December we reported that the open-source, Linux-based Pandora pocket computer was slam to conclusion, facing a last testing with the FCC by the end of the year.

Currently the device has entered mass-creation, with the Pandora side presently building the first batch of 4,000 units. Personal pre-orders have even begun to ship.

Pandora emerges unchanged since December, sporting a small, Nintendo DS XL-like clam-shell look while retaining the value of a netbook. It still uses the ARM Cortex-A8 600 Mhz+ CPU and a 430 MHz TMS320C64x+ DSP Core. Additional hardware comprises the 110 MHz PowerVR SGX GPU, 256 MB of RAM, and 512 MB of flash memory. The device's 4.3-inch resistive touchscreen offers a native 800 x 480 declaration and 16.7 million colors.

Even if Pandora is promoted as "the most influential gaming handheld," the specs lean more onwards an ultra-portable, pocket-sized PC. This moveable rig can waves the Internet thanks to a built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g wireless adapter, allow users to create email using its 43-button QWERTY keyboard, and perhaps even export high-quality video to a TV thanks to its S-Video output jack. The Pandora sports a battery with a 10+ hour period.

On the gaming face, Pandora sustaining runs Quake 3 Arena quite well, though it's promoted as a device capable of running elder games and console ROMS via emulators--heck, the Motorola Droid can do those evenly as well. Currently pricing is unknown, and general customers are not capable to pre-order as of this writing.