Zh:FAQ

基础知识

Pandora是什么？

Pandora是一个掌上游戏主机。它是一个游戏平台，一台UMPC（Ultra-Mobile PC，终极可移动电脑），一台PMP（Portable Multimedia Player，便携式媒体播放器），一台MID（Mobile Internet Device，移动互联网设备）以及许许多多流行电子产品的集合体。

它能做什么？

一些应用软件已经通过测试，不过更多的软件将在Pandora发售后发布。

这里有一些Pandora研发完成时可以实现的功能：

• 运行自制游戏
• 运行模拟器
• 互联网浏览
• 运行聊天/即时通讯工具
• 播放多媒体影音文件
• 浏览图片
• 浏览并编辑修改文档

事实上，大部分在传统PC上所能实现的功能都可以在Pandora上完成。

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.

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.[1] 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, NDS)
• Better emulation of already supported consoles (SNES,PS1)
• Significantly better 3D hardware and software support
• Larger, higher resolution display (with touch screen)
• 2-3x battery life[2] 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.

Where can I buy a Pandora?

There may be a few units left in the first batch available for preorder here. A second batch is expected in 2010, however there is likely to be a long gap (at least 28 weeks) between the first and second batch.

When will it be ready

Current estimates have the first batch shipping in January.

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?

The official distributors offer a Pandora branded carry case, a TV out cable, and a Spare ~4000MaH battery.

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. [3] [4] [5] LCDs with noticeable dead pixels will also be replaced.

Will there be some release parties?

Yes of couse: http://pandorawiki.org/Party

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.

What type of screen is it, LED or CCFL?

The Pandora uses the same 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. According to Craigix, 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[6]. 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.

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.

Where does the stylus fit?

The stylus provided with the Pandora fits in a slot on the side, sliding in to fit parallel to the battery.

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[7].

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.

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. 5000mAh extended batteries may also be available.[8]. A replacement 4000mAh battery costs £14.99/€21.99/$29.99

How long will the battery last?

Current estimates are around 10 hours for basic applications.[9] Actual battery runtime will vary based on the the software being run and peripherals in use.

What about the power supply or power cable?

The Pandora is expected to come with a switching power supply with a standard cord socket which should function with 110V and 240V AC power. It is not known if there is a plan to supply localized power plug cables.

Craig has also stated that a PSP power supply will work fine with the Pandora [10].

Will it be able to run from the AC Adaptor alone, without a battery connected?

Originally, it was thought not, due to the design of the OMAP chipset appearing to require a battery to be connected. [11] It now appears that it will work without battery but this requires further testing to assess the true capabilities. [12] [13]

Will it be able charge from USB?

Yes, through the mini-AB OTG port. Whilst the Pandora is in use the charge rate may be so low as to make it impractical for normal purposes. [14]

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. 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.

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.

Any USB device that does not have the USB HIGH SPEED logo on it cannot be connected directly to the "regular" USB port on the Pandora. They can only be used on that port if a HIGH SPEED USB hub is connected between the device and the Pandora to translate 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.)

Will there be any special accessories for Pandora?

Currently a Pandora branded case, a TV out cable and replacement batteries are available. The lead developers are currently entertaining other possibilities.[15]

A page in this wiki has been started to list potential generic accessories and peripherals that will work with the Pandora.

Will there be RTC, IrDA, RS-232?

There will be RTC and RS-232 (CMOS level), but no IrDA.[16]

Will Pandora have 'sleep' or 'hibernate' modes?

Yes. Pandora will support both suspend-to-RAM (sleep) and suspend-to-disk (hibernate) modes. Entering these power saving modes will be controlled by software can can be configured to happen when you press the power switch, close the lid, or only on command.

Can I return my Pandora if I have dead pixels?

It has been stated[17] that if the LCD contains noticeable dead pixels, they would replace the device.

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.[18]

How many keypresses can it detect at once?

It can detect two "regular" keys being pressed at once[19]. However, this restriction does not apply to the game controls, or the central "Menu" keys.

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).[20]

What do the different board revisions mean?

• MK0 - the original devkit board for developers. Didn't have the Wifi module attached
• MK1 - internal prototyping (???) [21]
• MK2 - the first batch of production models which will be in the final release.

What is the expected weight?

• The prototype weighs in at 270g. The final production model is expected to weigh slightly more, estimated maximum of 300g [22]

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.

Will Pandora be able to emulate the Nintendo64?

An N64 emulator is currently being worked on, but the N64 is a very difficult system to emulate. It is possible, with much effort, that this will eventually run well enough to run some games at playable speed, but it is by no means guaranteed.

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. [23] 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.

Can't I use Wine and run Windows games?

No.[24] 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.

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.[25]

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.[26]. A developer has mentioned that the OS that is pre-installed on the Pandora will be based on Ångström, but there will be an option to run a custom form of Xubuntu from an SD card.

The filesystem is derived from Ångström, and the build system uses OpenEmbedded, which both evolved from OpenZaurus.[27]

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?

The basic UI is called Pmenu, which replaces the earlier port of Gmenu [28]. There are also options of running the "finger friendly" Matchbox window manager, or a full "desktop" environment.

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 ipkg [29], and this will be used for general packages, such as libraries and browsers.

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.

Will I be able to access files shared on my PC from 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 desireable 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 planned, with discussion at the RISC OS Open forum. A BeagleBoard download is available for testing by people owning BeagleBoards. It is understood that more developers for the port would be most welcome.

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.

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.

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.

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.