Where Will The Devs Go Next If The Pandora's A Runaway Success?

[PoisonedV]

The Bank.

 

[Trip]

I'd have to go with the pub or nearest bar

EDIT (for a more useful post):

If I was them - 2-3 years down the line I would create a new version but with updated hardware and extras and have it backward compatible with this Pandora. Due to the cost of making the original Pandora's dropping over time, this would allow them to sell the new high end version at full price and the current Pandora as the systems cheaper brother.

Developers who couldn't afford to pay out for the new version wouldn't be left out and places like universities could use the cheaper option for creating better programming courses without breaking the bank. This would of course bring in even more developers which would also push up sales of both systems.

I'm not them though

 

[hells_dark]

Monkeys discover fire...

Never thought about it.
FEAR.

 

[Prophet]

The Bank.

Hey... I was just coming here to write that. You stole my joke!

 

[PoisonedV]

The Bank.

Hey... I was just coming here to write that. You stole my joke!

Oh, man, I was so happy when I browsed the thread and saw that no one had said it yet.

 

[daffy]

I think the things to do with the next version are mostly obvious, but I'll list them for completeness' sake:
- GPS
- orientation sensor
- 1024x720 would seem to be ideal screen res
- tablet mode (I'd have paid $100 more to have a tablet mode)
- camera
- DVI/HDMI output
- wireless broadband option
- more better faster

FWIW, I also think a cheap but killer feature would be a cluster of buttons on the back you can reach with your fingers when you're holding it the obvious way. A small group of dedicated users would use this for a chorded keyboard. It would take practice, but you'd eventually be able to type as fast on Pandora 2 as you can on a regular keyboard. This would rawk. Everyone else can use those buttons for shoulder buttons etc in games, so FTW anyway.

Let me finish by saying the form factor for Pandora 1 appears to be a very, very nice bit of design. Interesting to think that iPhone is what you get from a great design company, while Pandora is what you get from an open source geek effort. Both very different, and both great.

 

[gruso]

I'd have to go with the pub or nearest bar
Yes, a dank English pub called the Mermaid & Hacksaw or something. A long way to travel for some of the team, but at least there'd be a warm pint at the end of the journey.

 

[PoisonedV]

I think the things to do with the next version are mostly obvious, but I'll list them for completeness' sake:
- GPS
- orientation sensor
- 1024x720 would seem to be ideal screen res
- tablet mode (I'd have paid $100 more to have a tablet mode)
- camera
- wireless broadband option
- more better faster

FWIW, I also think a cheap but killer feature would be a cluster of buttons on the back you can reach with your fingers when you're holding it the obvious way. A small group of dedicated users would use this for a chorded keyboard. It would take practice, but you'd eventually be able to type as fast on Pandora 2 as you can on a regular keyboard. This would rawk. Everyone else can use those buttons for shoulder buttons etc in games, so FTW anyway.

Let me finish by saying the form factor for Pandora 1 appears to be a very, very nice bit of design. Interesting to think that iPhone is what you get from a great design company, while Pandora is what you get from an open source geek effort. Both very different, and both great.

so, you are in favor of turning the pandora from a pda / gaming handheld to a 'HEY! look what i can do!'

 

[mali]

so, you are in favor of turning the pandora from a pda / gaming handheld to a 'HEY! look what i can do!'

Yeah, that would turn the Pandora into just another cram-all-in expensive want-to-be device nobody would buy anyway. Stay with the basics but do them well

 

[daffy]

I think the things to do with the next version are mostly obvious, but I'll list them for completeness' sake:
- GPS
- orientation sensor
- 1024x720 would seem to be ideal screen res
- tablet mode (I'd have paid $100 more to have a tablet mode)
- camera
- wireless broadband option
- more better faster

FWIW, I also think a cheap but killer feature would be a cluster of buttons on the back you can reach with your fingers when you're holding it the obvious way. A small group of dedicated users would use this for a chorded keyboard. It would take practice, but you'd eventually be able to type as fast on Pandora 2 as you can on a regular keyboard. This would rawk. Everyone else can use those buttons for shoulder buttons etc in games, so FTW anyway.

