Pandora In The Future

[Capn_Fish]

@Mr_devil45

SIM cards aren't the only thing necessary to use cellular networks, and including the other stuff would be expensive. The point is that this isn't a phone. Get a cheap cell phone and tether with BT.

You do realize that Guild Wars won't ever make it to the Pandora in all likelihood, right? Even if it gets a 10x spec boost, you still won't be able to emulate x86 well enough. More RAM is always nice, though. While we're dreaming, AoE II would be awesome (and well within current specs).

You can already do Pandora-Pandora networking with ad-hoc Wi-Fi, BT, or even USB.

The Pandora will likely support SD cards past 32GB, it's just that they're expensive/not out yet. Once the new spec is out, the Pandora's driver will be updated to accommodate it.

Sorry if that comes off as harsh. I'm just trying to stick to what is at least possible/feasible.

My personal wishlist:

-Similar specs scaled with time (eg, top-of-the line embedded CPU and graphics if/when it comes out in hopefully 3+ years)
-Anything that ends up being a widespread annoyance (if anything does)
-Same size/similar form factor
-Transflective screen
-Two shoulder buttons on each side out of the box (I'll likely be too afraid of damaging it to solder on the current pads)

In other words, a Pandora update with the kinks ironed out.

 

[Drack]

It's pretty pointless to speculate about a "Pandora 2" that may happen in a few years when the original Pandora isn't shipped yet. Computer hardware is a rapidly changing field. What hardware is available and is practical in a few years time is very difficult to predict. Making suggestions seem less like actual predictions and more like features you think this Pandora should have had in this release.

 

[lulzfish]

I like the flying GPS phone with a slide-out PSP keyboard idea.
Maybe it can have some pizza, too? I'm kinda hungry.

 

[monvmentvm]

@Drack It is pretty pointless to tell us it is pointless we aren't stupid... also did you miss the other posts where people said it was pointless? apparently you didn't read the thread it's only 2 pages

@Mr Devil uhm isn't guild wars closed source and runs only in wine on Linux? if that is the case you probably won't see that at all even untill the pandora 3 x.x LOL

Nah... Even if I don't like the x86 architecture at the moment, maybe we will see it in a future pandora. There will be this multi-core Atom soon and this new kind of nvidia chip I already forgot it's name, which is planned for "high-end" netbooks.

So even if that wouldn't be an ideal solution now for a new pandora, it may be better, smaller and would possibly use less power in a few years. And with a good x86 solution in the future we may see wine and closed-source Windows games on the pandora too.

 

[peca]

I guess, that better be stay with this Pandora as long as possible. So let's spec some Pandora companion.

I'd like something like bottom attachable box. Like equip this box with USB hub. Some ports left for external devices and some use internally for small (1.8" or 2.5") HDD (or SSD, CF or SD card or just big USB Flash drive mounted internal), maybe USB to VGA, USB to Ethernet, emergenci flashlight, second Pandora's battery for powering this bottom-pack and attached accesories. Oh, seconds shoulder (or even more) buttons can be added here.

 

[mali]

This kind of docking station is a great idea I saw your drawings in the other thread.

 

[Mr devil45]

capn fish, u r wrong about the sd cards going past 32gb.i know that sdxc cards could go to 2tb , but so can sdhc. as i stated, the sd board wont allow cards past 32gb,they would be illegal.someone could , however , make a 2tb sdhc and software lock it to 32gb , then everyone who buys it can hack the intentionally crap software to unleash the full 2tb......

if guildwars cant run due to X86, why cant panda be x64? my supergamingpc is vista x64 and runs guildwars fine,without needing compatibility mode.the only programs i have ever found to not work on x64 are:
ALL x86 antivirus programs [they say they work,but really don't]
star wars KotOR 2
cellphone hardware is far less advanced than what you have stated.the boards needed are very small, and most of a modern phone is taken up by the battery and screen. it's just a matter of demand as to whether we can have it.
i agree that a ps2 emu would take forever to code, but what i would pay for SW BF2 on a panda...
I forgot to add the 2 most important things though: a lanyard hole - so basic that no-one can argue- and removable shoulder triggers. i need l2 and r2!!!

 

[peca]

Mr devil45: AFAIK SDHC and SDXC has the same wiring. Change is just in specification additional bits for addressing more capacity and requiring higher speed by whitepapers. But it can be handled by SDHC HW, just SW must be done. Even pure old SD reader can handle SDXC, if get right SW driver.

 

[sindbad]

if guildwars cant run due to X86, why cant panda be x64? my supergamingpc is vista x64 and runs guildwars fine,without needing compatibility mode.the only programs i have ever found to not work on x64 are:
ALL x86 antivirus programs [they say they work,but really don't]
star wars KotOR 2
x86-64 cpus are built with x86 backwards compatibility because they need to and it's not too hard. Anything that doesn't work is because of your OS.

However, the pandora has an ARM cpu like cell phones, a completely different architecture. The developers would have to (port and) recompile their applications to work at all on it. This has been explained MANY times, just read the FAQ.

 

[kattle87]

CPU & GPU seems possible - next iPhone is rumored to have MPCore+SGX543... (see here and here)



I feel like Apple should allow background processes from 3th parties before start thinking about a multicore CPU... <_<

 

[cools]

In next version I'd like to see:

• larger, OLED screen (7.6", 800x480, like OSD076WVGAT with multi-touch

Fail. How large are your pockets?

