Pandora 2 is Modular

[ferrule]

I'm sure the ICP2s key layout/placement will suit the ICP2s usecases very good (well, except that two big buttons, which do not make any sense to me). The problem I see is that the use cases for the ICP2 and the Pandora 2 aren't the same. Having something to control "everything" (PCs, Tablets, Phones, etc.) and having controls tailored to a specific device in the first place are totally different things. It's the old "one size fits all" approach, which will leave the Pandora 2 with a inferior keyboard (compared to the first Pandora) behind.

Using the iCP2 as base would only allow a 4inch screen. It was stated that P2 will have at least HD resolution. And a 4 inch screen with HD? That wouldn't make any sence. For many reasons they almost "have" to use a 5inch display if not more. As you can see, using die iCP will never fit (Galaxy note - 5.3inch screen). So they would have to redesin it. Ok, hopefully they won't just take the iCP2 board and make a bigger casing. In that case I'd have to try the iCP2 keyboard mayself to give final judgement.

regarding Android,


Craig also needs to find people with Android knowladge to get it running, to fix bugs, to maintain, to provide Android updates. I doubt he'll find them in this community. I do not know of anyone who works on Android for Pandora even after Notaz provided a "just for "fun"" port.

No we don't, chipset manufacturers maintain their own Android ports now, it's how they show off their chips.


Not to mention, if we did need our own team, there are literally dozens of companies that specialise in porting and maintaining Android on everything from phones to tablets to USB PCS to watches and even to fridges.

Could be that there are still waiting preorderers with the ability and inclination...

 

[ShleeDragon]

I really hope that the pandora 2 has a large screen like that.. but I doubt it

 

[Binky]

I really hope that the pandora 2 has a large screen like that.. but I doubt it

Craig has said that the spaces eitther side of the number buttons are for speakers, thus allowing the P2's screen to fill the lid

 

[ghostpatch]

So what you're saying is a 4" 1280x720 screen doesn't make sense, but a 5" 1920x1080 screen is totally reasonable?

nope, I'm saying it doesn't make sense to take 4inch with 1280x720, rather then 5inch with 1280x720. A lot of people would love to have a sligthly bigger screen and taking anything under 1280x720 is so yesterday .I know a lot of you guys would disagee but hey I like high ppi (doing a lot of graphics related suff). 1920x1080 sounds cool but I don't see any reason for such a high resolution (like the idea anyway).

No we don't, chipset manufacturers maintain their own Android ports now, it's how they show off their chips.

Not to mention, if we did need our own team, there are literally dozens of companies that specialise in porting and maintaining Android on everything from phones to tablets to USB PCS to watches and even to fridges.

Still, looking at how the manufacturers fail to provide updates, it doesn't give a nice and trustworthy impression at all. I'm more conserned about security holes not beeing patched then missing features -.-


Sure you can pay someone but it wont be once. You'll probably get running coasts as the Android system evolves and I'm not sure if you want that..

Craig has said that the spaces eitther side of the number buttons are for speakers, thus allowing the P2's screen to fill the lid

Binky... thats so cool! ; D

 

[Exophase]

nope, I'm saying it doesn't make sense to take 4inch with 1280x720, rather then 5inch with 1280x720. A lot of people would love to have a sligthly bigger screen and taking anything under 1280x720 is so yesterday .I know a lot of you guys would disagee but hey I like high ppi (doing a lot of graphics related suff). 1920x1080 sounds cool but I don't see any reason for such a high resolution (like the idea anyway).

But Craig already said he'd like to have a 5" 1920x1080 screen, so if that doesn't make sense to you then your standards of sensibility aren't necessarily in line with how Craig wants to design the Pandora 2.

 

[ghostpatch]

the original point I tried to make was that the iCP2 is too small to just "tape" a 5inch screen onto it an call it Pandora 2.0. When Craig announced he wanted to use a 1920x1080 I was like yeY cool WooOW images will look super nice and crisp. But other people were conserned about performance, coast and some other suff I don't remember. Then I thought it makes more sense to use 1280x720 so nobody gets totally screwed.. : p


I think, when someone has better points, you should always consider canging you point of view.


your right, my standards of sensibility are not in line with Craigs. Who can claim that? (in case its not clear I'm referring to Craigs sensibility)

 

[_wb_]

5.3" screen is probably too big, but 5" should be possible (if the edges can be made really thin). The P2 screen should at least be larger than the P1 screen, so 4" would really suck (the P1 screen is 4.3").