Let me finish by saying the form factor for Pandora 1 appears to be a very, very nice bit of design. Interesting to think that iPhone is what you get from a great design company, while Pandora is what you get from an open source geek effort. Both very different, and both great.

so, you are in favor of turning the pandora from a pda / gaming handheld to a 'HEY! look what i can do!'

That's not a 'Hey! look what i can do!'. It's a 'Wow, this does everything I need'. Who wouldn't want one of those? I have absolutely no idea what you are objecting to. A more useful device is bad how?

 

[Trip]

I'd have to go with the pub or nearest bar
Yes, a dank English pub called the Mermaid & Hacksaw or something. A long way to travel for some of the team, but at least there'd be a warm pint at the end of the journey.

A pub up on the moors with the fog rolling in and a loon sat in the corner rambling on about werewolves

 

[jdh2550]

I think the things to do with the next version are mostly obvious, but I'll list them for completeness' sake:
- GPS
- orientation sensor
- 1024x720 would seem to be ideal screen res
- tablet mode (I'd have paid $100 more to have a tablet mode)
- camera
- wireless broadband option
- more better faster

FWIW, I also think a cheap but killer feature would be a cluster of buttons on the back you can reach with your fingers when you're holding it the obvious way. A small group of dedicated users would use this for a chorded keyboard. It would take practice, but you'd eventually be able to type as fast on Pandora 2 as you can on a regular keyboard. This would rawk. Everyone else can use those buttons for shoulder buttons etc in games, so FTW anyway.

Let me finish by saying the form factor for Pandora 1 appears to be a very, very nice bit of design. Interesting to think that iPhone is what you get from a great design company, while Pandora is what you get from an open source geek effort. Both very different, and both great.

so, you are in favor of turning the pandora from a pda / gaming handheld to a 'HEY! look what i can do!'

That's not a 'Hey! look what i can do!'. It's a 'Wow, this does everything I need'. Who wouldn't want one of those? I have absolutely no idea what you are objecting to. A more useful device is bad how?


Personally I'm looking forward to the quad core version with 1GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

Either that or "go faster stripes" painted on the case.



daffy, to be fair to you I'm in the other camp as well - there's a line at which you have to decide "are these features suitable for this size of device?" and "who is the target audience". More is not always better, because "more" always comes at a "price" - there are folks who already say the pandora has too much of x, y or z (they're wrong of course - but they say it anyway).

Hey, I got creamed with my first posts to this board when I asked if we could have more than 128MB RAM...

---

Personally, what I'd like to see them make is a $199 based device with an Apple iTouch form factor (all touch screen - no buttons). But with lots of USB ports, wi-fi and bluetooth as an open platform. Such a device could be used for a lot of things by adding the peripherals you want for whatever the task at hand is. Make the case design such that peripherals could be "clipped on" in some fashion - so if you wanted a pandora you'd buy the base unit and a $100 keyboard + analog sticks + SDHC + video out peripheral that would be the same size as the base unit and clip on to it. If you want to use it as a digital dash for your bike or car - unclip the keyboard and slot it into a cradle that has the appropriate OBDII and/or A/D interfaces built in. When you want to read an e-book just use it by itself.

Now, that would be cool! (IMHO)

 

[javaJake]

They'd all join up into a company named OpenPandora Holdings, and start work on the P2X.

 

[Patrick R Ludvigsen]

720p screen

Faster processor & gpu, more ram etc

...

that's all i would really want to change in it for a sequel, the rest is perfect as it is :lol:

 

[TaG]

I'd have to go with the pub or nearest bar
Yes, a dank English pub called the Mermaid & Hacksaw or something. A long way to travel for some of the team, but at least there'd be a warm pint at the end of the journey.Eugh! A nice, cool pint of Sam Smiths... Shame I'd have to drive 100 miles for a pint...

