Pandora FAQ
From BluWiki
Hardware Questions
Why does the system look like it does?
The Pandora project has been a group effort from the beginning. The hardware development team designed Pandora based on specifications requested by potential users. The main physical features - qwerty keyboard, dual analog pads, clamshell design, pocketable size - were considered important by most of the community. The physical appearance of Pandora is a result of getting all the necessary hardware into a pocket sized device while keeping the cost reasonable. Many other layouts were considered, but the final design is the best possible solution.
Why doesn't the LCD touchscreen flip / rotate for a "tablet" mode?
This is actually a patented idea. Pandora could not have a hinge which either flipped all the way back or rotated without substantially increasing the cost (licensing fees) or risking a patent infringement lawsuit.
Why don't you use a slide out keyboard like the Nokia N810?
This is also patented. A lot of the good ideas are.
Why does it have a keyboard at all?
Many people think Pandora is a gaming / emulation device only, but this is not true. It was designed from early on to be a multifunction palmtop computer / UMPC as well as a gaming handheld. Many desirable applications require a keyboard and the general consensus was that an on-screen keyboard wasn't good enough.
Why doesn't it have WiMax / accelerometers / etc?
We had to draw the line somewhere. Adding any more features would have increased the price. Luckily Pandora has a fully functional USB host port, two SD slots with SDIO capability, and a serial UART for adding whatever additional widgets you want. Solder pads were designed into the PCB for "hacking" in extra internal hardware.
What kind of battery will it have?
Pandora will have a ~4000MAh Lithium Polymer battery. Batteries will be user-replaceable and spares will be sold by Pandora retailers. Pricing has not been announced.
How long will the battery last?
Current estimates are around 10 hours for basic applications.[1] Actual battery runtime will vary based on the the software being run and peripherals in use.
Will I be able to use USB and SDIO accessories with my Pandora?
There would not be much point to having a USB host port if you couldn't. Any USB or SDIO device should work with Pandora, as long as drivers are available. Even devices that already have standard linux drivers may require some tweaking. There will probably be a list of known-working devices on this wiki, but not until there are Pandoras to test them on.
Will there be any special accessories for Pandora?
Probably not. Half the point to using standard interfaces like USB and SDIO is that you don't need special accessories. You can just use the standard ones.
Emulation Questions
Which consoles and computer systems will Pandora emulate?
Pandora should be able to emulate the following gaming consoles:
- Atari 2600, 7800, 5200, and Lynx
- Nintendo NES, SNES, Gameboy, and GBA
- Sega Master System and Genesis
- NEC PCEngine (TurboGrafx-16)
- SNK NeoGeo, NeoGeo Pocket, and Pocket Color
- Sony Playstation [2]
- Nearly any other console which predates the Playstation for which an open-source emulator exists
Pandora should be able to emulate the following computer systems:
- Atari 400, 800, and ST
- Amiga
- PC (DOSBox)
- Apple II
- Nearly any 8 or 16 bit system for which an open-source emulator exists
Please note that while Pandora has the capability to emulate the above systems, it will not actually be able to do so until the necessary emulators are ported. We are likely to see emulators for everything above, but not all of them will be available immediately.
Will Pandora be able to emulate the Nintendo64?
Maybe. The N64 is a difficult system to emulate. It is possible, with much effort, that a N64 emulator could be ported well enough to run some games at playable speed. This will not happen any time soon and may not happen at all.
Will Pandora be able to emulate the Sega Dreamcast / Anything recent?
Dreamcast? No, not at playable speed. Perhaps the Nintendo DS.
What sort of PC games will Pandora be able to play?
We won't know for sure until there is an actual DOSBox port to try out. Current guestimates put Pandora's DOS capabilities in the low to mid 386 range.[3]
Software Questions
What OS will Pandora use?
Pandora will run a customized build of Linux. It may be based on the Debian ARMEL flavor, but it will definitely be highly optimized.[4]
What will the GUI be like?
The UI has not been decided on yet. Whatever UI ships with Pandora, you can be sure that alternatives (including full windowed desktop GUIs) will be made available.
What software will run on Pandora out of the box?
That depends on what has been written / ported when you buy one. It is assumed (though not confirmed) that Pandora will ship with basic apps like a web browser, text editor, and media player. Check the Projects thread on the forums for an idea of what else you might be able to expect.
Can I write software for Pandora?
I don't know, can you? Pandora will definitely be compatible with SDL and OpenGL 2.0 ES libraries. There will likely be libraries for Python and other languages as well.
Will Pandora have XXXX application?
Maybe. I suggest you search the official forums to see if anybody is working on the application you want.
Nobody is working on XXXX application! How do I get somebody to port it?
The first thing you should do is make sure it can be ported. Porting a program requires the original source code, so you need to see if it is available. Also, you need to make sure the program doesn't use DirectX or some similar proprietary API that Pandora cannot handle. Next, check to see if a similar application is under development. If the source is available and nothing similar is being worked on, then you can politely request a port in the forums. Maybe somebody will help you out.
