[Marketing] Ideas / Plan

2011-12-29 Thread Alishams Hassam 
Hello All,

Firstly note that I am not a marketing expert by any means. I only wish to
throw ideas out there and implement what I have time for. If there are any
marketing experts on the list (heck, if you're even just interested),
please speak up! The only experience you really need is the ability to
write in your native language. I'm only familiar with English sources but
anything will work. Let's coordinate efforts on the wiki, I'm sure Openmoko
won't mind us piggybacking off their wiki ;p
http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Marketing_GTA04

Things to mention:

1. The GTA04 *requires* an FR / NEO1974.
This should serve as a request to get people who have these collecting
dust, selling them online. Maybe this should be made more explicit?

2. The GTA04 has vastly improved on every area of the FR.

3. The GTA04 is made in a proper factory in the EU, and of quality parts,
in small runs - hence the price tag.
This will appeal to those of us who want things done right, not cheap.

4. Though there are non-free chunks, harm has been reduced as much as
possible.
Talking about how the wifi firmware has been isolated so it cannot
interfere with the O/S is a great example.

Areas to Attack:

1. Online and print magazines, news websites:

We need to get the word out about the GTA04. I find myself agreeing with
the claim that he GTA04 isn't well known about. This appeared on Slashdot
early this month
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/12/01/1910213/openmokos-freerunner-rises-from-the-ashesNo
mention of a pre-order. There was an article in late July on the Salon
blog: http://blog.slyon.de/2011/07/26/openmoko-gta04-is-getting-reality/

Phornix  also did an
articleon
Openmoko just a few days ago, but only one line about the GTA04 :<
People are not excited, so let's make some noise! There are many other tech
news sites out there. Ars Technica comes to mind,
Lifehacker  and Make  would
get a kick out of the board switching procedure, Wired is an older popular
magazine, Phoronix   I'm sure will do one focused
on the GTA04 and 2600 for the geeks who like print
(someone please write a cool article for those guys - I promise you they'll
publish it)! Jeez, I almost forgot to mention http://lwn.net/

Traditionally a press release is sent out. I've never written one before
and don't particularly want to start with this. Is there anyone who has
written one before?

2. Mailing lists of FOSS projects:

This area cannot be done with a press release blast. Well it can, but I
don't think the subscribers will appreciate spam. Ideally each of us can
write a post about the GTA04 on any other FOSS lists we are on. I'll get
the ball rolling with a post to the Debian user list soon.The other big
relevant list to hit is the LXDE related mailing lists: lxde-list <
lxde-l...@lists.sourceforge.net>, lubuntu-desktop <
lubuntu-desk...@lists.launchpad.net> Plasma active could be another one,
assuming it runs on the hardware, as with gnome-shell
gnome-shell-l...@gnome.org

Let's get a list of mailings lists going on a wiki page.

3. Free Geeks

Free Geek's are organizations dedicated to ethical recycling. They are all
independently run so let's gather a list of each one's main mailing list
and start a discussion. Starting points include how replacing a board is
much more ecological than full new cell phone. The challenges with such an
approach, and perhaps how FOSS helps to ensure old devices see much more
support than their counterparts. I'll be updating the wiki with some
adresses as I collect them. For now, Free Geek Vancouver:
fg-gene...@lists.freegeekvancouver.org

4. Hack Spaces

Hackers love linux and tinkering! We can organize with Hack Spaces to help
less hardware oriented users like myself with supervision/teaching of the
board swap. I'll also be adding them to the wiki, please help collect
addresses if you're too shy to post. Vancouver Hack Space:
vhs-gene...@lists.hackspace.ca

5. LUGS

Linux User Groups are *not* dead. They're less active than they used to be,
however at Linux Con North America, the president of the CLUG (Calgary
LUG), gave a speech and is trying to reinvigorate things. This is usually
full of people who have disposable income and love to have cool geeky
things. The VanLUG address van...@robomod.net

6. Kickstarter / similar services

Perhaps funding for a case for the phones can come form these?

Phew, that's all I can think of for now. I'll be updating
http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Marketing_GTA04 as time permits. Please reply
to the thread, submit ideas, constructive criticism, or just show you're
listening!

