What the P1 got right, what it got wrong

[Binky]

Some of this is subjective, but I though it might be worth looking at while daydreaming about its successor

Points in groups from myself, bismuthdrummer, ekianjo, Sepulep  (in that order)
 
Right:

• Fits DS stylus and PSP charger - i.e. compatible with third-party products
• Removable, upgradeable storage
• Hardware volume wheel
• Can be repaired by a skilled user
• Huge, easily replaceable battery
• Indicator lights visible when lid closed
• Good game controls
• Hacker-friendly software
• Near drop-in replacement to use better processor

• Good resolution and bpp screen -- 800x480 @ 32bpp is still valid today
• Internal microphone -- doesn't see a lot of use, but little surprises like DS emulation do come along
• Full headset support (TRRS jack)
• Mains and USB charging (contingency for jack/port degradation/failure)
• Boot from removable storage (SD), although USB should be added
• Unified standardized software system -- not perfect I've heard, but .pnd is a great start

• USB Host
• good screen (not OLED but pretty good LCD nonetheless!)
• PNDs. Great system to install software in a single step.
• Great audio capabilities.

• firmware: in spite of some rough spots, I really like the firmware, it is stable and all the power saving features actually work.
• PND system and repo: the PND system is very convenient, both for the user and for the packager (genpxml and pnd_make scripts!!). Together with the repo, it is brilliant
• double sd slots: this is something that I did not expect beforehand, but the sd storage works excellent to run the OS from - to the point where I wonder why the device has NAND at all..

Wrong:

• Oddball/proprietary TV-out socket
• No easy access to GPIOs (see above)
• USBhost incompatible with USB 1.x
• Mushy keyboard (probably fixed in iCP2)(is it really so bad?)
• Low quality/volume/bass internal speakers (debated)
• Painted case easily damaged (cosmetically)
• Poor case manufacture

• Slow internal wifi

• Poor case aesthetics - design is ugly and utilitarian

• though much improved, even the silver case has the screen bezel and battery lid problems...

What's missing?

 

[bismuthdrummer]

Glad you picked nontrivial stuff that's pretty agreeable, hopefully the posts that follow can do the same.

"Low quality/volume/bass internal speakers" <== You don't think the latest is good now? They've definitely improved on the bass end, can't say I know what the best mobile speakers out there sound like though.

Right:

• Good resolution and bpp screen -- 800x480 @ 32bpp is still valid today
• Internal microphone -- doesn't see a lot of use, but little surprises like DS emulation do come along
• Full headset support (TRRS jack)
• Mains and USB charging (contingency for jack/port degradation/failure)
• Boot from removable storage (SD), although USB should be added
• Unified standardized software system -- not perfect I've heard, but .pnd is a great start

Wrong:

• Slow internal wifi

I don't think we should count stuff that's been fixed, like the lcd cables, loose battery (they pad the inside now), etc.

 

[ekianjo]

Some of this is subjective, but I though it might be worth looking at while daydreaming about its successor

Right:

• Fits DS stylus and PSP charger - i.e. compatible with third-party products
• Removable, upgradeable storage
• Hardware volume wheel
• Can be repaired by a skilled user
• Huge, easily replaceable battery
• Indicator lights visible when lid closed
• Good game controls
• Hacker-friendly software
• Near drop-in replacement to use better processor

Wrong:

• Oddball/proprietary TV-out socket
• No easy access to GPIOs (see above)
• USBhost incompatible with USB 1.x
• Mushy keyboard (probably fixed in iCP2)
• Low quality/volume/bass internal speakers
• Painted case easily damaged (cosmetically)
• Poor case manufacture

What have I missed?

Pretty much agree with your list, but the keyboard is not that bad. It looked wierd on the pictures but it's actually quite comfortable to use. Of courst this can always be better, but I would put it as "average" rather than "wrong". 

It the "what it got right", you forgot "USB host". This is a huge feature in itself. Just yesterday I had to transfer pictures from a camera, from a SD card to a USB stick and that was much faster to do that on Pandora than to switch on a PC to do so. Win-win. 

I would add again in positive:

- good screen (not OLED but pretty good LCD nonetheless!)

- PNDs. Great system to install software in a single step. 

- Great audio capabilities. 

Right:

• Full headset support (TRRS jack)

Can you use the jack to record stuff from a headset ? Has this been tried before? 

