Pandora Review, months on.


toastylynx

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Jul 24, 2013
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Hello again! I've been absent quite a while, and I thought I'd share my views on the Pandora, now that I've had some time to see how it goes. Judging by the current banner of the website, it looks like I've been away too long.

First, a recap of my initial feelings. I thought the device was wonderful, and I really liked the idea of a proper, open Linux PC in my pocket. There was nothing else quite like it, so the price was easily justifiable. So many buttons, great battery life and it emphasised all the functional things I like about computers, but it was pocket sized and played PS1 games brilliantly.

My view now's a bit different. I still love the thing, and I'm glad I bought it, but I just don't seem to be the kind of person who uses a pocket-sized computer, even for the games. I also got a smartphone sometime after getting the Pandora and that seems to have absorbed what little computery things I'd actually want to do on the go. But, such is how things are.

I found the interface a bit clumsy for a portable device, the screen's resolution's a bit low for most of the ported desktop programs too. I found I just wasn't using it much at all. It's large too, and when I got a Note 3, I could no longer fit it in my pocket. Whenever I'm carrying a bag, I do still put it in on the off chance it'll come in useful, and it has on a couple of occasion, just not as often as I'd like it too.

As for play, the PS1 emulation of WipEout 3 is just about dead on, and I did play that quite a lot on it for a while, but the nubs are utterly useless in my opinion, and I only ever play games, even handheld or mobile games, at home, so I'm just playing it on a real PlayStation now. I still play NeoGeo games every now and again, and games for consoles that didn't have analogue sticks and it still works well for those. The emulators on the Pandora are quite often better than ones I can find for my desktop, so I am very glad of that.

All in all, I still like the thing and I'm very glad I bought it, I just don't find it as useful as I once thought I would. I'm still going to keep it, and continue using it occasionally. It's a nice party piece too, since most have never seen anything like it. I look forward to the successor, should there ever be one, and in the meantime I'll probably install Arch Linux on my Pandora since I do think the thing lends itself much better to a portable bash prompt.

Thanks to the community for their tremendous work, though I wish I could've enjoyed the fruits and contributed my own a bit more. Attached is a picture of me with my somewhat neglected unit.

capture000010.png
 
The screen resolution isn't the problem, it's a matter of size. Even my lower-size font Slackware desktop is sometime a bit tight.

If you also use another device with a bigger display in parallel, it's more "shocking"

That said, Pandora's screen size is ok for the vast majority of apps.

About the nubs, they are also ok, maybe you didn't find the correct setting (check in the menu for the configuration) for your games.

For example, I use them with Gran Turismo, and they are incredibly precise.
 
The screen resolution isn't the problem, it's a matter of size. Even my lower-size font Slackware desktop is sometime a bit tight.

If you also use another device with a bigger display in parallel, it's more "shocking"

That said, Pandora's screen size is ok for the vast majority of apps.

About the nubs, they are also ok, maybe you didn't find the correct setting (check in the menu for the configuration) for your games.

For example, I use them with Gran Turismo, and they are incredibly precise.

I have found the settings, but at least mine loose calibration incredibly quickly. I've don the calibration nub dance and all that, but my left nub at least is not precise. I suspect a hardware fault.


You raise a good point, though. A Note 3's always going to make other portable screens look tiny.

Does Arch Linux have a better bash than the default distro? :)

Maybe the PandoraLive series "My Day With Pandora" can inspire you to find more uses for your Pandora...
I've read through that, and I've tried some stuff from it, but still, I find myself unwilling to do many such things on the go. And with Arch, it's more that it's proper bash, and I can launch programmes more easily from the prompt than with the .pnd system. I think I read that the Pandora's prompt was BusyBox aswell, which doesn't seem to behave quite the same, but it's very close.
 
My view now's a bit different. I still love the thing, and I'm glad I bought it, but I just don't seem to be the kind of person who uses a pocket-sized computer, even for the games. I also got a smartphone sometime after getting the Pandora and that seems to have absorbed what little computery things I'd actually want to do on the go. But, such is how things are.
It should not be "even for the games", the Pandora is a full computer and only using it for gaming, is, honestly, a waste.