 

[kukacster]

Well, if were dreaming, we can have capacitive touch-screen and a Wacom Penabled sensor to have the best of both worlds.

+1 wacom

 

[lootic]

for next pandy:
-better/newer hardware(of course)
-a bit slimmer, even more pocket freindly
-longer battery life
-a camera in at the top of the screen that can be turned so it can be used both as a webcam and to take photos with.(probably patented though)
-three extra keys on the keyboard for us that has some special letters in our alphabet(others can have them programmed to something else).
- make it a cell phone
-music player buttons
-make it shiny, REALLY SHINY

 

[maciek_urbanski]

In next version I'd like to see:

• larger, OLED screen (7.6", 800x480, like OSD076WVGAT with multi-touch

Fail. How large are your pockets?


Yup, you're probably right. But I didn't see any OLED screens with 800x480 resolution and smaller size (but I didn't look very hard...).
4 inch would work best for me (if it would available).

 

[hydzior]

New oqo umpc got 5 inch oled screen with 800x480 resolution

 

[Polossatik]

IMHO it would be a good idea to have later on simly an upgrade on the current idea, which is focused on small size (but still keyboard and decent screen), decent gaming control and long battery. That are the pandora's main "core" features from "formfactor" point of view.

Upgrade may be more RAM, faster cpu etc (assuming power consumption can be controlled), better gpu... without touching on the core idea.

Next to that I think that this project may give a excellent entry point to have an decent "bigger" (netbook/tablet stuff) in which then some things like size may be sacrificed for more screen estate (7-8 inch ? - bigger but also higher resolution) / better keyboard / more battery juice / addons like gps/3G etc.

just my 2 cents

 

[Svartalf]

Please leave the pandora as long as possible at the specs we have today. Every "improvement" (and think about the success of netbooks taking back much of the notebook-improvements since 2005) would splinter the software-community into "early adopters" not able to run latest software and "late runners" that had the luck of receiving a more capable version.

This would depend on what the nature of the improvements are. In reality, we're so far over the top in the handheld space that it's going to be a bit before you see "fragmentation" due to lack of specs on titles.

If anything, I'm going to be one of the ones leaning on that edge. TheGoodDoktor would be another one of those sorts...

Anyhow, the improvements wouldn't be for at least a year and the bulk of the titles would run on either if we've all done our work right. (That is, if you're porting something or making a new title, using SDL as a baseline abstraction layer or something LIKE it is a very, very good idea... )

QUOTE

Pandora should not be about beating quad core PCs in fps, but about beating any other mobile device in fps AND battery life AND creativity of its software developing community.



Yep. And that's where it's going- and in a year or two you'll see something like the OMAP4 being fielded. They're going to be doing at least uni-core Cortex-A9 plus all the other pick-list items like the hopped up SGX choice, etc. Odds on, we'll see a Pandora 2 with that hardware if we do well in this space.

Fail. How large are your pockets?

Actually, sans the multitouch, that class of OLED display is liable to be in the same price point as the LCD we're already using by the time we get to a "Pandora 2". If so, you WANT the OLED. Trust me.

x86-64 cpus are built with x86 backwards compatibility because they need to and it's not too hard. Anything that doesn't work is because of your OS.

Not QUITE correct. X86-64 provides 32-bit compatibility in 64-bit mode. If you use 16 or 8 bit instructions they will fail with an illegal instruction exception on the hardware. The only time you get to see the 16 and 8 bit stuff being available is when you're in 32-bit mode.

 

[lootic]

@drake: how much do you actually know about busnisse. Actually most companies are planning what they are going to sell in the future, even before they release the thing that is going to be the current super specs product. planning involves speculating and I have not seen a collective agreement of that everyone thinks this thread is pointless, me for example dont think its pointless, but the actual question to you is: Do you think you will accomplish anything with telling us that this thread is pointless, will we stop posting?

If you are flaming for the funz I understand, there are always some idiots at every forum that dont have anything better to do.



Anyway back to the Pandy the Second:
I want a motion sensor in the pandora(like the wiimotes). Insert a sensor bar at the top of the screen and make the stylus a pointer (like the wii). Also insert motion sensing in the stylus. Just think how cool it would be to play fps metroid prime 3 style at the train or when your waiting for the bus or having plain booring when not at home. It would become a portable wii and nintendo will kill us.ALSO make it Shiny, REALLY SHINY!

But it would be way to expensive and its maybe even like that that nobody will ever port anything that makes use of that sort of things.

Also I have a question: Can I mod some of my cell phone parts into this pandy(the first one) like my cell phone cam and the thing that calls peope(the sim reader or what its called in english)

 

[fiveseven]

Wouldn't it be easier to just tether to your phone via bluetooth? Also I don't think there's all that much room inside the case.

 

[Loon]

What I'd like to see as the next step in hardware would be a desktop edition of the Pandora.

It would have no screen, battery or keyboard, it would look like a small black box.

It's internals would be more or less identical to the mobile pandora. Except it would have hdmi or vga out (as well as tv out).

The desktop edition could be used as a pretty excellent media streamer as well as a rather lovely retro gaming system. Just add a wireless usb keyboard / mouse or maybe a bluetooth joystick or 2. Or Perhaps add a 1TB USB2 Hard drive and it's home server a go go.

etc.

Software developed for the mobile edition would be usable as long as it wasn't too reliant on the touch screen.

My guess is that if such a system was ready for retail his time next year then it could be sold for less than £100 and still turn in a healthy profit for OP.