Release The new website


Once again, and this is really starting to worry me, *there is no HTML5* in the website.
Maybe if you post this every other post, people may finally get it..


Trying to get every type of browser to look the same can be a lot of work.. Hell even getting the Windows version of Chrome and Firefox to look exactly like the Linux or Mac versions is sometimes tough to get right.. Luckily none of my web work is ever seen past my work's corporate firewall so I have the luxury of not having to build my web applications to work for every odd ball browser out there.


And just to annoy the uptight Web Developers out there.. I use tables.. lots of them..
 
Some of the display issues people are having, particularly with regards to the intro page and screenshots transformed onto the Pandora screen, are due to missing parts of the CSS compatibility stack. Should be an easy fix.


Any issues in IE are because IE is a sack of crap.


As for large displays: alas, it's a lot of information crammed into a small space! There is a small amount of Responsive CSS to cope with lower resolutions, but nothing to make it less insane on a high resolution display.


The instant transition on hover irks me, and something along the lines of a timer would be nice. I suspect the jQuery HoverIntent plugin would help, but it needs a visual cue.


Also, the CSS doesn't necessarily have to be in a CSS file. It's more efficient for it to be embedded. Site efficiency benchmarks like Google Pagespeed will recommend inlining small snippets of CSS. In this specific example, none of the sub pages result in a server request because they're driven by a slideshow plugin, so inlining the entire CSS doesn't result in extra bulk as it would if each page were a separate file.


Eliminating server request-response round-trips is never a bad thing, and some people go so far as to inline images by base64 encoding them.
 
A couple of new comments:

On the go entertainment and productivity


With Android in the mix you can use Netflix and iPlayer on the Pandora alongside a variety of video and music apps in both Linux and Android.



But don't just consume content, create it! With the Pandora 1GHz you can take advantage of office suites, development tools, music sequencers, note managers, educational software and more to create and learn. Full C/C++ development tools enable on-device compilation, letting you literally write and compile your own games and software on the go.

It does not even mention the main OS of the device, Angstrom. It is the MAIN system of the device, so why Android gets the first mention ?


iPlayer only works in the UK, that should be mentioned, too.

From on the go productivity to gaming in moments


Sitting side-by-side, the full QWERTY keyboard and gaming controls offer the best of both worlds, be it business or pleasure. When you're not gaming, the analogue nubs make an excellent stand-in for a nipple-mouse and are much easier to use over long periods of time than the touch screen.



When you are gaming, the analogue gives you familiar games-console-like control over your 3D games, and the enthusiast-tweaked digital pad and face buttons are amongst the best of their kind.

There is no mention about the number of buttons for gaming, i.e. no mention of the shoulder buttons. That is useful information to clarify that there is full emulation of most controllers for the systems mentioned.

With over 50 free emulators currently available, the emulation potential of the Pandora is mind blowing.
Relive your favourite games on retro computers like the Atari and C64, through 8bit and 16bit consoles like the NES, SNES, Master System and Megadrive and culminating at N64, Playstation 1, Gameboy Advance and Pentium-era PC. The selection of games opened up is immense, and you'll be raiding the loft for your classic cartridges.

If you mention the Master System, the Amiga should be mentioned because it was clearly the most popular 16 bit computer in the end 80s and 90s. N64 does not work full speed for many games, should it even be mentioned so prominently? Mentioning the PC-ENgine / Supergraphx would be more appropriate since that one work at full speed.

We know movies, music and games chew through disk space, so we didn't put any fixed storage inside the Pandora. Instead, dual SD card slots mean you can double up on the storage and are future-proof up to a possible 4 terabytes of storage at the theoretical 2TB maximum capacity of SDXC cards.

Are you sure there is software/firmware support for up to 2Tb cards ?? This seems like an overly optimistic marketing claim, again.

The full-sized USB host port will let you use USB hard-drives, 3G adaptors and many more USB low-power peripherals.

This sounds like a half-lie since you do not mention this is a USB 2.0 only port, and many of the low-power peripherals like mice and keyboards are still in 1.1 USB. Limitations should be mentioned.

