Comments on the new website (openpandora.org)


urjaman

"I Know. We're going for a ride."
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Hi,


Since there doesnt seem to be a thread for this (as of writing), I'll start one and list a few weird things I found.


http://openpandora.org/#!connectivity :

The Pandora has a USB OTG Mini-AB port too, with the right adaptor you can use this to hook up an assortment of USB devices which require more power than the full-sized port can deliver.
This is obviously wrong. The full size port is the biggest power output on the pandora (500mA nominal). The OTG port has 100mA power output in host mode.


There is now no listing for Openpandora Ltd as a distributor/place-to-get-pandora. This seems weird if we want Craig to have sales. It lists dragonbox.de as the distributor for UK/Ireland. Mostly it is weird because there is an UK/Ireland selection and then it says dragonbox.de. If we want to only list Dragonbox, Ithic and T.H. Solutions (never heard of that before), we would only need Germany, USA&Canada and Global as selectors.


Also, on the legal information lists Openpandora Ltd as responsible for english version and OpenPandora GmbH for German version, although I see no selector for language or version, so this looks a bit weird. Maybe it autodetects if you come from germany / request germany in your browser headers, but I dont have time to test that now.


EDIT: Oh, and first time loading the page load looked a bit funny with a pandora screen content floating in the air before the pandora image was loaded. Maybe that order could be altered.
 
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Since there doesnt seem to be a thread for this (as of writing), I'll start one and list a few weird things I found.


http://openpandora.o.../#!connectivity :

The Pandora has a USB OTG Mini-AB port too, with the right adaptor you can use this to hook up an assortment of USB devices which require more power than the full-sized port can deliver.
This is obviously wrong. The full size port is the biggest power output on the pandora (500mA nominal). The OTG port has 100mA power output in host mode.

Thanks for the info, fixed.

There is now no listing for Openpandora Ltd as a distributor/place-to-get-pandora. This seems weird if we want Craig to have sales. It lists dragonbox.de as the distributor for UK/Ireland. Mostly it is weird because there is an UK/Ireland selection and then it says dragonbox.de. If we want to only list Dragonbox, Ithic and T.H. Solutions (never heard of that before), we would only need Germany, USA&Canada and Global as selectors.

T.H. Solutions doesn't have an online shop, it's only a local small shop in Germany :)


I don't know about the online shop from Craig. I sent him a mail asking where I should link and whether I should link or not.


Right now, he doesn't have units to sell, so only dropshipping would work. I didn't get any information from him about that yet.


This will be added in the future.

Also, on the legal information lists Openpandora Ltd as responsible for english version and OpenPandora GmbH for German version, although I see no selector for language or version, so this looks a bit weird. Maybe it autodetects if you come from germany / request germany in your browser headers, but I dont have time to test that now.

The german website is not yet finished, I need to translate it.
 
Ed, what about a christmas push for the 1ghz. something was suggested in another thread like this.


If the price was lowered a little, could ye sell enough in bulk to remove some of those debts? Some kind of temporary deal running till the end of janurary or such might be an idea.


Is there any online retailer that would sell pandoras?
 
I noticed that in IE8 the text describing the image currently displayed on the pandora's screen is hard to read due to the white text being on a white background.


Also as I was reading through the FAQ, the line about "running windows if you want to torture yourself" seems a little off color :p .


But overall it looks really good! I like how the pages smoothly transition from one to the other e.g. when I go from the main page to the FAQ.
 
Just noticed when Super Geometry Dust was listed, as a native port. Is it a port if it was released to the Pandora first?
 
Is the platform selection menu meant to contain videos? ie amiga emulation, megadrive etc?


I know eds made alot of vids recently.
 
Protip: change the joomla favicon. It looks horrible and noobish :p
 
The links on the top of the emulator- and other sections lead nowhere. But on the communitypage they lead to the forum etc. This is a bit misleading I think.


Also, Jaguaremulation shouldn't really be listed there imho, as there are no fullspeedgames I know of.


But those are small things.


Also, the SDcardslots are only sdhc certified, not sdxc, iirc.


So even if some sdxc cards work, that don't use sdxc specific features, It might not be possible to reach the sdxc limits or speeds.


Did anyone test the biggest and fastest sdxc cards in the Pandora anyway?


I like the website otherwise.


The things with the usbport and so on were already discussed in the other thread and changed already. Do you have an older version?

The links on the top of the emulator- and other sections lead nowhere. But on the communitypage they lead to the forum etc. This is a bit misleading I think.


Also, Jaguaremulation shouldn't really be listed there imho, as there are no fullspeedgames I know of.


But those are small things.


Also, the SDcardslots are only sdhc certified, not sdxc, iirc.


So even if some sdxc cards work, that don't use sdxc specific features, It might not be possible to reach the sdxc limits or speeds.


Did anyone test the biggest and fastest sdxc cards in the Pandora anyway?


I like the website otherwise.


The things with the usbport and so on were already discussed in the other thread and changed already. Do you have an older version?


