Pandora 2 should be a 5" Linux Tablet with no built in gaming controls, but... - With Hinge & Attach


Mr_Loon

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Pandora Successor

I know that this is not Craigs idea of what Pandora 2 should be, so this call goes out mostly to Open Pandora GmbH as a possible manufacturer :

I think that the successor to the Pandora should be a 5" mini tablet with no built in gaming controls or keyboard. It should run Linux & Android out of the box.

BUT

It should be designed to be used seamlessly with the ICP2 (or a slightly modified variant thereof).

ALSO

There should be an optional extra of a hinged case that would allow you to clip the tablet to the top section, clip the ICP2 to the bottom section & then you have a Pandora style mini laptop.

Why ?

1) It would fill a niche, how many other linux based mini tablets are available? (see also point 3 below)
2) Development / Production costs / RMA Costs / ease of manufacture. Surely big savings can be made by not having to include gaming controls / keyboard / awkward screen cabling.
3) Flexibility, by having the controls / keyboard in separate sections which can be clipped into the optional case you have a mini laptop / mini tablet / desktop replacement (via HDMI out) in one unit.
4) By making the ICP2 an integral part of the package you would help Craig financially, this might help a few more people get their hands on a P1.

A few other points to consider :

a ) This device should be able to run PNDs ‘out of the box’
b ) The device would not be ICP2 exclusive you could connect any other mouse & keyboard & joystick via USB hub / bluetooth.
c ) The hinged case should be protective & ergonomic & decent to look at but also optional, you could of course just use the ICP2 clamp.
d ) The device would come to market late 2013 at the earliest, a more realistic goal would be early 2014.
e ) FWIW I’d call it the Dragonscale.

Price & Specification

This is of course a difficult question but IMHO $350 for the mini tablet (i.e without the ICP2 or hinged case) seems like a reasonable goal to go for.

I’m far from being an expert when it comes to knowing what sort of hardware spec could be achieved for $249 but a good reference point might be the Samsung Chromebook powered by the Exynos 5 Dual.

Would it be economically viable for Open Pandora GmbH to base a system on the following and retail it at $350 (in early 2014)?

Exynos 5 Dual SOC
Multitouch 5” 1024 X 768  Screen
External USB3 Port
Internal USB3 Port to attach a mini flash drive instead of Nand
Mini HDMI out / Display port out shipped with HDMI adapter
2 X Full size SD slot
Wifi
Bluetooth
Hardware volume control + MWeston standard audio
GPS
Tilt Sensor / Gyroscope
Front facing Camera

EDIT : Sketch Added

p2r1.jpg


EDIT : Battery System Added

p2battery.jpg


EDIT : Hinge & Attachment System Added

p2hinge.jpg
 
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Hmm, with all the things you would want in the P2, wouldn't it be to heavy for a "ICP2 attached" configuration to hold it comfortably ?

Edit: Meaning that the centre of mass wouldn't be in our hands anymore but in the lid
 
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The whole Pandora dream was built around the idea that it would be the only Mini Linux machine with a physical keyboard and physical gaming controls...without having to buy add-ons.
 
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With Ubuntu coming to Mobile next year you should be able to get an Android 5" smartphone which you can dual boot with Ubuntu. Should just be a matter of hooking it up to am ICP2. Perhaps you could also add a battery into the ICP2 that you could connect to your smartphone for better battery life (for the smartphone) and extra weight in the ICP2.
 
Android+Linux devices are ten-a-penny -The clamping mechanism is probably asking for trouble, and wasting space that could be used on other stuff (I like the internal USB3 port btw)

People buy the pandora for the physical controls and the smooth working of linux desktop software/classic (non-touchscreen) games.

There are many people who are not happy with what the mass-market has to offer (like me) the pandora should aim to sell to those people - If the P2 is similar to what apptendosoftsung produce, why would people buy the small-name, expensive less professional version?
 
Hmm, with all the things you would want in the P2, wouldn't it be to heavy for a "ICP2 attached" configuration to hold it comfortably ?

Edit: Meaning that the centre of mass wouldn't be in our hands anymore but in the lid
This is a good point which did occur when thinking up the concept. A few possible solutions :

The battery is modular and can be attached to either the Tablet or the ICP2 section

The bottom section includes an extended battery

A lump of metal is added to the base to balance out the top heavy nature of the design

The whole Pandora dream was built around the idea that it would be the only Mini Linux machine with a physical keyboard and physical gaming controls...without having to buy add-ons.
Why not improve this idea with the added flexibility of an easily removable control set when using the device as a desktop replacement / mini tablet?

With Ubuntu coming to Mobile next year you should be able to get an Android 5" smartphone which you can dual boot with Ubuntu. Should just be a matter of hooking it up to am ICP2. Perhaps you could also add a battery into the ICP2 that you could connect to your smartphone for better battery life (for the smartphone) and extra weight in the ICP2.
A good point, hopefully the relatively high cost / poor battery performance of smartphones would make the Dragonscale an attractive proposal. However you could argue that a Linux Phone + ICP2 would beat any form of Pandora 2.

Android+Linux devices are ten-a-penny...
Sorry for being dumb, but could you post links detailing handheld devices which are currently available and run Linux & Andorid out of the box?
 
