Who else wants one of these?

[dodle]

http://openpandora.org/

I would give my left arm for one, but then I wouldn't be able to use the D-pad or Qwerty keyboard as efficiently.

[koshatnik]

I couldn't use something that ugly in public.

[JugglinPhil]

Looks okay, but I'm quite happy with the Ds. I'm not that much of a gamer anyway.

[vinutux]

wow...........

[solitaire]

I might take another look at that OS. had a quick looks years ago when the Angstrom OS just started development (never got a working copy running) when I was playing about with my old Compaq iPaq handheld...

[coldReactive]

I wouldn't want one of those =/

[forrestcupp]

The thing is, Nintendo has a lot of game studios writing top notch games specifically for the DS. Who is going to write top notch games for this thing? If it's just going to run Open Arena and Sauerbraten, then no thanks.

[Warpnow]

Not worth the money. I'd buy a dingoo instead for $80 with most of the same functionality.

[sudoer541]

I couldn't use something that ugly in public.
same here. Now iPods/iPhones are a standard.

[Zewbie]

what games does it play?

[CJ Master]

I'd rather have a GP2X_Wiz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GP2X_Wiz) or a Dingoo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingoo).

[WorldTripping]

Looks like I'm in the minority then :P

I'm just waiting for mine to be delivered having been part of the pre-order.

For what I want to use it for it's perfect.

[CJ Master]

Looks like I'm in the minority then :P

I'm just waiting for mine to be delivered having been part of the pre-order.

For what I want to use it for it's perfect.

What would you want to use it for, though? Wouldn't a netbook be better and get more support?

[WorldTripping]

What would you want to use it for, though? Wouldn't a netbook be better and get more support?

Last time I had an extended trip away from home (2 years) I took a laptop with me to:
1.) Download digital camera images & video to.
2.) Webwork and blogging.
3.) E-mailing home.
4.) Music library to put on mp3 player.
5.) Ripped DVD's to watch.

For my next trip I intend to use my Pandora for all of the above, plus a few extra things.
1.) Use it as an mp3 player as it has a 14 hour battery life.
2.) E-book reader.
3.) Playing all my old PS1 games and a MAME emulator.

The laptop was fine for about 12 months before it broke, but it was cumbersome and required TLC when packing etc.

You are right that a netbook would have better support but even an Asus is a lot bigger and heavier than a Pandora.

I want a machine that I can just slot an camera SD card into, backup to a massive laptop HDD that is also full of music, films, books and ongoing work projects.

Add to that a wifi dongle (extra to the onboard wifi), a GPS device and a Skype handset and I have a machine that fills all of my needs as a traveller anywhere in the world.

Anyway, people should buy tech to suit their needs, and this little box fits all of mine.

My site is at http://www.worldtripping.net if anyone is interested about cycling from the UK to South Africa, and why it's better to carry small light toys!

[Clopin]

what games does it play?
I think it emulates the games. So you can backup your PS1 games etc. so you can play them on it.

[Banished]

I'm with WorldTripping on this one, I want it!

I already have a netbook that I carry everywhere, but I would like something I can game on as well and this is perfect, smaller too. It emulates games so you can choose from thousands of games, all the classics I grew up playing.

How much is it? I can't seem to find a price.

[CJ Master]

World, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a GP2x can do that as well (minus the PS-1 part, but other older game consuls.) But it's all in hindsight, enjoy your pandora, I wish I had one! :D

[Banished]

Yes..but this thing has a mini keyboard so I can write long emails, and edit spreadsheets on the go.

[Regenweald]

It's definitely a cool portable device, but the major players in Linux are an unending string of FPS, which really do not interest me much. As soon as FOSS gets a native god of war or soul calibur, I'm there. Until such time, I'd much prefer a cortex A9 smartbook. Whenever they get here.

[WorldTripping]

World, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a GP2x can do that as well (minus the PS-1 part, but other older game consuls.) But it's all in hindsight, enjoy your pandora, I wish I had one! :D

Hi,

Yup the GP2x can play old school games and play media.

But the Pandora has a lot more memory, dual SD cards, a keyboard, Bluetooth and wifi.


Pandora
# 256MB DDR-333 SDRAM
# 512MB NAND FLASH memory

GP2x
# RAM: SDRAM 64 MB
# NAND Flash ROM: 64 MB

Oh and you can run Ubuntu on it too !



The Pandora is a mixture between a PC and a gaming console. That's why it has gaming controls (Buttons, DPad and analogue nubs).

It is fast enough to emulate many other systems, run a full desktop, access the internet via FireFox and play games such as Quake3.

However, it is not as big as a netbook. Believe it or not, it will fit in your pocket. It's a bit bigger than the Nintendo DS.

The screen is an impressive 800*480 resolution LCD and the battery life is a sensational 10+ hours.

From http://openpandora.org/


As soon as FOSS gets a native god of war or soul calibur, I'm there.

