Openpandora2, what we know so far.

[milkshake]

@ed


can we not use the wacom digitiser since the samsung galaxy note is deffinately capacitive, but with the wacom digitiser and compatible stylus

 

[EvilDragon]

If you are 100% insistent on resistive, just make sure its multi-touch resistive or some android software (not even the majority) will be crippled. That way we can all be happy. But it shouldn't matter either way

Multitouch would be important, as I want to support Android software. And you won't get an official google license without Multitouch.


About the touchscreen: I don't care if it's resistive or capacitive as long as it's accurate and can be used with a thin stylus. Based on my knowledge, this wasn't the case with capacitive ones (and still doesn't seem to be the case with all of them, as the Nexus 7 is very inaccurate and all capacitive stylus available are thick as hell).


Browsing through websites, it seems there ARE solutions, but I first want to test them myself.


The Pandora touchscreen is A LOT more accurate than the touchscreen I tested on current Android phones.


You mention you are interested in the software you can run on it:


Well, emulators and games are available for Android as well, so what programs are you interested to run on Linux?


I would be interested to do multitasking with Windows, running xChat, Audacious, LibreOffice, etc.


However, if the touchscreen is too inaccurate, you can't even hit the menu items in Linux apps properly - unless you make huge menus like you have in Android (similar as the N900), but that wouldn't work with all apps and defeat the main purpose of having a mini desktop PC.

@ed


can we not use the wacom digitiser since the samsung galaxy note is deffinately capacitive, but with the wacom digitiser and compatible stylus

Sure, that would work okay. Don't know about the costs though.


Wacom usually is expensive

 

[konqithedragon]

what I know about the Openpandora2 is that it may not be what I am looking for in a device that the Pandora1 was.

 

[_wb_]

I would be very interested in a Pandora 2 with a 5" (or 6", if you can keep the bezel minimal that might fit in the size of the Pandora 1) Pixel Qi screen. Superior visibility even in sunlight, extremely low power (you can switch the backlight completely off if there's enough light). So far they have only made 7" and 10.1" screens, and only recently have they made screens that have color in the outdoors/no-backlight mode. But I don't see any reason why they couldn't make a 5" or 6" screen for the Pandora 2.


This could be a real killer feature. Even if it would only have a resolution of 1024x600 (like their currently mass produced 7" screens), I would take it. They are now making 10.1" screens at 1280x800 which are color even if the backlight is completely off (http://pixelqi.com/blog1/2011/10/06/pixel-qi-announces-new-partnerships/'>http://pixelqi.com/blog1/2011/10/06/pixel-qi-announces-new-partnerships/). If they can shrink those to 5" or 6", it would be perfect. Imagine the visibility and low-power properties of a Kindle, but in color and at 60Hz!


http://pixelqi.com/

 

[diligentcircle]

I would prefer that the next pandora have a resistive touchscreen that is more like the DS's as the DS's touchscreen doesn't require as much pressure to react and is still accurate.

I think the main reason the DS's touchscreen is so much better than the Pandora's is not so much how good the touchscreen is as where it is. On the DS, it's at the base, so it's held steady. On the Pandora, it's on a hinge, so it's sort of floppy and you need to manually hold it steady or press harder to compensate for the hinge being willing to move further back.


This is why I think a manual lock on the hinge would be a nice feature to have.

 

[McLovin]

what about the hinge? i'd think using the hinge used in icp2 could also just work with a p2. being abled to use the screen while hiding the controls might be pretty interesting.

 

[EvilDragon]

Heck, everyone is discussing about resistive and capacitive touchscreens


Take a look at that thread:


http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/997614-/62248137


A lot of different opinions.


So it seems capacitive CAN be accurate these days, but you need a very good stylus as well.


In the end I guess we can only test different screens to see how usable it is.

 

[FaeMinx]

A pixelqi screen would be awesome! (for everyone)


A Wacom Digitizer would be absolutely fantastic! (for me)


Both together?

 

[EvilDragon]

Heck, it seems classic gamers (like myself ) prefer resistive ones


http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=458860


There's one interesting comment I saw there:


"Capacitive is very unprecise, when browsing on my phone I have to zoom in a lot, or it will trigger the wrong links. With resistive I could leave the zoom factor really tiny and select everything perfectly, with a pen or fingernail."


The bold one is pretty interesting.


Even if capacitive touchscreens have become more accurate when using a stylus - they will be inaccurate without it, as you need to use your fingers, you can't use your fingernail for a more accurate click.


I find myself doing that on the Pandora pretty often. If I just want to make one small click in the menu, I am using my fingernail instead of the stylus.


That wouldn't work anymore with a capacitive screen.


However, the capacitive usually has more crisp colors as there's only one layer on top of it... though I actually like the matte look of resistive screens as well.


Not an easy solution it seems

 

[_wb_]

I don't care that much about the touch aspect of the screen - I prefer using the nubs when I need a mouse, or even an external USB mouse; mostly I try to avoid needing the mouse by using keyboard shortcuts. I do care about crispness, ghosting, low power use, (sunlight) visibility, and screen area.


Multi-touch is unlikely to be very practical in a clamshell handheld anyway. I also don't like to get finger grease on my screen, so I prefer using a stylus if I have to use the touch. Precision is of course very much an issue: if the screen is going to be 1280x720 or higher, then your finger or a similarly big stylus covers an area of something like 100x100 pixels, which is way too imprecise to do anything but pressing huge buttons and doing gestures like pinch zooming. Since unlike a phone, we have plenty of buttons, I prefer using those buttons to do things like zooming and pressing buttons.

