Getting a bit left behind?


Right.


Also you can use the Pandora for anything.


I study with it, then I went home and listen to music. After that I can play some PSX in my spare time.


Watching films on the go or on my TV is no problem.


I have 2 SD-slots which makes it possible to carry my whole games and music collection with me all the time.


I get new stuff nearly every day and find some new ways to use it.


Only little downside for me is that the hardware is not broughed to it's limits yet. We'd need more great developers who want to optimise N64 and try Dreamcast emulation.


Hopefully some more sales and publicity will make some hackers joininng us.
 
I'm using mine less and less.


Still a lovely little bit of kit but wifi is too slow. Linux on the go, while seeming a good thing, doesn't have what I need day to day. The Android build almost saved it, giving me access to Google Calender, Docs etc but my phone does these things and I always have my phone with me.


Looking forward to P2 :) If OP can keep it down to less than £300 I'll probably buy one.
 
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I would use my Pandora more often, if some things in the OS and programs just speed up more and be more userfriendly and "handy". Browsing with the Pandora is not that great, even with "fast" browsers. I've tried some and even Midori and co. are as slow as Firefox on my Pandora. Maybe because tthe WiFi is also much slower on my Pandora than on PC (SAME WiFi Router used! )


I've tried some rough speed comparisons in browsing/handling with the iPod Touch (latest one) of my buddy... NO chance for Pandora there to compete. My Buddy basicly can instant load web pages, even videos (fluid youtube! on Apple? HOW??? ), Apps, same speed like you would browse on the PC.... damn, these Apple thingies are really fast, and I doubt it's all just because of (slightly) better hardware.


But I'm convinced that better Software on the Pandora can still speed up so much more. The Pandora 1 has aged but not that bad, It just needs some good pounds more of Software, optimizing and tweaking, at least more "fluid" handling. :)
 
When using Android on the Pandora the default browser is pretty fast. Both Chromium and Firefox is a direct port of the desktop version, it's not optimized for handheld use I can see why that is slow. We need a better working version of Fennec or something else that's speedy.
 
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At least Midori should be comparable fast but stuff like page-rendering is also incredible slow there. Afaik there is some Fennec for Pandora but only a very old one, same for Chrome mobile. Opera has an very fast mobile browser (Android) but I guess they will not do an propper Pandora port.
 
I would use my Pandora more often, if some things in the OS and programs just speed up more and be more userfriendly and "handy". Browsing with the Pandora is not that great, even with "fast" browsers. I've tried some and even Midori and co. are as slow as Firefox on my Pandora. Maybe because tthe WiFi is also much slower on my Pandora than on PC (SAME WiFi Router used! )


I've tried some rough speed comparisons in browsing/handling with the iPod Touch (latest one) of my buddy... NO chance for Pandora there to compete. My Buddy basicly can instant load web pages, even videos (fluid youtube! on Apple? HOW??? ), Apps, same speed like you would browse on the PC.... damn, these Apple thingies are really fast, and I doubt it's all just because of (slightly) better hardware.


But I'm convinced that better Software on the Pandora can still speed up so much more. The Pandora 1 has aged but not that bad, It just needs some good pounds more of Software, optimizing and tweaking, at least more "fluid" handling. :)

Try using the Android browser, it's faster.
 
or try my favourite little Browser from Angstrom Repo


the Gpe Mini Browser 2


simply open a Terminal with activated Wlan and type



Code:
sudo opkg update

then



Code:
sudo opkg install gpe-mini-browser2


then you have a very small and fast Browser for check Emails and other Things.


see here the speed ;)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/iNtYLVcz-zA?feature=oembed

But its not a full Browser,it have no Flash Support ,you can surf only on one Window and cannot Download Files.


I use it ever for gp2x Forum,the Angstrom Repo and Emails(in the Gp2xChat works it too :D )
 
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I'm still using BabyPanda, pretty fast and good enough for most websites :)


I like it better than the Android browser. While the Android browser is faster on the Pandora, I'm really missing that I can't scroll properly using the DPad :)
 
Btw the 1ghz pandora is great.I love the platinum grey colour. The build and assembly quality is improved yet again.The touch screen behaves a bit differently to my previous unit.It's more of a physical tap with the stylus.Once your used to it it's fine.The shoulder buttons have more travel too.Anyway I will do a proper video review right after my uae 2.0 video.
 
I miss the particular version of Midori that used to come on the firmware. I know it didn't work with all sites and had a tendency to crash, but it did work well for most sites and when it did it was blazing fast and barely used any memory.
 
I miss the particular version of Midori that used to come on the firmware. I know it didn't work with all sites and had a tendency to crash, but it did work well for most sites and when it did it was blazing fast and barely used any memory.

Sounds like when Opera was good.
 
I miss the particular version of Midori that used to come on the firmware. I know it didn't work with all sites and had a tendency to crash, but it did work well for most sites and when it did it was blazing fast and barely used any memory.

