Some more of my ideas

[WizardStan]

What about RAM memory?

Choices will be determined by the SoC picked, and ED is keeping that information secret at the moment. Pretty sure he'll go with "enough", whatever that happens to entail.

 

[Exophase]

I think 2GB or 3GB is the largest you can get in a PoP right now, as well.

I think for most of the stuff done on the native OS 1GB would be enough, but it'd be annoying for Android, memory hog that it is.

 

[slaeshjag]

Should investigate the possibility of SDIO DRAM then, for all the android users

 

[EvilDragon]

Some more infos on what I'd like to do.

TV out: I think most of the community wants either HDMI or Display Port. I would consider the prerequisites here to be a complete digital video and audio out solution that can be cheaply (passively) converted to HDMI if not HDMI directly.

I'm thinking about MicroHDMI, but need to check with licenses.

Hinge: Is there any update on the feasibility to have multiple steps?

That's still a huge thing to work on.

The hinge area will be changed completely, but we have to work on that.

Shoulder buttons: Are we looking at four this time, and any difference in the design? My original CC unit had fairly poor shoulders, but I think this was largely due to the painting/redrilling, because my 1GHz unit is much better. Still, maybe a little tweaking here could be useful, and if we're going to four buttons some re-thought will be necessary.

Four are planned (similar to Askarus mod).

The buttons have pegs so that will always be exactly on the same spot, which makes tolerances easier.

This was the biggest issue here.

Touch screen: Sticking with resistive or going capacitive? Any investigation into multi-touch resistive solutions (very slim, I know)? Or capacitive + support for inductive pen ala Galaxy Note series? If we're mainly used as a Linux device I think that resistive is best (just make sure the sensitivity is good, it's a problem for some units out now),

Not sure. Resistive are hard to get. LCD is still the biggest question mark, therefore the touchscreen as well.

Microphone: MWeston mentioned removing the microphone in his speculative plans. I know that anything he may have come up with isn't related to your plans, but I do want to stress, please keep a microphone if you can

Microphone will be kept.

Case: Can we get any more rounded edges? I'm a big fan of a little more rounding around the gaming control edges, I feel it improves ergonomics a lot. Pandora is still pretty good in this regard, though.

Yes, already told that to the case designers, just forgot to mention it here.

Internal storage: Is eMMC a given at this point? Any interest in multiple sizes?

We'll use eMMC, probably not multiple sizes, as it would make production a lot more complicated with low numbers.

Power port: Is it needed or is USB sufficient? I think USB is okay if and only if it can surely power it at full load (the standard 2.5W is almost certainly insufficient). I don't want a scenario where you can't use it in a demanding way for an indefinite period of time - my JXD S7300 suffers from this and it's really annoying. Granted, it actually has a power port, but the supplied charger is known to catch on fire so I haven't used it..

Not sure we can find a place for the port, but we'll make sure the port is sturdy (unlike the N900 one) in case we can't fit it. 

I'll leave off anything about a modular SoC/PMIC/etc daughter board since I'm pretty sure it won't happen, I've already made my arguments on what I feel are the strengths ;p

Maybe for future units, when we got money  

Any ideas on how optional 3G/4G/LTE/whatever would be implemented? You'd need a SIM slot I think.

 Yes, right now it's planned to have the SIM slot below the battery. 

We already have some samples that are working so much better (best nubs I've ever seen)

Do these also have firmware with misguided attempts at self-calibration that we'll have no control over, or do they work properly?

They don't have a firmware, they simply output i2c and are 100% accurate (I played around with them already).

- Thinner overall thickness when Pandora is closed...feels a bit chunky thinkness-wise...

Won't work, as we can't make anything smaller here.

- Better keyboard keys...

That's another thing that needs a lot of work and won't be easy, but I'll try to have the best ones possible. 

- Either better paint job or just have color in plastic (so, no paint needed...)

AFAIR the company suggested some carbon plastic material (pretty much the same that's used for expensive car armatures).

Very robust, doesn't get scratches, no fingerprints and you can even make a design with inlays and could therefore make special retro-editions.

Haven't seen that yet, so I can't say much about that and can't confirm that this will be the material we'll use.

Anotehr question: with the sound-related circuitry remain the same for the Pandora successor (or even be improved?). That's one of the big selling points of the Pandora, so I hope there's a chance to keep it that way.

 We're planning to keep it.

Is m weston involved? Personally id like at least one innovative feature in the p2.

We might get suggestions and help from him, but he's got a fulltime job and a family to care for now, so he doesn't have that much time (and he already spent so much time on the iCP2...)

We're still in contact, and I always love getting multiple professional opinions on some things.

ED already said he would not do pre-orders. He would only sell them when they're available. No more Craig-like practices.