I've read through that, and I've tried some stuff from it, but still, I find myself unwilling to do many such things on the go
Then the Pandora is probably not for you.
 
My view now's a bit different. I still love the thing, and I'm glad I bought it, but I just don't seem to be the kind of person who uses a pocket-sized computer, even for the games. I also got a smartphone sometime after getting the Pandora and that seems to have absorbed what little computery things I'd actually want to do on the go. But, such is how things are.
It should not be "even for the games", the Pandora is a full computer and only using it for gaming, is, honestly, a waste.

I've read through that, and I've tried some stuff from it, but still, I find myself unwilling to do many such things on the go
Then the Pandora is probably not for you.

What I meant by the "even for the games" was I don't seem to be the kind of person that does computing or electronic entertainment related stuff out and about. I agree that it's a waste just to use it for games, but I didn't mean to come across as implying that I only used it for games.


And yes, it would seem the Pandora is not the ideal device for me. It seemed like it would be for a period after getting it. Oh well, everything is clearer in retrospect. I'm still happy.


I still think it's a really cool device and I've definitely found use for it on occasion, just not as often as I originally hoped.
 
My view now's a bit different. I still love the thing, and I'm glad I bought it, but I just don't seem to be the kind of person who uses a pocket-sized computer, even for the games. I also got a smartphone sometime after getting the Pandora and that seems to have absorbed what little computery things I'd actually want to do on the go. But, such is how things are.
It should not be "even for the games", the Pandora is a full computer and only using it for gaming, is, honestly, a waste.

I've read through that, and I've tried some stuff from it, but still, I find myself unwilling to do many such things on the go
Then the Pandora is probably not for you.
Eki, sometimes i wonder if you have even a tiny notion of customer relationship.
 
Eki, sometimes i wonder if you have even a tiny notion of customer relationship.
I do, but I'm just not trying to sell the Pandora to everyone. It's clearly not for everyone. Some people just need Smartphones and tablets, and they are happy with that. I hope you realize it :)

And yes, it would seem the Pandora is not the ideal device for me. It seemed like it would be for a period after getting it. Oh well, everything is clearer in retrospect. I'm still happy.
So are you still going to keep it or do you plan to sell it? Just wondering what you intend to do from now on. Or are you going to try to use it more?
 
Ha! ekianjo is a salesman who scares his customers away with his honesty  :)
Saying that "the Pandora is a full computer and only using it for gaming, is, honestly, a waste" is not honesty.

It's wrong and stupid.
 
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Saying that "the Pandora is a full computer and only using it for gaming, is, honestly, a waste" is not honesty. It's wrong and stupid.
Look, you can have your own opinions and I'll have mine. Obviously I won't agree with you on that.

It's strange coming from a person who'd done so much effort to put a big, robust distro on the Pandora, though. But I won't call you stupid.
 
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Dude, don't put efforts on your blog while destroying them on the boards. Also don't be peremptory, especially with something as versatile as the OP.
I'm not destroying anything on the boards. I'm saying the Pandora is probably not for toastylynx, based on what he wrote. I'm not saying it's not for anyone at all. Nice strawman.

You should read my blog more often, because apparently you don't know my style of writing very well.

Ha! ekianjo is a salesman who scares his customers away with his honesty :)
toastylynx is not my customer.
 
Saying that "the Pandora is a full computer and only using it for gaming, is, honestly, a waste" is not honesty. It's wrong and stupid.
Look, you can have your own opinions and I'll have mine. Obviously I won't agree with you on that.

It's strange coming from a person who'd done so much effort to put a big, robust distro on the Pandora, though. But I won't call you stupid.
It's not a matter of opinion, it's a matter of product.

Oh, a personal remark about me ? Stay on track please, we're talking about YOU.

Dude, don't put efforts on your blog while destroying them on the boards. Also don't be peremptory, especially with something as versatile as the OP.
I'm not destroying anything on the boards. I'm saying the Pandora is probably not for toastylynx, based on what he wrote. I'm not saying it's not for anyone at all. Nice strawman.

You should read my blog more often, because apparently you don't know my style of writing very well.
Still don't get it huh ?
 
Eki, I'll be "KISS" just for you.

