Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Hm, the Pandora has got BT too now.. and with two lovely full-size SD slots and wi-fi it looks like a winner to me. S-video output. I realize that BT actually makes the difference for me.. I'm almost certainly going to try to get one of those in the first batch of 3000.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Actually -- and you're going to laugh hearing this -- they designed it ugly on purpose so that people like you wouldn't buy one.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

As long as it runs Python it's the prom queen.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

I'd personally like to see Maemo on the Pandora, but someone with the skills will have to put the effort into making it useable. Pandora is going with a simple U-Boot setup that, with the right knowledge, can boot any compatible O/S from an SD card.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

I'm just not a preorder-in-the-first-batch type of guy. But I'll be eagerly awaiting the articles and pictures that will get posted about the production Pandora. Maybe I'll be in the second batch.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Will there be a second batch for sure or this intended to be a one off?

Is the 3,000 production run just to test the water or is that going to be it?

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

(BTW, the 3000 is the second batch; the first batch was ~100 IIRC, for developers.)

Well, I suppose if the second batch somehow managed not to sell, they might cut at that point.

But that's impossible, considering the level of interest they've got. I'm not affiliated with (or even closely tracking) the Pandora project, but I'm certain the 3000 will sell out very quickly and there will be a third batch.

I don't have the money to afford a Pandora and a N9xx when it gets here; since I'm already on a 2G GSM plan, and hope the N9xx will work with that, it's not any worse an option (maybe a bit better, actually) for me than before the summit, so I definitely don't want to commit yet. So I'll be watching the Pandora, though it's practically a known quantity already, and waiting to see about the N9xx. So, if I don't like the N9xx, there'd better be a third round.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Allegedly (that is, according to the lead developer) the preorder mailing list has more than ten thousand entries.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Oy! I like that clamshell form factor! I especially like that it'll be small but unfolds large.. with a protected screen and keyboard (ie: durable) because of the clamshell. I dig the look!

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Well it would be 10,001 if I could find the pre-order form.
The way I read the website is that the pre-order form will only be available on 30th September.

So where does this 10,000 already registered come from? Or is that the number on the mailing list for the news letter? Which is not quite the same thing though, or is it?

Nevermind, the situation will be clearer in 5 days time.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

i would say its designed to be used, not to sit on a tablet at starbucks and make the owner "look good"...

i get the same kind of feel from a ibm/lenovo laptop btw.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

There is no preorder form yet. The mailing list was for signing up to get the preorder notification. That list has over 10,000 members (we were told).

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

hmm, do anyone know how much the openmoko phones have sold?

i would guess that the pandora should get into the same ballpark, even tho it has not gotten the same amount of press coverage (internet word of mouth can be a impressive thing, i learned of the pandora from reading up on gp2x or whatever its called).

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Some of which don't/won't have the cash, but just want to know. I was tempted to be one, but I know it'll get splattered over here and engadget, so why load their server when I know I won't buy? (Unless it comes out below ~$250, which I'm pretty sure it won't; that's the price at which I might be willing to toss any chance of getting an N900 shortly after launch.)

Still, I bet there's more on the list, and trying to get in, than the 3000 slots.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

It says $330 on the openpandora front page.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Yeah, but if they get scared they won't sell and slash the price, I won't complain...

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

kinda like this?:
http://www.jkontherun.com/2008/09/redfly-now-only.html

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

10,000 is the mailing list, yeah, and you're right about the pre-order form being available on the 30th.

Benson, I wasn't counting the dev boards, but if you do, the 3000 would be the second batch. I think they'll move >10,000 in the first year. That would be inline with the gp2x numbers.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

The prices are set and have been communicated. Any items not sold on preorder (if any indeed) will go to the dealer circuit. It's generally agreed that 10,000 subscribers doesn't equal 10,000 units sold, but the prevailing fear on the forums is not so much that not enough Pandoras will sell, but rather that there won't be enough to satisfy demand. I guess we'll find out tuesday...

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

I'm sort of expecting that between the G1 and a Samsung Q1 Ultra (with Ubuntu MID installed on it), my mobile needs will be handled. G1 for small work (Google Reader, light web browsing, messaging, looks like some interesting games will be ported to it as well), and the Q1 for things that would require a bigger screen.

But if I find I still want a middle-sized mobile screen, I may consider the Pandora. I also kind of wonder about the viability of Android on Pandora. That would give them access to everything Android, including that set of games. And since they're both linux based, how much would it take to port Pandora's software layers onto Android? Could be an interesting idea.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Especially considering that as someone (you, I think) pointed out in another thread, they said in an interview that the Android framework is going to run on top of other mobile Linux efforts, it should happen.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

I don't find it ugly, but it doesn't seem as pocketable as the n800 though.
The price is competitive, at least in europe (where the n810 goes for around 350€ and I expect the n900 for no less than 450-500€)

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Appearances deceive. In fact, with its PDAir case my N800 is bulkier than a Pandora (tested with a Pandora cardboard mockup and with careful measuring). Since Pandora's form factor (clamshell) foregoes the necessity for a case, I'm good with it.