This one close enough?. I think it is the most usable combination for midori (didn't double-check, but I'm pretty sure it had both the speed and the stability to be usable)
 
Alas I have to voice my concern here too now, as much as I really want to hold out for my order (I'm back end of batch 1) we seem to be on the end of another elastic production run, someone did the maths and came out with october but even then the pesemist in me says that's looking like a good case example without any hitches.


To fund this and keep the project going you need to find more buyers for OP1 600's or the new 1Ghz (OP1.5?) models but due to minute run have a massive cost associated.


And even though there are a lot of unique features with OP (nubs, keyb, battery life etc) the world is moving ever forwards with much *MUCH* more powerful devices running smarter OS's and apps which when you stack up against the price of an OP it just doesn't look that attractive sadly :'( - for example you can get a tegra3 phone free on a phone contract now which is a quad core unit and a couple of weeks back I was flying a mates drone quadcopeter using ipad including nose camera feed and on screen nubs which actually worked pretty well if I am honest.
 
Well it entirely depends on what you want to do, we can't make the 1Ghz units fast enough right now to meet demand.


The performance of many Pandora apps (esp emulators) is exceptionally optimised in comparison to phone based emulators. This does make up for the difference in power, also, those quad core phones, the quad core makes little difference.


Plus you can run Android, so many of those apps can run on the Pandora anyway.
 
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True that most phone functions are not going to have that many threads, we looked at a tegra3 tab against my tegra2 tablet I bought last year and the performace increase was there but not really a staggering increase.
 
True that most phone functions are not going to have that many threads, we looked at a tegra3 tab against my tegra2 tablet I bought last year and the performance increase was there but not really a staggering increase.

Part of that problem is, that while the Tegra3 has increased the performance on paper a lot, its the multi thread aspect that is limiting that same power.


The added NEON instruction what was lacking in the Tegra2 is a added bonus, and so is the increased clock speed. But when it has gone from dual to quad core, the OS & developers part stayed behind.


Do not forget, a few years ago, most devices where just single core. The Tegra2 and other dual core added some expansion space, but still most developers focused on that one core/thread development.


Now, as far as i can see in the Tablet world, Quad core is here to stay. Most new Tablets are all Tegra3 based. And are slowly flooding the market. The other manufactures are also dual, or going to quad core ( Krait, A15 )...


The difference is, while most programs do not use the full power of multi thread environment, it still gives the people who buy a quad core, a more "future" proof situation. Because with so many devices going dual / quad core, more and more software will slowly move into the environment.


This is actually where devices like the Pandora are supposed to shine! The difference between the Pandora, and most tablets, is that it is designed for things like emulation. I read the statement in the thread, that some of the high end emulators have not been optimized to the top level of the Pandora's abilities. Let me disagree with this. The problem is, the moment you need to over optimize to give a satisfactory performance, that just means that you are putting in more time, vs smaller gains. This is true with any software development.


Let me give a difference subject, to compare with. Suppose the Pandora has a quad core 1.5Ghz Cortex A9. First of, those top emulators are probably going to run way better, thanks to just the 500mhz increase. But, more importantly, it opens up the ability for developers, to move code into threaded environment. Instead of focusing on some small gain, by trying to find something, they know in advance the possible gains, by refocusing some part of the software, to be multi thread aware.


Wanting to or not, most of the software that is on the Pandora, is actually very old. Those emulators are all based on work done in the past, from before the Pandora even existed between Craigix his loins ( ^_^ ). And this is also where it stops.


You will see the Tablet market, slowly moving more and more forward, where as the software on the Pandora, has reached it limits. I am not saying anything that is untrue. On a device like the Pandora, its impossible to even think of anything beyond N64 emulators, as there is no head space. On the Tablets, people are looking to see what is possible. Maybe its going to take another few years before we get working xbox emulators, or whatever. But the Pandora 1, will be where it is today.


And we can not forget the competition aspect. There is that JXD 7100 that has the same speed as the Pandora, but at a fraction of the cost ( 170$ vs 500$ ). Sure, it has some compromises ( less battery life, no keyboard, ... but for the most part, it does the same ). And some other projects. And the price of tablets is dropping. With the recent Google Nexus 7 ... people are already asking more and more, for a device that can connect to tablets like the WikiPad. And i suspect that as this market grows, we will see it one day. Plug in your tablet, and voila, there is your gaming tablet.


Craigix:


Phone based emulators in general already run faster on any recent generation Tegra2 or higher, then the Pandora does. No mater how much optimizing one does, it can not compensate for the increase in clockspeed, or more cores, or faster graphics.


There is one massive difference between the Pandora, and Tablets, Phones etc. Most of those products can be buyed off the shelf by the consumers. Six months ago, there where not a lot of Tegra3 based devices. Now the market is almost flooded with them. The nexus 7 is 200$, vs 500$ for the Pandora? 200$, available now, 500$ please wait 6 months? ( or a few years => What surprises me more, is to see somebody mention that he is a Batch1 client that still needs to get his product? How many years did that person wait? Its things like that, that gave the Pandora the not so good reputation in the first place, with a large part of potential clients. ).