 

[slaeshjag]

Yes. A nokia-compatible headsets can be used. The capture stream shows up as stereo. One channel is the internal microphone, and the other is from the headset port.

 

[Binky]

Does the weird mic wiring count as a 'wrong' ?

Updated first post

 

[sepulep]

right:

- firmware: in spite of some rough spots, I really like the firmware, it is stable and all the power saving features actually work.

- PND system and repo: the PND system is very convenient, both for the user and for the packager (genpxml and pnd_make scripts!!). Together with the repo, it is brilliant

- double sd slots: this is something that I did not expect beforehand, but the sd storage works excellent to run the OS from - to the point where I wonder why the device has NAND at all..

wrong:

- though much improved, even  the silver case has the screen bezel and battery lid problems...

 

[bismuthdrummer]

Does the weird mic wiring count as a 'wrong' ?

For the headset, my understanding is that OPT picked a jack that followed the standards and Apple is the one who messed it up. Assuming that 'fact' in isolation, I'd say no, but I'm sure there are other details involved.

 

[Binky]

I was referring to the use of headset and built-in as stereo recording channels.

If this were a 'lets think of improvements' thread, I'd suggest a jumper or dipswitch to change between standard and backwards-apple headset pinouts.

Its not, so i won't

 

[dibad0011]

right:I agree with most of what others have said before.

wrong:
-small nand memory size.(yes I know we can install the OS on a sd card)
-No 720p video.
-Not so good internal wifi.

 

[Binky]

Was a larger NAND or 720p decoding a possibility when the P1 was being designed?

If not, then there wasn't much OP could do about it.

Old products always lack features available on new ones.

That's rarely the fault of whoever designed the older product in the first place.

If high-res video decoding could have been included, then omitting it may have been a mistake.

-

Have you had problems with the built-in storage filling up?

I've never really found it a limitation, since the vast majority of software and data can live on SD cards.

 

[ekianjo]

right:I agree with most of what others have said before. wrong: -small nand memory size.(yes I know we can install the OS on a sd card) -No 720p video. -Not so good internal wifi.

You can't get NANDs of larger size, based on what ED told me. 

And 720p video was never a target for a screen that can only display 800*4x0 resolution. In 2008 (when the Pandora was out) there was no portable device capable for 720p playback so this can hardly be called a "wrong". 

 

[ekianjo]

Binky, you wanted a "wrong" from me ? 

- the case design : looks like a russian computer from the 70s. If there's something I would like from a next version, it's a more classy look - and possibly shiny, smooth plastic for the case. 

- another one: the lack of cooperation between applications (PNDs) - it's basically very convoluted to do tasks that are simple on other systems, such as opening a browser from another application. This is regrettable and this was supposed to be implemented in the PXML specs, but is still currently not supported. 

 

[Avversario]

Binky, you wanted a "wrong" from me ? 


- the case design : looks like a russian computer from the 70s.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_NkffXgkQPM0/Tau7ixzVgWI/AAAAAAAAEYY/BT78yAFDyRE/img5c27cd866354acd977031506fe68f679.jpg

 

[Tenka]

Binky, you wanted a "wrong" from me ? 

- the case design : looks like a russian computer from the 70s. If there's something I would like from a next version, it's a more classy look - and possibly shiny, smooth plastic for the case. 

You like things to be shiny and smooth plastic?  You dislike hard straight no BS simplicity?  Your Pandora sounds like a kid's meal prize to me.  My Pandora should look like a tiny Thinkpad laptop.

http://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/ea69a560-9e33-428b-9e31-3b9f3cd8b054.jpg

 

[ekianjo]

Binky, you wanted a "wrong" from me ? 

- the case design : looks like a russian computer from the 70s. If there's something I would like from a next version, it's a more classy look - and possibly shiny, smooth plastic for the case. 

You like things to be shiny and smooth plastic?  You dislike hard straight no BS simplicity?  Your Pandora sounds like a kid's meal prize to me.  My Pandora should look like a tiny Thinkpad laptop.

http://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/ea69a560-9e33-428b-9e31-3b9f3cd8b054.jpg

Yeah well even the thinkpad, which is an ugly piece of hardware (while very usable and solid) looks better than the current Pandora. I especially dislike the ugly debossed borders around the screen - that could have been so much better if designed properly. 

 

[bismuthdrummer]

I was referring to the use of headset and built-in as stereo recording channels.

