Thinking of buying, would like your advice

[Grench]

How do you find the non-emulator aspects of the Pandora? For example, I've seen office programs offered, are they okay?


What kind of things would you recommend doing "out of the box"?

If you want to do normal things like web browsing or office programs, you've come to the wrong place. Unless you want to carry a regular keyboard and mouse with you, the Pandora is just not good for email/word documents. It's a gaming machine that CAN do other things, it just can't do them very well. Get a smartphone if you don't already have one. That'll serve you better for more common computer-like functions.

Sorry to pile on, but you have that directly backwards sir.  Consider some basic computer tasks:

Write an email.

Pandora uses a full web browser - connect to whatever your email provider's web page is and go.  Use the keyboard to compose with.

Phone - easier to read emails, but lack of physical keyboard is tiresome for typing more than a twit.

Remote desktop.

Pandora - Open up Reminna, connect, use.

Phone - Err - might be able to see the screen - controls are frustrating beyond reason.

Edit the file system.

Pandora - use either Thunar or just hop around in the command prompt.  Copy/Move/Delete/Structure data easily from card to card or within the cards - they're treated just like a desktop HDD - and with 128GB per card * 2, my Pandora has four times more disk space than my Notebook computer (60GB SSD).

Phone - Err - there's an app for that, but none of them work all that hot.

Transport data back and forth to an SSHFS server.

Pandora - easy if you know SSH commands or use Filezilla - which is as full featured as it gets.

Phone - there is an FTP program for Android that works pretty OK (AndFTP) if all you need to do is sync a directory.

Reconfigure a router.

Pandora - use a USB to 100Mb Ethernet adapter.  Plug into the router.  Remote into router, download a backup of it's OS, connect to the Tomato repository, download a new OS, wipe the OS on the router via command line, load the new OS, configure the new OS via a hard line connection to the router, reset and go.

Phone - there ARE USB adapters for some phones - not so sure about hard wired Ethernet (required to set up a router).  Although it may be possible, it sure wouldn't be easy.  Not sure how one would go about connecting to the router at a command line - since you can't get to a command line on your phone without a jailbreak.

Multitask.

Pandora - multiple windows open simultaneously and alt-tab between them if you can do the Vulcan death grip to hit the right keys.

Phone - moving between windows means moving to the desktop, then to the other window, then back to the desktop, etc...

Photediting.

Pandora - Gimp.

Phone - ???

Pandora - Great for general computer use.  Not so great for on-the-fly-you've-got-mail notifications.

Phones are great notification and communication reception tools.  For general computer use?  Not so much.

 

[Raul]

i was thinking of buying a pandora as well. the only question i actually have is if it is difficult to get to know the system. how it works, how to get the stuff you want on your pandora because it seems pretty technical as of what i've seen from the video's.


thanks in advance.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

i was thinking of buying a pandora as well. the only question i actually have is if it is difficult to get to know the system. how it works, how to get the stuff you want on your pandora because it seems pretty technical as of what i've seen from the video's.


thanks in advance.

I knew nothing of Linux ,emulation or the entire concept of searching for various files on a computer to make a game work. I was a pick up and play gamer and far cry from being technical . On paper I was the sort who should NOT of bought this machine. However I was so enamored[and still am] by the concept of having various,thousands of retro games from my youth in a handheld mini PC . I was determined to learn. 

So Raul...if I can do it anyone can and I am so glad I did. This forum is very helpful and without it  I never could have accomplished what I have.

Just be patient and you will reap from the benefits the Pandora has to offer you.

commercial over...

 

[Asiyura]

@Raul it all comes down to what you want to do with the pandora.

If you only want to play games / use existing ported/native software, it's not harder than using any other computer. You just use the PNDmanager and search the software you want, press a button to start downloading, then press another button to run the software. If it's an emulator you may have to provide a BIOS and ROMs (i.e. amiga emulator), if it's a port you may have to provide data files from a legal copy (i.e. aquaria).

Now, if you want to run a full-scale distro on it or compile a new software for the pandora, it gets trickier. 

 

[EssoAir]

How do you find the non-emulator aspects of the Pandora? For example, I've seen office programs offered, are they okay?


What kind of things would you recommend doing "out of the box"?

If you want to do normal things like web browsing or office programs, you've come to the wrong place. Unless you want to carry a regular keyboard and mouse with you, the Pandora is just not good for email/word documents. It's a gaming machine that CAN do other things, it just can't do them very well. Get a smartphone if you don't already have one. That'll serve you better for more common computer-like functions.

 
Sorry to pile on, but you have that directly backwards sir.  Consider some basic computer tasks:

I disagree with almost everything you just said. But that's ok, happy you found something that works for you. I just personally don't like the Pandora for anything other than gaming. Maybe if the wifi worked I'd use it more, but sadly, no. And in response to EVERY example you gave, there are plenty of applications to handle every task, and handle it well. And if you need a Linux desktop, you can run many distros on Android phones as well. NOT through emulation, but natively with the system's already present kernel.

 

[bismuthdrummer]

How do you find the non-emulator aspects of the Pandora? For example, I've seen office programs offered, are they okay?


What kind of things would you recommend doing "out of the box"?

If you want to do normal things like web browsing or office programs, you've come to the wrong place. Unless you want to carry a regular keyboard and mouse with you, the Pandora is just not good for email/word documents. It's a gaming machine that CAN do other things, it just can't do them very well. Get a smartphone if you don't already have one. That'll serve you better for more common computer-like functions.

So... Don't get an Open Pandora because you'd have to carry around a keyboard/mouse. Get a smartphone instead. Because then you wouldn't? >_>

Let me hear you spell f-a-l-l-a-c-y.

I assume you didn't mean the "computer-like" comment literally. Turing aside, the Open Pandora is closer to a desktop in your hands than most (if not all) smartphones. It has:

• a keyboard
• open hardware (not entirely open but much moreso than most phones)
• a dedicated OS GUI for desktop applications 

It is designed for:

• multi-tasking (more than just music + web browsing)
• hacking (hardware and software)
• coding and compiling (on the unit itself)

You cannot say the same for the bulk of smartphones.

Of course the line between desktop and mobile has blurred functionally, and I wouldn't be surprised if Android was instrumental in closing the gap.

But to imply the Pandora is outclassed in every regard besides retro gaming is just as naive as the corollary: all the Open Pandora consumers wanting more than a gaming machine have been duped into a $300/$500/$700 handheld that can't make phone calls. How would this project even still be alive? Your post smacks of ineffable naïveté.

 

[ekianjo]

How do you find the non-emulator aspects of the Pandora? For example, I've seen office programs offered, are they okay?


What kind of things would you recommend doing "out of the box"?

If you want to do normal things like web browsing or office programs, you've come to the wrong place. Unless you want to carry a regular keyboard and mouse with you, the Pandora is just not good for email/word documents. It's a gaming machine that CAN do other things, it just can't do them very well. Get a smartphone if you don't already have one. That'll serve you better for more common computer-like functions.

 
Sorry to pile on, but you have that directly backwards sir.  Consider some basic computer tasks:

I disagree with almost everything you just said. But that's ok, happy you found something that works for you. I just personally don't like the Pandora for anything other than gaming. Maybe if the wifi worked I'd use it more, but sadly, no. And in response to EVERY example you gave, there are plenty of applications to handle every task, and handle it well. And if you need a Linux desktop, you can run many distros on Android phones as well. NOT through emulation, but natively with the system's already present kernel.

Strongly disagree with your statement. 

Using smartphones is as crap as it can get. ANd the applications are, for most of them, ad walls or paying while you get the same functionality and more on Pandora for free. 

I'd like you to show me the example of reconfiguring a router with your phone, since you claim "it can do EVERY task well". Just show us, NOW. Take a video of yourself doing it since you claim it's so easy to do it well. I really want to see.

And for the wifi comment, get a wifi dongle. WHat;s the big deal, you can't spend 5 dollars to get a correct wifi connection after buying a x00 dollars device ? 

Running distros on Android : yeah - and how does it work for you ? Can you show us how great it is to install a desktop on a 5inch screen without any adaptation. If it was so great why isn't EVERYONE out there doing that already, huh ? Ever thought about that?

Seriously, on top of being a topic grave-digger, you post is worth the opinion of a 5 years old who has seen something the internet and just repeats it mindlessly to make it seems like he knows what he's talking about. Pathetic, really. 

 

[T.T.]

back on the subject of keyboard usability. I know that Prometheus (former mod) was in the process of writing an entire novel, on just the pandora.

 

[ekianjo]

back on the subject of keyboard usability. I know that Prometheus (former mod) was in the process of writing an entire novel, on just the pandora.

A good article about how usable the Pandora keyboard is.

http://www.pandoralive.info/?p=1128

 

[Gaz]

Thanks for the replies. Didn't think I'd get so enthusiastic a response from that second post.

Ordered a Pandora last night, ended up hemming and hawing even after sending the Paypal. Just the way I am, I suppose.

Can't wait.

 

[ekianjo]

Thanks for the replies. Didn't think I'd get so enthusiastic a response from that second post.

Ordered a Pandora last night, ended up hemming and hawing even after sending the Paypal. Just the way I am, I suppose.

Can't wait.

Welcome to the community

 

[RodiX]

Just chiming in, I got my Pandora around two weeks ago and still use my smartphone a lot for emails, Twitter, Facebook, Google Maps, etc.

But I do different things with my Pandora that I couldn't do with my phone: emulation of course, but there are many apps that you simply can't run on a phone (a full-fledged Linux terminal, the same downloading applications I use on my desktop computer, an FTP client…). And the battery is fantastic.

 

[lingenfr]

Isn't the discussion entertaining... As a new owner, nothing to add. As a reader of these forums, it sounds like some significant progress is being made on the wifi that you might want to read about.

 

[rohezal]

You can just download a pnd file, put it onto your sd card in the pandora -> apps folder and it will work. No installing, just place it into this folders, and it works. This is realy great .

 

[Wally]

Better register now Gaz so we can boss you around more

Seriously: Welcome

 

[Rockthesmurf]

Is it possible to use the analogs for games like AvP similar to modern console FPSs? Would certainly make things slightly easier to play.

To be honest I have had some feedback on the controls for AvP but haven't made time to look into them, I believe one stick is usable but the other not, there is no reason both shouldn't be usable, I just need to get the code fired up and take a look into it. Hopefully I'll find some time to do it soon!

I kind of lost enthusiasm as the game really requires the 1GHz model to run nicely (needs the faster graphics chip) and I didn't really want to work too much on a game that only some users can enjoy, but, well, it is out there now, so I do want to take a look at the controls sometime.

 

[Paul]

Can you suspend the Pandora mid game and return to it later?

 

[thatgui]

Can you suspend the Pandora mid game and return to it later?

In theory yes, practically I bet it depends heavily on the game. I for myself often suspend GPFCE during gameplay, and can't remember any problems.

 

[WizardStan]

Every game can be suspended and resumed. What that means to each game may be completely different.

For example, if a game is using the clock as some kind of timer (you have 5 minutes to do something, for example) when you resume the game is going to look at the clock and go "oh, it's been more than 5 minutes. Time's up".

In theory that should be the only problem you encounter, anything that relies on the clock. In practice nothing is perfect, and I remember there were games that didn't come out of suspend. If you encounter such a game just leave a note for the developer on the repo and hopefully they'll have time to look at it. A lot of improvements have happened since the feature was added so those should be very few.

 

[Skin-nl]

Hello i am also new here, and i want to buy a Pandora but i read and saw on youtube that some left triggers not work probably.

gr