...
- more better faster
...
so, you are in favor of turning the pandora from a pda / gaming handheld to a 'HEY! look what i can do!'That's not a 'Hey! look what i can do!'. It's a 'Wow, this does everything I need'. Who wouldn't want one of those? I have absolutely no idea what you are objecting to. A more useful device is bad how?
It's bad if everybody else is trying to make it. The Pandora is likely to do well as it is unique at its price point. Put the price up and suddenly there are a lot of competitors. Besides, it started as a gaming handheld computer, not a netbook.

 

[PoisonedV]

I'd have to go with the pub or nearest bar
Yes, a dank English pub called the Mermaid & Hacksaw or something. A long way to travel for some of the team, but at least there'd be a warm pint at the end of the journey.Eugh! A nice, cool pint of Sam Smiths... Shame I'd have to drive 100 miles for a pint...

...
- more better faster
...
so, you are in favor of turning the pandora from a pda / gaming handheld to a 'HEY! look what i can do!'That's not a 'Hey! look what i can do!'. It's a 'Wow, this does everything I need'. Who wouldn't want one of those? I have absolutely no idea what you are objecting to. A more useful device is bad how?
It's bad if everybody else is trying to make it. The Pandora is likely to do well as it is unique at its price point. Put the price up and suddenly there are a lot of competitors. Besides, it started as a gaming handheld computer, not a netbook.

Actually I think "It started as a gaming handheld computer, not a eeepc with 10 usb hubs daisy chained" is more accurate for this situation

 

[daffy]

Actually I think "It started as a gaming handheld computer, not a eeepc with 10 usb hubs daisy chained" is more accurate for this situation

I believe a large proportion of folks are buying the Pandora as a better EEEpc. That it has good game controls is great because all computers need a variety of good UI options.
The original plan for the Pandora has now become a much more general purpose device. I'd bet you could add the functions I describe to the device for $50 cost tops. Would many folks pay $100 more for a device like I describe? Certainly.
I can't see how this is a yes/no question in the absence of cost information. If it would cost $300 more and make the device significantly bigger, then no, I don't want those features. But they are all worth consideration for the next version of the device, insofar as they don't.

 

[mali]

Actually I think "It started as a gaming handheld computer, not a eeepc with 10 usb hubs daisy chained" is more accurate for this situation

I believe a large proportion of folks are buying the Pandora as a better EEEpc. That it has good game controls is great because all computers need a variety of good UI options.
The original plan for the Pandora has now become a much more general purpose device. I'd bet you could add the functions I describe to the device for $50 cost tops. Would many folks pay $100 more for a device like I describe? Certainly.
I can't see how this is a yes/no question in the absence of cost information. If it would cost $300 more and make the device significantly bigger, then no, I don't want those features. But they are all worth consideration for the next version of the device, insofar as they don't.

I understand your point and I agree partly. But when you design a new product, you have something in mind and you start research if there is demand for it and start developing, if you think it's worth it. This project was started by members of this community, relying on input of the community. If you start to drift away from the userbase, they might lose interest in the process and the project is doomed. You have to research, what are the most important features and then fokus the design on them instead of adding features of questionable value for the main audience. Every single new feature costs money and some dollars in the price can decide about success or failure.
Let's all fight for the success of this product. If there is demand for Pandora 2 sometime, I hope they will ask the community again. If the community agrees with you about your suggested features, then they might be added
As an aside note, I would like to see external accessory development for pandora, if feasible. Like gps-mice with external connector plug or car adapter for ODB-2, bluetooth HSDPA-mice etc.

 

[jakshep2]

720p screen

Faster processor & gpu, more ram etc

...

that's all i would really want to change in it for a sequel, the rest is perfect as it is :lol:

I suppose in the next 5 or so years then screen quality would have increased rather dramatically, but not that much lol all I would want in the next pandora is probably just more power "under the hood"