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Re: [Gta04-owner] Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread NeilBrown 
On Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:50:40 +0100 "Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller"
 wrote:

> Curious about your ideas,

If I were thinking about joining the group tour, I'd be waiting for
confirmation from the early adopters that the device really worked as a phone.
The freerunner was plagued with little hardware bugs which meant various bits
didn't quite work perfectly.  I wouldn't want to repeat that.

Clearly most of the hardware does work and calls can be made but as a
potential purchaser I would want to be hearing things like:

 - I used my gta04 to call my girl friend and she didn't complain about the
   sound quality.
 - I can browse the web over UMTS and it is quite usable
 - I only need to charge the battery every other day.


That last one is the biggest hole in our story currently.  We have no
evidence that we can achieve appropriate power saving.  I suspect we can but
as yet we cannot demonstrate it.  If I were buying I'd wait until it
could be demonstrated.

Others probably think very differently to me, but that I what I would be
thinking.

NeilBrown


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Re: Openmoko Community Survey 2011 – Results

2011-12-29 Thread Alishams Hassam 
On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 5:15 AM, Torfinn Ingolfsen  wrote:

> On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 1:50 PM, Niels Heyvaert
>  wrote:
> > Why is AoF is not even mentioned in the distro list is a mystery to me.
> >
> > Believe we should pollute this list more often with pure AoF related
> topics
> > to keep reminding people it also exists ;-)
>
> AoF?
> This one?
> http://code.google.com/p/android-on-freerunner/
>
> I didn't know about it. Thanks!
> --
> Regards,
> Torfinn Ingolfsen
>

Those images are way too old, usually the ones on
http://serdar-dere.net/~ran/ are much improved.
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Re: Openmoko Community Survey 2011 – Results

2011-12-29 Thread Alishams Hassam 
A status update to the community list every now and then would actually be
really awesome and go a long way into reminding me to try it. Even just a
few months ago, the latest version of Froyo was really slow and crashed
more than was acceptable.

On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 4:50 AM, Niels Heyvaert
wrote:

>  Why is AoF is not even mentioned in the distro list is a mystery to me.
>
> Believe we should pollute this list more often with pure AoF related
> topics to keep reminding people it also exists ;-)
>
> Niels
>
> -- Microsoft gives you windows, Linux gives you the whole house.
>
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>
>
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Re: Openmoko Community Survey 2011 – Results

2011-12-29 Thread Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller 
Hi,

Am 29.12.2011 um 13:50 schrieb Niels Heyvaert:

> Why is AoF is not even mentioned in the distro list is a mystery to me.
> 
> Believe we should pollute this list more often with pure AoF related topics 
> to keep reminding people it also exists ;-)

maybe that not everyone knows what the acronym stands for (I for example have 
to admit that I don't know).

Nikolaus

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Fwd: [Gta04-owner] Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Alishams Hassam 
On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 2:50 AM, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller  wrote:

> 

Well, we don't have a real mass market device and I think
> we should not even pretend to have one, in this phase.
> Because we are then compared to the 100 EUR Huawei
> Android/UMTS units where one has to suspect that the
> workers in China are being ripped off...
>
> I recently bought a used Motorola XT720 on Ebay for $80 CAD. That's a
price I can afford. I'm not saying you should drop prices or use bad
factories, but I personally need far more time to save up 499 Euros.


> What do you think should we do to make this group
> tour a success?
>
> * extend the subscription timeframe until we reach
>  100%?
>

Please! The people who want it earlier will be disappointed, but seeing as
how the development model is so different, I'm sure they'll understand
(though ask them, which what you're doing I suppose).


> * ask for/collect donations to extend the early bird rebates?
>   Some sort of sponsorship by community members for
>   community members who can't afford a new GTA04
>   immediately?
>

I love this idea, but with only 56 units ordered, I'm not going to hold my
breath.


> * have more resellers or buying groups to order batches
>   of 10 units?
>
* talk more about the benefits and special features one
>   can only find in a GTA04 and nowhere else?
>

Always good, but takes work. Someone in reply to a recent Phoronix article
suggested marketing them as devices that can be fully encrypted for the
politician or activist who needs it most. I hate to say it but people have
a real hard-on for Android. Making sure the AoF people have a board to hack
on could go a long way and you could reasonably call it an investment.

* subsidize GTA04 boards by combining them with a
>   UMTS contract?
>

Possibly but very limited to certain areas, right? Maybe pick the top four
geekiest locations to this... What kind of person knows about this sort of
thing?


> * offer to pay only part of the price by end of the subscription
>   time frame so that we can already buy the expensive
>   and difficult to source components, but postpone
>   production individually until the remaining payments
>   arrive? (i.e. pay 200 EUR until 10th Feb and the remainder
>   until May)
>

Big yes! I firmly set my vote for this option above all others. I can
afford one eventually, but even May might be too soon for me.


> More ideas are welcome! But please keep in mind
> that we can't develop something completely new until
> February and components cost what they cost...
>
> The simpler the idea the better!
>
>
You spoke about marketing in another post. This is crucial. Geeks should be
jumping for a phone that ships Debian + LXDE. I haven't seen one post on
Debian User, or the LXDE lists! These guys are the one's who'll be happy to
pay a premium. Let's blast all Foss lists that are even mildly relevant,
LUGS all have mailing lists, hackspace lists, where-ever makers hang out,
and this is just off the top of my head. Let's also ask GTA02 owners
(18,000 of them right?), who have one collecting dust to put them up on
Ebay or buy a GTA04. Kickstarter or a similar service like others
mentioned, is also a good idea. Even if it's just for specific areas, any
funding I'm sure will be put to good use.

I wish I had known earlier no one was doing marketing. Not that I really
have much time myself, but since no one else is stepping up to the plate
I'll see what I can conjure up. I'll start a marketing thread in the next
few days, please though if someone else wants to take the initiative you
have my blessing and thanks!


> And, there may be ideas which are too big for a single
> community member, but may become feasible if we all
> work together, contributing many small pieces.
>
> Curious about your ideas,
> Nikolaus
>
> [1]:
> http://www.giga.de/macnews/newsticker/ios-gegen-android-42-millionen-ios-26-millionen-android-aktivierungen-am-weihnachtstag-256890
> [2]:
> http://www.macrumors.com/2011/12/27/holiday-gifts-drive-new-ios-device-activations-sharply-higher/
> ___
>

For the record, I have three hurdles:

A) The price is too high for me. 499 Euros = 659.692059 Canadian dollars. I
pay less in rent. At $400 it's a strertch, but I could maybe pull it off by
February/March. It's just a matter of time before I get one, but it won't
be soon.

B) GSM in my area is very expensive. The only providers that have a fair
price where I live are UMTS IV (aka AWS). With the GSM networks, I'm
looking at 3 times more than the AWS networks. I have to factor in this
cost as well or relegate the GTA04 to a PDA.

C) I don't want to risk breaking my beloved FR. Section 4.9 of the manual
should highlight my concern. When I get my hands on a GTA04, I'll probably
do the switch at my local hack space under the supervision of a hardware
geek. FYI, I've had my FR since near launch and it's been sole phone even
when #1024 was making me miss calls. To go from an F

Re: Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Davide Scaini 
Just my point of view:
I think the price is the problem.

To be less brief I'll explain MY situation: I'm a student, I'm very
interested in GTA04 because I think it's a tool that can help me in
learning how to write code for embedded stuff in an open environment
but I don't have a pay or some "regular" income. Therefore for me
GTA04 is a dream :D

I read all the previous mails, I have a GTA02 (it was the gift for my
bachelor...), so I know why the price is around 450€ ... but for me is
really too much.
just my small and personal 2 cents
d

