Pandora is WAY overpriced????


3G dongle is a solution that will work fine for me and we have the cheapest internet in the world, so can someone please confirm that Pandora work with every USB 3G Dongle and specialy Huawei E173 ? (the opereator with the biggest 3G coverage in Bulgaria use these)
 
Thinkpad said:
3G dongle is a solution that will work fine for me and we have the cheapest internet in the world, so can someone please confirm that Pandora work with every USB 3G Dongle and specialy Huawei E173 ? (the opereator with the biggest 3G coverage in Bulgaria use these)
Click to expand...

While the Huawei E173 is not on the compatibiliy list, the E1750 and E160 are. Usually these things attach a GSM modem via USB serial and don't even need a special device driver.

There are exceptions though - the E1750 for example ( I have one of those), needs additional configuration, namely usb-modeswitch, as described extensively here (modemmanager is already included with the latest firmware, so you can skip that part). Unfortunately, that's required with all 3G dongles that first masquerade as an USB storage device so that you can install the Windows software from flash, and then need to be switched to modem mode.
 
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Just to add another thing - as far as I know there currently are just two pocket computing devices that are not closely attached to or embedded in a walled garden - Pandora and the Openmoko phone.

That has it's up- and downsides (as can be seen everytime the "why isn't it an Android device, everything would be so much easier" discussion comes up). For example, OpenPandora misses a lot of infrastructure that's just integrated with other mobile systems - namely all the synchronization stuff, both on backend and frontend side. But on the other hand, it will still be a fully functional computer system even when OpenPandora (GmbH or Ltd or both) give up - it will still work (and users can continue to make it better with new software) when repo.openpandora.org disappears.

So for me, a major selling point of the Pandora is that it's essentially an open system (yes, I know, not for the purists - binary firmware blobs are required for some functions). Still, there's no arbitrary restriction on what I can run on the Pandora. Making things work is just a matter of understanding the environment - not one of cracking restricted firmware loaders and fighting embedded DRM systems: You won't see RiscOS natively on an iDevice, even though they're all based on ARM cores too.

Call me pompous, but in a way, using my Pandora is also a statement in the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYqkU1y0AYc. That doesn't mean that the price is irrelevant (after all, I upgraded to a Rebirth edition, not the 1GHz) - but it's just not the main decision factor when I compare the Pandora against other mobile devices I could be buying.
 
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I can fully understand you.
Two weeks ago when I wanted to watch a movie via Lovefilm on my PS3, it refused to start up because the Sony Network was currently under maintenance.

That's stupid, as I've got a Lovefilm account, the software on the PS3, a working internet connection - but without Sonys Network it simpy won't start.
 
@galaxis cell phones have the restrictions on their boot loader and system partitions locking the user out, most of the android game players do not. Also root access out of the box on some devices. Some also use uboot like the Pandora.

The walled garden isn't as what it seems to be. You can side load software without any kinda rooting or jail breaking. There is just a menu option in the OS you have to tick to install software from single file archives similar to the Pandora, if you try to without ticking the option it will prompt you and direct you to the menu the option is located.

The Google store is by far the most popular but there are plenty of other sources of applications each with their own gui app so if it were to go down you would still have access to files from other channels.

To exclude android devices as being closed off is not fair. Its fine if you don't like them, or don't use them, but I don't think they're closed in that specific sense.

The one way you could see them as closed is in that the manufacturers of the game handhelds don't release the kernel source of the hardware drivers they have written. I agree that creates a sense of being locked down because if you want an alternative you would need to write drivers from basically scratch or with the generic SoC kernel source.

They're not pure open source, but I have yet to see a device to date that was 100% free and open source software without any closed drivers (particularly the GPU)

EDIT: formatting turned post into wall of text, fixed
 
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@ANDROID: some minor additions:

cell phones have the restrictions on their boot loader and system partitions locking the user out...
Click to expand...
Samsung, which sells most androids, doesn't lock its bootloaders. most others allow you to unlock it.

