FAQ
This FAQ is aimed mostly at people who are new to the Pandora. It may also be out of date in places.
If you are looking for specific information, try the unofficial user manual and the tutorials pages of this wiki
| It has been suggested that this section be split into a new page (Discuss) |
The Basics
What is Pandora?
Pandora is a pocket-sized gaming PC. It is a gaming platform, a UMPC, a PMP, a MID, and many more trendy acronyms as well.
What can it do?
Some software has already been tested, however new applications are being released daily.
Here are some of the things it should be able to do when it is done:
- Play some Homebrew games developed specifically for the Pandora.
- Run emulators
- Browse the internet
- Run chat / IM clients
- Play music and video files
- View images
- View and edit text documents
In fact, most tasks you can do on a regular PC will be possible on Pandora to some extent
What can't it do?
While the Pandora is an extremely versatile handheld it does have some limitations. The Pandora has a Texas Instruments OMAP3530 processor which is not the same processor you have in a desktop PC or netbook. A traditional PC processor has an X86 architecture while the Pandora has an ARM architecture. The ARM processor line is what is currently used in most modern cellphones. This means all applications which run on an X86 PC have to be ported the Pandora.
Due to the nature of proprietary software some applications will not be available unless their respective companies port the software to the Pandora. In addition, some software which would run on an 600Mhz X86 processor is unable to run on the Pandora. The ARM processor is what gives the Pandora such an amazing battery life, but it is not without its drawbacks.
This description of porting software was given on the forums by WizardStan:
"I liken emulation to having a box and blocks of wood of different shapes. The Pandora is the box, and the blocks of wood are a puzzle that needs to fit in that box. Things like NES and Gameboy are small puzzles: you can see that the blocks will easily fit in the box, you could practically just dump them in without actually solving the puzzle.
SNES and Genesis are a little bigger: you need to do at least some of the puzzle in order to get it small enough to fit, but many of the pieces can just be dumped in anyway, and if you do enough of the puzzle you have room left over for extra features.
N64 and Playstation you see this big pile of blocks and can imagine that there might be some way to arrange them so they'll just fit, maybe a little wiggle room, but not much else. Dreamcast and PSP is even a little bigger pile than that: if the puzzle can be built into the box, it will just barely fit with no room for error.
Saturn, PS2, etc... they have a huge pile of pieces; an expert puzzle builder looks at it and knows that it doesn't matter how you arrange them, they just won't fit in the box."
(This list is not comprehensive.) Some of these applications currently include:
- Skype
- World of Warcraft
- WINE
- Windows Office
- Netflix
A growing list of available programs are located here.
Why not an X86 processor?
X86 processors are horrible for pocket-sized devices, mainly for these reasons;
- They are very power-intensive (Would greatly lower battery life)
- They heat up a lot (Would need to add fans)
- It would change the Pandora for the worse (Each unit would be larger and heavier)
There are probably other reasons as well.
Who is making it?
The primary developers are Craig "Craigix" Rothwell, Michael "MWeston" Weston, Michael "EvilDragon" Mrozek, M. Fatih "mfk" Kilic. However, there are dozens of other GP32X community members who are involved with both hardware and software aspects of the project.
Will any changes be made to the Pandora hardware after the initial batch of 4000?
There is no intention to change anything between batches. Any changes made will be small and only out of necessity.[1]
What do the different board revisions mean?
- MK0 - the original devkit board for developers. Didn't have the Wifi module attached
- MK1 - internal prototyping (???) [2]
- MK2 - the first batch of production models which will be in the final release.
How much does it weigh?
- The prototypes weigh in at 270g. The final production model weighs slightly more, about 330g [3]
Will there be some release parties?
Yes of course: Party Here!
Are those guys part of Game Park / GamePark Holdings?
Game Park (the Korean company which made the GP32) and GamePark Holdings (the Korean company that made the GP2X) have nothing to do with the Pandora project. Several of the lead developers are regional distributors for the GP32 and GP2X handhelds, but they are not subsidiaries of those manufacturers. The Pandora project is partially inspired by the open source handhelds that came before it - the GP32 and GP2X - but takes the hardware and software to the next logical level. There is also overlap in the developer and user communities for the Pandora, GP32, and GP2x (the official Pandora forums are currently hosted on the GP32X boards).
How does the Pandora compare to the GP2X?
Very favorably. Rough estimates put the Pandora CPU at about 3x as powerful as the GP2X.[4] Here are a few additional ways in which the Pandora improves upon the GP2X:
- More RAM, internal storage, and removable storage options
- Possibility of emulating more advanced consoles (N64)
- Better emulation of already supported consoles (SNES,PS1)
- Significantly better 3D hardware and software support
- Larger, higher resolution display (with touch screen)
- 10 hrs with included internal rechargeable battery
- Wifi
- Bluetooth
- QWERTY Keyboard and analog controls
Do you really expect it to compete with the PSP / DS / eeePC / etc?