Well you may well be able to play the Dreamcast version of Soul Calibur as there is a DC emulator under heavy development. But no PS2 emulator on the horizon (I remember reading that this was not possible). But PS1 emulation will be fine.


How much is it? I can't seem to find a price.


The price is $330. Very few are available now, but at the time of writing there are some still available from the first batch.

From http://gbax.com/pandoraxxx.html

Like I said in my earlier post it's a case of 'horses for courses' and whilst I wouldn't recommend the device for everybody it'll do everything that I want it to.

[dodle]

I'm selling stuff like crazy on Ebay, got about $80 in my Paypal account. Only $250 more to go.

One reason that I would choose this over a DS or other commercial hand-helds is because I'm annoyed at the video game industry, esp. Square. I had collected all the Final Fantasy games available for the PSX and was waiting for one last release... Final Fantasy III. Then they go and release it exclusively for the DS. They also made a prequel to FF VII and it was solely released for the PSP :(!!!:mad: Why do they do this to me? So I've had it with commercial hardware. I don't want to buy three separate game systems so I can play the games I want. I'll buy their games legally, but I don't see any reason why I have to be limited to their hardware.

Yeah, I could just get a nice laptop and do everything that the Pandora can do, but that thing is just way small and powerful.

I'll have to check out the Dingoo & GP2X as I don't know much about them.

I'm actually surprised at how many aren't interested in this thread, but it's way cool to get feedback from all opinions.

[jespdj]

Last time I had an extended trip away from home (2 years) I took a laptop with me to:
1.) Download digital camera images & video to.
2.) Webwork and blogging.
3.) E-mailing home.
4.) Music library to put on mp3 player.
5.) Ripped DVD's to watch.

For my next trip I intend to use my Pandora for all of the above, plus a few extra things.
1.) Use it as an mp3 player as it has a 14 hour battery life.
2.) E-book reader.
3.) Playing all my old PS1 games and a MAME emulator.
But doesn't the Pandora have far too little memory to support all that? If it has indeed only 512 MB flash storage, then it's useless for storing lots of digital photos plus an MP3 library plus ripped DVDs.

And I find $330 very expensive, you can buy a netbook which has far more CPU power and storage for the same amount of memory.

I have a Dell Mini 9 netbook running Ubuntu Netbook Remix and it works really well and is very portable.

[gn2]

Don't need or want one, it doesn't interest me at all.
Maybe that's because I'm 48...?

[orlox]

Does this thing have shoulder buttons?? I think it would lose a lot of it's purpose if it didn't come with at least an L1 and R1 button. The secondary shoulder buttons would be nice too, but I don't think it has much space for them...

[dodle]

Does this thing have shoulder buttons?? I think it would lose a lot of it's purpose if it didn't come with at least an L1 and R1 button. The secondary shoulder buttons would be nice too, but I don't think it has much space for them...

Yes, according the the specs it has shoulder buttons: http://openpandora.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=91&Itemid=6&lang=en


But doesn't the Pandora have far too little memory to support all that? If it has indeed only 512 MB flash storage, then it's useless for storing lots of digital photos plus an MP3 library plus ripped DVDs.

The Pandora does have dual SDHC slots for added memory of up 64GB.

[xpod]

I`ll pass.
It`s another DS we need now.3 into 4 just wont go and our youngest is always messing up one of her sisters "saves" on their DS`s.


Don't need or want one, it doesn't interest me at all.
Maybe that's because I'm 48...?

Because playing with that newly acquired Ducati(?) is far more appropriate for a man of your age eh....;-)

[WorldTripping]

But doesn't the Pandora have far too little memory to support all that? If it has indeed only 512 MB flash storage, then it's useless for storing lots of digital photos plus an MP3 library plus ripped DVDs.

And I find $330 very expensive, you can buy a netbook which has far more CPU power and storage for the same amount of memory.


The internal memory is only intended for the embedded OS (Angstrom).

If you want Ubuntu, put it on an SD card and reboot, if you want to listen to music or watch films, then put them on an SD card.

About the cost - when I pre-ordered, I paid £230 for a unit, spare battery and case. For that money I couldn't buy a decent TV, let alone a netbook. Oh and you can't put a netbook in your pocket; and you'll struggle to find a netbook with a 10+ hour batter life.

But as I said earlier, it'll do all the jobs I want. If if won't work for you then don't buy one.

:)

[drawkcab]

The thing is, Nintendo has a lot of game studios writing top notch games specifically for the DS. Who is going to write top notch games for this thing? If it's just going to run Open Arena and Sauerbraten, then no thanks.

Exactly.

[gn2]

Because playing with that newly acquired Ducati(?) is far more appropriate for a man of your age eh....;-)

It's a Triumph. (I opted for a proper British bike)

Computer games never did much for me, they just don't give the same thrills that you get in the real world.