Why ...Pandora ?

[Daskalos]

I was watching Pandora at the early stages of development but then all of a sudden my life changed and personal matters kept me away from anything computers and such related... But now things are ok again and I am following old leads!


I made this account not to post anything bad about Pandora but to ask a simple question: Why Pandora and not any other netbook / laptop ? I dont want to start any flame war... I am here to have my concerns answered because I loved the Pandora project and I am still fond of it but computers moved alot forward since Pandoras first appearance!


I watched closely Pandoras specs and I want to post here something to start the conversation.


Pandoras specs


http://openpandora.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=91&Itemid=6&lang=en


Some other laptop specs

• Display: 14.1-inch TFT LCD (1440 x 900)
  
• Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  
• Memory: 4GB
  
• Hard drive: 160GB
  
• Optical drive: DVD
  
• Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
  
• Audio: Integrated
  
• Networking: Ethernet, Modem, wi-fi 802.11b/g/n
  
• Ports: 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x eSATA, 1 x VGA, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45), 1 x modem (RJ-11), 1 x FireWire (IEEE 1394), 1 x headphone, 1 x microphone
  
• Dimensions: 13.2 inches wide x 9.4 inches deep x 1.2 inches high
  
• Weight: 4.3 pounds
  

Pandoras price: 370 euro


Some other laptop: 450 euro


I know one of the key words for Pandora is open source but the mentioned laptop can run fine any Linux distro!


So my conclusion is: maybe Pandora is somehow oveprized? Yes it is been manufactured not from a big company but from a small one... Yes it is the spirit of open source... But nowdays you can find netbooks / laptops in such small prizes and with specs similar (not even close to some specifications that Pandora got but in general close enough... ) that can make you think twice. I can have all the emulation / open source in my laptop minus the portability ( Pandora is the king here! ) and the battery consumption. Still I wonder... are these two factors enough for such a price?


Please lets keep the talk civilized.


P.S.


My real name is Albanidis Kostas and I am a teacher ( Daskalos = teacher in Greek ) in Elementary School. I have nothing to hide in anonymity and I am posting here my real life details to show you I am not here trolling or starting a flame war. I can give you more details as my webpage and such but I guess this is spamming and mods wot tolerate it!

 

[TrashyMG]

It fits in your hand.. that laptop can't.


I'll let other fill in other points.

 

[Binky]

Pandoras are smaller - sure, you can get a far more capable laptop, but you won't fit it in your pocket ( h34r: )


If you want:

1. Something that fits in your pocket
   
2. Something you can be productive with
   
3. Something you can play classic games on comfortably
   

Then a Pandora is pretty much your only hope

 

[EvilDragon]

There are quite a lot of factors why you would prefer a Pandora.


A netbook is a nice thing to take with you, work with it and sometimes play some games with it.


If that's what you mostly want to do, a netbook is fine.


There are reasons to prefer a Pandora though:

• Going on a train ride? You cannot use the netbook comfortably unless you have a table. And the battery usually only runs for 3 .- 4 hours. With the Pandora, I can sit anywhere and play / work and the battery is fine for 12 hours. Additionally, while on a trip, if I have to change trains, all I do is close my Pandora, put it in my trousers and continue playing later. A netbook needs its own bag, etc. It's not as mobile as a Pandora.
  
• If you love playing classic or homebrew games properly, you need gaming controls. The netbook is missing those, and using an external controller is not a mobile-friendly option. Heck, I even sometimes play while I'm walking to the bus station. Won't work with a netbook.
  
• Part of the fun also is the community. There's no netbook with such a dedicated community like for the Pandora
  

Basically, I got three different devices:


A laptop (for home use and when I'm going away for a week or longer), a netbook and a Pandora.


I take both the netbook and Pandora with me if I'm away for a few days, though the netbook is only used for eMail and Internet in a hotel room.


For mobile usage, it's too much for me to carry around, this is where I use the Pandora.

 

[Wally]

Well There's many factors to why I chose the pandora.


1) You don't get a community like this anywhere else unless you hack a device such as the PSP or DS but with those scenes you get all the 12 - 16 year olds bickering. Here its 30 year olds


2) its not designed by a large corporation with the aim to rob your wallets of money sure the device is expensive but thats because its not mass produced to an extent and is independently funded.


