Why Pandora?


Remember for an oppositely bias opinion go to an acer forum and ask the same question...thats if they know what the Pandora is.
 
lovely. can we get some more of these, please? also, don't limit yourselves to netbooks, let your imagination fly:

'why should i get a pandora over a lawn mower?'
'i need a new coffee brewer - why a pandora?'
'a dodge viper has a v10 - what does the pandora offer under the hood?'

your tune.
 
Tincho said:
yes, but is there a possiblity to use x86 apps in the arm??
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I don't care about x86 apps: most of what I use is open source and only a recompile away

also, I like to have different archs around, they are useful to be forced to write portable code

Tincho said:
apart from the x86 pandora is able to run any linux app??
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not every linux app, but most of the open source ones, as long as they are reasonably portable

for lots of them the screen estate will probably be a bigger problem than the arm processor
 
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If you don't know why you want a toy, don't buy it.

Don't let us tell you you want something, after some time passes you'll surely see what the pandora is capable of, and then you'll either want one or not. I myself lust for one mostly due to its battery life to processing power ratio... though I always wait tell 2nd or 3rd batches of stuff like this. My 2x does its job at playing emulation as far as I really feel the need for it, so I'm mostly excited for the usefulness as one of the first open source PDAs I've seen as fitting my needs.
 
Chip said:
There is no "alternative" to the Pandora that ticks all the important check boxes at any price. There is nothing that is pocket-sized, has gaming controls and a keyboard, is an open platform, and lasts for 8-10 hours on a single battery charge. There are lots of devices that hit one or two of those points, but nothing exists (or is even known to be in development) besides the Pandora hits them all.

That pretty much covers it as far as I'm concerned. Frankly, it's the gaming controls that clinches it for me. The Pandora likely won't be the best choice for editing spreadsheets or databases on the road, but whipping out a full notebook for a game of Super Mario Bros, and using the keyboard for controls (or dragging along a USB gamepad) is pretty weak in my opinion.

Also, using an x86 has it's obvious benefits, but also has some definite downsides:
  • The ARM series of processors has been targeting portable, low-power devices for a long time... this is a foreign concept for the x86. Recent implementations like the Atom and Geode are getting there, but are still lagging behind. (I'm still curious to see if the Pandora will be able to live up to it's battery life claims, as they seem too good to be true).
  • ARM processors are readily available packed into a single chip with all manner of support hardware, while (to my knowledge), x86's still require several support chips... this means larger circuit boards, more power drain, and more heat to dissipate... not to mention a more complicated design process, involving more parts, and more expense.
  • While you might like the idea of being able to use random software without needing a native port, how well is that going to work in practice? Will it run in a friendly resolution, or will it be stretched and scaled? Will it rely on keyboard keys that you don't have? Will it suspend cleanly when you close the lid? Will it hammer your SD card with tons of unnecessary writes that will reduce it's life span? Will it require a whole Windows XP session running in the background?
There will be less software available for the Pandora... but if it's anything like the selection that was available for the GP2X, then I'll be happy with that. It's also comforting to know that all the software that DOES come out will be specifically designed with the Pandora's capabilities and limitations in mind. There are a lot of excellent programmers on these forums, and I look forward to seeing what they can do with the system.

--Zero
Click to expand...
 
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I think you are wrong about "[the acer] does all the things pandora does plus more". The acer doesn't fit in your pocket, it doesn't have this community, it doesn't have gaming controls, etc.

If you want a powerful (and power hungry) x86 based machine, buy the Acer. If you want a combined gaming and UMPC Linux based machine, buy the Pandora. It's really that simple.
 
If someone were to go onto this forum and state that they thought the Pandora sucked or whatever console that people tend to like, it should not matter. I would disagree with the person in my example but I would simply say ok that's your opinion and we disagree and that would be ok. I think the PSP is a fine handheld but I understand that lots of people would disagree with me and that's ok with me. I understand that most people including myself like it when people agree with my taste, however why should I get angry about someone being of a different opinion than myself. I can still believe what I believe and they can believe whatever they believe. With respect and the acceptance that people like different computers and game systems etc. trolling would lose all meaning and people can be free to discuss things without the fear that they will step on someones toes.
Anyway I like the idea of the Pandora and all but I could get a netbook that is the size and weight roughly of a book with more power and a bigger screen than Pandora for less money. I can play alot of games with directional keys on a keyboard and a mouse pad. If I want tiny I will take my PSP, GB Micro, DS or my GP2X with me. The PSP has a decent browser just for general web surfing once you get used to it. Anyway I like the Pandora and have been following the story for awhile and it seems like it is taking forever and a day to get the thing launched and sorry but to me $375 shipped is maybe a bit more than I am willing to pay when I have 4 handhelds already. I might get tempted enough once the Pandora is launched but time will tell.
 
