Pandora is WAY overpriced????

[ExquisiteCorpse]

It's overpriced because the case sucks and feels cheap and the wifi is rubbish. 

If it was professionally made with a psp/samsung quality this would be expensive not overpriced. 

 

[FaeMinx]

^ But that is ignoring the circumstances surrounding the Pandora.

It really is not going to help simply measuring the price by the standards/capabilities of major corporations.

People keep insisting on doing it and we have to explain again and again how you can't do that.

It'll never sink in I guess.  :mellow:

 

[ExquisiteCorpse]

Well I'm just saying I seriously doubt this will last long after the warranty runs out.

Compare that to my HTC hero I used up until a few months ago for about 4 years and beside it looking a bit rough around the edges the screen is still mint (no purple tints) and the case hasn't cracked like childs toy plastic. 

Therefore it's overpriced - not trolling just stating a fact.

 

[FaeMinx]

^ But you have just done what you can't do in order to determine it's price value.

Here's a thought: The OPT could *drastically raise the price in order to fund a case that meats your standards (by the way - I see nothing wrong with the current revised case).

.... then it'll be even more expensive... not overpriced, but much more expensive.

The bottom line I need to point out here is: You are getting the best bang for your buck if the Pandora is what you are looking for - you will not find anything better on the market. The quality of all components including the case are the best you will find in any device within it's specific niche.

That is all.

 

[ExquisiteCorpse]

I would probably pay another 50 euros to have solid build quality. 

It would still be expensive but I wouldn't call it overpriced then. 

 

[_wb_]

Are you saying that the important thing that fundamentally determines the price of electronics is the quality of the case? If the case "feels cheap", then the product is overpriced, but as long as it has a nice and shiny case, it's ok?

Check the prices for spare cases in ED's shop. If you're worried about your case falling apart, just get a few spare ones. For 50 EUR you can get two full spare cases. I doubt you would need them, but if it makes you feel better, why not.

If you can do a nice strong aluminium case in the kind of quantities relevant for the Pandora for ~ 50 EUR per set, that would be nice, but my guess is that that would be quite hard to do.

 

[ExquisiteCorpse]

No but my estimation of it's value would be infinitely higher. This year I'm going to take my campervan all over Europe for a 12 month period and if my pandora broke I'd be gutted as I wouldn't have the funds/time to fix it.

 

[WizardStan]

Good news. My 3 year old Pandora has survived many drops and more than its share of general wear and tear with little more than a few chips and cracks, notably in places of unimportance. There has been no damage to anything structurally important. The new silver cases are even hardier than this. If you think it "feels fragile" then your senses need to be recalibrated, because while I admit to it not being the most sturdy of plastics (as I said, there is cosmetic damage, chips and cracks) but reports of actual structural damage have been almost non-existent.

 

[Grench]

No but my estimation of it's value would be infinitely higher. This year I'm going to take my campervan all over Europe for a 12 month period and if my pandora broke I'd be gutted as I wouldn't have the funds/time to fix it.

I took my original CC Pandora all over North America on trips for business and pleasure.  I even took it to Alaska for a week.  It has been used on jets, in airports, hotels, motels and even a tent.  That original black case developed a couple of minor cosmetic cracks, but did not loose function.

My newer 1Ghz unit's plastics are clearly of higher quality stuff.  It's seen similar treatment, but still looks relatively new.

Yes, they have a flat no gloss, no depth finish on rounded plastics with a bit of extra flashing or shaping here and there.  That is part of the device's charm.  If you're expecting case quality on par with modern cell phones, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.  

In this case (pun intended) function trumps aesthetics.  That said, it's not a horridly ugly case.  It's just big boned.

 

[FaeMinx]

I can see where you are coming from... but i just have to point out to you that while the original CC cases suffered from cracks, the only time it became an issue was when the battery door failed.

I'm one of the original pre-orderers (that upgraded to premium admittedly) ... and for the 3 years + that I've been using my Pandora with it's original black CC case... practically *every day*... I've never had any issue with the case that compromised functionality. Yes, I have a couple of cracks, but they developed within the first year and since then my case has been completely stable.

 ... in spite of my Pandora taking a number of falls - it works perfectly. I actually regard it as rather robust. To give a comparison - a friend dropped her laptop (made with a case to your standards and by a major corporation) only about a foot onto a carpet and the hard drive died.

Now, I am very happy with my case with it's minor cracks because I know my Pandora is durable for my everyday usage... but since production moved to Germany, the case durability has been greatly improved... so I really don't know what you are concerned about.

It would do you well to put the Pandora in a class of it's own and measure it to it's own standards.

Rather than comparing the case quality to those produced by 'major corporations'.

I may have missed it, but I have never seen any Pandora owner complain that their Pandora 'broke' because of one of the new GC cases failing.

