Openpandora2, what we know so far.

[Exophase]

If that's the size of Pandora 2 how to get a 5" + screen inside?
I want it about the size of Pandora 1.


Everyone, take out a SD of your Pandora and place it onto the keyboard.


Do you really want such a tiny Pandora.


Me not.


Don't make the ICP 2 as a fixed size for Pandora 2.

You're real late to this party (or maybe you commented on this earlier??) but I've said before: the dimensions of the iCP2 are very close to the dimensions of a 5" 16:9 screen and that is surely no coincidence. I think Craig might have been hoping to make a display with virtually zero bezel but that's of course not that realistic.

 

[EssoAir]

Ok, since Android is coming on the device by default, can someone make an app specifically for the Pandora 1 and 2 that works like the Game Keyboard, but specifically for the Pandora and with more functionality? With things like Android action keys, and mouse functionality (with the nubs).Make it optimized to work with things like N.O.V.A. so you can look around with a nub instead of touching the screen.

Also, can we have a "pro" version of the Pandora 2 with a capacitive multitouch screen? I'm shell out lots for that

Its already there, game keyboard can map physical buttons using androids standard key calls to on screen events. Android also has native joystick support as long as its translated to the native android events for axis locations. I cant see op not wanting to use a platform standard as more and more games that support joysticks are supporting it.

But Game Keyboard cant be used in the way I was hoping. For instance, on GTA, you cant look around (which is accomplished by dragging your finger around the middle of the screen.)

 

[Binky]

How would using a capacitive screen be pro?


The accuracy is beyond pathetic, and the shiny glass layer found on your average smartphone make this one of the worst choices possible for the P2.


When I use the touchscreen on my pandora, It is always for high-pressure work. You can get resistive multitouch, btw

 

[SNESFAN]

Ok, since Android is coming on the device by default, can someone make an app specifically for the Pandora 1 and 2 that works like the Game Keyboard, but specifically for the Pandora and with more functionality? With things like Android action keys, and mouse functionality (with the nubs).Make it optimized to work with things like N.O.V.A. so you can look around with a nub instead of touching the screen.

Also, can we have a "pro" version of the Pandora 2 with a capacitive multitouch screen? I'm shell out lots for that

Its already there, game keyboard can map physical buttons using androids standard key calls to on screen events. Android also has native joystick support as long as its translated to the native android events for axis locations. I cant see op not wanting to use a platform standard as more and more games that support joysticks are supporting it.

But Game Keyboard cant be used in the way I was hoping. For instance, on GTA, you cant look around (which is accomplished by dragging your finger around the middle of the screen.)

With bluezime (open source) you can map buttons to a wide variety of functions. I bet it could be modified to add more functions (pinch to zoom, 2 finger swipe,etc) but I cant think of a whole lot touch screen gestures you would use all that often in game that you couldnt just touch the sceen every once in a while.


I might be thinking of sixaxis app instead of game keyboard, i use them both but set it and forgot it a while back, but one of them allowed custom sized on screen pads so you could put the analog one in the center of the screen to simulate moving the finger around the screen if you wanted.


Worse comes to worse, just ask the app dev to add physical button support in addition to touch screen input. Ouya will help make this request a frequent one.

 

[EssoAir]

How would using a capacitive screen be pro?


The accuracy is beyond pathetic, and the shiny glass layer found on your average smartphone make this one of the worst choices possible for the P2.


When I use the touchscreen on my pandora, It is always for high-pressure work. You can get resistive multitouch, btw

You "can" get resistive multitouch, but you wouldn't want to. It can't differentiate between two touches if they are close together. Also, I'm not saying that they should all be capacative, but I'd like the option to.

 

[EssoAir]

Also, can we get an accelerometer and GPS in this thing? They're so cheap these days

 

[Binky]

GPS is cheap?


Do you have evidence for that? What do you mean by cheap?

 

[EssoAir]

I honestly don't know where to look or what to search for, but my understanding is that you can buy a GPS chip for a phone at about $17/piece. What is a good site to find cell phone parts? Now that you mention it, I genuinely would like to find somewhere that sells them in hopes ED will include it on the P2

 

[EssoAir]

The Texas Instruments WL1285C includes 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, FM and GPS support. I'd love to have one of those in the P2!! I've always wanted an FM radio but never wanted to have a dedicated device for it. Also, bluetooth is a must and 802.11 N wifi is also a must.

 

[EssoAir]

I did an internship with Texas Instruments a while back. I just emailed the guy I worked for. Hopefully he can set me up with someone so I can give ED A sick deal on internal radios. My goal for the P2 is to make it as epic as possible while making it cheaper. (possibly have the base model hit the target $200 like the origonal preorders)

 

[klapse]

I hate to curb your enthusiasm, but where did you read that Craig (or anyone) targetted $200 price point for the P2? I saw $700 mentioned.


Accelerometer might be included for android games designed for it, but I'd rather have it mapped to an analogue nub somehow.


FM radio might be nice to record the occasional special event.


FM transmitter might be nice for sharing music on car radio or playing game music over a home stereo.


GPS without 3G positioning assist can be problematic.

 

[Exophase]

I honestly don't know where to look or what to search for, but my understanding is that you can buy a GPS chip for a phone at about $17/piece. What is a good site to find cell phone parts? Now that you mention it, I genuinely would like to find somewhere that sells them in hopes ED will include it on the P2

Paying $17 extra for a standalone GPS module for Pandora 2 is simply out of the question. That's nowhere close to cheap. Even as part of a combo module it wouldn't be worth a mark up of any more than a dollar or two at most.

