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emil10001 said:
So, I'm wondering about this new timeline... Posted a couple of weeks ago was the following:

QUOTE

So, here is a mini-roadmap:
* Case Design: January 15th
* Case Prototyping: approx. 1-2 weeks later
* Final production and delivery: approx. 2 - 4 weeks later
According to the last official blog update, *delivery* shouldn't be more than 6 weeks away. Now, Chip has said

QUOTE

The final Pandora prototype with the CNC case will be put together within the next few weeks. If that goes well, we could see actual mass produced Pandoras rolling off the assembly line in less than two months.



The case design deadline was met, IIRC, and we have seen that parts of a rapid prototype case have been made. I understand that "less than two months" could be interpreted as 6 weeks, but it could also mean 1 month and 29 days. So, which is the situation, and why the change?


I believe it's Chip's personal guess, and not an official one.
 
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True, but we're talking a difference of almost a month. The previous estimate put delivery at early March at the latest, Chip's estimate could be interpreted as late March or early April. I guess that I am just looking for either some consistency or a reason why things have changed again.
 
And you have noticed the two "approx." in the official deadline, haven't you?
 
In the german board ED mentioned a while ago, that the Case could be produced within a few days so I really start to wonder why the whole Case now needs such a huge ammount of time. We still speak from PROTOTYPES, still FDM, CNC maybe in some weeks, the Mass Production maybe a Month later...what happens all the time in between? :huh:
 
I did, I'm just getting tired of seeing the dates slip further and further back. It's frustrating, I don't really see the point in posting dates and timelines if they're just going to keep pushing things back anyways. I think at this point, there should be some dates that are set in stone, and any deviation should be communicated quickly and clearly.

Playing the semantics game gets really aggravating after a while, and it seems like we've been playing it for a long time. I'm not going to point any fingers, or bitch and moan that we don't get enough information, because we have been enjoying quite a few updates recently. But if you're going to update the main site and post a timeline, I think that it should be reasonable to assume that the timeline will be followed. Especially this late in the game.
 
They collect cash, develop software, tune the production process of the PCBs. It surely would get faster, if the case was the only thing that needs to be done ;)
 
DynaMight said:
Look on the plus side, the software side of things should be very polished.... in June when we all get our Pandoras!
Jeez, why does everyone skip May when it comes to predictions!? I see Feb, April, June all the time but never May :blink: Therefore, it's GOTTA be May. On my birthday.
 
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QUOTE
Look on the plus side, the software side of things should be very polished.... in June when we all get our Pandoras!

Yeah, june is my pain threshold.
 
If the Pandora isn't here by mid-May then I'll have a problem as I'll be spending months in the US. :p Not sure if I want to dare have it sent over there after me by mail. Although maybe at that point I could just send an email asking if the delivery address could be changed.
 
emcp said:
Chip said:
Asmo said:
No, I think what he's saying is that perhaps the Bank locked those funds, possibly under the proviso that they would be released only once the orders were shown to be fulfilled, so as to avoid the Bank being stuck with chargebacks and no funds to meet them. So the money received couldn't be used for production and refunds were initiated so as to seek funds anew that could be spent immediately.
No, we were never given that option. They said that all credit card orders must be refunded. I suspect that they figured that this was some sort of scam, and that people would start reversing the charges in droves within a week or two. After two weeks of the bank telling us they were processing refunds but no refunds going out (and no chargebacks coming in), they realized they had made a mistake. Unable to admit they fucked up, they continued to drag their feet with refunds for two months, probably hoping we would simply go out of business and go away. They still refuse to refund the AMEX orders and have gone back to their original plan of just hoping we go under so they won't have to deal with us.

Unfortunately for HSBC, that is not happening. The final Pandora prototype with the CNC case will be put together within the next few weeks. If that goes well, we could see actual mass produced Pandoras rolling off the assembly line in less than two months. The bank has gone out of their way to make this difficult for us, but everything is coming together in spite of their interference.
we havnt hear that before now have we, you word means nothing now

now give us the stuff we want, when is the deadline for bank transfers, theres a small chance im still in this

the fact is, the bank isnt a person, it doesnt have a history with you, it is a company and the same rules apply to everyone, now if only you contacted them, and communicated
which i think your unable to do, because that only post you reply to is to defend yourselves, when you supposedly have more important things to do, such as getting deadlines out, your not giving answers

the first rules of business is, you know your business and you read the fine print
you couldve known this would occur, but you never checked

also for those complaining about a $3 charge get lost, and dont pretend your not complaining because you wouldnt have included the price if you wont, also you want get answers on the forum and this is the only time i say contact them.

your ignorance caused this problem, the bank acted as suspected, maybe not by you, but thats because yous were ignorant, to the rest of us it pretty plain

im still hoping to get a pandora, and starting deving on it, i can only hope this community splits and off-site forums appear, because his community is already split, between twat head fa boys and the one with common sense

theres so much more i wanted to say, and i wanted to word it differently but this should do

OH YES
what about google checkout, you account there isnt going to be reaching its maximum forever
also i know this was said amazon, im willing to pay extra for the security, as i understand its an extreme amount

now i can only hope you dont coward and dont answer back, like youve done to all my other posts and many others

chill out, man
no need to be a dick
 
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Its starting to get on my nerves, the always moving time line...