Since Pandora's price will be EUR 249.99 including (UK) VAT, I'd call it more than competitive. Don't forget that the Pandora has two full-size SD slots, two USB ports and a much faster processor than the N810. In fact, I'd almost call it a steal.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

hell, it almost sounds like they stuffed a turbo-charged N800 into a clamshell ;)

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Ok, but I don't use any extra case, just the sock (it has to fit in the same pocket where I put my wallet)

Yes, that's why I tried to compare it to the possible cost of the n900 (that I just made up).

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

OTOH, it doesn't have HSPA, and still has (effectively) the N8x0 screen, where the N9xx will have HSPA (+ for some, - for others), and may have a higher-resolution screen.

For me, it's impossible to say at this point what the comparative price level for the N9xx would be, but with reasonable extrapolation and the prices luca mentioned it seems more competitive and less steal.

If one's looking for a device now, though, rather than having and being content with an N8x0, I can see trying to score a Pandora rather than buying an N810.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

I really, really do not want a cellular connection in my pocket pc. For the moment, I only use "road warrior internet" in emergencies, and the GPRS connection I get from my SE P910i is more than enough for that (note that I never managed to get any of my Nokia tablets to pair with the P910i). And for the future, I -- like others have stated -- think there'll be moments when I have my phone but not my tablet, but hardle ever when I have my tablet and not my phone, so I prefer my phone to be the cellular connection. If and when my P910i kicks the proverbial bucket, I'll probably (make that "almost certainly") go for an Android device, so there would be even less incentive to get a cellular radio in my pocket pc.

As to higher resolutions, I find that 800x480 is just about all I can manage at this size of screen and that higher resolutions will only make me use the zoom more often. Pandora has the same screen as the Archos 605, slightly larger than the N800's and generally agreed upon as one of the best in the market.

We'll see about the prices, but remember: Next tuesday I'll be able to buy a Pandora, but not a Nxxx (at least not one that doesn't start with "N8".

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

I'm kind of torn. I have a windows mobile phone that someone gave me for free for 3g access that I'd really like to dump (or perhaps perform Voodoo on to kill MS). Pairing is practically a must for me, but the G1 is pretty tempting, and that would handle just about everything I've done with my n810 :(

Depending on what people manage to do with the G1 and what t-mobile's Los Angeles coverage is like, I'll probably end up getting one. If it were multi-touch (and I guess 3.5mm audio), I don't think my n810 would have much use.

Hard to say, because I really like that practically any Linux app can run on the n810, and it would probably take some work before that's true on an Android phone. If I have ssh for times when I'm oncall, a decent browser, media player and map software, that covers my n810. The G1, although smaller, also seems to have a keyboard the doesn't suck quite as bad as the n810.

I hope that Maemo can steal some of the cooler open source stuff from Android, and I hope people extend the G1 so you can pair it over bluetooth.

So, yeah, I'm lost, but I really like Nokia anyway. If I decide not to get a G1, I'm very likely to get a Symbian phone (and likely by Nokia).

(/me continues rambling...) My n810 also kind of lost out recently as I've been listening to NPR for election talk... I really wish it had FM so I could easily switch between mp3s and FM. I also think maemo mapper would be a great app to make extendable with Python. Like adding overlays for controlling media players, etc. Ok, I'm way off topic now.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

A Pandora might be an option for developers to start developing for 'N900'. At the very least, to optimize ports. Because I don't have a N800, a Pandora might be an option (given it has 2 SD slots). Thing is, I like Maemo, and I'm not sure I like Pandora design. I would prefer to stick with one corporation, too. Will see... :)

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

At first, I shook my head at the thought of you making a precisely-to-scale cardboard mockup of the Pandora.

Then I remembered that I did something very similar while I was waiting for my N800 last year. :o :) :rolleyes:

Does your mockup have a working, hinged clamshell?

VAT is a real killer, eh? The US$ amount listed converts to 183 GBP and 229 Euro.

Pre-order is different than buy.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

meh, its only a issue if used as an excuse to up the price in one region vs another...

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

Ubuntu on Pandora devboard

Completely unoptimized but apparently usable.

Re: Which device type is the real competitor?
 

It's just a paper box of the right size (140 x 83 x 27 mm). I'm really not anal enough to go beyond that.

So it has a long-ish delivery period. :rolleyes: