Pandora's Design
- Thread starter Nova
- Start date
I agree, a practical 6 buttons would improve the gaming experience for fighter games.Jaw said:
though a non practical 6 buttons solution is worse that a practical 4 buttons one.
atomicthumbs said:The start/select/menu button placement is extremely nonoptimal.
agreed too. reaching for any of these buttons while playing (to pause/unpause maybe? or add credit?) seems totally unpractical. almost to the point that these keys could be pointless.
that I totally disagree with. the keyboard is a must have on such a device. and so are the tab and ctrl keys or even better a way to easily remap the keys.Dead Ghost said:
I lack the knowledge to understand the relevance of 128MB of RAM,but for a multifunction palmtop computer / UMPC device it seems to me 256 would be more relevant (or even 512 if price wasn't an issue)
-edit- just read on the wiki it has 128MB of RAM + 256MB of embedded flash memory.
other ideas includes:
- a mute button (turn the sound on/off without having to find the right volume again)
- an additional usb connector, (to be able to use a mouse or an additonal pad *and* another usb requiring functionality at the same time)
- a crank to charge the battery
- a quick easy way for modders to turn (or replace) the screen into the much requested tablet mode and/or vertical display
- a way to charge the battery outside the pandora, so we can always have a spare battery charging charging while using the pandora.
- a way to switch battery without too much hassle, providing replacement screws for the ones that will be lost in action is also an idea.
- I have seen no mention of plans for a cradle yet, which would be a way to provide a battery charger, additional usb ports (for multiplayer games), wired ethernet, and all other useful things I couldn't think of at the moment.
Last edited by a moderator:
QUOTE
- an additional usb connector, (to be able to use a mouse or an additonal pad *and* another usb requiring functionality at the same time)
USB Hubs There are probably some very small ones that you can just plug in the single USB port and make 2 sideways or something.
QUOTE
- a way to switch battery without too much hassle, providing replacement screws for the ones that will be lost in action is also an idea.
I thought it would be a matter or removing battery cover, unplugging one and plugging another?
- an additional usb connector, (to be able to use a mouse or an additonal pad *and* another usb requiring functionality at the same time)
USB Hubs
There are probably some very small ones that you can just plug in the single USB port and make 2 sideways or something.QUOTE
- a way to switch battery without too much hassle, providing replacement screws for the ones that will be lost in action is also an idea.
I thought it would be a matter or removing battery cover, unplugging one and plugging another?
From my readings in these forums, I understood that the battery is supposed to be under a screwed panel or something. not sure if this has been confirmed at this point.Tinnus said:
if I was asked about it, I'd prefer to be able to access and remove the battery without having to use a screwdriver or any other tool.
another concern about the pandora design, seems the power button is right next to the volume button. not sure this is a good idea. when using the pandora as a dap, I don't want to turn off my pandora by mistake when I want to adjust the volume.
maybe provide a way to lock the power button or move it to another place where it can't be confused with volume;
also I find the headphones jack placement might not be that smart.
its current location kinda allows only for this kind of jack to be plugged in while the pandora is in a pocket (as in a usual case of listening to music while on the go):
if your headphones have this kind of mini jack, you'd better have large pockets and be prepared to have wire problems in a small amount of time.
putting it on a side would allow for both jacks to be plugged into the pandora while it is inside a pocket (at least if you have pockets that can accomodate the pandora in the first place).
Last edited by a moderator:
Voted : It's ok
Just discovered the pandora project yesterday and found the thing so promising that I wanted to share some of my opinions with you.
So, as long as the design is concerned, I think it's more than ok : it's simple and functional.
Right now, I'm not sure any suggested modifications could be implemented, but here is some minor changes that may help the thing to look a bit more attractive :
- change the font of the keyboard is a must
- put in color the SHIFT key and all shifted functions
- move the sd1 and sd2 leds just above their respective reader, the led on the corner, like the power led shown in the renders
- set the wifi led with the exact same design as the power led
- ... please, don't go this the 'hexagonal' design for those tiny holes in front of the speakers. It looks so ... old ? Something more modern, ala gp2x (maybe a little more excentric ?) should just be fine
- make sure the d-pad is as good as it should be
I really think the general layout is ok and should feel comfortable. Well, I just can't figure out a different design where to fit so many functions in a so limited form factor.
The team in charge really did a good job !
Just discovered the pandora project yesterday and found the thing so promising that I wanted to share some of my opinions with you.
So, as long as the design is concerned, I think it's more than ok : it's simple and functional.
Right now, I'm not sure any suggested modifications could be implemented, but here is some minor changes that may help the thing to look a bit more attractive :
- change the font of the keyboard is a must
- put in color the SHIFT key and all shifted functions
- move the sd1 and sd2 leds just above their respective reader, the led on the corner, like the power led shown in the renders
- set the wifi led with the exact same design as the power led
- ... please, don't go this the 'hexagonal' design for those tiny holes in front of the speakers. It looks so ... old ? Something more modern, ala gp2x (maybe a little more excentric ?) should just be fine
- make sure the d-pad is as good as it should be
I really think the general layout is ok and should feel comfortable. Well, I just can't figure out a different design where to fit so many functions in a so limited form factor.
The team in charge really did a good job !
I agree with chimaero: excellent job so far!
I like it vrey much so far.
the proposed round corners sucks, the current tighter ones are less 2000
-I like the keyboard, but multilingual character would be more than welcome.
-I must agree with izzie on the heandphone jack too.
-for those who want double shoulder or dualshock or n64 controller.. just plug the controller in the USB!
-tablet screen would have been nice, but it's patented already
-smaller speakers and more room for the screen (bigger screen) could have been nice too, but it'S probably much too late.
so.. good job on the machine! can't wait to have my hands on it!!
I like it vrey much so far.
the proposed round corners sucks, the current tighter ones are less 2000
-I like the keyboard, but multilingual character would be more than welcome.
-I must agree with izzie on the heandphone jack too.
-for those who want double shoulder or dualshock or n64 controller.. just plug the controller in the USB!
-tablet screen would have been nice, but it's patented already
-smaller speakers and more room for the screen (bigger screen) could have been nice too, but it'S probably much too late.
so.. good job on the machine! can't wait to have my hands on it!!
Chip
[Insert Custom Title Here]
Putting it on the side would also make it very uncomfortable to hold. There was an extensive discussion about headphone jack placement. The jack is where it is for several very good reasons.izzie said:
Last edited by a moderator:
