The GP2X Wiz and Pandora Home Page

N64 Emulator Updated

2009-10-26T19:23:00.004+01:00

MWeston posted this update showing the work done on the Pandora N64 emulator - its looking great:

N64 Coming To Pandora

2009-10-18T16:45:00.002+02:00

Great new video posted on GP32x forums - N64 emulation progressing exceedingly well ...

Pandora Now Expected Nov/Dec 2009

2009-10-17T11:51:00.004+02:00

Looks like the first fully assembled Mass Production Pandora console will arrive early in November 2009, MWeston just posted this update on the GP32x forums:

'After not completing the molds before the Chinese holiday, when they came back they gave me a 'worst case' completion date of Oct. 20th with the possibility to be done on the 15th if all went well. Then just the day before yesterday, they told Fatih they needed three extra days due to some last stage tweaks involving the smooth operation of tooling parts and ejection pieces so now that puts completion at around Oct. 23rd. With any luck, they will ship some case samples on Monday the 25th and I will get them mid to late that week. They are really dragging it out but let's just hope the delays are because they are trying to get the parts to look good and not have a bunch of terrible seams and warping. I won't complain one bit about the extra 23 day delay if the parts come out perfect. '

Looks like the earliest we will see the Pandora's being shipped (at last) will be December 2009/January 2010 .... better late than never

Can't Wait For The Pandora? - Win a Palm Pre Instead

2009-09-30T19:48:00.001+02:00

http://twitter.com/rajtakhar

Looks Like It's Late Oct Early Nov For Pandora Release

2009-09-30T19:17:00.002+02:00

ED posted this status update on the Open Pandora Homepage ...

'While the moulds are still in production, the 105 boards were pretty sturdy, we didn't encounter a single problem yet which is really cool.

Our initial plan was to wait for the first final cases and then do the CE / FCC with a final unit. After that, we wanted to produce the rest of the 4000 boards (and cases, of course) and ship them.

However, as the cases need a bit longer, we decided to speed up the boards mass production. As soon as Michael gets the final nubs (which should arrive soon), he's gonna ship a complete prototype Pandora to me (in Germany), and we'll do a quick CE testing with that one. If that one passes the testings, the Pandora in the final case will also do so (as a plastic case doesn't add radiation). This does mean that we can immediately start the mass production of the boards after that - which speeds up the whole thing by a few weeks. The only downside is that we have to do a second testing with a final unit to get all the FCC certifications and therefore have a bit more costs - but it's definately worth it.

In the meantime, I'm working on the silk screening for the case (you know, the labels for the LEDs, etc.) and also the instructions manual.

DJWillis is working on the OS image to turn it into a nice looking end-user version (with Pandora logos and theming, etc.)'

Null DC Update

2009-09-30T08:16:00.003+02:00

The Pandora Dreamcast emulator is coming along nicely ...

I'm Back

2009-09-30T08:15:00.001+02:00

Apologies for not updating for a while - been busy with work ... lets roll with some updates ..

It's Coming Together

2009-06-30T07:34:00.003+02:00

Hmmm New juicy blog update from ED - Initial batch of Pandoras on their way with more to follow!! ...

"Hi, it’s time again for the weekly report on what has happened.

Craig finally resolved the customs issue, so the parts (parts for 2000 Pandoras) finally are moving towards their destination.The other 2000 parts did pass the customs without any problems a few days earlier, btw.So, first test mass production is still due to be finished on July 20th (you know, the ones we ordered a while ago) and all the parts are also on their way – which means: COMPLETE mass production of the boards could be happening soon!

The final puzzle piece for the final unit is the case. What’s the status with that, you might ask?Well, as said a while ago, Dave doesn’t have too much time at the moment, as he is very busy with his normal job. However, he continues to work on the case, day by day. And I’m really happy that the To-Do-List has really grown short.So short, that he might even finish it within the next few days! There’s a light at the end of the tunnel! Finally, I can see it!

On to some other questions and stuff I’ve seen on the boards: A lot of guys are asking what happened to the video craig promised to you.Well, as you all know, he planned shooting a long one.

That does take time, though. And during that, the custom problems happened. Craig spent all days trying to resolve those issues… so he couldn’t spend any time on the video.- And I guess you wouldn’t want more delay because of the video, right?Also, there’s not too we could show you:

You’ve seen the working prototype… and that is the last status before the FINAL unit is ready. I know you love videos… and the time between the protoype and the final unit seems endless – but there’s not much we can do except wait for it.

Those things do take time and we also have to wait for the boards and cases to be finished.Heh – you know what’s funny? I read somewhere on the boards that for some time moves so slowly while waiting for the Pandora… it’s the complete opposite for us.

Time seems to fly by. Whoops, another week gone.

Let’s wait together, shall we? I know there are some OMAP3 devices coming – but none will be as open and supported for homebrew and Linux as the Pandora is."

New Blog Update From Ed

2009-06-15T06:24:00.004+02:00

Here is a recent June 12th, update from ED - my money is kind of on a Mid July/August launch date:

1. The boards - We had to fix one minor fault a few weeks ago and already received and tested five new ones – and the good news is: They’re ALL working fine (no soldering problems, all our hardware tests were sucessful). So we got a 100% rate from those.We’ll do more testing, but the planned first mass production run (100 boards which will actually be used for final Pandoras) is on July 13th, though it might be a few days earlier or later. Of course we’ll try to get some pictures of the first 100 boards for you.

2. The analogue nubs - You might’ve read that there were some problems with the analogue nubs. Well, they had serious firmware problems and the company went bankrupt… so we had two problems: We need to pay TWICE (the new company we got has to be paid again) and the firmware had to be fixed. Both has happened already. The new firmware is already there (Pickle showed the new nubs in a video) and it is working without an problems. Another issue solved

3. The Keymat - It was pretty perfect already, however, the pressure and gaming controls could be enhanced. So we did that – and the new version is already at the moulding company, so the new mats shall also be finished very soon. As there were some keys misaligned, we used the time to fix that up, too. If you want to know what exactly happened: wider holes around screw pegs, made game button cups wider to make them softer, slightly more travel to 1mm, keypad buttons raised 0.5mm, a couple of other little guide holes moved.

4. CE and FCC - CE tests will happen as soon as I get a finished board and prototype case, which should happen while the case moulds are being done, so there’s no time problem. I’ve got a few CE testing companies around the corner where I can just drop-by and test everything. We shouldn’t have a problem with FCC either – as we only need FCC if we sell WITHIN the US. We don’t do that yet, we sell from UK and Germany, so FCC is not necessary. It WILL have to be done once there’s a US based reseller, but that’s nothing to worry about for the first batch.

5. The case - That’s our only issue for now, we’re still working on fixing minor issues. It really does take a long time making something near perfect – and that’s what we plan to do. Another problem is that neither CNC nor SLA cases are good enough to check if everything fits perfectly. Don’t worry, there’s already a solution for that. The only thing we had to fix is the height of the DPad (so it works better) and the hinge. The rest was already pretty good. So we most probably won’t need another CNC case, just another DPad which can be done within a few days. We hope Dave will be ready will all that fixes until next week.

Yeah, we know that’s a long time… but because of the financial crisis (once agin…) a lot of guys at Daves work lost their job and he now basically has to do twice the work at his daytime job, leaving him less time to work on the Pandora case. We’re really really grateful he does work on it making it perfect.

Now, onto the solution I mentioned above: The moulding company offered their help. Together with the final model data, they will receive basically a complete Pandora (all parts, LCD, hinge, board, keymat, etc.) and will check before moulding that everything will fit. They are very experienced with stuff like that, so that does help a lot. The downside is that this adds a few more days (moulding now takes approx. 45 days instead of 35) but it will ensure that everything fits and we don’t have to start all over again.That time frame also does allow us to do CE testing and change some stuff if need be without losing any time.

6. Software - Software and drivers are already VERY advanced. Mostly everything works fine, only WiFi is giving some issues. The hardware is fine, lowlevel tests with WiFi do work, but it doesn’t work yet within the Angström image. If we can’t fix it until the Pandora is ready, it will be fixed with an (automatic) firmware update, don’t worry.

So, I hope I could show you what did happen. Of course, there were a lot more boring things going on (organizing between all the companies, signing NDAs, talking about licenses, etc.) but I think I did post the most interesting parts here.

Basically, to put it in a nutshell:

Board: Finished and workingKeymat: Finished and in productionAnalogue Nubs: Issue solved, nubs tested and working fine
CE Testing: Pending (will be done during case moulding)
Case: Last fixes being applied, should go to case mass production company by next week

Pandora Coming Out In July 2009?

2009-06-06T10:08:00.001+02:00

CraigX posted a comment on the GP32x Forums suggesting a possible July 2009 release date for the Pandora.

June 2009 - Pandora Black Images

2009-06-01T16:29:00.003+02:00

CraigX has just posted these lovely images of the Pandora - all the bits inside look like the mass production bits, the case is still a CNC machined one not one from the final mould.

Hey it shows the Pandora is getting there, fingers crossed and we could see them shipping inside two months.

Wiz! Finally Starts To Arrive

2009-05-19T06:27:00.020+02:00

Wiz! Finally Arrives!
Apologies for not posting this update for the Wiz! - but here goes:

The Wiz! is now officially available, as of earlier this month - Looks like it beat the Pandora by about at least 1 month, its all good though.

First Review

I'm still awaiting my Wiz! to arrive, but there are some reviews on the internet already, here are a few english language reviews of the Wiz!, enjoy:

http://play-asia-rulez.blogspot.com/2009/05/gp2x-wiz-review-ready-to-rock.html

Wiz! YouTube Videos
If that does not wet your tastebuds, click on the YouTube Videos below for some more Wiz! fun:

Wiz! Official Trailer

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Wiz! Booting Up

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Wiz! Quake II

Wiz! built-in games on the Wiz!

Wiz! running MegaDrive Emulator

Wiz! running Neo-Geo Pocket Emulator

Wiz! running MAME

Yet Another Wiz! video

Wiz! File Archive
A Wiz! file archive to get all your Wiz software files has been created here:
http://archive.gp2xwiz.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi

Emulators already out for the Wiz:
CPS2 - http://archive.gp2xwiz.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,71,36
MAME - http://archive.gp2xwiz.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,73,22
MASTER SYSTEM/GAME GEAR - http://archive.gp2xwiz.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,71,50 NES - http://www.gadget4linux.com/uploadcenter/c...d55a43187e1f931
NEO-GEO CD - http://archive.gp2xwiz.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,71,35
SNES - http://archive.gp2xwiz.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,71,37
VECTREX - http://archive.gp2xwiz.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,71,42

Firmaware v1.0 has been released get it from here: http://archive.gp2xwiz.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,42,44

New Pandora Video

2009-05-19T06:24:00.003+02:00

The YouTube video above was posted by Craigx on the GP32x forums

New Keymat & Quake 3 Pandora Video

2009-05-15T07:26:00.003+02:00

We're Getting There

2009-05-13T07:12:00.003+02:00

More updates from the OpenPandora team. From the pictures above and the previous posts about keymat's it appears all the components are coming together, just the final mass production boards to finish off, here is the list of remaining tasks for the project:

Build a test device and check if everything is okay
Create mould of final case (can be done once the case fits, takes 30 - 35 days)
CE / FCC testing (can be done once the prototype case is here)
Stability testing (this will be fun)
Mass Production
Test the boards
SHIP THEM!

I expect by the end of the week, some cool videos will appear of the final prototype devices.

More Keymat Pictures

2009-05-08T19:30:00.002+02:00

Faith has posted this update to the keymat's for the Pandora. This time with the shiny top epoxy coating applied. The images just make you want to scream Yeah Baby pandora's going to Rock!

Keymats Arrive!

2009-05-06T07:13:00.004+02:00

Faith posted the picture of the Pandora keymats on the OpenPandora.org blog yesterday. Don't they just look cool. Bear in mind the Keymats still need the shiny top coatings to be applied to them.

By my reckoning the outstanding tasks left (from EvilDragons list) before the Pandora starts to ship should be:

Build a test device and check if everything is okay (should be later on this week)

Create the keymat mould (takes 20 - 25 days) - I reckon this is complete as the keymats have arrived

Design the final keyboard layout (needs to be finished when the mould is ready) - Done

Create mould of final case (can be done once the case fits, takes 30 - 35 days) - The last time the GP32x forums were up, there were suggestions to some of this work being completed.

CE / FCC testing (can be done once the prototype case is here)

Mass Production testrun for the final boards

Stability testing

Wait for the last remaining pieces for mass production

Mass Production

Test the boards

SHIP THEM!

May Update - Transparent Case Arrives

2009-05-04T13:42:00.006+02:00

Faith has posted these pictures of the final clear case (clear so stress testing can be done) on the GP32x forums.

Looks like we still have some way to go with the final case, Faith received the transparent case from CNC manaufacturer last week, it should now be in transit to MWeston who should do final testing of case some time next week.

For those of you trying access the GP32x forums, be warned they are under re-construction, and may be out of action for another week yet!

I think there is still some way to go before we are there with the final unit ready for CE/FCC testing, hopefully it will be soon and production then taking place sometime late June 2009, with delivery in July/August 2009 (can't see it happening before then).

June 2009 Release Date

2009-04-13T20:25:00.004+02:00

Evil Dragon has just posted this update on the GP32 forum suggesting the production release date for the Pandora as June 2009:

'Our current plan is to build a half dozen prototypes for rev3 by the end of April or first week of May (depending on how far the devs get with the software).Michael will test them thoroughly with a new kernel from Notaz/DJWillis.