I see, although I don't think that's so bizarre, assuming you can record both channels at once all it takes is a small microphone plug with the proper adapter and you have real stereo recording. If not, it's still not an issue since most microphones afaik are monophonic and typically show up as left, but whether it's left or right channel doesn't make a difference.

I tested more rigorously today and have to retract my question debating "Low quality/volume/bass internal speakers", there doesn't seem to be any difference between the old and the new at all. Just my psyche pretending, I suppose. In reality some stuff like voice comes out pretty strong, whereas bass guitar and bass drums not so much. Most mobile speakers are trash though, in my experience.

 

[TrashyMG]

Binky, you wanted a "wrong" from me ? 

- the case design : looks like a russian computer from the 70s. If there's something I would like from a next version, it's a more classy look - and possibly shiny, smooth plastic for the case. 

You like things to be shiny and smooth plastic?  You dislike hard straight no BS simplicity?  Your Pandora sounds like a kid's meal prize to me.  My Pandora should look like a tiny Thinkpad laptop.

http://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/ea69a560-9e33-428b-9e31-3b9f3cd8b054.jpg

Yeah well even the thinkpad, which is an ugly piece of hardware (while very usable and solid) looks better than the current Pandora. I especially dislike the ugly debossed borders around the screen - that could have been so much better if designed properly. 

Well I like how the Pandora looks myself, but I'm also a fan of thinkpads and like how strong they look. But I'm odd as I liked the looks of my TRS-80 Model I..

 

[Tenka]

Binky, you wanted a "wrong" from me ? 

- the case design : looks like a russian computer from the 70s. If there's something I would like from a next version, it's a more classy look - and possibly shiny, smooth plastic for the case. 

You like things to be shiny and smooth plastic?  You dislike hard straight no BS simplicity?  Your Pandora sounds like a kid's meal prize to me.  My Pandora should look like a tiny Thinkpad laptop.

http://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/ea69a560-9e33-428b-9e31-3b9f3cd8b054.jpg

Yeah well even the thinkpad, which is an ugly piece of hardware (while very usable and solid) looks better than the current Pandora. I especially dislike the ugly debossed borders around the screen - that could have been so much better if designed properly. 

Well I like how the Pandora looks myself, but I'm also a fan of thinkpads and like how strong they look. But I'm odd as I liked the looks of my TRS-80 Model I..

The TRS-80's keyboard is awesome!  So many well thought out sections and differing materials, surely designed to perform for as long as it needs to, rather than to be stamped out of two sheets of plastic on an automated manufacturing rail thousands of times.

 

[thatgui]

Binky, you wanted a "wrong" from me ? 

- the case design : looks like a russian computer from the 70s. If there's something I would like from a next version, it's a more classy look - and possibly shiny, smooth plastic for the case. 

You like things to be shiny and smooth plastic?  You dislike hard straight no BS simplicity?  Your Pandora sounds like a kid's meal prize to me.  My Pandora should look like a tiny Thinkpad laptop.

http://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/ea69a560-9e33-428b-9e31-3b9f3cd8b054.jpg

Yeah well even the thinkpad, which is an ugly piece of hardware (while very usable and solid) looks better than the current Pandora. I especially dislike the ugly debossed borders around the screen - that could have been so much better if designed properly. 

Thats a matter of taste, I prefer the the demur/down-to-earth design of the past thinkpads over any other.

Don't know if it counts as it is a "software thing". But as I have my first device that only offers a mtp mode for datatransfer and the more I use it the more I dislike it => thank you OPT Team for providing me with a device with full access to its SD-Cards !

 

[Grench]

I'm not sure why people dog on the Pandora's keyboard.  Frankly, I don't expect an IBM tactile click experience from a handheld computer.  No, it isn't 'spectacular'.  It IS, however, very durable and dependable and cheap to replace if it ever wears out.

Keys not bouncing back up anymore?  Slap in a new $15 keymat and done.

Something I'd be inclined to change:  Shoulder buttons.  I'd make them each use the same 2 button keymat with slightly recessed buttons side by side (not over/under).  Get rid of those giant toggles - they mess with the lines of the case.

Overall, though, I think they got it 90%+ right.  Is there room for improvement?  Sure.  Is the base technology a bit dated now?  Of course.  Is the system design inherently flawed?  Not in the slightest.