browsers, email and text editors and so on, should be there already. Requests for media players and alike seams almost like ridicule, it's been said over and over that if nothing else, VLC will be ported to the Panda.

MPlayer has been promised - not VLC - and MPlayer can't handle *everything*. There's already been a thread on that. VLC can play more than MPlayer.

With zero news coming from anyone about the actual OS - anything is really up in the air. Some people are saying that basically it will be a GMenu2X clone - which, since I haven't ever used a Gp2x tells me nothing. But I don't think the GP2X had WiFi, much less a browser, chat, email, RSS, etc.. And no keyboard, and only the late addition of a touchscreen means the likelihood of any office type apps is slim to none.

QUOTE
(Although Wikipedia proves me wrong - PDA Applications
Two popular PDA desktop environments have been ported to the GP2X: Qtopia and GPE. Both contain a range of programs such as a web browser, word processor, etc. and can be controlled with either the GP2X controls or a USB mouse and keyboard connected through a USB cable attached to the EXT port.


But regardless - my list doesn't mean that these are things no one else is thinking of or working on or has already been promised. These are just what I want - and if they are already included before I asked - all the better.

 

[Rayek]

Never realized how much I miss a comic reader on the GP2X, but I certainly do...

Not in order of priority...

Web-browsing
Chat
VOIP
Perhaps an all-in-one reader? TXT, PDF, CBR/CBZ, etc?
An RSS browser (Gotta keep up to date )
Any tort of time-based life-organizer, calendar, alarm clock, etc.
And of course, the usual audio/video wants.

Seeing as the Pandora has wifi, some sort of fake Pictochat app would be nifty, especially if you have a friend who wants a Pandora as much as you do, and you both end up getting one.

Edit: A terminal emulator.... Please.

 

[Nintendo]

Pigeon IM client

 

[hessiess]

Text editor with syntax hilichting and folding.

QUOTE
Edit: A terminal emulator.... Please.


and one of those too

 

[Trip]

Text editor with syntax hilichting and folding.

QUOTE
Edit: A terminal emulator.... Please.

and one of those too

Don't worry too much about the Terminal, all the devs will string them up if one's not included by default

 

[zaoin]

Lots of PIM from palm devices:

Like Traxitall or Sciral Consistency
A ebook reader supercomplete to view pdf, doc, rtf, mobipocket, palmdoc, palm ereader, PLUCKER.
Diccionary and wikepedia inside.
Comic book reader
Pim's like Shadow plan, A5, todolist, unimatrix. Handyshopper, checklist, life balance, thought manager.
Crony. Pdoan, 1st AID.
The palm emulator from nokia.

 

[PoisonedV]

Seeing as the Pandora has wifi, some sort of fake Pictochat app would be nifty, especially if you have a friend who wants a Pandora as much as you do, and you both end up getting one.

Holy shit yes. This is extremely dumb, but does wifi work like those local, ad hoc type networks on DS's and a couple other hand held devices? I thought it was just for connecting to routers.
(I am very computer literate, but I COMPLETELY fail at networking)

 

[Qatz]

Yes ad-hoc networking should be simple enough on this device.

 

[b._.o._.b]

- Live streams (video + audio)
- basket (kde)
- Python with full access to the hardware
- Good editor (for Python)

 

[gruso]

Audio mixing software (similar to Traktor) with support for USB MIDI controllers. What I'd really love to see one day is something like a mini Ableton, but that's way out of reach.

I love the guitar FX idea too. Although I wouldn't use mic in / headphone out, I'd definitely go with a USB audio interface. Similar to this, which I use on my desktop:



...except that it's Firewire, not USB, and Behringer, therefore crap.