Customer: "Hello Mr Eki, i would like to buy a Pandora just for gaming"

Eki: "It's a waste (buy something else)"

That's _exactly_ what we can read there, and we don't f*ck*ng care about your writing style.

I don't care if you sell 0 or thousands of OP in Japan, but many people invested time and energy in this project so don't screw that.
 
Customer: "Hello Mr Eki, i would like to buy a Pandora just for gaming" Eki: "It's a waste (buy something else)" That's _exactly_ what we can read there, and we don't f*ck*ng care about your writing style. I don't care if you sell 0 or thousands of OP in Japan, but many people invested time and energy in this project so don't screw that.
Ok, let me answer that one.

If you only want to play games, yeah, it's a waste, but you apparently did not read it the way it was intended. I mean a "waste of potential". Because it can do so many other things.

Let me do a simple comparison for you, so that you can understand:

Customer: "Hello Mr Ferrari, i would like to buy a Ferrari just to drive from my home to my village"

Mr Ferrari: "It's a waste (buy something else)"

Do you get it now ? Or do you think Mr Ferrari should let the person buy its superb car if it's not going to be used in a proper way ?

The problem with your approach is that you're apparently saying "it's ok to buy a Pandora just for gaming", but you know very well that many people who actually buy it for that in the first place end up losing interest in it after a while. There's already bunch of stories like that on the boards, I'm just repeating here what has happened before and what ANYONE can find on the boards if they are looking for customers experiences - I'm not destroying anything here, since people have already said it before again and again. Hence, I'm saying the Pandora should not be only advertised and used only for gaming, to avoid disappointment. And this comment is coming from a gamer (and I play on Pandora too).

If you still don't understand what I mean, then i'll leave it here, and let you spread FUD about me as you like.
 
Customer: "Hello Mr Eki, i would like to buy a Pandora just for gaming" Eki: "It's a waste (buy something else)" That's _exactly_ what we can read there, and we don't f*ck*ng care about your writing style. I don't care if you sell 0 or thousands of OP in Japan, but many people invested time and energy in this project so don't screw that.
Ok, let me answer that one.

If you only want to play games, yeah, it's a waste, but you apparently did not read it the way it was intended. I mean a "waste of potential". Because it can do so many other things.

Let me do a simple comparison for you, so that you can understand:

Customer: "Hello Mr Ferrari, i would like to buy a Ferrari just to drive from my home to my village"

Mr Ferrari: "It's a waste (buy something else)"

Do you get it now ? Or do you think Mr Ferrari should let the person buy its superb car if it's not going to be used in a proper way ?

The problem with your approach is that you're apparently saying "it's ok to buy a Pandora just for gaming", but you know very well that many people who actually buy it for that in the first place end up losing interest in it after a while. There's already bunch of stories like that on the boards, I'm just repeating here what has happened before and what ANYONE can find on the boards if they are looking for customers experiences - I'm not destroying anything here, since people have already said it before again and again. Hence, I'm saying the Pandora should not be only advertised and used only for gaming, to avoid disappointment. And this comment is coming from a gamer (and I play on Pandora too).

If you still don't understand what I mean, then i'll leave it here, and let you spread FUD about me as you like.
Thanks for this clarification which perfectly proves my point.
 
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I only use my pandora for portable audio. And im very pleased with it, best device i ever bought. I think the gaming aspects along make a lot of sense to buy it over.

The great bulk of pandora owners problably have (several) laptops, high performance tablets, phones and what have you. Any amount of that does not do what the pandora does.

Super Saxxon is ok for me, but im more at home with debian. It wasnt untill i could use that i found the pandora to be as limitless as could be for me.

Not a single one of the ferrari owners are able to drive their road cars to potential, nor is that really legal in any meaninfull sense anywhere. Unless on a track, in which case a road car falls to that same logic.

Curiously driving on country roads to small villages is exactly how road ferraris and lamborginis are finally field tested, and thats what they are good at. They arent, for how they are specialized, city cars, nor track cars.

Just because you have a stationary gaming rig capable of all sorts of things way over your head doesnt mean a pandora isnt right for you, nor does it explain what it is.

If you are intrigued by a pandora, chances are you will enjoy it somehow. If not exactly how eki does things, then in your way. Which is to say if you let eki discourage you then you never find out.
 
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