The tests will mainly be to make sure the boards were manufactured properly (since they will be from the company who will provide production quantities) and to make sure they were soldered properly. So basically, our final hardware test will start soon!

We're trying to make sure we can build up to the first 500 units in May (at most).

The next 3500 should be finished in June. The transparent case should arrive within the next few days. After that, we can finally start the moulding process!It does seem like the best date we will have cases is the end of May.

After they arrive, we can finally start shipping, as the boards will be ready at that time.Some things can and will be done in parallel, so that that stuff will be ready when the Pandora is finished:-

Get carry cases manufactured- Do CE and FCC (CE will be done with one of those Rev3 Boards, FCC can't be done before we have the first final unit)'

Battery Covering Revealed

2009-04-07T07:17:00.003+02:00

EvilDragon posted the image of the battery covering above on the GP32x forums. The battery covering will be the black plastic coating applied to the Pandora battery with the saftey instructions as shown above.

Hey at least its been CE tested already!

More Updates

2009-04-01T08:06:00.004+02:00

Two blog updates from the Open Pandora team already this week!!

The first was from Evil Dragon - on the status of testing the device -sounds like a delay - but from his related forum updates, I don't think it will be a big delay, just a 1-2 weeks at most:

"Well, anyways, back to Pandora stuff. I received three new ribbon cables from Michael on last Monday but didn't have time until today to rebuild my Pandora devboard and put it into the case.

But, it works now. So (except for the keymat I'm still missing), I also got working board in a case now.

I hope I'll find some time making a nice little HD video with Quake 3 and some other new emulator (you'll like it) during the next days. You will also get to see a more finger-friendly matchbox-theme I designed.

Give me some time, though, still got a lot of work in real life.Now, onto some other issue you already heard on the boards:

The case.You've seen it and you read it, it fits quite good (better than we expected) - but not PERFECT. There is SOME stuff to be fixed, but nothing that major.We don't want to deliver a non-perfect case to you, though (and I'm sure you all agree), so we'll work on it for the next few days.

I'll also post the final keymap for you soon, so stay tuned - and thanks a lot for being so patient"

The second update came from CraigX, a quite funny look at the Pandora in action:

First Video of Assembled Pandora

2009-03-23T21:10:00.003+01:00

Wiz! Release Date Rumours

2009-03-21T14:08:00.003+01:00

Rumours coming from GPH suggest that the final release date for the GPH Wiz! console has been targeted for the 30th April 2009. This release date has slipped on several occasions in the past with the initial teething issues with case, OS, Flash Support.

Looks like April 2009 may turn out to be an historic month for handheld gamers, on the one hand the Nintendo DSi handheld console is being released, on the other the GPH Wiz! looks like it may finally get released, and hopefully we may even seen the Pandora starting to ship.

Can't wait!!

New Pandora Picture and CNC Case Assembly Video

2009-03-21T13:50:00.006+01:00

First a new photo posted by MWeston which has appeared on the GP32x forums, it shows the evolution of the Pandora with the top right hand corner showing the first case, followed by top left showing the last FDM with the bottom two images being the pre-production CNC cases.

A new YouTube video was potsed by Evil Dragon on the GP32x forums - its shows the basic structure of the Pandora coming together in a CNC Case - unfortunately as you will see - There was a mishap with the LCD lead during the way - makes for good viewing those.

Help The Pandora Sega Dreamcast Emulator Project

2009-03-21T13:42:00.003+01:00

In my previous post, I pointed out that ZeZu and drkIIRaziel were busy trying to port NullDCe onto the Pandora.

Help these guys out in two ways

Donate Funds - help the guys get enough cash to buy another BeagleBoard or Pandora to enable them to make the development process much quicker - currently only one of them has a Beagleboard - go on support them by sending electronic funds via PayPal to following email address - stef_mp@emudev.com
Anyone donating money will get their names on the thanks screen for the emulator - so not only will you be helping these guys out but you will also being getting your name immortalised - just state in the comments section of PayPal screen that you would like your name to be added to thanks screen within emulator.
Beta Testers - Offer to do some beta testing for them when they release the intial Pandora version(s).

Me I'm hopefully doing both! (Have already sent the guys some money)

More March 2009 Updates

2009-03-18T08:27:00.006+01:00

Apologies in advance for not posting some of this stuff any sooner.

A lot of behind the scenes stuff (posted on GP32X forums) has been occurring since my last post:

The Pandora case, the initial CNC cases have been manufactured and are currently being sent out to the Pandora developement team as we speak, MWeston will assemble the first complete unit during the coming week, any new videos of this will get posted on this blog.
Here are some fun pictures of the initial assembly of the Pandora by Faith, essentially he mounted the PCB and screen, but not keymat, speakers, WI-FI, bluetooth, etc.

A new Quake 3 video appeared - showing just what the Pandora is going to be capable of. Here is the YouTube Video and the Pandora looks very capable:

If that was not enough - ZeZu and drkIIRaziel the developers of the NullDC (Sega Dreamcast) emulator are busy porting the lighter version NullDCe onto the BeagleBoard which means it will work on Pandora, amazing - Pandora may get Dreamcast titles on it!! much sooner than expected:

Yes there is even more Evil Dragon released this video yesterday - showing MPlayer, PicoDrive (Sega Megadrive emulator), The Battle For WestNoth and Quake 1, hopefully this will be the last video of a Pandora un-cased:

Hey I got an honorable mention at the un-official Pandora blog .. check it here http://openpandora.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/just-a-lil-bit-longer/
i really can't wait for the first batch orders to finally start shipping sometime in April 2009
More stuff posted as and when I see it!

Pandora March 2009 Update

2009-03-04T09:21:00.002+01:00

Its been a while since my last update from the GP32X forums.

The Pandora maufacturing update as posted by Evil Dragon:

Get the final CNCed case (should be finished approx. end of February)
Wait until the mould of the keymat is finished
Design the final keyboard layout
Create mould of final case (can be done once the case fits)
CE / FCC testing (can be done once the case is here)
Mass Production testrun for the final boards
Stability testing (this will be fun)
Wait for the last remaining pieces for mass production (LATEST deadline is second week of March)
Mass Production
Test the boards
SHIP THEM

From what we understand the case is on-route from China, and should be available to Evil Dragon (to showcase at a European computer show) and MWeston (to iron out any issues) very very soon.

The last chance for ordering a first batch machine has now been set, the date is the end of the first week in March 2009 - only a few days left.

Here is another YouTube video on Pandora from Evil Dragon showing the matchbox windows manager:

More Pandora Delays

2009-02-17T08:38:00.002+01:00

ED has posted this update on the OpenPandora homepage:

'To-Do:

Get the final CNCed case (still waiting...)
Wait until the mould of the keymat is finished
Design the final keyboard layout
Create mould of final case (can be done once the case fits)
CE / FCC testing (can be done once the case is here)
Mass Production testrun for the final boards
Stability testing (this will be fun)
Wait for the last remaining pieces for mass production (LATEST deadline is second week of March)
Mass Production
Test the boards
SHIP THEM!

