Pandora hits some production snags, will miss the holidays
By Paul Miller 
posted December 11th 2009 12:24PM
posted December 11th 2009 12:24PM
Concerned for a long-suffering Pandora pre-orderer in you life? Well, you might want to keep them away from sharp knives and their dormant SD card full of rare ROMs for the next few weeks. The device has seemed tantalizingly close in recent months, but new word from the front lines means that we won't be seeing the final devices ship out until well into the new year. Luckily, the list of tweaks sounds pretty minor, including an adjustment to shoulder button action perfection that we can all get behind, but we suppose it also serves as a sobering example of just how hard it can be to actually get good hardware (or even the crappy stuff) built. Cough, CrunchPad, cough.[Thanks, Steve]
Update: Seems things may not be as serious as previously assumed, but until we see these things shipping en masse, we still aren't getting our hopes up too high. It's a personal defense mechanism, is all. Thanks, atomicthumbs!
This will be so awesome. I must have patience. My droid will be feeding this internet access and it will be great and I'm not dreaming because this is real... so real.
@Prestidigitator
lol, I preorder it a year ago, I remember how they were like "Our goal is for january 2008! We're gonna make it!" After the whole bank thing happened I got my money back and spent it on something else. I still plan on buying a one after they do finally get it finished.
if it gets released, then thats all that matters.
cant wait to get one.
anyone else have a problem with this product name. Click on the blue 'pandora' right there in the first line of the article and you get more hits for pandora radio than this box...
I thought this was a hardware box for the radio service before clicking...
@Nicnac
Well technically it is OpenPandora but most people call it Pandora anyway. Once it gets released it will probably jump up in search results.
@p0p0
The company is OpenPandora. The console is the Pandora.
I can't see why is this "awesome" ..
Here is some new media:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa99/MWeston_2007/DSC01790.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh306irDaVo&feature=youtube_gdata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i--xlwE8UlY&feature=player_embedded
Saying 'well into the new year' may be a little off. I believe Craig has said they will get a response from the mould company to see if all has been adjusted the 19th, and if so the cases should be good to go
@fischju Found post by Craig: http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?/topic/50846-the-cases/page__st__60__p__784044&#entry784044 - *wonders where I got 19th from*
More info: http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?/topic/50846-the-cases/page__st__15__p__783932&#entry783932
.
@werty1432k
;
What the hell is this ugly shit even supposed to be?
@n2whyteguyz An opportunity for you to learn before making dumbass comments. Don't worry, there'll be other chances. I believe in you.
@n2whyteguyz Hopefully your new picture, trust me, its a huge improvement =] don't knock the hardware. "in two white guys". ew
@anexanhume, @Unverified 2 This Time Its Perso
Sorry, like the guy said you get more info on the music streaming thing than this when you look it up. And it's "into".
@n2whyteguyz Type Pandora into google, click the 6th result, success!
"Concerned for a long-suffering Pandora pre-orderer in you life?"
Yes. I've never been so concerned in me life.
So how much are they?
@jakedroid
$330
I don't think he said that it will miss the holidays - it's just going to take a bit longer than they expected. They're still hoping to get a few out before Christmas.
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?/topic/50846-the-cases/page__view__findpost__p__783882
Oh, and he said that "some will ship in 2009":
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?/topic/50846-the-cases/page__view__findpost__p__783932
@atomicthumbs No matter what they say, in terms of having one before Christmas, I think we can all keep dreaming.
disappointing... but waiting. Rather it gets corrected the first time than have a faulty gadget
It is better they fix these last things then let them ship(like other companies would do). The Pandora team also said that all the boards will be done before years end which means a matter of weeks before everyone of the preorderers gets their precious since cases are very fast to manufacture.
http://pandorapress.net/2009/12/10/case-update/#more-2599
Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't quite get what the big deal about this device is. You can get a Pandora client on several of the smartphone platforms today, so why on earth would you want to carry another box around?! And no, I haven't RTFA.