 Hm? Where did I say that?

That was for the 1GHz units.

I'm pretty sure I cannot produce the units without getting any payments. Might be Kickstarter, might be preorders, might be a loan or anything else.

I can fund the full development but not the production.

So not sure how exactly I'll do that.

Might be that preorders with little payment (like for the Rebirth units) is enough, might be I need half of the payments upfront.

What I will NOT do though is do preorders before everything is 100% set up.

I want a fully working PCB in a fully working case (not some prototype printed stuff) before I do any preorders! 

Retrocompatibility with the P1.

Yes, I plan to make it as compatible as possible. 

@ED who is doing the pcb for the p2?

 You'll know at some time.

The schematics will be open, BTW. 

The battery compartment will be changed though, so that the battery will fit much better

I actualy expected this because it's much cheaper to use the current batteries and also keep compatibility to the old Pandoras. However, I HOPED for a better designed battery that does not been held through a not so great battery lid and where the contacts are not pressed with the lid itself. Better use side-mounted contacts (so lid doesn't matter for pressure) or even better: Battery hull is plastic and acts as backside part of the case itself. MAYBE this can be built with still the old battery design in (with only the core parts of the battery, no wrapping etc...)Overall, better fitting is needed indeed.

The battery is not the issue, neither is the connector.

It's the tolerances (battery and case) that cause issues. This can easily be fixed though.

I forgot to suggest to make the Pandora TV out cable (EXT PORT) compatible also for the Successor, I don't want to buy another cable again now that I FINALY recieved my Pandora TV out cable after a gazillion years. ^^

As someone mentioned, we can't make it fully compatible (no analog TV out).

However, I'd like to keep the Pinout as close as possible.

Audio in / out will be the same.

The composite out will probably be digital audio out.

So the cable can be used.

Serial in/out will also be the same, so everyone who built himself a serial cable can reuse it.

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

STOP RIGHT THERE AND PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY NOW!!! 

 

[FaeMinx]

Wow... sounding exciting.

No hints about How much ram?

Are you considering using a digitizer with the screen if capacitive?

 

[rohezal]

Yes, right now it's planned to have the SIM slot below the battery.

This is very important to a lot of security aware users. Please make it possible to power off the 3G modem. And with power of I mean cut of the power of the modem. The freerunner (open moko 2.0) phone got it, and it is very important. But it is a great selling to have mobile internet and to write sms / whats app on the pandora.

 

[kasp]

Perhaps use Craig as project manager so he can handle the money and pre-orders.

 

[TrashyMG]

Perhaps use Craig as project manager so he can handle the money and pre-orders.

That's a great idea.....

 

[comradekingu]

What could possibly go right?

Hoping we get the files to the case design for attempted reproduction and hackery. Schematics for the pcb is fantastic news, very exited.

 

[rSl]

Yes, right now it's planned to have the SIM slot below the battery.

This is very important to a lot of security aware users. Please make it possible to power off the 3G modem. And with power of I mean cut of the power of the modem. The freerunner (open moko 2.0) phone got it, and it is very important. But it is a great selling to have mobile internet and to write sms / whats app on the pandora.

second his!
3g is supernice to have when one needs it,
but we are in the post-snowden-time now and it is a *really* good thing to switch the radio
off if it is not needed.
here is why it matters http://www.osnews.com/story/27416/The_second_operating_system_hiding_in_every_mobile_phone

 

[TrashyMG]

I'm pretty sure shutting off the radios properly is a non-issue design wise.

 

[rSl]

...and... take my preorder wooohooo!!!

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

Down the road I would like to see different color cases up for sale/customization...

 

[En_Carlson]

One thing I would like to see in the new pandora is having the nubs plug in to sockets rather than being directly attached to the board so that they can easily be replaced. In my experience, things like analog sticks and nubs tend to not last nearly as long as the rest of the devices they are attached to. Also, this could have the added benefit of being able to swap a nub for another input device, like a small trackpad or trackball.

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

^ Good idea but I doubt this will happen because ED has basically has the nubs picked out...

 

[EvilDragon]

And it's not really needed, as these are simple magnet discs. No physical contact, not much that can break

 

[bsp]

Does the SoC you've picked have a HW video scaler ?

Is it a big.LITTLE architecture ?

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Yes, right now it's planned to have the SIM slot below the battery.

This is very important to a lot of security aware users. Please make it possible to power off the 3G modem. And with power of I mean cut of the power of the modem. The freerunner (open moko 2.0) phone got it, and it is very important. But it is a great selling to have mobile internet and to write sms / whats app on the pandora.

Yeah, a physical kill switch.

 

[Linopoly]

And it's not really needed, as these are simple magnet discs. No physical contact, not much that can break

I guess these new nubs are based on the Hall effect?