Please keep in mind that it also takes some time to ship.It won't help if the case if finished in China, it has to go to Michael and then to the CE / FCC testing company, etc.

Okay, some more info about the mass production: We want to have a 48 burn-in test for the boards. The failure rate on the first boards depends on how many we'll test!

In worst case, we have to test ALL boards, which will take a month - don't worry however, as we can have weekly shipments of the already tested and working boards so the first guys who have ordered don't have to wait so long.

Let's cross our fingers and hope there won't be many problems from now on.'

Realistically I would not expect the Pandora to start shipping until Late April to Early May 2009.

Updated Pandora Hi-Res Renders

2009-02-06T20:34:00.006+01:00

Evil Dragon has recently released some more Pandora Hi-Res Renders on the OpenPandora.org blog page, don't they just look great!, They show ports as well as stylus design

Manufacturing Update

2009-02-02T21:18:00.001+01:00

Chip has posted this update on how soon the Pandoras will be Manufactured ... it's SOON!!

Four to six weeks from the first to the last of the first batch Pandoras. Give or take a couple weeks for testing and tweaking the assembly process.

Once the manufacturing process is 100% nailed down (2nd batch onwards) the plant can make ~5000 per month, though they can only make them as fast as we can get parts. Second batch will probably start up about two months after the first is finished (again, depending on parts availability).

So at least 3-4 weeks before first batch starts, 4-6 weeks after that it finishes, then ~8 weeks until the 2nd batch starts. If you want a Pandora soon, order from the first batch. Otherwise you’ll be waiting a while.

New FDM Video

2009-02-01T07:24:00.003+01:00

CraigX has posted this video made by MWeston showing the Pandora in a FDM case running Angstorm, with an external USB mouse connected.

Pandoras Still Available For Ordering!!

2009-01-29T19:54:00.003+01:00

Craig Rothwell has posted this update on the Pandora ordering situation, the good news is that Pandoras are STILL available to order from the first batch - here are the contact details - GET THEM QUICK!!!

So in order to get things moving along to mass production we have to put an end date on reorders and also allow people to take up the empty order places.

Please try to get your REorders in within the next 7 days, don't worry if they don't arrive for a little after that - we will be flexible.

New orders, if you want to order a Pandora (or two) from the first batch you can now place a new order via:

Bank Transfer (tranzfers, xoom, via your bank)
Money Order (free from your bank but you will have to post us it)
Cheque/Check

The price of a Pandora is $330, please email us to arrange (we need to calculate your shipping method).

openpandorasales@gmail.com or call +44 191 243 2253

Updated FDM Video

2009-01-29T08:59:00.001+01:00

MWeston posted a new Video on the GP32 forums showing a Pandora fully assembled in the FDM case running a couple of different applications.

New Pandora FDM Video

2009-01-28T21:03:00.003+01:00

Evil Dragon has posted the updated renders of a completed Pandora on the GP32 forums - don't they look amazing!!.

If that was not enough, MWeston has released the YouTube Video below showing an assembled Pandora in the final FDM case.

More videos of the Pandora in the FDM switched on and working will be released soon!!
Roll on the Production rollout!!

More Jan 2009 Updates

2009-01-24T09:16:00.004+01:00

Evil Dragon posted the excellent photorealistic image of a Pandora as shown above, this gives a good idea of how the final product will look like. Albeit it will be updated over the coming days to include the LED indicators.

If that was not enough, Cpasjuste has released an early beta of a Neo-Geo emulator which still needs some tweaking to be done to it, but has some incredibly high frame rates even at the beta version, hopefully once the tweaking is done, we will have a high quality Neo-Geo MVS and CD-Rom system emulator for the Pandora at launch time.

On a slightly more downbeat note, CraigX has indicated that the Pandoras look destined to be shipped during March 2009.

Final Case Design Images

2009-01-21T21:05:00.009+01:00

CraigX just posted these images of the final case design in the GP32 forums, can't wait for the final FDM images to be produced over the next few days .... can't wait

Pandora Jan 2009 Updates

2009-01-21T10:45:00.005+01:00

Here is a collection of Updates regarding the Pandora collated from the GP32x forums:

As yet the OpenPandora project is still on target to meet its previous deadline targets.
MWeston has a half-built FDM model of the Pandora, he is currently awaiting the lowere half to complete the initial prototype. The picture above was taken from a post by MWeston.

ED has stated that the TI will release a full set of OpenGL 2.0 drives not the original OpenGL ES, which will make porting games and apps to the Pandora a whole lot eaisier.

The Google Android OS has been ported to the BeagleBoard which uses same processor as the Pandora - This means you could if you wanted have the Google Android OS running on your Pandora either from NAND or an SD card, which given its size would enable a pretty good PDA solution for the Pandora, there are loads of Apps already out there for the Android OS.

Currently it is expected that the project will ship all Pandora units which were paid via Bank Transfer. Once these units have been shipped, the remaining credit card orders will be processed.

Some people are holding off making the credit card payments as they want to see proof that the Pandoras will actually be released, this will not affect those who paid by Bank Transfer (Hey I may get my Pandora sooner than expected).

As some credit card orders may not be completed by the first batch orders, there is an expectation that those users may wait until everything is stabilzed in the second batch.

This will mean that there is potentially lots more spare Pandoras from the first batch.

Open Pandora have stated that they will be sending a newsletter out to all registererd users asking them if they would like additional units, you will have to pay by straight bank transfer methods, sign up for the newsletter at http://www.openpandora.org .

ED's blog entry dated January 20th 2009 states the following regarding the recent issues, and delays with the Pandora project:

'However, there was one bad thing that happened... which caused all the mess and nearly did kill everything:

In the beginning of October, right after the preorders had been paid, craigs bank froze his account (as you might know).

However, not only the money from craigs preorders was on that account, but also the money from the rest of us which was meant to develop the Pandora boards, etc.

Everything had been set: We had the complete circuits (I posted videos before September), we had the nigh complete case (we did post pictures of the FDM case) and we had fixed appointments with the company in mid October to do the first mass production testing of the boards.

However, we couldn't access the money anymore for actually STARTING the mass production - that's why it didn't happen.

Also, we couldn't pay the hinge, the prototype battery, the LCDs, the prototype of the flat ribbon cable for the LCD... and without all that, we couldn't continue to work on the case.And without any prototype boards, the devs couldn't work on the software.It was scary.

Everything we had setup so far didn't work out - simply because of a frozen account. And this was the beginning of all those delays...It took craig about one month to unfreeze the account - and yet, not all reorderings of CC orders haven't taken place.

At least, we had access to some money and could continue to develop that thing - about mid-November. Luckily, mass production test run did go pretty fast, so by the end of November, most devs got their boards.