Its not because you have a lot of people ordering the 1Ghz version, that you are actually tapping into the market. At this moment, your just tapping into a small niche market ( and are having trouble keeping up with that market ).


As the market grows, slowly more and more companies will also step into this niche market of mobile gaming consoles, using tablets and other devices. Its a logical conclusion, as to how the market is evaluating. People are already betting / expecting for Apple to also enter the mobile gaming market, with a more dedicated gaming device.


The Pandora as a project is stuck in 2008. That is my view, from outside looking inside. There have been some minor upgrades, but clearly, this project is going to stay in the 2008 mindset, while people on the "outside" world, are moving forward. 2008 ... Tablets where a thing that most people did not expect to take off. Look at it today. There is a clearly big market, for devices like that. Just as there is a market for tablet with gaming controllers ( like JXD, and some other project already show ).


And i'm sorry to say Craigex, even if you tomorrow announce a Pandora 2, with a octacore 5Ghz CPU, there are plenty of people that will doubt your ability to actually deliver them in reasonable time frame between ordering and shipping.


I can understand why the original poster find that the Pandora is starting to lag behind, because in all honestly, it is. Its just like that. Anybody who comes here, need to change there mindset, to just accept the situation. For a long time, i hoped for improvements to the project, but all i saw was delays, delays, delays, increased prices, delays, delays, a small upgrade, delays ... Realistically, i say to the Original Poster: Do not bother over thinking or hoping for some miracle, because with this project it will not happen any time soon. Just accept the project like it is. A small community project. If you are looking for a future proof device, with the ability to expand into new forms of emulation, or other things, i fear your are better off looking at other projects. That is a more realistic look upon things.


So, that will probably be my last post this period. I'll come see again in a few months, how the is almost still Pandora same like in 2008. Its actually kind of funny for me these days. They say there are only 2 certain things in life: Dead and taxes. I belief that there are 3 certain things: Dead, Taxes, and the Pandora project staying the same as in 2008 ( well, beyond the massive price increase ). *lol*
 
I agree with the previous post that there is going to be a need for a new Pandora down the road pretty soon, beyond the 1Ghz version, to stay up to speed with what is happening in that space and look forward again.


But it's not just a matter of power/hardware. You could say the same thing with PS3 / Xbox 360 and the like : they have been completely outpaced in terms of technology by PC graphic cards for a long time, but they continue to sell and to exist because there is software support. Same for the Pandora: as long as people create software for it, the device may continue to exist, even if it is a niche market.
 
Benjiro: Have you actually ever used one?


I got a Nexus 7 recently, and the only thing I use it for is for playing Pinball Arcade and browsing the web.


As soon as write mails or write in forums, I fallback to the Pandora, because that virtual keyboard is just driving me crazy.


Yes, of course, webbrowsing is faster on a tablet (and the screen is bigger, which is nicer as well), but replying to forum threads or writing eMails doesn't need much speed, it needs a keyboard.


I don't play a single emulator on the Nexus 7. It's just no fun with virtual controls.


The only emulator that runs better on the Nexus 7 than on the Pandora is N64. Why? Because it has a higher clockrate.


All other emulators I use (SNES, Amiga, C64, PSX, etc.) run fullspeed on the Pandora.


Even a quadcore 1,6GHz processor doesn't make any difference here: Fullspeed is fullspeed. However, the Pandora has proper gaming controls, so it's better suited for that.


Having a full DOS and Win95 PC with qemu and keyboard is also nice... is there even a proper qemu port for Android? Haven't checked.


But I can play stuff like Starcraft 2 on the Pandora... not sure I can do this on a tablet.


Specs is not everything. Sure, if something is too slow on a device, higher specs help out here. Which is why webbrowsing is much nicer on current devices.


But if a game runs fullspeed, there's no need for a higher CPU.


BTW: Where do you get that you can't buy a Pandora right away?


The Pandora is available from stock for over 1,5 months now. No need to wait.


The 1GHz unit will probably also be available from stock soon.


And anyone who followed the full story knows that the biggest issue in production was CC and that now everything works well, so I don't see thy that should change for a possible Pandora 2.
 
I got a Nexus 7 recently, and the only thing I use it for is for playing Pinball Arcade and browsing the web.
As soon as write mails or write in forums, I fallback to the Pandora, because that virtual keyboard is just driving me crazy.

it's definiately not comparable to smartphones, through classic pandora fall behind because of the new 1GHz version...

I got a Nexus 7 recently, and the only thing I use it for is for playing Pinball Arcade and browsing the web.
BTW: Where do you get that you can't buy a Pandora right away?


The Pandora is available from stock for over 1,5 months now. No need to wait.


The 1GHz unit will probably also be available from stock soon.

It's maybe related to the fact that some people who UPGRADED from craig shop some time ago were complaining they received nothing some month after the upgrade?


it's maybe a biased view, but from the outside I also doubt we will see a real new (2) pandora before a few years in mass production...
 
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