What will a Pyra be able to do that the OpenPandora can't do now?


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Arser

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Hello folks,
I've found out about the OpenPandora a few days ago and started to follow the DragonBox Pyra, and I might be interested in buying it.
I looked at the Pyras specs and I didn't find many new possibilities that might be possible with the Pyra, only things that could be improved (like, for example, Dreamcast emulation).
So now I'm asking you, what will I be able to do with the Pyra that I couldn't do with the Pandora?
 
Literally or realistically?
Literally I don't think there's anything the Pyra will be able to do that the Pandora can't. They're both general purpose computers, they run programs, use devices, connect to the internet; like you say the Pyra will just be improvements.
Realistically it will be able to do a lot more. For starters it has a lot more features built in, things that the Pandora could only do with USB adapters: (optional) cell module and GPS, rumble motor, 6 axis accelerometer, eSATA port, hdmi, and a USB port that can actually handle BOTH USB1.1 and USB2.0 (an unfortunate flaw of the SoC in the Pandora). Because of the overall improvements to CPU and memory it'll be able to do even basic stuff better, like web browsing, text editing, and video watching (Pandora is limited in codec and resolution it can support due to CPU constraints).
If you don't need any of those extra features, if you're OK with waiting a few extra seconds for a web page to load and only being able to have just a few tabs open at once, and if all your video is 480p encoded at most, then yeah, the Pandora will probably work just fine for you.
But with the better performance comes better emulators and games to consider. Plus it's going to have a really cool LED lit logo on the back. :D
 
The Pandora had quite a large amount of flaws which seemingly have been ironed out with the Pyra:

The notable flaws are:
Low Resolution (800 * 480)
No backlit keyboard
Nub faults
Lack of fully compatible Ps1 emulation ( having to use keys on keyboard instead of additional shoulder buttons.
Case is flimsy and is prone to cracking and is very hard to disassemble.
Small amount of flash storage for OS, leaving us unable to upgrade without taking an additional SD slot but now improved with the ability to have an MicroSD card internally.
Embarrassing wifi.
Vey small amount of RAM.


But take into consideration the period the Pandora was available, it really was good for it's time and now is ready to be refreshed. The Pyra adds some significant features over the Pandora with new things such as 3G / 4G Support, Upgradable CPU-Board and vibrating motor (There's more of course, you can find them here on the Wiki).

Then there's of course improvements for emulation which you already know about but we'll be able to take on more intense projects.

Hopefully this helps :)
 
Same here, although mainly as a portable music player.

I expect the Pyra to be more useful for photo manipulation. I'm planning to install GIMP+UFRAW on mine and to take it with me when I'm taking my camera. On the Pandora the UFRaw window would be horribly cramped, and developing the RAW photo would be rather slow, so setting the white balance and saturation and things that make it immediately refresh the view should be a lot more responsive on a Pyra, perhaps even better than this old laptop I currently use.
 
Porndora (tm)
Whit its iluminatet keyboard and the bling bling lid logo, the pyra isnt the best to sneaky watch porno under the bed cover ..

I want to use the Pyra for Pandora tasks where i hope it need much less batteriepower..
Thinks like GBA Games and PSX..
Also way better DS because somethimes my CC Pandora was to slow for GTA Chinatown Wars and this "Cop" game from Ubisoft..
 
As an owner of ye olde CC unit I am looking forward to
- much increased raw power and RAM size to finally get usable web browsing, coupled with a higher resolution screen
- working analogue controls since mine arrived dead back in the day, still salty because that was a major selling point for me
- full USB compatibility, because bringing a hub for just a mouse sucks
- HDMI out

I hope that new speakers will bring more volume. And that the hinge will be able to keep the screen in place most of the time.
 
Pyra can do serious work with LibreOffice and Firefox.
Pandora has it but due to the low screen resolution and slow processor it's not nice to work with

Pyra will give you a real computer with real speed.

I would no recommend a Pandora if you want only one device. Pyra will be so much better (hopefully).
It's like buying a real old laptop compared to a recent one.

Wally said:
The notable flaws are:
Low Resolution (800 * 480)
No backlit keyboard
Nub faults
Lack of fully compatible Ps1 emulation ( having to use keys on keyboard instead of additional shoulder buttons.
Case is flimsy and is prone to cracking and is very hard to disassemble.
Small amount of flash storage for OS, leaving us unable to upgrade without taking an additional SD slot but now improved with the ability to have an MicroSD card internally.
Embarrassing wifi.
Vey small amount of RAM.
Click to expand...
That.

Pyra will fix most issues the Pandora has and will add lots on new features.
Not mentioned here: Better Android support and x86 WINE support (both needs time but both is realistic)
Especially Android support might be important these days.
 
Especially the faster CPU and higher screen resolution will be a HUGE addition.
These days, websites are not really optimized for slow devices. Some websites take 30 - 45 seconds to render on the Pandora, if they do render at all.
The Pyra can show these within a couple of seconds.

Having an upgradable CPU board will also help saving costs in the future :)
 
Umm. Full debian I would say? Of course we have Pandebian, Pandian (Running debian on Pandora) and some of the packages ported on the repo but it's not like having full debian running on a Pyra. Also 4xRAM on the Pandora + some swapfiles + a wonderful community = the umpc of your dreams ^^
 
1) If you lose your Pyra in the dark you can um... find it again, providing the backlit keyboard is activated.
2) It's ARM- ED to the teeth...
3) It has a "daughter-board..." and is the Pandora's big "Brother".
4) It's built by a Dragon.
5) It will have a semi-magical and fearlessly abiding group of worshipers to help with any queries.
6) It will run Debian Lino (Debian linux)
7) It will even fit in evil skinny jeans. (skinny jeans, don't get me started)
8) A most agreeable keyboard layout. (Endless threads)
9) Ed made it.
10) May win award for most gaming buttons on a portable device; ten. (Hello Guiness book of records)
 
It'll be faster. This opens up more possibilities for ports and finally reasonable frame rates for quite a few things we have on the Pandora currently.
I appreciate the efforts taken to port all this stuff to the Pandora, I really do. But 10 - 15 fps isn't what I call smooth, although it can be considered playable depending on the type of the game.

Oh and of course all that stuff said before.
 
elvissteinjr said:
I appreciate the efforts taken to port all this stuff to the Pandora, I really do. But 10 - 15 fps isn't what I call smooth, although it can be considered playable depending on the type of the game.
Click to expand...

This is probably the most exciting thing for me. I play many of the 10-15 FPS ports, as they are still enjoyable for me, but mainly I am excited for how they will run n the Pyra. Minecraft and Eldritch are great fun on Pandora, but give them a higher/more stable framerate and more reliable nubs, and those games will be a system seller for me.

I only bought Eldritch because of ptitSeb's fantastic Pandora port, and I am very happy I did. I can't wait to see it on the Pyra too.

I only wish the development model of non-free data with open source engine would become more common...
 
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