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I don't think that concept works well for the Pandora. Who wants to carry so much stuff around and P2 would have to compete with other tablets. You could just use the iCP with any other tablet/phone.

But yeah, I also dream about a PDA like rugged 5inch device running Linux. Powerfull enough to connected to a monitor + periphery by plugging in a dock connector. Kind of like the Ubuntu concept but rather with a more computer like device (no GSM, LTE, camera and such), then a smartphone. That should keep the manufacturing costs lower as well.
 
I think that there could be something to this if designed correctly and marketed properly.

I originally though this was the direction we were headed when ICP2 was announced. A small tablet with clip on gaming controls and keyboard gives you the best of most worlds...

Pandora2 could be marketed as an all in one unit (i.e. top and bottom already attached with hinge) and ALSO be sold separately as a universal controller or just the tablet half...

Makes sense to me but... anyways.
 
@Mr_Loon


stardroid answered for me.

I don't think that concept works well for the Pandora. Who wants to carry so much stuff around and P2 would have to compete with other tablets. You could just use the iCP with any other tablet/phone.


But yeah, I also dream about a PDA like rugged 5inch device running Linux. Powerfull enough to connected to a monitor + periphery by plugging in a dock connector. Kind of like the Ubuntu concept but rather with a more computer like device (no GSM, LTE, camera and such), then a smartphone. That should keep the manufacturing costs lower as well.
 
The combination of a separate mini tablet and a separate keyboard that can be combined works very great. The Samsung Galaxy Note is a perfect example of why it works and does have the specs you describe except for the ports, but there are easy solutions for that "problem". Here are two prototypes that I created earlier. Sorry for the lousy quality of the pictures, there wasn't enough light. The first one is a simple clamp-construction in which the Galaxy Note and the bluetooth keyboard with touchpad in the middle are kept together. When folded together, it still fits in your pocket. Perfect if you are in need of a keyboard or mouse, but don't want to carry around too much.



The second prototype doesn't fit in a pocket anymore, but has all the options you want when you are away longer from home and have a bag with you. The box is a cheap hardened case from DX (http://dx.com/p/129210) with the screen clipped into a ABS case holder that is glued into the lid. In the bottom there's a 10000 mAh spare battery for extra juice on the way and for the necessary weight. Behind the keyboard there's a storage compartment with a MHL-adapter for HDMI-output, an USB Host-adapter, 4 port USB hub and a small Card reader that accepts micro and full size SD cards. Finally there are several short USB-cables and USB-adapters to connect the Galaxy Note, the keyboard to the external battery or other devices to the USB hub. When connected to an external monitor, I can take out the keyboard to get freedom of movement.



I do however miss game controls, which is why I've pledged for the iCP2 so I can swap this keyboard with touchpad for the iCP2 In comparison: the iCP2 has the same dimensions as the shown keyboard, except for the width: the iCP2 is 4,4 cm shorter (15,1 cm vs 11,7 cm). A modular setup for the P2 is perfect. I do hope there is some inner space in the iCP2 to create mounting/screw-holes to fasten it securely.
 
Wow,how do you hold toguether all the parts? Could you post more pica please ?

Enviado desde mi Pandora usando Tapatalk 2
 
I think that an ICP3 based on the control module of pandora device (keyboad + control pad) usable with usb and bluetooth because it will allows people to do many thinks with the same device while allowing compatibiliy with pc, linux and other devices.

One more thing is that more mapping will be available for exemple in emulators like n64, ps1 (because of the missing L2 R2)

further more using the xperia play concept in order to reduce the size of the device is a good idea ( replacing joysticks, by touchpad, sacrificing jouability).

Another interesting idea is to use keyless instead of keyboard. have a look here http://www.zmescience.com/research/inventions/touchpad-keyboard-fujitsu-16052011/

i really want to draw it to show what i mean but the resulting thing is kinda cool.
 
Your mods are AWESOME! :D


If I ever have the fortune of procuring a Note 2 I'll definitely hit you up for some advice on how to achieve something like this with my hopefully soon to be ICP2. :)
 
@ Dramurt: thumbs up for KDE4 on a smartphone :)

further more using the xperia play concept in order to reduce the size of the device is a good idea ( replacing joysticks, by touchpad, sacrificing jouability).

Another interesting idea is to use keyless instead of keyboard. have a look here http://www.zmescience.com/research/inventions/touchpad-keyboard-fujitsu-16052011/

i really want to draw it to show what i mean but the resulting thing is kinda cool.
 no,

no,

no.

If I wanted a smartphone with touch controls I'd buy one. I like my pandora because it has real buttons.
 
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yes, I agree too.

What are people talking about tablets an android? The market is already saturated with that, I bought a pandora to escape from that tings.

Buy an Asus transformer ;)
 
Pandora Successor

Pandora 2 should be a 5" Linux Tablet with no built in gaming controls
It should also contain no full SD/micro SD slot.

There should also be no USB port and no TV out.

It also doesn't need resolution higher than 240x320.

Battery shouldn't be as big as Pandora's battery. 2 hours of usage is enough.

It should also be delivered in a wooden box with some more shit inside.

:p :p :p
 
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