Pandora is WAY overpriced????

[thatgui]

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

just nitpicking:- odroid is not portable, nook is portable, but I bet the internal, removable storage isn't to be removed hassle-free

- dell streak - which one has two ?

- way bigger and with the attached keyboard dock it doesn't really fit int the tablet category 100%

 

[SNESFAN]

odroid is portable, I think you're thinking of the dev boards, they made a portable game console (2010ish era) that had a micro and full sized internal under the battery and had just horrid control setup like a wonderswan

the internal on the streak was a microsd from what I read, you had to open it up to access it though.same with the nook

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1902308

asus transformer was a stretch, but it's still an android tablet with 2 slots.

 

[A2000]

And what about the supported size? I only read "up to 32GB" in ads. Is this the same reason as with the Pandora: 32GB is guarenteed but almost all bigger cards work?

 

[thatgui]

odroid is portable, I think you're thinking of the dev boards, they made a portable game console (2010ish era) that had a micro and full sized internal under the battery and had just horrid control setup like a wonderswan

the internal on the streak was a microsd from what I read, you had to open it up to access it though.same with the nook

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1902308

asus transformer was a stretch, but it's still an android tablet with 2 slots.

as said I was just nitpicking, but thanks for the link about the Dell Streak, interesting that a major company also had the idea of making the internal memory (more or less) easily replaceable

 

[SNESFAN]

And what about the supported size? I only read "up to 32GB" in ads. Is this the same reason as with the Pandora: 32GB is guarenteed but almost all bigger cards work?

Lot of ads and spec sheets were written before the sdxc microsd cards were released. But my 64gb sandisk works in every device I have tried, Some have formatting problems which means it's a software limitation not a hardware one.

I can't speak for every device in existance, but I'd assume lots work like that. 

 

[Grench]

I think Toshiba makes tablets with large internal memory and full sized SDXC ports...

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Excite-AT305T64-10-1-Inch-Computer/dp/B007OWZRPK


It is part of what allows them to charge a premium for their hardware.


The Nokia 770 had internal and external flash memory.


But if you want to go back to the original flash-memory based general use handheld computer:


IBM PC110

http://www.basterfield.com/pc110/pc110idx.htm


That thing was amazing in it's day.


I wasn't able to afford one.

 

[klapse]

http://www.basterfield.com/pc110/pc110idx.htm

Wow! Reminds me of a pandora. I would'e loved one.

 

[Grench]

http://www.basterfield.com/pc110/pc110idx.htm

Wow! Reminds me of a pandora. I would'e loved one.

I had a chance to buy a new one in 1997 through Dynamism - for $1200.

That's like $1700+/- in today's $$$$.

 

[moxie]

http://www.basterfield.com/pc110/pc110idx.htm

Wow! Reminds me of a pandora. I would'e loved one.

Danggg. I have a new holy grail of hand held computers to collect.

 

[acid]

Not sure how you can justify the cost of a pandora nowadays tbqh. I mean, I own an n900 and it's so cheap nowadays. As in, sub 80 dollars everywhere. Also have an android phone which I bought really cheap (xperia mini pro, 90€ new, no contract) and it can run most emulators the n900 and pandora do, only in the case of the n900 most run a lot better on the xperia.

I mean, if I buy a separate controller like an ipega, moga or even an icontrolpad, what possible justification is there to buy a pandora? Let's be honest here, that little xperia mini pro does almost everything my n900 does, only faster. Also, there's a constant stream of software coming out for it and it's a fully converged device in a small form factor that you can carry with you everywhere. Not trying to start anything, but come on. Shall we deny reality? The pandora is grossly overpriced for the hardware it carries.

 

[BaDToaD]

 The pandora is grossly overpriced for the hardware it carries.

Again I have to disagree. It depends on your use of the Pandora. For audio alone the Pandora is worth the money. People pay as much and more for an ipod with a decent dock lead and a good portable amp. Also, if you think a phone and a ICP will replace the Pandora then you really have missed the potential of having a full desktop pocketable PC.

The Pandora is much more than just it's hardware specs...

 

[PokeParadox]

But the Pandora comes with the gaming controls...

 

[EvilDragon]

If you only take the hardware into account, sure, it's overpriced compared to others.

But a lot of products are.

Same for Apple: You can get Android smartphones with the same or better hardware for half the price.

So it's overpriced from that point of view.

If you include the design, the software, the possibilities, etc., then it's probably not.

There's still no other device combining a Linux PC and a gaming device - that's a unique feature you don't find anywhere else.

The N900 is not even in production anymore, so you only get used devices.