3) I love the small form factor and its ability to run many games/ emulators which are all free ( I quite enjoy Forget me not!)


There's lots of other points but they can wait until another time

 

[craigix]

10 hour REAL battery life, fits in your pocket, gaming controls....


Here we go again.

 

[Cloudef]

Latops don't have gaming controls, don't fit to your pocket. Runs x86 with fan/cooler which causes laptop to run hot, noise and bad battery life.


Pandora also allows you to exprience the joys and cons of ARM architure (from techincal and non technical point) and can be unique hacking/deving platform for major geeks.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Size, battery life, features, open source.


It's all about freedom.

 

[TrashyMG]

Also that laptop doesn't have a supportive community of introverts that can answer your every question..

 

[FaeMinx]

If the world ends and power goes out, your Pandora + a solar panel will be the ideal computing solution. Everything else will be too big and too power hungry.


Also, going camping? Travel a lot? There is no better device.

 

[Askarus]

You're a teacher, right?


You can use a Pandora for work.


Your pupil's grades, the schedule, your appointments, everything in your hand.


Taking notes anywhere because of the buttons.


I'm a student and use my Pandora to study.


We get the powerpoint presentations as a PDF. I can download them and take notes on the PDF.


Also I have my music and pictures with me.


Thanks to TV-out you can also show films (Tv-out cable isn't oout yet, but I have a custom made one that works well).


What else?


It's a special gadget and everyone admires you if you take it out of your pocket.


(That's a serious reason for me. I don't want to use the stuff everyone does or advertisement want you to buy)


You also have an insane big standby time with the new Kernel now. No booting anymore. Switch it on in the morning and turn it off in the evening. During the day simply close the lid and your Pandora is usable in 2 seconds. There's less than 2% battery live used in one hour then (and that's not even the standby mode).


Touchscreen is nice, too.


No limits to a Pandora user and the community supports you.


Thai'ts what comes in my mind at the monemt. Therre's surely much more to say.


Oh, the price: Compared to some smartphone-brands it's not that expensive.

 

[ibisum]

The nubs are awesome.

 

[FaeMinx]

The sound the Pandora produces + good headphones is second to none. It is truly superb how good the sound is. Top notch hardware there... and you can't use a laptop as a portable mp3 player.

 

[Daskalos]

Thank you very much for the replies! And thank you one more time because you fueled one old love for me


My current economic status prohibits me from obtaining one Pandora but rest assured I am already collecting the money!


You are truly awesome as a community... A community I would gladly join!


Thank you again!

 

[craigix]

Another thing to consider is that the Pandora is still, if anything, underpriced.


We really don't make much at all on each unit sold, and we have total sales of under 8000 - then unlike


Sony or Nintendo we make no money from software sales.


Making a device like this is very complex and expensive.


If someone like Apple or Sony made the Pandora it would no doubt be a desirable and very expensive item,


similar tiny computers have been $1000+ in the past.

 

[TDT]

I can't add to this....except maybe just my own points, even though most are duplications of current replies

• Community - The IRC group is a little..interesting to say the least (a little short), but the forum community is really quite nice and helpful.
  
• Portability - I ride the bus 5 days out of the week, for about 30 minutes each way. Having the pandora on the bus is really a godsend. It's small enough to fit in the hand, not be a problem with the seat infront of me, and is covert enough that I'm not making a scene with my laptop out and gaming. I have a MBA, and it's too large for the bus.
  
• It runs linux - Minor point, perhaps for some, but for me it's huge. I already have one app in mind I want to build for this, and would like to get into game creation. Since it acts like a mini computer, I can use it while at work, too. Instead of getting my laptop out (which I use for some videos, music, and password lookups), the pandora could be done just as easily and takes up even less space on my desk. The DAC is nice.
  
• Better than my GP2X. the GP2X is my old system, that this replaced. The GP2X had issues in terms of the speakers and sound where I could, easily, be really obnoxious on the bus if I don't turn off the sound beforehand. It's different on the pandora, because it actually has a decent sound range .. where on the GP2X, one hit in the + direction with headphones on makes it impossible to have headphones in....it's just too loud. With that said, the overall design of the GP2X is very nice.
  