I'm starting to feel like a donkey with a carrot always before it. And every time you expect to take a bit, they pull the carrot away with another "problem".

Its one thing after another that goes wrong. Find my one thing that has actually been designed / delivered on time? Battery, no. Case, no. LCD's, no. Keypads, no. Os/Desktop Software, no ( if the original mid/end November date was used, there probably was nothing ready, as we have only been seeing limited movies for the last month. ).

And the blame is not the banks on that one. In effect, when the preorder was done, there was nothing ready expect one off the first MB prototypes. There have been no prototypes off the case, battery, keypads, etc, and now those things are delaying it again.

Wasn't the basic idea that we by now needed to have seen a fully assembled prototype?
 
There's a funny game going on here, as has been noted before.

This is a new project. The nature of new projects is that one must "expect the unexpected."

We all want details. We want to be kept in the loop. We want more frequent updates.

But it's a losing game for the dev's. Sure, when they have good news, we all cheer.

But heaven protect them when a problem crops up. The supplier mailed a part to the wrong address. The screens aren't available according to the originally promised date. The keypads need to be harder or the wifi antenna design needs to be improved. The dev's inform us. They estimate the delay which will be added by the new problem. Everyone complains. Bitterly and at length. With vitriol. It's scary!

Hello? THIS is just the information we asked for! If you want a firm date, let the dev's say "December 2011" and not have to inform us any more about what's going on. We'll all be pleasantly surprised when it's delivered early! That's how the other companies do it. You know, the "professional" ones. (Who am I kidding? They keep us in the dark and they STILL miss their ship dates!!)

Or if, like me, you enjoy hearing updates, we should try not to beat the dev's over the head every time they they reveal their latest heartache.

Personally, I'm grateful they're not rushing this thing out the door prematurely. May I say, please, how grateful I am to be receiving a Mk3 board instead of a Mk2? And one with a better battery, a properly fitting case, buttons that are easier to type on, a wifi antenna that pulls in more signals, ad infinitum? 256Mb of RAM?!?!? I definitely want my full $330+ worth. And it sounds like I'll be getting it.

I get the feeling they want this thing done at least as much as I do. And they want to please us, the community/customers. So they tend to report what they're hoping for. Which is always the best case situation.

How many best-cases have you seen around YOU in the world today? They seem to be rarer every time I listen to the news.

I understand this thing has not yet been shrink-wrapped. I'm grateful for that. I get disappointed with enough shoddy products already. I think the Pandora's going to be different.

--Todd
 
emcp said:
what about google checkout, you account there isnt going to be reaching its maximum forever
also i know this was said amazon, im willing to pay extra for the security, as i understand its an extreme amount

now i can only hope you dont coward and dont answer back, like youve done to all my other posts and many others
Google Checkout is unwilling to take any more preorders. Amazon would be the same as any other CC merchant - as soon as we took in a large quantity of orders, they would lock out the account and probably have issues with the fact that this is a preorder.

As for the rest of your spiteful douchbaggery, I'm not interested. Whether or not you think my "word" means anything, it is the truth. You can continue to dream up ridiculous conspiracy theories about how the bank is being totally reasonable, but I know what they have said and what they have done. There is entirely too much that Craig insists should stay "off the record" for my taste, as I think people would be a lot more understanding toward our predicament if they knew all the facts. However, this is his project, so if he wants to be diplomatic about it then there is nothing I can do. I've already probably said more than I should have, but when I see ignorant diatribes like the one you posted, my blood boils. You have no idea how absurd these "respectable" financial institutions are behaving. Not that you'd believe me if I told you.
 
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fusion_power said:
In the german board ED mentioned a while ago, that the Case could be produced within a few days
That one I mentioned was the FDM, not the CNC one.
 
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Having finally caught up on whats been happening amid my busy family life, I am pleased that BT are still open and will be re placing my order promptly, as I would like a Pandora as soon as one exists and my cash is required to build it.

It is of course disappointing that things are as they are and I have sympathy for those caught out. Its a shame the original fevour of the pre-ordering and it's expected priority of shipment list and original size of first batch has altered, as that would have been an interesting slice of gaming and computing history but hey, that's where the world has been heading to lately. I'm sure the book of the development process will cover the many unknowns to us and shed light on it one day in manner that will pacify everyone.

As far as I am concerned the :pandora1: has enormous potential and when it finally ships will prove very useful for so many things that I will barely scratch its surface. In addition I had written off the original funds despite refund as spent and luckily haven't needed them. If it were to be a scam, I would also be honoured to have parted with funds to one so elaborate. As a Gp2x owner I highly doubt that though, but I will possibly refrain from reading the forum (there was much rejoicing) until a postman delivers the final product at an unknown time, as it's simply too depressing and time consuming.

What has been showcased already, is looking very good and I hope the Dev's see their pet beast safely to the light of day. Keep up the good work and when you have a moment, please update the main page or blog with issues such as the new re-pre ordering options, as the only pain bar the forum trawling, is getting quick answers and notice that your pre-ordered Pandora may no longer be yours without your intervention.

All the best to all
 
Since when has it been april, I thought it was Late Feb Early March as stated previously.

BAH!!! the wait!!! stop pushing it further back :( I'm so bored
 
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