@patsy and thats why you dont get it... RTFA next time lol
the device is a mobile linux computer and has nothing to do with pandora the music radio thing.
@patsy
hurr durr
@patsy
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.
@all: Well FMD, in that case bring it on!!! LOL.
@Mystictrust It's actually a Pandora-class device.
When I placed my preorder I was told they were shooting for a xmas release.. that was 2008... its now 2009 almost 2010. I am sure it takes time to develop and release such a product. But at a certain point, you have to blame the team for false promises. They KNEW last xmas that there was no way in hell it would ship for xmas. Now it seems they wont make this xmas either...
When this was annouced the specs rocked.. now.. not so much...
I wish the team luck.. i really do... but they need to stop making promises they cant keep!!!!! If its not even ready for production yet.. please stop telling people it will make xmas.
If you havent made it through final fcc approval.. how the hell are you going to ship out 3000 units in next 10 or so days!?!?
---- can you say Phantom??? I knew ya could....
WrongWay
@WrongWay You actually don't need FCC approval. The issue with the FCC is that if someone says "Hey, I'm not sure if this thing meets emission requirements...", the Pandora team has to be able to show documents from a lab test that prove it does. They're going to have it CE tested (which is more stringent than FCC testing). If it passes (which it almost guaranteed will - they've already done preliminary testing to make sure the final device does pass, and fixed the only issue they found), then the Pandora is FCC compliant, which is all that is necessary.
It's a scam.
I've known this from the beginning. L Laugh at your pain, for it is self-inguced.
@(Unverified)
lol u
I wanted this but at netbook price and with all these delays..i'm gonna pass. Seems like a really sketchy, rushed garage project going wrong.
I don't know why you guys are so full of Schadenfreude but it doesn't fit you at all.
It makes you look like a little child who was jealous of the CrunchPad and now that the poject failed you are happy and gleeful about it.
I mean, I get it, they are a competitor of yours - but come on...
I obviously held you to higher standards.
I enjoy reading both TC/CG and Engadget - but somehow I can't shake the feeling that article-quality are taking a turn for the worse - here on Engadget.
To be fair Michael Gartenbergs "Entelligence" was a good read, it was honest, he made his points and most importantly it wasn't just TC and MA bashing.
I've waited this long, ill continue to wait until its perfected! :)
I'd rather have a well designed product rather then having to read/listen to consumers complaining about these issues later on.
NO! THE PANDORA DELAYED! AGAIN! OMFG! WHO THE HELL SAW THIS COMING! Seriously folks...vapourware........been saying it for some 3 odd years now...let the flaming of me begin.
@ashasaur: Wow! You foresaw the delay nearly a year before the project was conceived? You must be clairvoyant. Why are you wasting your super powers of clairvoyance on little things like this?
@(Unverified)
He's a frickin Nostradamus, can't you see?
He even foresaw the flaming of himself.
@(Unverified) this has been in some sort of production for nearly 3 years now. My comment is valid.
@ashasaur
you seem to forget the multiple pictures and videos of real, working consoles that were just posted
@atomicthumbs Oh yes, because prototypes always equal real world machines that are ready to be released.
@ashasaur
No, but they do prove it has made significant progress, well more than the Phantom ever did.
This is starting to seem more and more like vaporware now, sadly. I wanted one at one point, but not anymore.
@Adiuvo Funny, the exact opposite is true - it's the final stretch. Surely it's a prime example of how difficult is to create an entirely new product without corporate backing.
@ECVOICE but its been the final stretch for 2 years almost now....
@ashasaur
Exactly. I remember when the original preorders went up, then were cancelled. It's been a long time since this was announced as almost viable.
By the time this thing gets released there will be more powerful hardware out by a different manufacturer able to do the same thing this beast can but also make calls. Just my 2 cents.
@Eternity I think it's okay because the Pandora is fulfilling its own niche. Sure, smartphones and smartbooks will come along with the snapdragons and whatnot, but they don't have analog nubs, (shoulder) buttons, etc for playing games on.