• Runs most stuff I care about. PS1 on down works just fantastically on this. Quite honestly I wish the N64 was a bit better supported, but...I can't have everything I guess
  

 

[porg]

Owning the Pandora for 9 months, I consider these as its strengths:

• Amazing battery life (never seen anything comparable),
  
• Form factor & controls ideal for instant & precise gaming,
  
• FLOSS & the community spirit (your suggestions/contributions are taken seriously and realized, platform for sure sustainable because of enthusiasts).
  

As a mobile work/study device I would not yet recommend it:

• There is already a lot of available software, BUT:
  
• the OS has yet no consistent user interaction & interface principle
  
• still quite many of teething problems (no delete key, no modifier key input assistance, clipboard not shared between apps, …)
  
• For this I'd prefer an iOS or Android device.
  

BUT: The Pandora sure is fun, the community great, and it has a lot of potentials and is exciting to participate in that evolution!

 

[Eric Jardim]

Why Pandora and not any other netbook / laptop ?

There are 2 aspects about your question:


1 - Pandoras, netbooks and laptops sure share a lot in functionality, but they are not the same. I may ask you: a bycicle or a car? You may ask: what for? Cars are fast, but you cannot do exercises with it. Bikes don't need fuel, but you can't cary something heavy on it. See? Considerations are infinite. This is a kind of question that only you can answer.


2 - The other side of your question is: you sound like you must choose one. Why? If you are low in money and must buy only one, you should try answering 1 for yourself. Nobody can decide for you. In this case a better question you should've made is: what can I do with a Pandora? You sure read the specs, but some people here have discovered new uses. But if you have the money and need both of them, get both! I have a car and a bike. I dont' feel guilty about it.

So my conclusion is: maybe Pandora is somehow oveprized?

Really? If that was true, ED and Craing would be riding Ferraris (or at least not living with their parents , joke). As you said, it is not made by a big company, so the only way to find out is to ask the OPT how much work and money cost a single Pandora. I'm sure they would say that they are almost paying for you to have it.


But what really lies under your question is: you don't feel confortable paying the price for a Pandora. And again, no one here can say what is important to you. If you think buying a laptop and you cannot afford taking a pandora together (you are a teacher... a greek one! ), go for the laptop! I am sure no one here will be offended.


But see my story: one day in 2008 I googled for a gaming emulation device. At that time, the Dingoo was the best choice for me (got it). But I was enchanted with the OpenPandora project. When it was mature enough I preordered mine. When they gave me an option for an Instant Pandora, I didn't even blinked: no upgrade, I want a second Pandora. I am excited for see what I can do with 2 pandys. And now I can lend one to my son without worring.


You see? I really like the Pandora. It is useful to me. Stop listening to people that always have the best solution for everybody. There is no absolute truth. Tablets are fine, but are not and never will be computer replacements. Same as Pandoras.


And this is one of the beauties of the Pandora project. It is still available for an affordable price, even if there is few people wanting to buy it. This is a very rare happeing in the days we are living and I am proud of being part of it :wub: .

 

[Linux-SWAT]

As a mobile work/study device I would not yet recommend it:

• There is already a lot of available software, BUT:
  
• the OS has yet no consistent user interaction & interface principle
  
• still quite many of teething problems (no delete key, no modifier key input assistance, clipboard not shared between apps, …)
  
• For this I'd prefer an iOS or Android device.
  

I totally disagree here. Many users, including me, recommend the Pandora as a mobile work/study device :


-The OS UI is great. The desktop is Xfce, and it's a complete environment.


-Delete key "problem" is like switching from azerty to qwerty, it's a matter of hours to get used to it.


The keyboard, imho, is a bit ugly for doing bash scripts ^^, but for a common usage it's great.


The Linux clipboard (if you mean copy/paste) is highlight + the middle click.


-iOS and Android are simply not mature compared to a full Linux OS. Zaxxon is a bit small, but many apps are available in the .pnd form.


Anyway, i now provide a complete Slackware OS that kicks the teeth in of those teeny Apple and Google "OS" ^^.

 

[gotwake424]

Not to mention if you can't seem to get something working on your device ( wether it is a feature promised out of the box or just something that YOU need to work) Most members here are always MORE than willing to help those who are respectful! I have yet to see a member get shot down by ED or Someone else for needing help. Try getting custom help tailored to you from one of those laptop companies


Cheers to all the great members here