It didn't work so well with the LCDs though - ours had been reserved but sold elsewhere as we didn't have the money at that time. We had to wait until January to get them all (and yes, we have them, as well as all major other parts needed!).

The company that does the battery also started to work as we paid them - and right in December, they told us they couldn't fit that high capacity within the space they had planned for.

So they needed to make it a bit bigger - and we needed to change the case.

That was what happened until January.

Now that it's mid-January, we're basically back on track - just a bit late.

We got the parts, the design of the case has been finished according to our deadline on January 15th, it's currently being FDMed and right after that (if everything is okay, which really should), the case will be being CNCed.

The keypad is also ready for mass production as well as the boards.

The first prototype will be used to do FCC and CE testing, so don't worry about that.

Then mass production will finally begin - yes, we know it's a few months late, but believe us: We didn't want that.

Still, we're just right before the finish lane, so we won't give up.

Thank you all for your patience - and again, sorry for the delay!

Maybe now you can understand a bit more what has been happening'

Pandora To Start Shipping February 2009

2009-01-08T12:44:00.002+01:00

An update has appeared on http://www.openpandora.org/index.php which suggests the expected Pandora shipping date as mid to late February 2009, extracts of the update are as follows:

'First we had the PayPal issue, then the banking problem with all those credit cards (and Amex is still troubling) and because of this we needed to reroute money from various other accounts to pay for the production... which caused delays, especially for the LCDs (though that issue is solved now, the last LCDs will ship soon, thank goodness).

And if that wasn't enough, we a bit trouble with the rechargeable battery, as it was pretty hard designing a battery with that high capacity that also FITS into the case. This delayed the case - but I'm happy to announce that the final battery is already being prototyped.

As soon as we get it (which should be within the next week), the case design will be ready a few days later (we set the deadline for the case design to January 15th). Prototyping shouldn't take too long - and then it will only be a matter of a few weeks more until everything is ready for delivery ..... So, here is a mini-roadmap:

Case Design: January 15th 2009
Case Prototyping: approx. 1-2 weeks later
Final production and delivery: approx. 2 - 4 weeks later'

Updated Pandora Production News

2009-01-04T21:44:00.003+01:00

Here are the latest Pandora updates from the GP32X Forums:

A delay to the final prototype case has arisen due to a slight change in the battery size from the supplier, as the final battery is delivered the final prototype case will be produced. An initial deadline of 15th Jan has been set for this activity - Posted by Evil Dragon
blendenzo and mazza558 have posted the lovely fan made pandora rendition shown above on the http://openpandora.wordpress.com blog.
The following mega update was posted by Chip on 4th January:

More news from the development team for the new year:We have made a couple tweaks to the MK2 board design that was sent to all the devs, and we should have a MK3 prototype in a week or so. If everything is fine with that board, it will go into mass production very shortly thereafter.

We could have just used the MK2 board and left the minor bugs in as "quirks", but with all the other delays, it was worth it to do one more revision and get it perfect.The cases will be going into mass production on the 15th.

That's our deadline for making any last minute tweaks, and it looks like we'll be in great shape for that. We already have the new LCD ribbon cable for these cases and it's working nicely.

The keypads will go into mass production in the next week or two at the latest. The keypad layout will be very similar to the one on the original renders. I am told there will only be "minor changes" between the render and the final layout.

There may be separate layouts available for the middle east and Asian regions, but all other regions will have the same standard layout for now. It is very likely that alternate keymats (including blank mats) will be made available for a small price at some point in the near future.

We now have the SGX video drivers in their entirety. We're just waiting for a few documents to come back signed and then we can release both the binary part and the open source driver shim to the public. Expect OpenGL ES demos soon.

Reorders are happening now, slowly. We're sending out details and a reorder URL to customers one at a time, starting with US customers. Some have already been sent, and the rest are on the way.

We're doing it slowly to avoid any potential problems with the CC processor and to avoid overwhelming the sales ladies. Do not worry, everybody will have the opportunity to reorder in time to get their Pandora.

We are meeting with the bank this week to fix the Amex situation. They cannot simply sit on the money forever, and we're not accepting any more of their stall tactics. If the bank simply refuses to rectify the situation, there is a backup plan.

Anybody who paid for a Pandora will get one, no matter what the bank does. One way or another, this situation will be remedied this week.

We're coming down the final stretch

MWeston FDM Keyboard Mat Update

2008-12-26T22:27:00.002+01:00

The image above is courtesy of MWeston, who finally received the Pandora prototype keyboard matt on Christmas Eve.

Work by MWeston is quoted as follows:

It fits, but it had to be made thicker to prevent brittle areas in the cups holding the carbon pads. Therefore, it isn't very usable as it takes a lot of force to press buttons. As far as form is concerned, it fits beautifully.

As far as more complete prototypes (CNC'd) go, I won't have anything until the New Year. I had to drive over to the FedEx depot to pick this one up myself before they closed up for the holidays or I wouldn't even have had this one!

This really isn't an amazing update, so I hid it on my page and I don't know if anyone will even find it!

New Pandora Video Running Matchbox Windows Manager

2008-12-20T18:57:00.004+01:00

This video was created by EvilDragon on Friday 19th December 2008 and discussed in the GP32 forums, it shows the Matchbox window manager tool, as well as email client, net access via FireFox, changing fonts, etc. Can't wait to get my Pandora in 2009!!

New Pandora Pictures Released

2008-12-20T18:48:00.007+01:00

The images above have been released by MFK on the GP32 forums. The images are essentially the standard Pandora (uncased) with the breakout box for additional audio-visual connections.

A fully assembled Pandora will be finished by MWeston shortly.

Pandora Booting Up Angstorm Video Released

2008-12-16T10:09:00.003+01:00

Evil Dragon has just released this YouTube video of the latest Pandora, booting up from a slow speed SD card, an un-optimized version of the Angstorm OS. Within this video are shown a word processors, spreadsheet, GIMP and Firefox. The Pandora is looking amazingly FAST!!.

You can still order one of the remaining 300 units from the first batch, you logon to http://OpenPandora.org then register for the newsletter or drop the sales team an email at: openpandorasales@gmail.com.

Pandora Keyboard Matt Pictures Released

2008-12-15T11:03:00.003+01:00

MFK has just published this image of the Pandora keyboard matt on the GP32X forums. It looks like the missing piece in the Pandora Jigsaw puzzle is now complete and we should see images of the first fully assembled Pandora being released soon!!!!

Additional Pandora First Batch Units NOW Available

2008-12-14T15:00:00.002+01:00

The Open Pandora team have announced additional Pandora units are available from the First Batch!! - Originally there were 3800 units pre-ordered, with an initial first production batch size of 4000 units.

Now that the all the banking problems and credit card refunds have been sorted, some 100 initial first batch orders have decided not to re-order - leaving about 300 unit available from the first batch for new orders!

So if you would like to order one of the first batches like me! get on down to http://www.openpandora.org and place your order quick!! or else you will miss out on this unique piece of computing history.