Edit: Another thing that is not otimal is, that you need more clicks to get to certain sections or other Pandorarelated sites.


On the old site you could directly go to the boards by using the dropdownmenu. Here you need to click on the communitylink, then wait for the new site to render and then click on the forumlink.


Edit2: Ok, the forum is a bad example, as there is a shortcut at the top, but it is still true for the wiki etc.


Edit3: The quotes on the mainpage still seem strange to me. Are they random!? Who said them? Or are they just craigs imagination? A little text underneath them with the source would be good.


Edit4: Why use the chromelogo for the Movies... Link? It is the least up to date browser on Pandora and even though its fast, it is outdated and therefore insecure and has other issues like the ssl bug.


Sure, you can use it on Android but its very slow there...
 
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the images on the 'Pandora screen' on the main page jump down a pixel (or two) just before and after they transition. Firefox 16.0.2 on Windows 7 64. (does not occur on Chrome)
 
And one of the things that make this site almost impossible to watch (at least to me) is that you cant view it on internet explorer
 
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Ed, great new design! Congratlations!


One flaw, minor for us, but I guess major for potential customers:


The home page pandora screenshot animation, synchonized with the subtitles explaining what is shown in the Pandra screen, proceeds too fast.


For *only* reading the subtitles or *only* watcing the "slide show", the speed may be suitable, but if you look at the screenshots and then want to read, what it shows, or if you even only read the subtitles, and if something flashes by that interests you, so you look up ont the screen, you will miss the desired view.


I'd set the duration for each "slide" up from now 3 seconds(?) to maybe 8 seconds.
 
It's very fancy. But I wonder for which screen resolution it was optimized for though. On my desktop (1920x1080) it looks somehow weird because it does not use the full window ...
 
The german website is not yet finished, I need to translate it.
ED, maybe you should consider about other languages. This is where community could help (it is about investing time and knowledge, not cash).


I'm telling you that because of palstyo's post: As I understood, there are people in Japan willing to donate in project.


IMHO, this is the quickest way to show gratitude. And to become introduced to new donnors, of course.


If you manage to do that (organizing multilanguage translation), I can do Italian and Croatian for sure, and probably all of ex-YU (Slovenian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian) and some else.


I did it before, we did localizations of OpenOffice.org, KDE and so on.
 
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Major issue, if it also occurs to others than me:


IE version 9.0.8112 does not display the right side of the screen at all.


Left side seems to look just like it does in Firefox.


But the right side includes the "Order now"-button.


If this happens to others too, that would mean there's no way for IE-people to order?


Someone else, please test... if it works for you, then forget I ever posted.


Sure, MS might be evil and Windows might be torture, but...
 
Major issue, if it also occurs to others than me:


IE version 9.0.8112 does not display the right side of the screen at all.


Left side seems to look just like it does in Firefox.


But the right side includes the "Order now"-button.


If this happens to others too, that would mean there's no way for IE-people to order?


Someone else, please test... if it works for you, then forget I ever posted.


Sure, MS might be evil and Windows might be torture, but...
That is what happens to me too.
 
IE version 9.0.8112 does not display the right side of the screen at all.
That is what happens to me too.

On reload, the right side texts flash on screen quickly, only to be buried under the background soon after that.


If I may suggest; quick fix is to add "Order" to the top right ("FAQ, Contact, Forums, Order"). I tried the url:


...dora.org/#!order


and that one works, the region buttons appear on screen in IE too so all people really need is access to the link.


Of course, fixing it really would be better, if it is easy and quick...
 
Btw site is great, it has some nice features implemented. Great design. Thank you Gadgetoid, Craig, ED and all of you responsible of.


I like "Pandora screen trick" (on device), it is relatively easy to implement new "demo screens".


Possible future improvements:

  • Little pop-up window with demo of analog game-controls - because they are great and Pandora unique (and on iCP, ok).
  • Maybe some other pop-up, if it is not too much annoying
  • quick link with "Special offer" (it has to be always, like some Christmas right now) and "Donate" (look at Humble Bundle)
  • I will put fast scroller down like C64 introz (e.g. like this), with list of emulated systems or top games/apps or so. This font (or some Amiga, ST... bitmap art)


Why scroller? Because

  1. page is now too much static for game device (boring)
  2. to quick inform people of enorm possibility already implemented (few seconds web page rule)
  3. retro image is in retro style of retro emulation
  4. retro style highlights modern design (by oppposite contrast)
  5. to make people nostalgic and make them put lots of money in project, with tears in eyes and smile all over face :D


(edit: if you put "C64 styled horizontal scroller" down, you should make some animation up, because of visual design-balance. Pandora logo and/or "1 GHz" tile should shine, every now and then. Personally I don't like glittering, but purpose is to attract people, not ART)
 
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Nice one! It looks flawless in Opera now, no overflown text or wrong alligned elements, the animated Pandora screen frame also is in the correct position, good job. :)
 
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