I stand to be corrected, but i really don't see that you have anything to be concerned about. 

 

[dementio]

Good news. My 3 year old Pandora has survived many drops and more than its share of general wear and tear with little more than a few chips and cracks, notably in places of unimportance. There has been no damage to anything structurally important. The new silver cases are even hardier than this. If you think it "feels fragile" then your senses need to be recalibrated, because while I admit to it not being the most sturdy of plastics (as I said, there is cosmetic damage, chips and cracks) but reports of actual structural damage have been almost non-existent.

Same here. I've honestly lost count of how many times I've dropped my OP in the last three years, including one fifteen feet drop from a balcony. I've replaced the case once, and the only current problems I have are the DC power jack (had a battery pack plugged in when I dropped it once), and I have black duct tape holding the battery cover on now. But again, remember, this thing has been dropped many times, and is portable enough to carry with me everywhere in Afghanistan without worrying about constantly scratching the screen. I have friends with Vitas, IPads, etc that look like shit now because of scratches.

 

[Binky]

The pandora does have some structural flaws - both the old cases and the old LCD cables broke, but guess what? You can officially buy spares for both, and there is documentation on how to replace them B)

 

[dementio]

The pandora does have some structural flaws - both the old cases and the old LCD cables broke, but guess what? You can officially buy spares for both, and there is documentation on how to replace them B)

When's that last time someone called up (or emailed) Motorola, Apple, HTC, etc, and asked for directions on replacing the LCD cable? The level of user modification available, and promoted, with the OP is well above any other device.

 

[Kumaki]

I think the issue here is actually just a matter or wording.

For instance, he should rather say - The Pandora is out of my price range.

For the circumstances surrounding it - the Pandora is pretty much priced perfectly.

Edit: For clarification - Expensive does not equate to Overpriced.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in saying that something is waaay too expensive for you.

However, to say something is overpriced because it is too expensive for you is ridiculous.

Amen.

 

[klapse]

First of all, Pandora quality/usability is not even near to a Latitude.


Second of all, these mobile workstations/high end business laptop are future proof for at least next 5 years.

The Pandora is also future proof for 5 years since it was designed. (It still is the only handheld open-source gaming computer with keyboard.)

It is not overpriced. You can get a classic edition for cheap.

 

[Xaeo]

I'd have to throw in my two cents as well.  I don't think the Pandora is overpriced in the least, I bought my Pandora for one reason and one reason only: Emulation.  I've grown up on old consoles from nintendo to playstation, having all of my nostalgia bottled up into a hand dandy form factor is the deciding factor for me. 

Throw into the equation that it has the nicest sounding audio I've ever heard (I had to buy better headphones just so that I could hear the difference) and can be used as a general purpose computer when I'm in class; the payoff for the price keeps getting better and better.

I didn't buy the Pandora for the 'status' symbol that some people have bought it for, but after saying that I have enjoyed how much attention people pay to me when I use it. I'm currently going to university, studying electrical engineering, and I was surprised by how many of my fellow class-mates knew what it was, even the ones who hadn't heard about Pandora were curious about it. 

Although I didn't buy the Pandora to be my status symbol, the fact that it was manufactured in Europe did play into my justification of buying it (I'm in Canada), if I had the funds I'd buy a maltron keyboard because I believe in paing for quality, and German Engineering is known for it. (How much did you spend for the VW?)

In response to people complaining about the wifi capability of the Pandora, all I have to say is: "What?" and then seriously question if you have even used a Pandora before. Have you tried using an Asus EEEPad before? I can be in the same room as my mother (who has one) and be able to connect to the internet while she is unable to even get one bar.  At the university here, they have a horrible wireless system in place, yet my Pandora can connect to it with minimal trouble and doesn't encur any issues when changing buildings.

As to those who compare the Pandora to a laptop... Really?  I'd like to see the laptop which is able to get ten hours of battery life.  Now that you have found one, how much is it?  Pretty pricey once you start throwing in SSD and other form factor components.  If your comparing the Pandora to a phone, have you included the contract into the price along with the phone? And why buy a phone, just to buy the ICP2 so you can game comfortably with your phone.  
Now, all I'm left wishing for is some type of microphone input and a port of Dell Voice (sorry, now called Fongo) and then Pandora really will be my new phone. (I currently use my phone through wi-fi instead of having a contract)

I must say that I love my Pandora and has been the happiest experience I have had with Linux to date, I get a nice warm tingle when I see my battery at 15% with 1:30 left, after disabling my usb host and turning down my clock speed, all of a sudden I have 3:48 left. Of course that will drain when I do anything CPU intensive, but is a lifesaver when doing a last minute crunch before an exam.

tl;dr  Wall of text about awesomness which is Pandora


Kind Regards,
-Xaeo
 

 

[Kumaki]

You, sir...should write reviews.