Bear in mind that the first batch will be the basic units delivered in basic packaging - the retail boxes wont be available until the second batch is announced.

The only remaining step in the first batch is the actual keyboard matts - which the supplier is currently being awaited on. Once the Keyboard matts have been completed, the fully assembled Pandora units will be displayed, and obviously I will update this Blog accordingly.

Hopefully I will receive my Pandora probably over the festive period/early January 2009. When I get mine I will display some juicy pictures of unboxing (the basic package) and running various emulators on my Pandora for everyone else to view.

I will keep you posted on events as and when they happen.

Pandora Update - Slight Delay

2008-12-02T11:05:00.004+01:00

Not much to talk about. Craig, Evil Dragon and co, have been extremely busy in getting the Pandora ready for a production rollout.

MWeston has reported the complexities of the PCB manufacture in North Americam where the design of the PCB and new OMAP processor have caused delay in initial PCB manufacture. What has been announced is that there will be an initial flurry of small batches followed by full scale production once the remaining issues have been ironed out.

The global credit crunch has had an impact on sourcing components such as the LCD's which are still tricklin in.

Here is what a sneak peak of what the top of the Pandora will look like:

Craig has stated that the final prototype (a full cased Pandora) will be ready by this weekend, we will be posting the updated images as soon as we receive them.

Yep it is annoying that the Pandora has missed the November 2008 delivery date, but if they get all the components and LCD's deliveries should start arriving in Late Dec 2008 with a realistic shipment date of January/February 2009.

Hey if the device is as good as its specs and well made in North America, then the delay will have been worth the wait.

Craig has announced that there are a few Pandoras from the first batch still up for grabs, as some people who received the recent series of refunds (as a result of the OpenPandora team using different banks) have decided against placing their orders again.

More on how to get the extra units will be announced at a later date.

GP2X Wiz Update

2008-11-13T13:39:00.003+01:00

With really slow pre-order numbers (less than 100) and delays in actual software, GPH have announced that the GP2X Wiz will start to ship in February 2009.

This kind of implies they are in a process of re-design, presumably awaiting to see what elements they can take from both the new Pandora launch and the re-designed Nintendo DSi console.

Pandora Update

2008-11-12T13:33:00.006+01:00

A new picture of a fully populate Pandora PCB has just been published on the OpenPandora.org blog.

From the GP32X forums Evil Dragon has suggested that the initial 600 pre-orders for which the OpenPandora already had the LCD screens for will arrive on November 30th 2008, With the predicted delivery dates being mid-December for the lucky first 600.

I'll have to await until the new year for mine to arrive. I am still awaiting someone to tell me what my order number is, I ordered at the cut-off period for pre-orders received a confirmation email but no Order Number specified, guess I will just have to b patient.

First Batch Pandora Possible Delays Expected

2008-11-09T14:58:00.004+01:00

A recent article on the GP32 Forums suggests that the biggest delay in shipping the completed first batch of Pandora consoles is now down to the LCD manufacturer.

The original 3000 plus LCD screens ordered, only 600 have been sent. This means the first 600 units will be complete within the next few weeks and distribution to pre-order customers expected during mid-December 2008.

The remaining units are expected to be distributed as and when the LCD screens arrive. This means I'll probably get mine later in 2009 and will have to update this blog with my review of the unit then, bummer! - hey at least everything else is progressing and some additional YouTube videos on the Pandora will be posted soon.

News about the Wiz! suggests pre-order sales have been very very much lower than the Pandora, the Pandora had pre-orders in excess of 3,800 units the Wiz! a few weeks ago was quotes as having pre-orders below 100 units.

Pandora 2nd Batch Price Details Announced

2008-11-02T16:16:00.002+01:00

An announcement has been made on the GP32X forums which states that the price of the Pandora will be slightly increased to $339 (up from the first batch price of $329).

This minor price hike covers both the increased costs for RAM (now 256MB RAM and 512MB NAND originally it was 128MB RAM and 256MB NAND), additionally the credit crunch has caused a severe shift in the price of the Pound to Dollar exchange rates.

Overall to ensure the system is built to high manufacturing standards of North America, as opposed to using cheaper far eastern facilities which would have resulted in the overall quality being poorer. So a price hike of only 10$ is a small price for second batch orders to ensure the overall quality of the device.

Pandora Updates Confirmed - RAM MUCH More RAM

2008-10-30T15:00:00.002+01:00

The 2 bonus items have now been confirmed!!

Physical Ram - Increased From 128Mb to 256MB which means apps will work alot a quicker
NAND Ram - Increased from 256MB to 512MB which will allow more apps/system patches to be stored on local storage

Possible Shipping Delay on Pandora First Batch

2008-10-30T12:55:00.006+01:00

A recent post on the GP32x forums suggested that there may be a slight delay on the initial pre-ordered Pandora units being shipped from original end of November 2008 date.

The delay has been caused with the bank used by OpenPandora limited, not being very constructive in helping out the new start-up business, particularly with the international money orders needed to finance the suppliers of components and the far-eastern manufacturing process. this is even more stupid when you consider that OpenPandora limited has no debts or loans (Hey thats the banking industry for you!!)

The poor show by the bank has meant they are seriously considering moving their bank account to a more accomodating bank, and hence this will probably cause a delay to the manufacturing process, which in turn will result in a slip in shipping to possibly December 2008 or January 2009.

At the moment its only heresay, however the OpenPandora team have suggested it could be a good things as two un-defined bonuses may result in a delay to shipping.

They have not stated what the bonuses may be they are up for speculation at the moment - my theory is that the processor has an increased cache available this was something that was being predicted by TI before, so if we get a faster processor or the same CPU with a bigger cache/on-board that will be well worth the wait.

Either way will update the blog when I know anything more........

Updated PCB Pictures

2008-10-26T12:43:00.003+01:00

Notaz has just published these pictures of a fully populate Pandora PCB, showing the analog joypads in position as well (these pictures were taken from the OpenPandora spanish website). The Pandora seems to be coming together very nicely indeed!!

Pandora OS Build Nearly There

2008-10-25T09:40:00.005+02:00

As pace gathers around the first production batch on Pandora UMPC's, EvilDragon has posted this video regarding his work on the actual OS for the Pandora. We know that the OS is based on Ångström Linux which is used on other existing ARM based devices such as the Siemens SIM pad and the Beagle board. This means that some of the initial applications availble for the Pandora will include Abiword, Mozilla, Pidgin, Gimp, etc. The video below shows the initial OS with a modified GUI application called gmenu2X (originally coded for the GP2X). Looks impressive, albeit with small icons.

Zottd New Videos on MAME Emulator For Pandora

2008-10-18T10:32:00.006+02:00

Zottd has posted new videos on his MAME emulator for the Pandora - looks really polished and just needs a few sound tweaks, just shows how amazing the Pandora will be - One is of Outrun, Mortal Kombat, and Gradius:

Final Pandora PCB Design Announced

2008-10-16T14:20:00.009+02:00

The following images from the Open Pandora forums show the final PCB for the Pandora, and show the CAD image for the keyboard membrane, it wont be long now before the final prototype unit will be displayed!!!!!!

