pandora vs. EEEPC

[afk9903]

first off i'd like to say that i very much want a pandora and hopefully i'll be able to get in on the second batch. That being said, i was looking at something called EEEPC's and it actually made me have a second thought about the pandora. The price first off was $299.99 at target (not sure if they're overseas they're like an upscalled department store) and i was reading that these are upgradeble and get 7 hours of battery life. Now the reason i'm asking is that i am planning on using the pandora as a laptop as well as a gaming console which i know is no problem for the pandora and i know that the EEEPC won't be as game friendly as the pandora. Basically i just need some reasurance that the pandora is the right choice for me. Also on a side note are there any usb external DVD or DVD-R drives?

 

[mali]

I really can't give you an advice. Have you got any handhelds that you've used, have you got a Notebook or PC?

You could read this topic first:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=593

 

[gruso]

They're very different machines. The physical differences alone should be enough for you to make your decision - the Eee is a small laptop that fits into a handbag (or masculine equivalent ), Pandora is a pocket sized device with proper gaming controls.

The Eee is closer to being a full blown laptop (albeit modestly specc'ed). Pandora will perform many laptop/PDA-like functions, and the recent RAM upgrade has expanded this scope. But it isn't suited to things like touch typing unless you use an external keyboard.

Also be aware of the CPU architecture differences. The Eee is x86 based (think Intel/AMD). This means it will run all the software you could normally run on your regular PC, hardware specs allowing. Pandora on the other hand, is ARM based, a common platform for mobile devices. So you can't just throw your favourite PC games/apps on there - software for this platform has to be written especially for it, or ported & optimised where source code is available. There will be a massive software library built up over time, time being the keyword.

External DVD drives are becoming less common, the best option IMO is to buy a regular internal DVD burner (5.25" mount) and a matching external USB enclosure, much like a HDD caddy but bigger. Currently in Australia, you can buy both of these items for $38 each. Pandora's linux distro should have drivers included to run these things out of the box.

So it's horses for courses, and I'm sure many people will own both. One advantage the Eee has is that you can buy one now. Pandora is still a month or more away, and that's for people who have already pre-ordered. The second round of orders won't open until '09, current estimates for delivery are around March.


Just a hint also: These forums are pretty dead, they were set up as a temporary solution when the original forum, http://www.gp32x.de, went down on pre-order day (digg/slashdot effect!). GP32X is the community that Pandora was born from, and that's where all the action happens.

 

[Lorkile]

The two devices are very similar in some ways, but with different focuses. What you need to answer for yourself is which form factor better appeals to what you want/need out of a new device. The Pandora is obviously much more geared towards gaming, while the Asus eeePC's are centered around surfing the web and taking some notes.

Personally I've got a laptop and I find it too burdensome to take with me most of the time. But I do manage to take my PSP everywhere, this is where the Pandora comes in. For the most part I will do fine with just using it as an audio recorder (when I would take notes) and could then make do with the touch screen or keyboard to get around online, and even can just plug in a larger keyboard should I really want to type (preferably a folding keyboard so I can pocket it too).

Now Asus' eeePCs look perfect for my GF though. For all intents and purposes it is a laptop to her, and since she will need a larger keyboard to type (and will be much more interested in typing her notes then taking audio) I think it will be a better fit. Besides, she is far less likely to be as accommodating as me when it comes to bugs, and the Pandora has a much smaller team to help fix problems with then Asus.

So keep in mind, Asus is a larger company and likely has better support for bugs then the Pandora team. They also have units available now, as opposed to sometime next year (I hear March being thrown around a lot, but last checked that was a tentative date). On the other hand the Pandora will be easier to bring with you, and use on your down time for entertainment than any eeePC will be.

 

[Capn_Fish]

It depends on what you would realistically use this device for. If you're going for a mostly gaming device with the occasional bit of light typing, e-mail, web surfing, etc, I'd go for the Pandora. On the flip side, if you're looking for mostly a laptop any type of extended typing with the occasional casual game, go for the EEE.

If you care much at all about playing 3D games, go Pandora, as you should also do if this is supposed to be a "use-anywhere" device.

Just my 0.02 USD.

 

[Lord_Doku]

What ive been wondering is how good the EEEpc(1000H) is at playing games from the early 2000's(think Shogun Total War, maybe even Rome)......

 

[mali]

What ive been wondering is how good the EEEpc(1000H) is at playing games from the early 2000's(think Shogun Total War, maybe even Rome)......

Usually I search youtube for gameplay vids, it's better than anything written to see it 'live'.

