What Shall I Do?

[matt101]

Hey guys i haven't posted in a while, and i've been itching to ask you guys a question. My birthday is coming up and i will have around £250 to spend on something. I have narrowed it down to a few things but cannot decide what...

First up is getting a caanoo- my wiz is great but unlike others i'm not really a fan of the OLED screen because it seems grainy when flat colours are displayed, also i cannot afford a pandora, i don't think i can at least- if i am wrong and i can let me know what the uk pricing is and that could be a viable option- but still the earliest i would get it is october.

For anyone who likes apple i'm sure you will no the new ipod touch is announced every september and if based on the iphone 4's innards (bar 3g etc.), it might be a good idea to get that as that can play emulators if jailbroken- which is legal now

Another option is to get an xbox 360 slim 250gb, and halo reach preordered or fable 3, although i already own an xbox 360 elite 120gb it is about 2 and a half years old- so it might be close to death. I say this because it is incredibley loud (the power supply is too), and it has overheated before within 10 minutes- but i fixed that by getting rid of all the dust inside it and replacing the fans with better talismoon fans. But if you think that it will be all right i could pre-order fable 3 and halo reach, and also get a caanoo or a monitor?

This is the monitor i would get if you want to know- http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158382.

So what shall i do? to be quite honest i havent used my wiz much lately, instead i have been using my mac mini (2010 model), and my xbox 360. Also my monitors current resolution is 1440x900 if that helps any with whether or not to get the monitor.

Also you could mix and match the things mentioned if you can think of a better combination of stuff- thanks!

NOTE--------REMEMBER I'M FROM THE UK SO ITS GBP NOT USD.

 

[SomeGuy99]

Purely based on what you said: Xbox 360.

You said you use it all the time, but it needs replacing (overheating and stuff).

The Caanoo would be used mostly for retro games perhaps? Well they're not going anywhere. You can play those on your Wiz (even though you dislike the screen) or some future open handheld.

You don't need a new monitor probably - the one you have sounds pretty decent

 

[matt101]

awww man i just looked at your sig, with how to make the xfce look sexy and my jaw dropped- i forgot how capable the pandora was! So for me now it's between the pandora and the ipod touch 4... but i can't quite put my finger on either one. Which is more powerful technically? and which is better for emulators? (pretend the ipodtouch 4 has the same specs as the iphone 4 for now). Although the pandora is costs a bit more than i will get it looks like it would be a great system to own. Just found out my g15 will work with it as well.

Oh and does the pandora have msn and emailing applications? Because that would be useful if it did...

Oh and thanks for the reply, but tbh i think i give up on my xbox, microsoft are really screwing up the amount you should pay for a game nowadays. Look at the halo reach legendary edition for example, it cost's £94.99 and they deliberitely did that because they new eveyone would want a flaming helmet..., including me... but i don't have the money and if games carry on doing this it is going to get way to expensive. So if u could answer my questions on the ipod touch 4 and pandora that would be great.

Just a little note- I have some experience with linux operating systems and the commands etc... so the pandora won't be too complicated for me or anything.- I'm learning to program in objective c on the mac at the moment, but may switch to c++ or something like that so i cant develop for the pandora if i get one.

Thanks

 

[WizardStan]

Forget technical specs. There are two or three important things to consider when comparing the Pandora to the iPhone.
1) Controls: Pandora has a full set of physical keys and game buttons. The iP(od|hone) has a capacitive touch screen and an OS that takes full advantage of that. If you prefer typing an email with real keys and having a tactile response from the d-pad, then that's a plus for the Pandora; if you have no problem using the touch screen for input and think the smaller design that comes from removing the physical keys looks and feels better, the iPod has the advantage
2) Software: if you want to be able to install anything you want with help from the actual company designing the device to do so, the Pandora should be considered; it comes at a cost, though. If you want something solid, knowing you should never have to mess with things, the Pandora probably isn't a good idea.
3) Software 2: if you want a huge library of fun games and applications that you don't mind spending a little money on, the iPod is probably the better choice. If you don't mind a smaller selection of mostly free stuff, the Pandora is good.

 

[fischju2000]

Collector's editions have always been that expensive, they exist purely for the biggest fans of the series. (Look at everything it comes with...)