How The Pandora Was Designed

2008-10-16T14:18:00.002+02:00

This is a good article defining how the Pandora design concept originally evolved

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Various/Pandora/news.asp?c=8667

Updated Pandora Image

2008-10-12T10:47:00.003+02:00

Check out the updated Pandora pre-production image (the units are about to hit production as we speak) this is an image of how the final Pandora units are going to look like. This image was created by WarmFluffyUK on the OpenPandora forums

Pandora File Archive Link

2008-10-09T15:33:00.002+02:00

Here is a useful site which over time will contain lots of downloadable applications and games:

http://archive.openpandora.org/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi

DIY Pandora Mock-Up

2008-10-09T13:59:00.003+02:00

This PDF wa created and displayed on the Pandora forum pages to give an idea of the size of the physical unit, hey its fun while your waiting for you Pandora to arrive!

http://www.cosam.org/pandora/mockup.pdf

GP2X Wiz! Pre-Order Update

2008-10-08T14:51:00.004+02:00

Pre-Ordering is starting for the GP2X Wiz! as we speak!!. The first batch of units will be manufactured from November 21st 2008, with the first orders to be distributed by mid December 2008.

Just How Fast Will The Pandora Actually Be?

2008-10-08T10:50:00.007+02:00

Here are some interesting facts about the CPU used in the Pandora (ARM) comapred to the same CPU (Intel Atom) as used in the Acer and EEE PC devices.

The first is a YouTube Video which compared a 550MHZ ARM chip against the 800MHZ Intel Atom chip, the tests show web pages being loaded upm one on a Acer device, the other on a prototype device. Now as the Intel chip had a faster speed at 800MHZ, it was going to be quicker, but further analysis showed that at the same speed processor (the ARM is overclockable), its the ARM chip which is much faster and efficient. Although this is just a theoretical analysis at present it does suggest the Cortex Chip in the Pandora (which is 600MHz), is all that, and then some!!

Here is Texas Instruments own statement on their processors and the Open Source community, they definately like Open Source more than Intel:

The Texas Instrument Chip seems to be getting everywhere, look at the two YouTube videos below, showing the processor being used in various handheld devices (Movial, Zoom, Google Android!)

Order Confirmed

2008-10-07T18:56:00.004+02:00

Amazing response from PandoraOrg - Just got an email confirming my order will be guaranteed to be part of the first batch. This means I will be one of the lucky first few, and will be posting a review as and when I get my Pandora - best news I have heard in ages!! - Yippee!!!!. As you will see from the post timestamps it was all done and confirmed very speedily indeed.

GP2X Wiz! Nearing Rollout!

2008-10-07T18:16:00.010+02:00

As if all the action with the Pandora was not enough the work to get the GP2X Wiz! rolling is taking shape. Here is our latest update

The GP2X Wiz! looks like its ready to roll and even has box art images being released. But why get one in comparison to the Pandora? - Well the GP2X Wiz! will be able to run all existing GP2X software so it has a firm software base, whilst the Pandora is a completely new product.

The GP2X Wiz! is more of console, whilst the Pandora is to intense purposes a UMPC. Anyway is some more updated info:

Bundled Software - The GP2X Wiz! will come with the following software bundled:

Base Linux OS
Digital Media Player
Flash Player
Audio Playback
E-Book Reader
Comic Reader - allows to view comics in JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG formats
Calender
Calculator

Bundled Games (See screenshots for more info)

Mini-Game Project - Collection of Mini-Games
Myride - Shooter
BangGP - Gun Shooter
Blingo2008 - Bingo
BoomShine2X - Puzzler
Snake on Dope - Snake with a twist!
Space Varments - Touchscreen
Square Tower Defense - Sort of like thrust
Tale Tail - Puzzler
Poker2X - Poker
Wind & Water - Puzzle
Kaiten Patisserie - Platformer

Click on images below to see larger image

GP2X File Archive Link

2008-10-07T17:54:00.004+02:00

I should have posted the link to the GP2X file archive yonks ago - but here it is:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi

This gives you an idea of the amount of stuff which was developed for the GP2X and in theory should be fully functional on the faster GP2X Wiz! devices

Second Batch Pandora Ordering Data

2008-10-07T17:41:00.004+02:00

It looks like they are preparing for the next batch of Pandora orders. With the units being available for order in December 2008.

The initial word is that the units being delivered to people may take upto 2-3 months, so if my order was accepted as a second batch order I would expect to receive Feb/March 2009. Whereas if my order was in the first batch I would expect to receive the unit Jan/Feb 2009 I guess?. No real biggie as we are dealing with a brand new system and you have to expect so snags with first few production runs. I remember when I pre-ordered my GP2X I thought it was going to come first batch with custom bits, boy did I get a shock having to put initial screen protector on it - it did work flawlessy though - so no complaints.

Got My Order In!

2008-10-07T16:59:00.003+02:00

I think my order for a Pandora has been accepted, just waiting to see if the payment has been processed and confirmation that my order will be in the initial batch of 4000 units. Fingers crossed and hoping I will get mine before xmas.

Pre-Order Pandora Units Sold-Out!!

2008-10-06T22:29:00.006+02:00

Within the space of a few days the initial batch of pre-order Pandora UMPC devices were sold out!!. That is an un-precedented achievement given that this is a new to market device, which has had very little publicity outside of its own GP2X community.

The demand for the units was so great that the initial pre-order batch size was increased from 3000 to 4000 units. Don't despair (probably like me) you can still order the Pandora, but it will not be available for delivery until January 2009. Just means waiting a little longer for such a great device.

I had the same kind of luck when I ordered my original GP2X console a few years ago. But I would state it was worth the wait, and by the time I received mine, a new service pack had been released. Keep coming back to this page we will keep posting updated photos (a new one showing final production model is about to be released soon!!) and videos on the Pandora, and hopefully sneak in an interview with some of the main developers for the Pandora!!!

All About The Pandora

2008-10-03T12:52:00.014+02:00

In this section we will explore the Pandora UMPC device ...

Technical Specifications
Core CPU - Texas Instruments ARM® Cortex™-A8 600Mhz+ CPU (Overclockable to 900MHZ+)

Graphics CPU - PowerVR SGX GPU, will handle OpenGL ES 2.0, several million polygons per second!!

System RAM - 128MB DDR SDRAM

Flash RAM - 256MB Internal Flash (used for storing OS and Apps then SD Card for more!

Display - 800x480 4.3" 16.7 million colours touchscreen LCD

Storage - Dual SDHC card slots - thats x2 32GB possible giving 64GB!!