No, we don't. Pandora is very different than anything currently available. It is designed to serve a niche market of hobbyists and retro/indie gamers. We are aware that much of the general public will not need or appreciate Pandora's feature set. It is more portable than a UMPC or eeePC, and it has far superior gaming controls. Pandora is much more powerful than a PSP or DS, and with it's high resolution screen and qwerty keypad is more capable of general computing activities. These features come at the expense of a higher cost than commercial gaming handhelds and a steeper learning curve than traditional ultra mobile PCs. Not everybody will be willing to make the trade off and try something new.
Buy
Where can I buy a Pandora?
The first batch of Pandoras is sold out, but preorders are being taken for a second batch here.
When will it be ready?
We have about 1400 shipped to customers as of: 2011-01-11. Due to a large backlog of orders, delivery of new orders is estimated at 3-4 months. Current information is available on the official website here, and in the official news forum here.
What Colors will be available?
Pandora will only be available in black for now. Future editions, if they exist, may be available in different colors.
What accessories are available?
Currently a Pandora branded case, a TV out cable and replacement batteries are available, though as of mid-2011 production of the TV out cable has not started yet. The lead developers are currently entertaining other possibilities.[5]
A page in this wiki has been started to list potential generic accessories and peripherals that will work with the Pandora.
What if there's something wrong with it? Does it have a warranty?
By law there is a one year warranty, and the developers have stated they will replace faulty hardware. [6] [7] [8] LCDs with noticeable dead pixels will also be replaced.
Hardware Questions
Why does Pandora only have 256MB of RAM? Is that enough?
The OMAP3530 SoC which powers the Pandora is currently only available with 256MB of RAM. This is built into the chip. It is not replaceable or expandable. All of the major software developers have stated that 256MB will be more than enough for all tasks for which Pandora is suitable. The PSP only has 32MB RAM and it certainly doesn't have any problem with high-end games. Other handheld computing platforms like the Nokia N8x0 tablets and the iPhone also have only 128MB RAM, and it has certainly not limited them in any way. A recent Youtube video shows a customized version of Ubuntu working on the Pandora with plenty of RAM free[9].
- The new Production in Germany by Global Components (early 2012) will have 512MB of RAM, partly because the 256MB PoP modules were no longer available.
- A motherboard upgrade swap will probably be available with the old boards being sold second hand as slightly cheaper Pandoras .
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.
Display
What type of screen is it, LED or CCFL?
The Pandora uses the same 800x480 LED screen as the Archos 605.
What kind of touch screen does it have? Is it multi-touch?
The Pandora touchscreen is resistive. Resistive touchscreens cannot do multitouch like the iPhone or iPod Touch can, but they can do simplistic pressure sensing. Resistive touchscreens use a stylus for input, which is included. You can also use your finger for less accurate tasks, such as pressing buttons. It is very easy and natural to switch between gaming controls to touchscreen.
Can I draw using the touch screen?
Notaz, who was working with the touch screen driver, says it can do some pressure sensing and returns around 16 different values for pressure[10]. This is not sensitive the way Wacom tablets are, but should allow simple pressure sensitivity if applications are designed for it. For software development, it is accessible through standard Linux event interface (raw values), or tslib (calibrated).
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.
Where does the stylus fit?
The stylus provided with the Pandora fits in a slot on the right hand side, sliding in to fit parallel to the battery.
Keyboard
Can I return my Pandora if I have dead pixels?
It has been stated[11] that if the LCD contains noticeable dead pixels, they would replace the device.
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. For computing mode, the game controls are used for mouse, cursor and control keys.
Furthermore, some classic systems such as the Atari and C64, which had keyboards, are far more comfortably emulated on a device with a keyboard.
How many keypresses can it detect at once?
It can detect two "regular" keys being pressed at once[12]. However, this restriction does not apply to the game controls, or the central "Menu" keys. Most PS/2 keyboards, for reference, provide 2-4 at a time, so there's not much difference.
Power Supply
Can it charge from USB?
Yes, through the mini-AB OTG port. However, whilst the Pandora is in use the charge rate may be so low as to make it impractical for normal purposes. [13]
What kind of battery does it have?
The Pandora has a 4000mAh Lithium Polymer battery. Batteries are user-replaceable and spares are sold by Pandora retailers. 5000mAh extended batteries may be available.[14]. A replacement 4000mAh battery costs £14.99/€21.99/$29.99
How long does the battery last?