Does the UK have any services like Gamefly.com though? $15 a month to rent a 360 game for as long as you want.

You could repair the 360. Replace the ailing PSU and replace the thermal paste/get an xclamp http://rrodcure.blogspot.com/2008/04/xbox-360-thermal-upgradecooling.html - may be under control with the new fans though.


The Touch will likely have flash before we do. http://www.redmondpie.com/install-flash-frash-on-iphone-4-how-to-video-guide/ - but the Pandora is a multi-year device that'll still be useful 3 or 4 years from now as the software matures, and you have a limited window with any generation of Touch.

 

[lulzfish]

Oh and does the pandora have msn and emailing applications? Because that would be useful if it did...

Probably. Pidgin IM client can work with MSN for text chat (no video, no voice), and there are some mail clients. I think ED uses claws-mail.

 

[Exophase]

Since WizardStan didn't want to answer, iPhone 4 (and presumably an iPod Touch 4) has substantially more powerful hardware than Pandora:

CPU: 1GHz Cortex-A8 w/32KB/32KB/512KB L1-I/LI-D/L2 cache vs 600MHz Cortex-A8 w/16KB/16KB/256KB L1-I/LI-D/L2 cache
GPU: SGX 535 vs SGX 530 (twice the texturing rate), presumably at a much higher clock
RAM: 512MB vs 256MB (iPhone 4 may be 64-bit DDR2 or somesuch vs 32-bit DDR, probably higher clocked)
Display: 960x640 vs 800x480

Should technical specs just be ignored wholesale when they can make a big difference in the performance of ie N64 or say, Dreamcast emulation?

iOS devices can be jailbroken, I think looking at it only in terms of what the company endorses is an artificial argument. iControlPad and others are expected to still be released eventually, providing gaming controls. Maybe by the time the next iPod Touch is out so will iCP...

 

[WizardStan]

iOS devices can be jailbroken, I think looking at it only in terms of what the company endorses is an artificial argument. iControlPad and others are expected to still be released eventually, providing gaming controls. Maybe by the time the next iPod Touch is out so will iCP...

That's your opinion. I'm more interested in giving my money to the company trying to do these things from the beginning rather than one that has said it will fight my ideals. You can jailbreak an iPhone now, but what if they patch up those holes in the future? They will patch holes, and continue to, meaning new users will need to find new holes in the future.
At any rate, my point of pointing out the form factor was to encourage matt to add that into his considerations. A pickup truck may have more raw horsepower, but that doesn't mean anything if you're looking to buy a family sedan. This is something he could be using regularly; how it looks and feels should (in my opinion) be more important than whether it can run a Dreamcast emulator or not, especially in the case of the Pandora which offers something radically different. If physical keys are an important thing to him, then the Pandora is definitely something to be considered; if he cares not for the difference between physical or virtual keyboard and input, then the iPhone4 with its higher specs is probably the best candidate.

 

[Nova]

I have no morals, so my money just goes to the company that can provide a product that suits my needs first. That said, if I could afford an iPhone 4, I'd use that money to buy a Pandora and SD card instead.

 

[Exophase]

That's your opinion. I'm more interested in giving my money to the company trying to do these things from the beginning rather than one that has said it will fight my ideals. You can jailbreak an iPhone now, but what if they patch up those holes in the future? They will patch holes, and continue to, meaning new users will need to find new holes in the future.

Artificial, philosophical, same difference :rolleyes: In the end it has little to do with what you actually can and can't do on the platform. This is about what the device can do, not what ideology you want to support - if that's your goal you're welcome to supply donations. Things might change with new OS releases, but you're not under any obligation to update to them.

At any rate, my point of pointing out the form factor was to encourage matt to add that into his considerations. A pickup truck may have more raw horsepower, but that doesn't mean anything if you're looking to buy a family sedan. This is something he could be using regularly; how it looks and feels should (in my opinion) be more important than whether it can run a Dreamcast emulator or not, especially in the case of the Pandora which offers something radically different. If physical keys are an important thing to him, then the Pandora is definitely something to be considered; if he cares not for the difference between physical or virtual keyboard and input, then the iPhone4 with its higher specs is probably the best candidate.

I didn't say anything to discredit your comments about form factor. It's just when he asked for performance it makes more sense to actually tell him performance, than making some claim it doesn't matter. Especially when it does matter. I'm sure he didn't realize iPhone 4 had better specs, or he wouldn't have asked. The form factor limitations should also not be discussed without at least bringing up the possibility of controller add-ons, which I did as well. Although I didn't think you should have dismissed his request for performance capabilities in the manner you have you can still consider my post to be supplementary material to yours.

 

[WizardStan]

Artificial, philosophical, same difference :rolleyes: In the end it has little to do with what you actually can and can't do on the platform. This is about what the device can do, not what ideology you want to support - if that's your goal you're welcome to supply donations. Things might change with new OS releases, but you're not under any obligation to update to them.

If it were strictly philosophical or ideological, I'd not suggest PSPs or NDS for their homebrew. With those, once you've got your homebrew method, it cannot be taken away from you. Flash the PSP to it's latest firmware and you can still use a Pandora (no relation) battery to set it back to homebrew (excluding the PSP Go, of course). A homebrew cart for the NDS does the same thing. If your PSP or NDS die for some reason, you can replace it and lose nothing. The Smash Stack hack seems to have done the same thing for the Wii, thankfully, as I was starting to get very worried.
To the best of my knowledge, no such thing exists for the iPhone. All jailbreaking has been done by software hacks which are getting patched with every update. If something happens and you need to replace your iPhone, you can't be sure you'll be able to jailbreak the replacement you get right away, or even at all.
Beyond that is Apple's stronger encouragements to update to the latest firmware than Sony and Nintendo which I've only heard third hand (things like locking out iTunes unless you update and stuff, feel free to correct if that's wrong)

It's just when he asked for performance it makes more sense to actually tell him performance, than making some claim it doesn't matter.

Aye, I could have worded it better. Perhaps "Forget technical specs for now"? Or something else that changes the emphasis?
He may have asked specifically for specs, but the overarching question that I was trying to help answer was "which is better?". Seemed easier to get his opinion on the obvious physical features rather than the potential of the CPU.

 

[matt101]

The idea of the pandora is seeming to be my best bet at the moment, although it is at a high price, the benefits for me seem to far out way that of the ipodtouch4 (based on the iphone4). Also the limited window for the ipodtouch is another large factor, and thinking about it if apple patches most of the loopholes in the firmware it is going to get harder to jailbreak- it may even stop, so it could kind of be a risky process. A valid point was also made about the controls, and yes i would prefer that of the pandora and i'm liking the idea of hooking my g15 up to it.

So i think the pandora sounds like a good idea . But if i got one will an 8gb sdhc card be enough (I use it for my wiz), and what language is the best for programming on the pandora- although i've started learning objective c i am at the very begining so it will not be hard to break away from it and start learning a different language. From what i understand c++ is probably the best programming language to learn if i'm looking to port things and create other programs on the pandora-correct me if i'm wrong though...

If anyone could, what is the exact price of the pandora in GBP because i need to figure out what money i can gather together for it as my birthday money alone may not be enough.

And also thanks for all your replys they were very informative- I understood the iphone 4 had a faster processor already but wasn't sure about the rest of the specs, so the tech specs did kinda make me wonder a little, but what's the use of having a dreamcast emulator without a good controller to play sonic with???? (I had a dreamcast when i was younger and played sonic a lot)

 

[Nova]

If anyone could, what is the exact price of the pandora in GBP because i need to figure out what money i can gather together for it as my birthday money alone may not be enough.

I paid about £275 but I understand they've put the price up a bit now, so add £20-30 or so onto that figure I guess.

 

[WizardStan]

220 GBP, I believe. This is 20 pounds higher than the original batch on account of currency fluctuation and such.
Don't dismiss the iPhone right away. Beyond controls, beyond power, beyond cost, there's one other very important thing to consider: when will you get it? The Pandora has a consistent track record of not meeting its deadline, a deadline which has slipped almost 2 years. Second batch is currently slated to start in October. With luck, this will finally hold true. I'm not holding my breath over it though. If you order a Pandora from the second batch, don't expect it before Christmas. When is the next iPod touch expected to be released? In a few weeks? And you'll be able to get it pretty much as soon as you lay your money down (relative to the two year wait we've had for the Pandora).

edit: don't forget to add VAT and shipping to that 220 GBP.