 

[Binky]

Even as part of a combo module it wouldn't be worth a mark up of any more than a dollar or two at most.

says someone with no use for gps!

 

[vcoleiro1]

Don't know where $17 is coming from, my guess would be under $5 . The monster A6 SOC in the Iphone 5 only costs $17.50.


Considering the next Pandora will probably be at least $500 , why would you worry about something that will cost under $5 and provide GPS capabilites for apps that require it including mapping and navigation. More than worth it.


Also, If your going to make the decision to fully support Android on the P2, then you need to have the HW to back it up. That means GPS, motion sensors and a screen which can be opened like a clam shell and turned to lie flat like a tablet.


Without the required HW, it would be a hamstrung Android experience that would only piss off the users who wanted it for the Android . Most likely they wouldnt buy it and would just bag its dismall short comings- not good.


Fully support Android with the HW, or don't put Android on it at all. That's my opinion.

 

[Exophase]

says someone with no use for gps!

I have a GPS in my car so I must have some use for GPS. I just wouldn't see myself using it in a device like Pandora, and I'm sure that applies to many other people, but I guess you'd want a poll?

Don't know where $17 is coming from, my guess would be under $5 . The monster A6 SOC in the Iphone 5 only costs $17.50.

And yours is just that, a guess. His is at least coming from someone who had some affiliation with the company. Nobody really knows how much A6 costs Apple, those teardown estimates are extremely sketchy, and even if it did cost that amount it'd be completely irrelevant because what Apple pays Samsung to have a chip manufactured in very high volume has nothing to do with what someone charges to sell an IC on the open market.


Not like TI is known for selling the cheapest digital ICs on the market, look at what even DM3730 costs from a distributor.


GPS is probably at the bottom of the list for things you "need" when running Android, only a tiny amount of software really needs it. Cameras would probably be higher on the list but I don't see them on yours. Even if it does cost $5 things like that quickly add up if you don't show discretion.

 

[EssoAir]

I hate to curb your enthusiasm, but where did you read that Craig (or anyone) targetted $200 price point for the P2? I saw $700 mentioned.


Accelerometer might be included for android games designed for it, but I'd rather have it mapped to an analogue nub somehow.


FM radio might be nice to record the occasional special event.


FM transmitter might be nice for sharing music on car radio or playing game music over a home stereo.


GPS without 3G positioning assist can be problematic.

I'm referring to the $200 they thought they could produce the origonal Pandora for (when they offered the first round of preorders)

 

[EssoAir]

GPS is probably at the bottom of the list for things you "need" when running Android, only a tiny amount of software really needs it. Cameras would probably be higher on the list but I don't see them on yours. Even if it does cost $5 things like that quickly add up if you don't show discretion.

That's another thing. I know it isn't that important, but do you think we could get a few cameras on it? I have a Galaxy S III and an iPad and I use both the front and back cameras on both devices. I used to have a DS and used both front and back cameras on that as well (for all kinds of things varrying from device).


Anyway, I know its no deal breaker, but cameras are so cheap these days, even if they are crappy web cams, I think they would be a great addition.

 

[vcoleiro1]

You can get GPS dongle for under $20, imagine a chip is going to be less. Also there is this old story I found off the bat for the $5 quote http://www.gpsbusine...er-5_a102.html.


I can understand that some dont need a GPS, ok , take it off, some dont want motion sensors, ok take it off, some dont want XXX, ok take it off. See the problem? Lets go for all it can be, then cost it all up and make those cost decisions when we do know costs . That would be better would it not.


As for GPS, location based apps are the rage on Android, and the number that utilise GPS is growing. So yes it would be a deal breaker for me -- if not just for the lack of location mapping and navigation.


As I said , why would you aim for a hamstrung Android experience - it would be a fail before it launched. If you make the decision to fully support Android , then it must be understood that the following decissions on HW need to follow suit. You cant say, fully support Android then make piece meal decisions on the HW with no reflection on the decision you have made to support Android.

 

[EssoAir]

You can get GPS dongle for under $20, imagine a chip is going to be less. Also there is this old story I found off the bat for the $5 quote http://www.gpsbusinessnews.com/TI-announced-new-GPS-chip-cost-under-5_a102.html.

the link is broken

 

[Exophase]

You can get GPS dongle for under $20, imagine a chip is going to be less. Also there is this old story I found off the bat for the $5 quote http://www.gpsbusine...er-5_a102.html.

If they were $5 for a device like Pandora then dongles would cost under $10, probably under $7. They are very aggressively priced. Just look at USB flash drives, they cost scantly more than the best prices for the NAND inside them. Incidentally, the $17 figure fits in fine with a < $20 dongle price.


But remember, we're talking low volume prices for a part that doesn't traditionally appear in low volume products. So it doesn't really matter what tier 1 cell manufacturers can get it for.

I can understand that some dont need a GPS, ok , take it off, some dont want motion sensors, ok take it off, some dont want XXX, ok take it off. See the problem? Lets go for all it can be, then cost it all up and make those cost decisions when we do know costs . That would be better would it not.

Instead of making some general comment about accepting everything or throwing out everything you should balance cost against percentage of people who want the feature on every single cost sensitive decision you make. Not just look at cost vs gut feeling.

As for GPS, location based apps are the rage on Android, and the number that utilise GPS is growing. So yes it would be a deal breaker for me.

Yeah, and some other person is going to come around and say it's a deal breaker for them if it doesn't have a phone. These case by case sentiments mean nothing.


Since the device is probably not going to have some kind of fancy flip clamshell (based on many things Craig has said) it's going to be a dealbreaker for you anyway.