Current estimates are around 10 hours for basic applications.[15] Actual battery runtime varies based on the the software being run and peripherals in use. For instance, using Wifi constantly, or having it constantly polling will reduce the life by a couple hours, compared to disabling the wifi altogether. The Power modes page on this wiki has more information.
What about the power cable?
The Pandora ships with a switching power supply with a standard cord socket which should function with 110V and 240V AC power. These are either localised, or shipped with an appropriate adaptor.
A PSP power supply will work fine with the Pandora [16].
Is it be able to run from the AC Adaptor alone?
Originally, it was thought not, due to the design of the OMAP chipset appearing to require a battery to be connected. [17] However, it has now been confirmed that the Pandora DOES now work without a battery installed, although some features (like backlight) may have to be turned off via software to enable this[18]. The hardware tweak or tweaks have been performed as part of Pandora development, and are not something that the end user will have to worry about/perform[19][20].
Information from Mweston [21] When no battery is found on AC adapter insertion, the unit goes into constant voltage mode which provides a constant 4.0V on the battery net. It doesn't like it if you put a battery in at this point because the TI chip doesn't appear to be designed to jump back to normal mode without a power cycle. It could do weird things like dump ridiculous amounts of current into the battery without software control. I liked the idea of letting customers power without a battery so we left this feature in but be aware of this restriction:
IF YOU POWERED THE SYSTEM WITHOUT A BATTERY, SHUT IT OFF BEFORE STICKING THE BATTERY BACK IN. (not an angry sentence, just making it clear.) :)
When the battery is inserted first, the system will power up using the normal mode. When the AC adapter is plugged in after this, it will power the system and charge the battery up to the limits set in software. Currently, Notaz and I have chosen 1A on the AC adapter and 600mA from the USB input. It can be changed by sending commands to the chip to alter these set numbers but that is a software lesson better learned from someone else. With the LCD off (lid closed perhaps) idling on the desktop, something like 750mA will go to the battery for a 6 hour charge time or so. With the system doing stuff and demanding more power, less current will go to the battery and it will charge slower. 1A was also chosen to consider thermal dissipation because the regulator of the TI chip is linear and wastes energy dropping the voltage from the 5V down to just above the cell voltage. You may notice the system feels warmer when the battery is more discharged than when it is full which is normal.
I haven't had much luck hot swapping batteries while the system is live but I think it worked for ED once. For me, as soon as I pull the battery, the system resets. The power management chip seems to rely on the status of the thermistor in the battery and it if disappears, it can trigger events. Maybe there are software work arounds but I don't know.
Does the Pandora have 'sleep' or 'hibernate' modes?
Yes. Pandora supports both suspend-to-RAM (sleep) and suspend-to-disk (hibernate) modes. Entering these power saving modes will be controlled by software and can be configured to happen when you press the power switch, close the lid, or only on demand.
Connectivity
Why doesn't it have WiMax / GPS / accelerometers / etc?
We had to draw the line somewhere. Adding any more features would have increased the price. Luckily Pandora has two USB host ports, bluetooth, two SD slots with SDIO capability, and a serial UART for adding whatever additional widgets you want (such as a USB GPS system). Solder pads were designed into the PCB for "hacking" in extra internal hardware.
Does the Pandora have RTC, IrDA or RS-232?
It has RTC and RS-232 (CMOS level), but no IrDA.[22]
Can I 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. Standard mass storage devices (USB memory sticks, keyboards, gamepads, external hard drives, etc.) should work fine out of the box. Many devices like GPS receivers, EVDO modems and cameras should be compatible, but not necessarily all makes and models. For a list of known-working devices see the USB compatibility list. More detailed info about using USB on the Pandora can be found on this page.
Can I use SDXC cards with my Pandora?
Yes. Most SDHC and SDXC cards will work in the Pandora (check the SDHC compatibility list to make sure). The cards must be formatted with a compatible filesystem, such as FAT32 or EXT2/3. If a card comes preformatted with exFAT, you will need to reformat.
There is no electronic or physical difference between SDHC and SDXC. Cards with larger capacities are marketed as SDXC.
Will my old USB 1.1 device work on the Pandora?
You can't connect it to the main USB port, but you can to the OTG (On The Go) port with the appropriate adapter, active USB extension cable, or hub, since the OTG port accepts USB 1.1 devices.
Only devices displaying the USB HIGH SPEED logo will work with the "regular" USB port on the Pandora. Other USB devices can be used if a HIGH SPEED USB hub is connected between them and the Pandora. (This translates the USB low speed and full speed transactions into High Speed transactions.)
A USB standard-A male to USB standard-A female cable will not work as a hub.
There are some devices that do not work at High Speed, and thus require a High Speed hub, but at the same time require more than the usual 100 mA. To provide the extra power, the hub used must be a powered hub (one that has a power cord you can plug in to the wall).
You can find more detailed info about using the Pandora's two USB ports on this page.
(Thanks to DAP for the detailed information.)
Does it have a microphone? Where is it placed?
Yes it does. The microphone is up in the right hinge hump in between the 9 and 0 buttons. It can be used with the lid open or closed since it has the hole facing up and slightly in toward the user (somewhat like the power LED).[23]
Emulation Questions
Which consoles and computer systems will Pandora emulate?
Pandora has the technical capability to emulate nearly any video game console up to and including the PSX. The system should also have no trouble with most 8 and 16 bit home computer systems. Please be aware that while the Pandora has the capability to emulate dozens of game and computer systems, the necessary emulation software will need to be ported to the Pandora platform for each system. See the emulators page for more details.
Is the Pandora be able to emulate the Nintendo 64?
An N64 emulator is currently being worked on, but the N64 is a very difficult system to emulate. However, a few games already run at speeds many would consider playable.
What about the Nintendo DS?
Definitely not in the near term. It is possible that there will eventually be a DS emulator for Pandora, but there are major obstacles to overcome. DS emulation is still in early development on x86 (PC), and the most advanced projects are highly optimized for that platform. Even in cases where the source is available, it would take a lot of work and optimization to get something running on Pandora. In other words, don't hold your breath.
Will Pandora be able to emulate the Sega Dreamcast / Anything recent?
Probably not. Anything newer / more advanced than the Playstation that is not otherwise mentioned here is not likely to ever be emulated on Pandora in a useful manner. However, some developers believe it will be possible to emulate Dreamcast with dynamic recompilation at decent speed. [24] An early attempt at a Dreamcast emulator is somewhat functional, but far too slow to be playable.
Can Pandora play any PC games without emulation?
Provided the source code is freely available, the game's system requirements are reasonable and the game has been compiled to run on ARM processors, there is little stopping the Pandora from playing it too.
There are also examples of PC games where the engine has been reverse engineered and re-created for other platforms, but you will need a copy of the game. Descent 1 and 2 "Rebirth" are good examples.
Can't I use Wine and run Windows games?
No.[25] Wine is not an Emulator, it's a wrapper for the Windows system libraries - it requires an x86 processor to actually run. The Pandora uses an ARM processor. It may be possible to run antiquated versions (3.1) of windows under emulation, but performance will be very poor. For all intents and purposes, the Pandora cannot run any desktop version of Windows to any useful degree. No amount of software trickery will ever change that.
Note that there is an effort to port Wine to ARM[26], however this will only be useful for running Windows applications that have been specifically recompiled for ARM using Winelib. The hurdles are many: Wine's ARM port needs to be finished, Wine needs to be built properly for the Pandora, the application needs to work in Wine on a regular system, the application needs to be open source, the application needs to be rebuilt with Winelib, and the Winelib build needs to be packaged for the Pandora.
Also note that, while Windows Mobile has been ported to ARM, there is no effort at this time to make Windows Mobile apps work in Wine.
Wouldn't this result in legal action because of the emulation?
No more than an ordinary PC, UMPC, laptop, or GP2X would.
What sort of PC games will Pandora be able to play under emulation?
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.[27]
Software Questions
What OS does the Pandora use?
Pandora runs a customized build of Linux. The OS that is pre-installed on the Pandora is be based on Ångström, but there is be the option of running Ubuntu or other distributions from an SD card using Extend utils.
The build system uses OpenEmbedded, which with Ångström evolved from OpenZaurus.[28]
In the videos it looks like DOS...
That's a Linux command line - the original MK0 devboards were released to the developers before a GUI was available.
What will the GUI be like?
You'll have the option of choosing between Xfce and Minimenu from the very beginning. Xfce is the full desktop environment and Minimenu is a finger-friendly menu-based GUI. You can choose whichever one fits your style the best.
What software will run on Pandora out of the box?
That depends on what has been written / ported when you buy one. The Pandora will ship with basic apps like a web browser, text editor, and media player. As the Pandora is running a version of Angstrom, (almost) anything in the Angstrom repository should work out-of-the-box. Many programs in the standard x86 Linux repositories should be able to be ported with not much more than a recompile and possibly some graphical tweaks. If you're not sure what that means, this explanation might clear things up a bit. You can also check the Planned Projects thread on the forums for an idea of what else you might be able to expect.
