Mockup: Extension Bar


I would probably never buy it either but I still think it's a good idea. Sure you can get bluetooth GPS and a cell phone, but I think the all in one thing still appeals to some people... even as a laptop replacement.
 
lucidchaos said:
I find the idea of an expansion intriguing, although I would probably never buy one myself. If such a contraption were offered, here is what I would look for:

Lose the camera. It takes quite the commitment to find a cell phone without a camera on it, and not many people will buy a pandora without a cell phone.
My Phone is a Nokia e61. I bought it because it has a keypad, and I hate writing text messages on a standard phone pad. It does not have a camera though. I'd love an extension for Pandora which includes a camera.

QUOTE

Lose the GPS. You can get a bluetooth GPS receiver for $30.



Well I don't know. If you're going for an all-in-one extension I'd like to see this included. Not relying on bluetooth would increase battery life, for starters.

QUOTE

Two trigger buttons - Great idea! From a standpoint of ergonomics I'd like to see them oriented side-by-side rather than over-and-under.



Not a priority for me. Personally I prefer games with as few buttons as possible, plus there's a keypad with plenty of 'extra' buttons if needed.

But again, if an extension is being built anyway, and there's room, bung it in!

Following your logic, a USB gamepad could be bought for just a few dollars which includes all the triggers you'd want.

QUOTE

Accelerometer - Seriously now, if you have room to wield the pandora like the mighty wii remote, you probably have enough room to just bluetooth a wii remote to it. Also, you'd look like a fool. A fool having a great time, but a fool nonetheless.



I'd be interested to see if devs could find some interesting was to use a built-in accelerometer! But I'd say it's the least vital of all the addons


QUOTE

USB hub - At first i liked this idea, but the more I thought of it, the more I thought it silly. IF you're going to hook up four different devices, you need to invest in a laptop.



Well considering a USB hub would probably be the cheapest item to implement then I think it should be added in anyway.

There may be times when you want to add an external keyboard and a couple of game pads (when connected to the telly, for instance) and it is just a little less hassle if it has the items built in.

But is everybody forgetting what else this baby could be used for? We're adding all that extra bulk onto the Pandora, and I don't see the components taking up too much space... let's fit an extra battery in there!!!! 20 - 200 hours of battery life anybody?!!! :D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
QUOTE

Lose the camera. It takes quite the commitment to find a cell phone without a camera on it, and not many people will buy a pandora without a cell phone.



Why? The Camera is a nice idea. Hell, i say, go a step farther, and integrade a GPS/Edge/3g whatever in it.

QUOTE

Lose the GPS. You can get a bluetooth GPS receiver for $30.



And carry another piece of equipment around? I rather see a device that has it all build in, then that you need to carry 3 devices with you.

Here's some experience from a PDA owner's standpoint:

1. BT GPS is all nice and well, but, in your car that thing tends to fly from left to right.
2. BT GPS needs a battery, aka, forgot to charge your BT GPS, and your out of luck
3. BT GPS needs cables. If you did not charge it in advance, start with stringing those cable from your lighter charget to your GPS, PDA, etc.. all nice and well :(
4. When you need your BT GPS, you don't have it with you! No offense, but its very easy to suddenly need to go to x location, and o look, the BT GPS is at home, in the charger. Same with the PDA. O well, back to paper maps. The theory is nice, but in reality, at best i for one carry only one device on me.

QUOTE

Accelerometer - Seriously now, if you have room to wield the pandora like the mighty wii remote, you probably have enough room to just bluetooth a wii remote to it. Also, you'd look like a fool. A fool having a great time, but a fool nonetheless.



Ok, a accelerometer is one thing thats more on the useless list... nice extra, but 9/10 change never going to be used a lot.

QUOTE
USB hub - At first i liked this idea, but the more I thought of it, the more I thought it silly. IF you're going to hook up four different devices, you need to invest in a laptop.



What if you want to use a keyboard / mouse... No, the answer is not always, get a BT mouse / keyboard. For that added cost of those, you can get a few small carry usb keyboard/laptop mouse + maybe the extension bar.

BT devices have the habit of being more expensive ( a lot more in my experience ) then any USB based counterparts.


It all depends on what the extention bar add's to the package. What is the weight going to be, the extra size, the usability... the price!

tazg's suggestion is also not all that bad, as a lower bay. Might as well add a extra battery in that one ;)
 
Camera extension?
Um... I was planning to buy some good USB webcam, and use it to take pictures of the image from a Zeiss Biotar 2.8/80 (and other interesting lenses) on some 6x6cm ground glass.
:p

tazg's addon system looks good.

For my personal needs, it would be:
1. First addon with USB hub, a 2.5" hard disk? One USB port facing down, to connect this:
2. Second addon layer, with camera, TV tuner, and extra battery.

EDIT: accelerometer can be useful... to sense camera orientation!...
 
Back
Top