...don't release the kernel source of the hardware drivers they have written.
Click to expand...
Which, IMNSHO, is just plain stupid. It increases the costs and maintenance-burden, and decreases the driver's quality (less Q/A and lower-quality code), and prevents it from getting improved upon over time. As such, it's a practice which'll probably disappear or marginalize over time.

...100% free and open source software without any closed drivers (particularly the GPU)
Click to expand...
freedreno seems to be progressing quite nicely.
 
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EvilDragon said:
I can fully understand you.Two weeks ago when I wanted to watch a movie via Lovefilm on my PS3,
Click to expand...
Lovefilm (Amazon's online film viewing service in germany) refuses to play on my device, saying 'linux not supported'. Is there a way to watch lovefilm on the pandora (using a different user agent string perhaps)?


Re: to the "production value" comment - there is no sense in defining a term "production value" to equal "production cost". It just confuses language, beyond being simply redundant.


Re: value of pandora - I also have used mine for hundreds of hours so far. It competes for hours per euro with my laptop. How does it compare to people's PSP and DS handhelds?
 
If you buy a Pandora to only read books or use it as a media player it is hugely overpriced. It costs a lot of money, and if it is worth it is not for anyone on this board to decide.  It just depends on what you want to do with it.

I don't agree with the comments regarding the value of the product vs playing/use time. If I wouldn't have a Pandora I would probably spend similar time on another device. It is just the device I currently prefer to use for gameplay. 

People that want to buy, really need to do some research before buying. I would advise a lot of people who have an 'Apple' or 'Android' mindset not to buy it. Linux users that like to tinker and die hard retrogamers are the main target for this product and for them it is not overpriced. 

I also like the comment from Galaxis that using a Pandora is a kind of statement. I guess that applies to more users as well (like me). 
 
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Die-hard retrogamer here...who has also found a few practical uses for it in my business life.

Not at all overpriced.

In fact, I may even consider upgrading to the 1 Ghz version later on...just as soon as I have a little extra cash...and I'm reasonably sure that any bugs have been worked out of it...like what happened with the original CC units...case cracking and that sort of thing.

Mainly, I just think I want another Pandy, because the one I have...I sent it in for repair to Link once...and it looks as it it might want to slip the damn bezels again...and I just don't need to go thru that again...if the damn thing breaks on me again, like last time, I'll just upgrade for a new unit!
 
I am just amazed what a good choice switching to the OMAP3530 was in 2007. Even in 2013 it still delivers the best handheld emulation on the market!
 
^ isn't that mainly due to the pandora being a specific target platform, allowing devs to optimise the emus?

Its very hard to optimise for every andriod device at once, and why would you optimise for a particular model? Wouldn't that just be giving a selling point to an impersonal megacorp?

The pandora is unique, (partially) gaming orientated and made a by a friendly 'underdog' company
 
@laurencevde-


it's funny you mention those other more mainstream android devices. Reverse of what some may think,the bigger manufacturers (sony, htc, samsung) are actually more open with their source code (and fairly complaint with gpl) for the most part. Releasing their source very close to the release of their devices being released or updated.It's the devices that have less to lose persay, that are more tight lipped in fear that their work will be "stolen". The more open, the more popular, the more their code gets improved, the more that will buy their devices even years after they are out of their "out of the box usefulness"


After recently reading a interview with panton (unscrupulous game device maker in hong kong) They mark their reason for not giving partial or full source code or an sdk to the tinkering and hacking community is because of their fear of them ripping off their devices. It's irony if you will because they deal with mainly clones of other little known devices. And without question the most successful one of these, the dingoo had it's sdk and source released, but in fact was cloned a million ways to friday by multiple manufacturers. But even with that I'm sure their sales individually were better than the ones they were tight lipped about.


Chinese manufacturing culture confuses me greatly, their view on intellectual property not being so important to respect if you're a small time manufacturer, also what they feel we as consumers are looking for when we're usually looking for something greatly different. But I'm sure there's things in their processes that I don't fully understand yet either.
 