Will there be some sort of package manager?
The Ångström OS uses the package management system opkg [29].
Pandora specific releases, such as games and emulators will come as PND files. These are self contained archives, which contain metadata for the Pandora menu system. Any PND files on either of the SD cards will be automatically detected and shown in the menu.
Will Firefox work on the Pandora? What about extensions?
Firefox is included in the Angstrom repository, so will either be pre-installed, or available to download. Extensions (such as AdBlock) should "just work" automatically, since they don't actually contain compiled code (they're a mix of javascript and xml data) - of course this is assuming the plugin developer hasn't been naughty and made major assumptions...
Will Pandora support Flash streaming video or applications?
The Official Flash player is not open source, but Adobe has opened up the Flash standards and dropped licensing fees for developers[30], there is a very good chance that Pandora will have Flash support eventually, probably through a port of Gnash
Also, there are scripts for Firefox (such as VLCtube) which replaces flash video players with regular video plugins or exposes the actual video URL to download. Such scripts can be easily modified to use any native video player.
Adobe have recently announced that they intend to release an ARM version of the Flash Player for a wide variety of devices, and it may be possible to adapt one of these for use on the Pandora.
It might not be included "out of the box", but Samba (an application that "emulates" the Windows file sharing system) should be easy to port to the Pandora, which would allow you to browse your Windows shares as if your machine is just another windows PC (it works both ways, so you could create a shared "drop" folder on the Pandora too)
Will I be able to connect to the internet over my cell phone with the Pandora?
The process of connecting a cellular phone to another device to be used as a cellular modem is called tethering. The Pandora will be capable of tethering over USB or over Bluetooth. You must have a phone that is capable of tethering, and you must have a service plan that allows internet access. Note that the act of tethering will probably violate your service agreement unless you're paying extra for a tethering plan. If your provider discovers you are tethering your phone without paying for the plan, you could get hit with extra charges. The method for enabling tethering on any given phone varies by model. Instructions for most models can be found on Howard Forums.
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 it be possible to write software directly on the Pandora itself?
There is no reason why not. Certainly it will be easy to get GCC running directly for writing C/C++ code. Python doesn't need a compiler, so should just run, assuming the interpreter has been ported.
A fully blown IDE would take more work, but plenty of open source IDEs exist, so could in theory be ported.
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! What do I do?
The first thing you should do is make sure it can be ported. Use the portability flowchart to determine if a port of the software is possible. Next, check to see if a similar application is under development. If it looks like the program is portable, just be patient. There are literally hundreds of games and applications that would be desirable on the Pandora, and only so many people who are capable of making them happen. Most devs already have plans for their first projects, so just sit tight and wait for somebody to pick it up.
Will other OSes be available?
Almost certainly, but they are likely to be community developed. Gentoo is currently in development and available for testing.[31] Xubuntu has been running and videoed. [32] A port of RISC OS is in development, and further assistance would be enthusiastically welcomed.
Refer to Software projects for a more complete list.
Can the Pandora run Microsoft Windows?
No. Microsoft Windows requires an x86 processor. The Pandora uses an ARM processor, and therefore it cannot run Windows. Some experiments have been done for running early versions of Windows (Such as 3.1) through DosBox and similar emulators, but these run poorly and are unlikely to be of much use.
What about Windows CE? That supports ARM processors!
Yes, in theory you could run WinCE, although you'd need to pay Microsoft for the privilege [33] (and wouldn't be free to distribute it.)
This still wouldn't let you run regular Windows applications, since they'd still be compiled for an x86 processor. You'd only be able to run applications compiled specifically for WinCE/ARM.
Can I use Skype?
No, because the source code for Skype is not available to the public (such a thing is called "open source"), so nobody can port it except for Skype Ltd. Even then, the Pandora userbase is so small that to the developers, it's likely not worth the effort. (Versions for other ARM platforms do exist, however.)
How can I make software for the Pandora?
A basic tutorial is located here.
Logo Questions
I want to make cool fan art! Where can I get the logo?
A fan-made version of the logo is available for non-commercial use.
What font is "Pandora" written in?
No one knows. Craigix has stated on the forums that he believes it is drawn.
WhatTheFont certainly doesn't recognise it, and is usually pretty accurate at font recognition.
There is a Fireworks PNG available with vector re-creations of the Pandora font letters. The author has attempted to guess the letters not present in the word "Pandora".
Doesn't that look a lot like the SGI logo?
The old box logo previously used by SiliconGraphics before their redesign does bear a resemblance. However, their old logo was always 3D, showing the back edges of the box, and the lines folded in a different manner than the ones used in the Pandora logo.