 

[matt101]

sigh.... why does everything have to be so complicated? I like the interface of the ipod touch and iphone and it does look really good.The fact I could get it very soon (My birthday is on the 28th) is a great plus. But i'm still unsure about the controls- does the ipodtouch/iphone have any controller options available? Since the ipod touch 3rd generation was released didn't they add bluetooth? Surely there must be something other than a wii remote i could play games on it with.

Also if i did get the ipodtouch 4 when it is released (assuming it has the same innards as the iphone 4) what is the likelyhood of jailbreaking coming to a standstill and just stopping? I don't know how they jailbreak, so if somone could tell me whether or not that is likely to happen, it would help me with my decision... Thanks

Also apps for cydia are written in objective-c aren't they? Like the app store? - I have a mac so i could use the official sdk as well.

ORRRRRR i could just get a caanoo, it fixes the fuzzy OLED screen of the wiz which i don't like (It's my opinion!), adds a little extra ram- gives better controls (With the capability of eventually adding a gamepad or keyboard-i think? correct me if I am wrong) Also the sd card is covered- So no dust and stuff can get inside it and break it or the SD card. And again... is c++ the best programming language for the caanoo?

 

[WizardStan]

The iControlPad (by the same team as the Pandora, so the controls will actually be pretty good) is coming out soon. About as soon as the Pandora, I'm sure Maybe sooner, there seems to be less to do with it.
It requires a jailbroken iPhone, is apparently already compatible with iOS4, and yes bluetooth.
The most recent way to jailbreak the iPhone involved loading a PDF with some special code in it which abused a feature of the PDF system. That feature is being disabled or modified or something and will be fixed in an upcoming release. No other way (that I'm aware of) has been found to jailbreak iOS4 yet. All holes are likely to be filled by the time the new iPod comes out. Take my fears with a grain of salt, though. I suggest that they could eventually reach a point where jailbreaking is impossible, and while that could happen, the truth is that even big companies make mistakes, and sooner or later a new hack will be found. You might have a few months with the default firmware, restricted to Apple's AppStore instead of Cydia, but it should really only be a matter of time until some developer slips up and something new is found.
Or you can get the Pandora which will never lock you out, but has a much smaller following.
If everything weren't so complicated, no one would ever ask questions or learn anything new

 

[Nova]

Apple units hold their value very well anyway. So you could buy an iPod touch until the 2nd Batch of Pandoras start making their way out and sell the iPod to fund the Pandora. Maybe.

 

[matt101]

OK with that in mind, what I could do is just ask for cash for my birthday-if it is not enough then I will start saving cash for when the 2nd batch starts shipping. Then if something comes out that i like better than the pandora i could buy that, but if it doesn't i can continue saving up money for the pandora.

Also what is actually happening with the pandora's? Are they always going to do it in batches or what? And do you think it is a good idea to wait or get the money ASAP to pre-order a unit from batch 2. Also please tell me whether c++ is a good language to use for devloping on the pandora or not. Because i am in the process of learning objective-c for the mac, and it would be more beneficial if I learnt a different language ready for the pandora...

EDIT: If you think c++ is a good language to learn ready for the pandora- What do you recommend for me to use to start learning the language. I will pay for books etc. if i need to, but i don't mind what format the tutorials are I just need something that can help me learn the language, ready for use with the pandora.

 

[sam fisher]

Learning any language will improve your programming ability which is on the whole transferable between languages. A good programmer can usually apply their skill to any language fairly easily, picking up new languages relatively quickly as they need them.

C and C++ will probably be the most used languages on the Pandora. C++ is Object Orientated so if Objective C is also then a lot of the concepts you learn in that will be useful.

 

[matt101]

Ok, thanks I will take that into consideration- i guess it could be worthwhile learning both languages maybe...

But thanks again everyone, i am going to wait until the ipod touch 4 comes out, and see if it is worth it. If not i will either pre-order a pandora or buy a caanoo. Although if i do not get the ipod touch 4, i will most likely get the Pandora as it will be a similar price and has similar capability.