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b_o_b said:
If you buy a Pandora to only read books or use it as a media player it is hugely overpriced.
Click to expand...
Actually I'd beg to differ there. The Pandora is an Audiophile grade portable music player. To get an ipod up to this level of quality would require an expensive dock lead and a decent portable amp.
 
EvilDragon said:
Thinkpad said:
In 2013, 540 EUR for every day carry hand held device without 3G connectivity and slow browsing is a JOKE.
Click to expand...
Why?


The main usage of the Pandora is not 3G, it's gaming.


Non of my handhelds or any smartphone is doing this as good as my Pandora.


And thanks to Bluetooth tethering, I can surf with 3G as long as I got my phone in my pocket, so there's no need for me here.


For me, a Smartphone without a physical keyboard is a joke.


For me, gaming without physical controls is a joke.


Are all smartphones jokes for me?


Nope. I use my phone to browse the net on the go, to type short messages, to make phone calls and to sync it with my calendar and appointments.


And I use my Pandora to play games, to write longer messages, do webbrowsing, recover data from harddisk, administrate my server, etc.


If you're missing phone features in the Pandora, but not the Pandora features on your phone, then it seems the unique features of the Pandora are not of interest for you.


That's fine. Not everyone wants what the Pandora can do, that's why it seems expensive for these folks.


But you should understand that there are other people who want exactly what the Pandora can do, and they think the price is okay.


I would never buy an iPhone. It can't do anything I need, way too restricted for me. If I could get it for 100 EUR, I might consider buying it to play around a bit, but not for the (in my opinion) WAY overpriced amount of money.


I won't call it a joke though, as there are people who want exactly the simplicity of an iPhone and want to pay extra for that.


And it's the same for the Pandora. Some love everything it can do, others just see the specs and think it's overpriced.
Click to expand...
The Pandora is just small enough to end up getting compared to smartphones - which it isn't.  It has no phone.

I recommend we restrict comparisons only to devices with laptop (real desktop OS) replacement capabilities, qwerty keyboard, full game controls and audiophile sound production that can fit in a front pants pocket.

By those standards currently produced and competing products are:

1...  umm...  ???
 
^^ don't forget named after a character in greek mythology

...oh wait! the xperia play's deveice name is actually "zeus"... SHIT!

oh thank god, it doesn't have a physical keyboard and only the shitty onscreen one... *whew*

twas a close one, because it got most of the other things...

;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24TUDHBK-vY
 
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BaDToaD said:
b_o_b said:
If you buy a Pandora to only read books or use it as a media player it is hugely overpriced.
Click to expand...
Actually I'd beg to differ there. The Pandora is an Audiophile grade portable music player. To get an ipod up to this level of quality would require an expensive dock lead and a decent portable amp.
Click to expand...
I don't consider the Pandora to be a very comfortable portable music player (I own sansa clip for that purpose). That said, you might be right it is worth the additional weight/size and money if you are an Audiophile and sound quality is your highest priority. 
 
Pandora as audio player:

software versatility/capability - very good

software usability -good

hardware capability - very good

hardware usability - acceptable

three out of four isn't bad :)
 
Well, I like to own a device which is roughly priced as low (or high) now as it was when I bought it :) . Makes me feel like is has an inbuilt value.

Regarding the fragility of the black cases: I do carry my Pandora without the carrying case with me in my pocket almost every day. I try to be careful but a mobile device must be mobile in the sense of the word. So I use it in all necessary situations. And it hasn't generated any cracks in the case for almost 2 years now.

BTW Which smartphone/tablet was it that does have 2 sd card slots and supports 128 GB cards ;) ? Not that I'm in need of that much memory, but time will come and then I will be able to use that big (or even bigger) cards on my Pandora.
 
the barnes and noble nook, and the odroid have internal removeable tf card / microsd and a 2nd external storeage... I'm sure there's others, but those are the ones off the top of my head

support is there, but microsd is only max 64gb currently that I know of

EDIT:

dell streak has 2 slots

asus transformer series w/ dock has 1 full and 1 micro + internal
 
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