Also, as any phone, it's optimized for phone usage. Any emulator I tried stuttered, etc.

I had a stuttering NES emulator on my N900 and playing fullspeed PSX on the Pandora.

You also still need separate controllers, something some people don't want (like myself, for example).

Whether that justifies the price is up to you.

However, there's a lot more behind it.

Compared to the N900, the Pandora has the better keyboard and a standard PC Desktop. Something I (and probably others) love about it. It also has a STANDARD Desktop and not that Hildon-Thing.

I won't compare it to Android devices, as Android is a mobile system and for me it's missing stuff like ClawsMail, etc.

I've got K9-Mail on my Android phone, but I haven't been in the mood yet to setup all my eMail accounts (about 10), including signatures, etc. on it.

With the Pandora, all I did was copying the Claws-Mail directory from my PC onto the SD-Card and I had all my eMail accounts setup.

This might all be of non-interest for you personally, but for some people, it adds a lot to the value.

Also, it's made by a few guys, not a huge company.

Take a look at the N900:

Nokia scrapped Linux because it wasn't commercially as successful as they would've liked to.

I'm part of the Pandora team, and I would never scrap Linux as I love OpenSource and communities working together.

I'm not primarily interested in profit.

There's even more behind it:

With buying the Pandora, you not only support a small company, but also their idea of OpenSource mobile devices, of their idea to produce as much as possible with proper wages, etc.

In Germany, there's something similar, called "Fair Trade" products.

You can buy Fair Trade coffee for 3-4 times the price of normal coffee - but with Fair-Trade products, you make sure that the poor people who harvest the coffee get fair wages.

I drink a lot of coffee, but I only buy Fair Trade one.

So yes, the pure hardware is overpriced.

But there's so much more behind it, adding value to the device.

Whether it's still overpriced is up to you. But if there would be Fair Trade-Phones for twice the price than a comparable normal one, I would for sure buy the Fair Trade one.

 

[Neelix]

Also if a phone company is selling the n900 that cheaply without a contract then I would say that they are heavily subsidising it, and are most likely  counting on their customer service level, promotional offers, and the fact that generally people don't like to switch carriers to keep customers long enough to cover the cost.  Given that they are no longer in production, it's probably also heavily discounted to clear the stock. Either way, the n900s you speak of are either under-priced  or second hand so it is not a realistic comparison. 

The Pandora has no ongoing service fees so there is no way for the company to recoup a subsidised outlay.

- Neelix

 

[canseco]

The value of FOSS by Jon Maddog Hall

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uMwn0JFciHQ?feature=oembed

N900 is a good smartphone, but Nokia used closed source UI, and some other bits that led developers mad trying to subtitute them with FOSS alternatives.

 

[vcoleiro1]

One thing to note, if the target market for the Pandora are saying The 1ghz model is way to expensive. And that is also backed up by there only being about 3-4 sales a day. Then no matter what you personally think about the 1ghz Pandora being expensive or not, the market thinks it is and that is an issue.


At that sales rate it will take about 6 months to clear the pre-orders and refunds wont it?. But I guess what other choice is there.

 

[janvlug]

But if there would be Fair Trade-Phones for twice the price than a comparable normal one, I would for sure buy the Fair Trade one.

http://www.fairphone.com/

 

[EvilDragon]

Awesome, thanks for the link

 

[zoranc]

Besides multitude of the advantages mentioned I would add the real long time support. How long is a cheap chinese gaming device supported even if there is a community behind it a year, two if you are lucky? Dingoo a320 is about double so expensive as the newer (beter a330). Smartphones wont get updates after a year or so either, so you are "forced" to buy a new one.

Having so many options to customize the software to your own needs is also unique for a mobile device. I used even for software development on the go when I had a long commuting time to work. Open OS, nice controls for both gaming and even productivity is something I always wanted. If it was priced over 1000 EUR I would start considering if it is overpriced. But with this set of features price even for the 1GHz pandora is rather reasonable IMO.

 

[ElPoco]

Whether it's still overpriced is up to you. But if there would be Fair Trade-Phones for twice the price than a comparable normal one, I would for sure buy the Fair Trade one.

My employer (Doro) is very careful about ethical and environmental aspects of its phones. We refused to work with some Chinese companies because they didn't have good working conditions, we avoid using tantalum-based capacitor and the one time we were forced to, we required a certificate that it didn't come from a conflict zone (though we can't be sure this certificate is valid);

I'm not sure if it would fit all the requirements for a "Fair Trade" label, but from what I've seen the ethical concerns are more than just words and marketing. (I wouldn't be working there anymore if it was).