The problem with 1080p is not so much that the CPU/GPU cannot handle it, but that the power consumption will be higher, and those pixels are overkill anyway for a screen of that size.


1280x800, 5" would be ideal.

 

[Binky]

the power consumption will be higher,

Do you have any numbers for this?


How much higher?

 

[craigix]

That picture of it under the Android phone LCD was taken for a reason It's about a close to a P2 as you will see until if/when we release some more recent photos.

 

[_wb_]

No idea about the power use Binky, but common sense dictates that with the same technology, the power consumption for the screen itself (not the backlight - the backlight only cares about the area, not the resolution of course) should scale roughly linearly with the number of pixels. 1920x1080 is about twice as much as 1280x720.

 

[craigix]

With our huge battery I'd really not worry about power consumption.


We're the Tesla of portable battery life.

 

[_wb_]

Even if we don't have to worry about it, I'd rather have 20h instead of 15h. There is no such thing as "too much battery life" (at least not until we achieve battery life > human life span). There is such a thing as "too high resolution for the human eye".

 

[Binky]

Is there a possibility of buying an extra battery module, and thus boosting 10h of flat-out CPU to 15 or 20h?

 

[craigix]

Every review of those 1080 screens says you can see a clear difference and they they are amazing eg http://www.slashgear...phone-02249979/


or :

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Na5QBF5ZvA?feature=oembed

I find it odd you don't want to have a standard here, because 1080 is going to be it, maybe forever for LCDs (until we see some kind of folding or rolling LCD anyway).


No next gen SoC will bat an eyelid at running a 1080 LCD, most are designed to do more than that.


If we go with anything lower we will be left behind so quickly, people seem to be thinking in todays terms, big old SD cards, current resolutions, while we are planning years in advance with the P2 - because every other HW manufacturer is too.


The P2 has to be the best ever portable. No corners cut. If it's anything less than I'm just not interested.

 

[_wb_]

Best ever is not possible unless you release it never. In 10 years technology will have advanced. In 20 years it will have advanced even further.


I think we should go for the overall best screen: power consumption, availability, contrast, refresh rate, daylight visibility, durability, etc. are also important, not just resolution. Most likely some kind of trade-off has to be made between these properties. There is no such thing as "the best".

 

[craigix]

There is always a best on the market. When we launch we will be it.


Then the modular aspect comes in to play...

 

[Exophase]

Yeah, assuming all the manufacturers of the "best" stuff are willing to sell to you at the same time they sell to mass volume tablet makers AND you can manufacture the devices faster than them. Good luck with that.


_wb_ is absolutely right, best is subjective, there are many metrics for a particularly component that have different values to different people. For instance if you use an OMAP5 it's probably not going to be anywhere close to fastest GPU on the market vs other available SoCs (never mind what Apple releases), but a lot of people may not really care.

 

[craigix]

Yeah, assuming all the manufacturers of the "best" stuff are willing to sell to you at the same time they sell to mass volume tablet makers AND you can manufacture the devices faster than them. Good luck with that.

Which is exactly why it's going to be modular.

 

[Exophase]

You just said it would be the best when it was FIRST RELEASED. Maybe you don't like me holding you to the literal words you say. Better get used to it, because the media will rip you apart over stuff like this.

 

[Binky]

big old SD cards

!!!


microSD cards are not significantly better than fullSD


I'm looking for easily exchangeable, fast, high capacity storage that won't get lost


Unless it becomes unavailable, or prohibitively expensive, fullSDXC is the way to go.


Of course, a disk/storage module would be awesome - microSD for those who will, fullSDXC for them as won't


I also have the feeling that measuring 'best' by datasheet specs is a really bad idea.


Samsung, Apple, Nokia-Microsoft etc will alway be at the top of that game, while Nintendo can keep up with technically lame hardware.


'Best' should involve:

• modularity
  
• battery life
  
• easily exchangeable storage
  
• solid case design
  
• good software
  
• good documentation
  
• a nice devel environment
  
• open business practices
  
• enthusiastic community
  

I'm not adverse to good processors, screens & the like but they aren't everything.