Controls - Joypad PLUS Dual Analoge controls

Keyboard - 43 button QWERTY and numeric keypad

Other Interfaces - Bluetooth, High Speed USB 2.0, SVideo TV output

Battery Type - Removeable, 4000MaH battery, chargeable via USB

Battery Life - 10 hours plus for normal usage, over 100 hours for MP3 playback

Dimensions - 93.6 x 56.2 mm - a little bigger than a Nintendo DS

To see what the Pandora looks like, watch this YouTube video...

Operating System(s)
The core kernel for the pandora will support linux 2.6x. It is unknown yet as to which flavour of Linux the device will ship with, it is anticipated that it will be OpenPandora which will be compatible with Debian ArmTel packages.

However the device is flashable which means you can apply whichever flavour of Linux you want (making some tweaks along the way!!).

Here are some YouTube Videos of the Pandora running Ubuntu 8.04 and using Firefox web browser and other applications:

Emulators
The emulators shown working below present a small snaphot of things happening on the Pandora front. Please note most of these emulators will be even faster when the Pandora is finally released, the YouTube videos show the emulators running on development systems:

Amiga

MAME

SNES

Sony Playstation 1 (Awesome!!)

Various

Games
Here is a clip of Quake2 ..

Release Date
November 2008

Pre-Orders are now being undertaken for the pandora, from what we understand, the initial worldwide release of the device will be limited to 3000 units for Qtr 4 2008, with more to follow in 2009.

More Info
Can be obtained from the official Pandora site here ..

http://openpandora.org/worldmap.html

All About The GP2X Wiz!

2008-10-03T11:21:00.017+02:00

As Small As A Mobile Phone But With Greater Power Than A PSP! So you want to know more about the GP2X Wiz Console do you?, Here you go then:

Technical Specifications
CPU - 533MHz ARM9 3D Accelerator

Screen - TouchScreen OLED 320x240 2.8 inch (16.7 Million Colours Like HDTV!!)

Memory - 64 MB

Flash Rom - 1 GB

Storage - SD card upto 32 GB

Operating System - GNU/Linux-based OS

USB - USB host 2.0 standard, can be used for charging battery

Microphone

Battery - Internal 2000mAh Lithium Polymer Battery

Weight - 98 grams (no battery), 136 grams (with battery)

Dimensions - 121 mm wide, 61 mm high, 18 mm deep

Video Formats - DivX, XviD, MPEG4, AVI

Sound Formats - MP3, WAV, OGG Vorbis

Other Formats - Flash Player 7, JPG, GIF, BMP Box Contents (What You Get When You Buy)
GP2X Wiz! console

USB Cable

Stylus Pen

Quick User Guide

Manual CD

Touch Pen

USB Cable

Headphones

Emulation (List of Emulators)

The GP2X Wiz will be able to play all existing emulators running on the GP2X console itself. In the sections below we will list the emulators currently running on GP2X platform.

Remember if the games appear a little slow on the older GP2X's they definately will not on the GP2X Wiz as it has a much faster CPU and graphic handling capabilities. Ready ...... Because the list reads like a computing history book...

Acorn Archimedes

Acorn BBC-B

Amstrad CPC

Apple II

Apple Macintosh (Older Mac OS)

Atari 2600 VCS

Atari 7800 VCS

Atari 400/800/XL/XE

Atari ST

Atari Lynx

Atari Jaguar

Bandai Wonderswan

Capcom CPS2

Colecovision

Commodore PET

Commodore Vic20

Commodore C64/C128/Plus 4

Commodore Amiga

Final Burn Alpha (arcade)

GamePark 32

IBM PC (Older MS-DOS)

Magnavox Odysessy 2

Mattel Intellivision

MAME (Arcade)

NEC PC-Engine/Turbo-Grafx

Neo-Geo AVS

Neo-Geo CD

Neo-Geo Pocket

Nintendo NES

Nintendo SNES

Nintendo GameBoy

Nintendo GameBoy Color

Nintendo GameBoy Advance

Sam Coupe

Sega Game Gear

Sega Master System

Sega Mega Drive

Sega Mega CD

Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Sony MSX

Sony Playstation 1

Texas Instruments TI-99/4A

Emulation (YouTube Videos)
If the list above was not big enough for you, in this section we provide YouTube Video clips so you can judge for yourself how great this console will be:

Atari 400/800/XL/XE

Atari Lynx

Atari ST

Commodore Amiga

Commodore 64

GameBoy Advance

MAME

NEC PC-Engine/Turbo-Grafx

Neo-Geo

Sega Mega-Drive

Super Nintendo (SNES)

Sony Playstation 1

An Old GP2X Advert showing a heap of emulators running..

Finally ...
An Interview Clip with EvilDragon one of the leading GP2x programmers showing the GP2X Wiz in more detail..

More Info

You can get more information on the GP2X Wiz! from here

http://gp2x.co.uk/go.pl?A216

A Little History

2008-10-03T10:42:00.008+02:00

In this section we will briefly touch upon the history of Gamepark, the originating korean company, who designed the GP2X Wiz.

Way back in 2001, a new handheld console was released by GamePark called the GP32, based on a Samsung 133MHz Arm CPU with 8MB of Ram, this system was one of the first to use smart media instead of cartridge based media.

The GP32 was unique as it ushered in a new era of 'Homebrew' free software, lots of emulators soon appeared for the GP32 most notably Nintendo SNES and Sega Mega Drive.

The only thing the GP32 really lacked was a stable media format as the smart media formats were soon replaced by secure digital card formats.

Following on from the success of the GP32, GamePark evolved intotwo companies the original GamePark was to remain as a software developer, whilst GamePark Holdings was created in 2004.

GamePark Holdings released the GP2X which was a much improved update to the GP32, based on dual CPUs, more Ram, better screen and an open-source linux OS, and oh yes SD card support so much much more emulators and applications could be run on a single device without having to swap memory cards around.

The GP2X ushred in an era where more faster emulation of not just 8 bit consoles, but 8 to 64 bit consoles could be undertaken. In future blog updates we will explore all the emulators out there for the GP2X as they will work 100% for the new GP2X Wiz device.

There were two incarnations of the original GP2X units (there were others developed but never released), the first was called GP2X-F100 which had a standard screen, looked a bit like a standard gameboy advance, but way more powerful!!:

The second was called the GP2X-F200 which had an improved quality touchscreen, and arguably better joypad, the original GP2X-F100 had an analog joypad, which could hurt you fingers alot (trust me!!):

At last the Gamepark Holdings GP2X Wiz! is nearing its worldwide release date in December 2008!!

Welcome

2008-10-03T10:38:00.003+02:00

This blog is dedicated to two great new linux based devices, the GP2X Wiz and the Pandora.

Over the coming weeks and months we will be showing how these devices wil evolve and change the face of handheld computing forever.

I'm not a seller of this device, just an old-skool enthusiast - I just wanted to direct your attention to a UK based company which is about to launch one of the best handheld devices for years, this company is small founded by games enthusiasts and really needs some good local press.