Probably be 2 months before they put a second batch order in. So I’d say 3, at least.

And it kinda depends how they are going to go about it thereafter. Will you need to lay down money up front, or will they start bankrolling this themselves so they can hold stock?

Although I will admit I am an Apple fanboy… before I get flamed I should say that I’d rather be supporting open source. Although I am not a game developer I was very excited about this project. I even bought a beagleboard and have Ubuntu and OpenCPN running via solar power on my sailboat. I have setup VPNC and can connect to all my work servers. My environment is all prepped to go. However, I got tired of waiting. I hope the 22nd will happen… if so I will cancel my iPad order (or return it to Apple). The unfortunately closed ipad requires me to add ec2 servers to my config and use the ipad more of a terminal for my unix/linux tasks. I’d rather have a pandora. Either solution requires RDP to EC2 for windows… and in that case the ipad probably wins out in terms of screen size. If only I didn’t have to use windows for my job sometimes my life would be much better.

There is still currently no devices in the market that do what Pandora does any better then the Pandora. It’s really that simple. I cannot find a more powerful gaming handheld. A more capable pocket computer. I cannot, right now today, find a single device that does what I want it to nearly as well (let alone better) then the Pandora, at anywhere /near/ $330. Moreover, even the really expensive UMPC’s don’t have the controls or battery life to be as perfectly suited to what I want as the Pandora. And this is TODAY. Right now, not 2 years ago.

My money will stay with the Pandora, until and unless something else appears that is more powerful, has better controls, is open and runs a full linux OS, and costs around $300. Fat chance.

Not all have the finishing applied – one nice picture that does show how it will look like with finishing applied is the one with the battery lids.

The picture he refers to is the one that leads the article. Those battery lids are the only things that have the matte finishing applied. All the other pieces will look like that too when they’re done.

The delaaaaays have sucked but I don’t feel like I need to be pitied. You understand what we’re waiting for, or you don’t.

Light-weight and small, gaming console, with keyboard, touchscreen, which is essentially a computer, made to be COMPLETELY OPEN. There are no developers sitting making it as difficult as possible for modders to create their own homebrew, forcing users to purchase mod-chips and voiding their warranty. There is no forced-upon-the-user operating system even, if you just have the know-how to change it.

Honestly, I hear a lot of people saying things like “it’s too late”, and sometimes I’m almost close to fall for that, but then I think of what the Pandora is and what alternatives there are… and I’m instantly back grinning, perhaps even laughing, at how awesome the Pandora is.

I’ll keep saving for one and order one as soon as I can afford it, regardless if it comes out this summer or fall, or maybe even x-mas. Seriously.

I’ve been using my Nintendo DS with an R4 chip for playing emulators (Nes mostly) and for reading books, chatting, watching movies (needs converting), and writing some, painting. It works, but is clumsy, and you can only do one thing at a time really. The thing is… my DS is running hot, and I use it almost every day since I bought it years ago.

Then we have the Pandora… that can do all that my DS can do and a WHOLE lot more, simultaneously, and with no extra chip (the R4 chip that I use is no longer supported by the manufacturer btw), and with almost no more hassle than transfer the files to a mem card and run it.

= The day when I stop using my Pandora is the day when it breaks.

One of the most appealing of the other devices I’ve seen is the TouchBook from Always Innovating, but it’s not the same thing, and it doesn’t have better specs, just similar ones. It’s interesting as an alternative to a netbook, but it’s not the Pandora.

The controls, the flexibility, the size. You can find a device with one or maybe two of these attributes, but not all of them together. I don’t care if something has a higher speed ARM chip if I’m fenced in for how I use it. I’m not saying the other devices don’t have their place, but it’s a different place than the Pandora.