Lightweight custom linux OS or Android


Choose from a quick-launch, ultra minimalist OS, a fully-featured XFCE desktop environment with window management, multi-tasking and everything you would expect from a full linux laptop.



Need Android? No problem, the Pandora can run Android too - from within the XFCE desktop.

What version of Android? It's not like Android is a unique system. And it's not "no problem" there are many limitations and actually the main build from notaz is not based on Android but Cyanogenmod. This is not exactly the same thing.


Seriously, if you had a lawyer review this, there would be about a number of ways an angry user could use this page against you to sue :)


What you write on a page where you sell the device has to be EXACTLY true. If not, this can be turned against you.
 
I noticed there wasn't a reference to the MiniMenu - You either seemed to have XFCE or Android.
 
The Amiga is missing in the emulation section! (Could be essential for german customers)

A must for most European gamers! Missing this would be a crime :)

It isn't missed on purpose, the main page has Amiga on the LCD and Amiga also features several times in the montage of emulators.

No accusation here. I just wanted to emphasize that emulating an Amiga is scarcely seen on a device of such dimensions and could be the very feature leading Amiga enthusiasts to buy a Pandora.


BTW Wasn't it one of the main motives in designing the Pandora to have a fullspeed Amiga emulator?
 
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I'm checking the new site on FireFox 14 on a MAC, the slideshow isn't tilted and gets hidden by the Pandora pictured.


Craig, will you be linking Ithic.com to the site once i get the 1GHz units?
 
I noticed there wasn't a reference to the MiniMenu - You either seemed to have XFCE or Android.

Very true. I missed that point.

BTW Wasn't it one of the main motives in designing the Pandora to have a fullspeed Amiga emulator?

It was one of the main motives for me to buy the Pandora, at least. I assume I am not the only one, since UAE4All is in the top10 of downloads in the repo. No mention of Neo-Geo either, although it was the King the of the consoles at that time.
 
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Shall be doing an update on this tonight and trying to add in all suggestions.


I think in the space we have to the right of the Pandora on the homepage we could have some short but to the point quotes like "A1200 emulation makes this like a handheld Amiga" , "No DRM and you're encouraged to hack the device", etc.
 
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Portable Amiga goodness was certainly one of the main draws for me when this project first came announced, I say hype this fact up! It'd be a different calling card at least :)
 
Well, you've sold me! I'll upgrade or buy one of these. Try to keep my collection complete :)
 
I want to clarify what I said before about the name: it's not the mention of the processor speed itself that makes me think of Chinese products selling themselves on specs, it's the wording. "Pandora 1GHz" just sounds unnatural. I think if you keep the logo as is but refer to it as "Pandora 1GHz edition" in text, it would be fine.
 
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Well we just decided to go with what the forum was calling it, to avoid a 20 page thread about it having the wrong name ;)
 
Hmyeah but that's probably just a working name and nobody bothered to invent an actual name. I don't expect "Product 3" will actually be called "Product 3" and the "Pandora 2" will be called "Pandora 2" (although "Pandora 2" is not a bad name imo).
 
Could be called Pandora²


... as in Pandora squared


then Product3 could be Pandora³


... as in Pandora cubed


... as in Pandora Box


Yeah I should work in marketing, I know :)
 
Only Product 3 will probably be released before Pandora 2...


Why not use some other name from Greek mythology for the next "Pandora"? E.g. "Hercules" sounds nice, if it has strong specs, and there's a nice retro connection too.
 
Phoenix would be good, although not really part of greek mythology, is could represent full recovery from the P1 mess, starts with P, and the 'nix is also relevant :)
 
@gadgetoid


I have noticed that the anchor tags in the URL are not effective if you either go back one page or refresh the page, there is a jQuery plugin that you can use that basically listens for the anchor tag change (hash) in the URL and acts apon it.


I believe this is the one I have used at work.


give it a try (assuming its you doing it, if not craig give this a try).
 
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