Portably Awesome?

[Spadoof]

Dear Readers,

I started this thread on the basis that I'm sure you know more than me about this product (Just recently started reading up on it this week). I am attending college this coming fall and was wondering how benifical this pandora consle will be. By that I mean, will I be able to surf the web wirelessly using a browser, take notes on it and right parts of paper to copy over to word, talk on Aim (or a knockoff). To be conclusive, what are the speculations on its ability to pick up signals from routers and surf the web, using the keyboard for word proccessers and spreadsheets and to use programs like AIM? Tell me your thoughts.

Thanks for listening,
-Spadoof :gp2x

 

[Prophet]

It will be able to do all those things (using free software like Open Office for example). It's basically a mini Linux based computer.

 

[Spadoof]

How about the ability to run more than one program(Speculation)? Like while I'm playing MGS, could I pause it and read my AIM comments, reply and go back to playing. I know that all depends on the software, but can a system like this handle multiple programs. (SPECULATION)

-Spadoof :gp2x

 

[Prophet]

Don't know...

But you would certainly be able to save state, exit to desktop, check whatever, run emulator and load state.

 

[Spadoof]

Good point........................................I feel stupid..............................................

-Spadoof :gp2x

 

[crazedover]

Good point........................................I feel stupid..............................................

-Spadoof :gp2x

Don't feel stupid; multitasking is far more convenient and less time consuming than the process described by Prophet. It's a feature that, while not expected of the Pandora, we can certainly hope for, though it may be less a question of software features than hardware capabilities. Certainly, it wouldn't be possible to run two processor hungry programs at once without bogging down the system. If the AIM client doesn't take up too many resources, then it should be possible to multitask between it and the emulator.

 

[Karel Jansens]

It will be able to do all those things (using free software like Open Office for example). It's basically a mini Linux based computer.

Correction: It might be able to do all of those things, provided the needed software is ported over and provided we will indeed get a somewhat "normal" Linux distro. I sense a lot of vagueness on that subject.

It also might take some time for the Pandora to cross over from games to general computing, depending on the community efforts and interest.

 

[Jarska333]

I do wonder about the small keyboard/taking notes... I hear even the EEE PC is somewhat difficult to type with.

 

[crazedover]

I do wonder about the small keyboard/taking notes... I hear even the EEE PC is somewhat difficult to type with.

The pandora keyboard will be way smaller than the EEE PC keyboard. I believe it was said somewhere that it will be more in the ballpark of the xbox 360 keyboard.

 

[fishybawb]

I do wonder about the small keyboard/taking notes... I hear even the EEE PC is somewhat difficult to type with.

For short classnotes or something it might be OK, but yeah, I wouldn't fancy typing out an essay on a keyboard that size... I can just about manage on an Eee, but my typing rate is crippled.

 

[Holokauston]

I do wonder about the small keyboard/taking notes... I hear even the EEE PC is somewhat difficult to type with.

For short classnotes or something it might be OK, but yeah, I wouldn't fancy typing out an essay on a keyboard that size... I can just about manage on an Eee, but my typing rate is crippled.


Well just take a keyboard with you? a soft keyboard out of silicone you can just role up and put in a pocket, take out, role out and connect to the USB, tada full size keyboard anywhere..

- Drawback is that you need a plain hard surface to type on

 

[Gaeryc]

I do wonder about the small keyboard/taking notes... I hear even the EEE PC is somewhat difficult to type with.

For short classnotes or something it might be OK, but yeah, I wouldn't fancy typing out an essay on a keyboard that size... I can just about manage on an Eee, but my typing rate is crippled.


Well just take a keyboard with you? a soft keyboard out of silicone you can just role up and put in a pocket, take out, role out and connect to the USB, tada full size keyboard anywhere..

- Drawback is that you need a plain hard surface to type on

Am I the only one who is planning to write with my thumbs when I'm using pandora? :unsure:
I don't think that I could do that with eee pc so I wouldn't comapre them.

 

[Holokauston]

Gaeryc >> That's sort of my plan as well but I wouldn't want to take notes on a seminar writing with my thumbs ;P

 

[Gaeryc]

That's true, But I wouldn't say it is DIFFICULT to write with it. Just need some training and you will be writing fast enough for a device that you can write with while holding it in your hands.

 

[Chip]

Am I the only one who is planning to write with my thumbs when I'm using pandora? :unsure:
I don't think that I could do that with eee pc so I wouldn't comapre them.

Anybody who has been using a Blackberry or qwerty smartphone (like the one I'm typing on right now) for a while will have no problem transitioning to thumb typing on the Pandora. Some people really dislike it though and will probably be stuck using two fingers with the Pandora sitting on a flat surface. Either way it will be impossible to touch-type on a keyboard this small like you would with a full sized keyboard or even the eeePC.

Take that into account when deciding whether you want to be taking extensive notes on it.

 

[Karel Jansens]

Am I the only one who is planning to write with my thumbs when I'm using pandora? :unsure:
I don't think that I could do that with eee pc so I wouldn't comapre them.

I'll have to revive my Psion Series 3a typing skills. I managed to get an almost decent "four finger" speed, which was barely enough to take abbreviated meeting notes (provided other participants didn't mind the occasional "What was that you said there?"), but touch typing was most certainly out of the question.

How fondly do I reminisce on my Newton MessagePad 2100, on which I could scribble meeting notes almost as fast as they were blurted out (and get them recognized virtually perfectly).

But Craig doesn't like styli...

 

[Exophase]

I think multitasking could work OK if the kernel gave full priority to the currently selected app and only let the task switcher change this (so the other programs only run when the dominant program says they can, so it isn't slowed down). Then the only problem would be memory, and possibly frame buffer arbitration.

 

[DTH]

Would MSN messenger be possible, or a browser version of it?

 

[craigix]

Yep there are loads of small open source msn clients, they usually support yahoo and icq too.

 

[Gaeryc]

Would MSN messenger be possible, or a browser version of it?

http://www.pidgin.im/ pidgin can handle msn protocol and right now it's taking 20mb ram when I'm using it. btw, my firefox 2 is taking 60mb ram so it should be possible to run these two simultanoeus. (assuming that linux versions don't take much more ram)