 

[riosingh]

On the other forum there's a Polish chap who got grand theft auto playing on the eee. awsome.
I have herd of other emu's working on it too.
on the other forum there's a other consoles section where the eee's been mentioned a few times.
the eee 901 are intel atom 1.6ghz powered. and I think you can choose between a bigger hd or a windos os.

asus do somthing similar Evil D has one in one of the pandora promo vids (at some gamein' convention).

I'm thinking of geting one too. just as a cheap laptop for my kid. My wife and kid have gone to my inlaws and it'd be cool to talk to them on skype video(built in webcam). the house is kind of dead without them. and if even when they're at home he wont be pulling the keys of my laptop, if he as his own. n e way i better chill with the off topic shit before i get barred.

any way look up the polish chap on the other forum hes got a link to his own website (he is a homebrewer and its got cool stuff on it)

 

[bakawhite]

Personally, after getting an EEEpc for my friend then looking for a similar computer for myself. I bought the new ASUS Aspire when I saw it on sale at walmart. It's in the same price range and It's been able to play most things. I'd assume that you want more if you want to play Rome, though. I'd guess that this thing is only a little bit more powerful than the Pandora.
I would suggest getting a full desktop unit if you don't move around much, or save up and get something with a little more kick.

 

[sukhi-2006]

Why are you lot comparing EEE to pandora that's not right, pandora is a gaming machine which has similar features like laptops, pandora is first of it's kind using a keyboard which is superb and will capable producing full speed emulators it will have it own open source applications.
The EEE is a laptop not a gaming device and is alot bigger which will never fit in a pocket and pandora can be carried anywhere plus fits in pocket.

 

[Tor]

Sigh. The Pandora isn't first of its kind, it's at most second. It's very similar to Nokia's tablets, just with newer silicon and a clamshell format. Otherwise they fit in the same niche, when seen from the view of one who compares it with an EEE (and believe me, the same discussions and comparisions did already take place last year. The same arguments, except this one about gaming machine that comes up all the time.)

Anyway, when the discussion died down there was some kind of consensus:
- The EEE 90x can be better suited to folks that really need a laptop, but don't want to carry one.
- For those who don't really need a laptop (because they do more of internet browsing, e-mail, video,
music, things different from e.g. writing documents and the like), the Nokia tablet format does the job
well enough, and is much easier to carry. This is the Pandora format as well.
- On the other hand, there are some different kind problems with the EEE (particularly the 900/901),
for some people: As it sits on a table instead of being held in the hands, the small screen can get a
bit far away. And the 90x keyboard is subsize, and difficult to type on for touch-typists (but is not
a problem for non-touch-typists).

In other words, they fit in slightly different niches. Some N8x0 owners replaced it with an EEE, some EEE owners switched to N8x0, and some own both and use them for slightly different things.

 

[Capn_Fish]

Sigh. The Pandora isn't first of its kind, it's at most second. It's very similar to Nokia's tablets, just with newer silicon and a clamshell format. Otherwise they fit in the same niche, when seen from the view of one who compares it with an EEE (and believe me, the same discussions and comparisions did already take place last year. The same arguments, except this one about gaming machine that comes up all the time.)

While you're at it, mention the SL-Cxx[x] models of Sharp's Zaurii. They have much the same form-factor and are Linux-based.

 

[sukhi-2006]

I still find this topic useless comparing it to the pandora, the pandora has proper gaming controls and it will well suited to play emulators and the EEEPC does play emulators but needs a hand bag to be carried and nokia tablet playing emulators i woudn't bother with playing games on a tablet it will suck big timer, the pandora is capable of most majority tasks just similar to a laptop.

Why are you talking about laptops and tablet when this is strictly pandora forum people should be buying pandora not tablets or laptops playing games they don't have gaming controls so they are useless for playing games.

We all should accept that pandora is a gaming device and is for playing games and rest of the stuff on it are just extra facilities and features.

 

[mkinzler]

We all should accept that pandora is a gaming device and is for playing games and rest of the stuff on it are just extra facilities and features.

There are many people in this forum, which aren't so intererested in the pandora as a gaming device. So the pandora is an inbetween with strength in all sectors, good MID, open platform with game controls.

 

[mali]

I'll just quote myself:

I'm a gamer, that's for sure. I've spend half of my youth playing Plus4, Amiga500 and PC games. I will use the Pandora to play games, as I played on my PocketPC and I even played Quake 2 on my N800 all the way through(it may have been the 100th time playing Quake 2 through :twisted: ). If I had a Netbook, I would use it for gaming, as much as I play on my Notebook.

What I want to say is, to be able to play games is no unique feature of the Pandora. And I wouldn't buy a beefed up Gameboy, if it was the only thing it could do.
I want a real computing device, that does everything and more. I posted a link to ITT on gp32x, where someone(who also preordered a Pandora) managed to burn a CD with an external USB CD burner with his N800 running KDE Now, that is definitly netbook style

There are many people in this forum, which aren't so intererested in the pandora as a gaming device. So the pandora is an inbetween with strength in all sectors, good MID, open platform with game controls.

You hit the nail on the head

 

[echisketch]

registered just to post this.

Pandora is handheld, an EEEPC is portable.

Imagine you're riding the train, suddenly due to timing differences the train is heading directly into an oncoming train on the tracks, obviously the operator is going to do a hard brake.

Dude whos sitting next to you is tap tap tapping on his eeepc, its on his lap, because you cant take full advantage of the keyboard and hold it in your hands. Hard brake, and the laptop flies off his lap and smokes the hot girl sitting in front of him, right in the face.

You're playing quake 3 on your pandora, oooh hard stop, its still firmly gripped in your hands. You're a little shaken, but thats 5 seconds before you're fragging noobs again.

Whereas the dude with the laptop is crying picking up pieces of a 400$ electronic off the floor, Pandora saved your ass and you know it.

 

[mali]

registered just to post this.

Pandora is handheld, an EEEPC is portable.

Imagine you're riding the train, suddenly due to timing differences the train is heading directly into an oncoming train on the tracks, obviously the operator is going to do a hard brake.

Dude whos sitting next to you is tap tap tapping on his eeepc, its on his lap, because you cant take full advantage of the keyboard and hold it in your hands. Hard brake, and the laptop flies off his lap and smokes the hot girl sitting in front of him, right in the face.

You're playing quake 3 on your pandora, oooh hard stop, its still firmly gripped in your hands. You're a little shaken, but thats 5 seconds before you're fragging noobs again.

Whereas the dude with the laptop is crying picking up pieces of a 400$ electronic off the floor, Pandora saved your ass and you know it.

Great story, you know the truth, mate

 

[sinoth]

Hard brake, and the laptop flies off his lap and smokes the hot girl sitting in front of him, right in the face.

But that's how all anime romantic-comedy love stories start! Laptop in the face is a good ice breaker.

 

[Chero]

... Laptop in the face is a good ice breaker.

or nose breaker ?

 

[riosingh]

I'm a gamer, that's for sure. I've spend half of my youth playing Plus4, Amiga500 and PC games. I will use the Pandora to play games, as I played on my PocketPC and I even played Quake 2 on my N800 all the way through(it may have been the 100th time playing Quake 2 through :twisted: ). If I had a Netbook, I would use it for gaming, as much as I play on my Notebook.

What I want to say is, to be able to play games is no unique feature of the Pandora. And I wouldn't buy a beefed up Gameboy, if it was the only thing it could do.
I want a real computing device, that does everything and more. I posted a link to ITT on gp32x, where someone(who also preordered a Pandora) managed to burn a CD with an external USB CD burner with his N800 running KDE Now, that is definitly netbook style

I don't think you should have to justify buying a computer for gaming, by what else it can do.
Mind you I did the same thing with my Amiga when I was 13, I convinced my parents it was for studying on.
Well any way when you grow up and have your own money, I highly recomend buying a dedicated games machine. the xbox 360 is my favorite one of the moment. but by the time your earning your own keep i'm sure there will be something better. Burning cd's on a n800 is a cool, well done, its got loads of nerdy coolness to it.
I've got so many good memories of games played on dedicated games machines. The mega drive was awsome, and being an Amiga fanboy it was a proper bitter pill to swalow. but once I got over the fact that it was only a games machine, and had no keyboard. I wass cool with it. I think if youv'e come to terms with being a gamer than all that should matter are the games. and not how your going to explain it to your mum.

And back to the eee pc(or acer). its a different machine for different tasks. Its problem is its batery life. I think i can live with the size. I think i live with the fact its a x86(all my other worky computers are). But a portible should have longer batery life. mind you my gp2x doesent I have to put new bateries in every time I switch it on.(but you can buy multipacks, and I always keep an eye open for special offers).If asus or acer had already craked the batery problem, I would buy one.
and sukhi is right the eee is not a games machine. but i wouldn't buy it as a games machine, although like gerd i would play games on it. on the other hand I don't have to justyfy the pandora as a serious work computer on in gerds words a

real computing device

because my primary intention for it is a gameing machine.

Any way enough respect to you lot, but smackin a gal in the face with a umpc aint going to get you any.
Girls are more intrested in boys that show an intrest in them,



and in what you drive.