Saying "wouldn't it be better if the Pandora were x86?" (or some derivative thereof) is equivalent to saying "wouldn't it be better if the PS3 could play XBox360 games and vice versa?"
Think about that.
 
WizardStan said:
Saying "wouldn't it be better if the Pandora were x86?" (or some derivative thereof) is equivalent to saying "wouldn't it be better if the PS3 could play XBox360 games and vice versa?"
Think about that.
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Oooh, that would be cool"
 
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Ze_ro said:
The ARM series of processors has been targeting portable, low-power devices for a long time... this is a foreign concept for the x86. Recent implementations like the Atom and Geode are getting there, but are still lagging behind. (I'm still curious to see if the Pandora will be able to live up to it's battery life claims, as they seem too good to be true).
Click to expand...
Why? The device was designed for high-end smart-phones and media players with about 1/3rd the battery capacity we're fielding here. If you're not used to working in this space, you'd be amazed at what power consumption vs. performance they've managed with ARM and MIPS CPUs. X86 is only really relevant in that everybody and his dog makes machines with them because everyone uses Windows so the machines have been "cheap".

QUOTE
ARM processors are readily available packed into a single chip with all manner of support hardware, while (to my knowledge), x86's still require several support chips... this means larger circuit boards, more power drain, and more heat to dissipate... not to mention a more complicated design process, involving more parts, and more expense.


No kidding. There's all-in-one SoC's for X86, but they're weak in comparison to the stuff there for X86 and even ARM and MIPS. You use X86 SoC's for moving X86 code over into an embedded space. It's really recommended to do things over in ARM or MIPS for that stuff anyhow. If it's in something like Linux, RTEMS, or VxWorks, it's reasonably painless, actually.

QUOTE

While you might like the idea of being able to use random software without needing a native port, how well is that going to work in practice? Will it run in a friendly resolution, or will it be stretched and scaled? Will it rely on keyboard keys that you don't have? Will it suspend cleanly when you close the lid? Will it hammer your SD card with tons of unnecessary writes that will reduce it's life span? Will it require a whole Windows XP session running in the background?



And you get to the Crux of the matter. In reality, you're going to find a LOT of pain making Windows and old DOS titles "mobile" with those MIDs. They don't have GPU muscle in many cases, so you can't get those to run well at all. And this doesn't even get into the pain of XP on a device like this. The OS isn't designed with this sort of form-factor in mind (never was, never will be, really...).

QUOTE

There will be less software available for the Pandora... but if it's anything like the selection that was available for the GP2X, then I'll be happy with that. It's also comforting to know that all the software that DOES come out will be specifically designed with the Pandora's capabilities and limitations in mind. There are a lot of excellent programmers on these forums, and I look forward to seeing what they can do with the system.



Heh... There may be less software right at the moment, but the indie crowd's watching this whole thing closely and we've had people sign up for ports either done by themselves or by 3rd parties (myself is one of the third parties on the hook for some LGP and some indie stuff... ;) ).
 
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QUOTE

And you get to the Crux of the matter. In reality, you're going to find a LOT of pain making Windows and old DOS titles "mobile" with those MIDs. They don't have GPU muscle in many cases, so you can't get those to run well at all. And this doesn't even get into the pain of XP on a device like this. The OS isn't designed with this sort of form-factor in mind (never was, never will be, really...).



Just read any thread on a eeepc message board about trying to get some old game to work on that netbook. The strange resolution will usually not be one of the default options, and has to be forced through an ini file change if it is at all possible. Then they have to hack it to make it work off of an SD card.
 
Freaking Need For Speed Underground 2 doesn't run at ANY widescreen resolution.
And I can't convince the nvidia X server that my television is 1440 by 900 no matter how much I yell at it.

Software designers should really put it in a config file somewhere [apparently nvidia uses some autoconfig and I'm too lazy to manually edit xorg.conf] or just say 'type in your own damn resolution, we trust you'
 
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