 

[Pickle]

I want an inductive screen

 

[F_Slim]

I also use the touchscreen rarely, but when I do, I usually need high precision. Like when it is too much efford to navigate the stupid cursor to that exact position to click on an "x" or on a small link in a browser with the NUBs.


Or to draw something. So I don't care what type of screen it is, as long as it allows acurate clicks.


I personally can even live without multi-touch, but that is only because I can live without Android.

 

[SNESFAN]

You mention you are interested in the software you can run on it:


Well, emulators and games are available for Android as well, so what programs are you interested to run on Linux?


I would be interested to do multitasking with Windows, running xChat, Audacious, LibreOffice, etc.

The performance of the emulators are much better on the pandora's linux and is more device specific it seems, and there's stuff like filters and upscalers that aren't on the emulators on android. The ones on android are good enough performance wise, just not *as good* The interfaces are much nicer and are visually similar to each other (unified) on android, but that's not enough to make it my main choice. The main reason I like linux is because of the emulator performance, and that's also the main reason I bought the pandora.


As far as other applications, I don't personally have a need for anything else linux offers, but as my only reason even owning a pandora, is for retro games, obviously I want the best I can get.


You want to know what I use on linux, the answer is emulators, pretty much nothing else. I can tell you what I do when I'm not retro gaming and that might give you a better answer as I think I'm a minority being as I only retro game on pandora/linux. I would use my pandora *more* if it was easier to get into android because that's where I currently do most of my mobile computing activites. Internet radio (slacker cache via app), forum browsing (tapatalk), text/instant messaging (google voice app), browseing internet (syncronized bookmarks via chrome), email (gmail app). That's what I do with 90% of my mobile time personally, and there are linux solutions for lots of those... I just prefer android's implementation of it because of quickness and ease of use.


So I honestly do like both, and I prefer both depending on what I'm doing... I just wish switching back and forth was better polished.

 

[klapse]

ED's post was spot-on as usual. We need precise positioning for a lot of apps because we run a linux desktop and not a touch UI as with smartphones.


Of course the P2 could run meego if we wanted to go the finger-friendly route. But I personally prefer fingernail touch as it leaves no oily smudges on screen, so meego wouldnt bring much to the table for me.

 

[ferrule]

I would be very interested in a Pandora 2 with a 5" (or 6", if you can keep the bezel minimal that might fit in the size of the Pandora 1) Pixel Qi screen. Superior visibility even in sunlight, extremely low power (you can switch the backlight completely off if there's enough light). So far they have only made 7" and 10.1" screens, and only recently have they made screens that have color in the outdoors/no-backlight mode. But I don't see any reason why they couldn't make a 5" or 6" screen for the Pandora 2.


This could be a real killer feature. Even if it would only have a resolution of 1024x600 (like their currently mass produced 7" screens), I would take it. They are now making 10.1" screens at 1280x800 which are color even if the backlight is completely off (http://pixelqi.com/b...w-partnerships/). If they can shrink those to 5" or 6", it would be perfect. Imagine the visibility and low-power properties of a Kindle, but in color and at 60Hz!


http://pixelqi.com/

+1

 

[CrazyIvan]

Well there are some super-sensitive capacitive touchscreens that can accept normal stylus/nails/gloves input.


This technology was demonstrated by hitachi in 2010 ( a quick search gave the following link: http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/hitachi-develops-capacitive-touchscreen-compatible-with-stylus-input-20101118/ )


and it seems that soon-to-be-released nokia 920 will use something like that. It is told that this phone will support fingernail/stylus/glove input without some special stylus/gloves or fingernail powder


The problem there is availability and price because this technology is supposedly new and manufacturer sure wants some price premium for that.


The same applies to wacom digitizers - they are not that widespread and 'special' solutions always cost more, sometimes a lot more than mass-produced ones


So I think multitouch resistive touchscreen is a very good cost-effective option.


About pandora 2 usage - I think it should be powerful enough to run full eclipse so it can be used as micro-laptop actually (with external big screen/keyboard and mouse)


Actually I'd like to use pandora2 for real programming that I used to on 'big' machines. Or some calculations using maxima CAS or octave.

 

[xiongxioi]

Craigix had said that the Pandora 2 will be modular, would a digitiser pen extension module be possible?


That would make me a happy onion. Through drawing on a 5 inch screen would be a joke if you come and think about it.


I didn't use my galaxy note 2 to take notes for that reason,so just take this extension thing with a grain of salt.


What I don't like a about capacitive screen is that they are hard and fragile glasses panels. On top of that, they collect fingerprints and dusts from every corner of the universe. Not to mention that would be quite tedious to hold the Pandora 2 while try to touch the screen with my fat fingers.


Resistance screen are great I guess even you have to stab them pretty hard to get them working. Not to mention they make the screen all blurry and washed out, which kinda defeat the purpose of having a HD screen.


In conclusion, if a more sensitive and easier on the eye multi-touch resistive screen can be found, I would say go for it.

 

[DeeGee]

I wonder if there's resistive touch screen that has multitouch and responds to light touches like my Nokia N900's screen. N900 had also resistive screen, but it responded to pretty light touches.


And I also remember reading about a hybrid technology that had both capasitive and resistive sensors enabling accuracy and light multitouch. But it would of course cost more than one or the other.

 

[kingoddball]

Make it a swivel so we can rotate, flip and use it as a smaller tablet/phone style when we use it in android mode. Clamshell with a swivel hinge!


Like many wanted for pandora 1

 

[Esn]

I like the android and Linux coexistence as primary os choices, could care less about capacitive or resistive as a screen as long as it is clamshell.

Capacitive touch screens don't have pressure sensitivity, right? That would make the Pandora not very useful for artists - if you can't control pressure sensitivity in MyPaint.