On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 11:50 AM, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller
 wrote:
> Hi all,
> that status of the GTA04 mass market group tour
>
> http://www.handheld-linux.com/wiki.php?page=GTA04%20Group%20Tour
>
> is that we have:
>
> * passed half time yesterday
> * first early bird batch is sold out
> * but still only 16% preorders (56 units)
> * we have approx. 6 weeks left to fill the remaining
>   gap of 84 %
>
> So I would say that we are still far away from becoming
> successful.
>
> If I read that over 2 Million new Android units have been
> activated over the Christmas holidays [1] and 4 Million
> iOS devices just on Christmas day [2], I can't believe
> that we do not find 350 potential buyers in 60 days...
>
> Well, we don't have a real mass market device and I think
> we should not even pretend to have one, in this phase.
> Because we are then compared to the 100 EUR Huawei
> Android/UMTS units where one has to suspect that the
> workers in China are being ripped off...
>
> What do you think should we do to make this group
> tour a success?
>
> * extend the subscription timeframe until we reach
>  100%?
> * ask for/collect donations to extend the early bird rebates?
>   Some sort of sponsorship by community members for
>   community members who can't afford a new GTA04
>   immediately?
> * have more resellers or buying groups to order batches
>   of 10 units?
> * talk more about the benefits and special features one
>   can only find in a GTA04 and nowhere else?
> * subsidize GTA04 boards by combining them with a
>   UMTS contract?
> * offer to pay only part of the price by end of the subscription
>   time frame so that we can already buy the expensive
>   and difficult to source components, but postpone
>   production individually until the remaining payments
>   arrive? (i.e. pay 200 EUR until 10th Feb and the remainder
>   until May)
>
> More ideas are welcome! But please keep in mind
> that we can't develop something completely new until
> February and components cost what they cost...
>
> The simpler the idea the better!
>
> And, there may be ideas which are too big for a single
> community member, but may become feasible if we all
> work together, contributing many small pieces.
>
> Curious about your ideas,
> Nikolaus
>
> [1]: 
> http://www.giga.de/macnews/newsticker/ios-gegen-android-42-millionen-ios-26-millionen-android-aktivierungen-am-weihnachtstag-256890
> [2]: 
> http://www.macrumors.com/2011/12/27/holiday-gifts-drive-new-ios-device-activations-sharply-higher/
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Re: Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Martix 

Hi,
I think, you should focus more on present and make GTA04 price available 
to many members of this small community as you can. GTA04 is much 
expensive in comparison with other OMAP3 based mobile phones today. I 
know, cost is based on production volumes, but ordinary hackers likes 
cheap devices. You should try find balance and make GTA04 successful. 
The poll you announced yesterday was first move.


Development costs and other "margins" can be gained through some 
fundraising sites like Kickstarter.


Disclaimer: My view is based on dialogs with current or past owners of 
Neo FreeRunner that I know and my observations.


Best Regards,

Martix

Dne 29.12.2011 13:14, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller napsal(a):

Am 29.12.2011 um 13:06 schrieb Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller:


Hi Ben,

Am 29.12.2011 um 12:49 schrieb Ben Thompson:


Hi

Thank you for creating the GTA04.

My problem is the early bird pricing which it seems to me requires some people 
pay more than others, without any real incentive or added value in the goods 
received. I don't want to pay 474 euros one

Well, the early birds take a higher risk that the group tour does
not start at all. If someone waits until 9th of February it is much
easier to estimate.

Those who subscribe early simply have to wait much longer
although they have paid. This is why we developed this early
bird rebate at all, to give some benefit to those who really
subscribe early and taking more risk.


day when you were offering the same item the day before for 449 euros. First 
you need to find out if my view is held by others, if so my advice would be to 
write to the current subscribers to the group tour explaining that you made a 
mistake with the pricing, and ask permission to cancel their orders. Then you 
could create a new group buy with fair pricing for all which I am guessing 
would be a price somewhere between 449 and 499 euros.


The amount of the rebate we give to the early birds is driven
by donations and these are too limited to spread to everyone.
The fair price to everyone would be 499 EUR which covers all
cost we expect (i.e. we don't have 350*50 EUR = 17500 EUR).

I should ass that the 449-499 EUR also include some money
set aside for developing future devices. Reducing the price for
everyone by that amount wouldn't help for a long-term future.


So what do those think who have already ordered? Would you
think that cancelling the orders and start a new group buy is
an way to go?

Nikolaus


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Re: Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller 
Sorry for the typo below :)

Am 29.12.2011 um 13:14 schrieb "Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller" :

> 
> Am 29.12.2011 um 13:06 schrieb Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller:
> 
>> Hi Ben,
>> 
>> Am 29.12.2011 um 12:49 schrieb Ben Thompson:
>> 
>>> Hi
>>> 
>>> Thank you for creating the GTA04.
>>> 
>>> My problem is the early bird pricing which it seems to me requires some 
>>> people pay more than others, without any real incentive or added value in 
>>> the goods received. I don't want to pay 474 euros one
>> 
>> Well, the early birds take a higher risk that the group tour does
>> not start at all. If someone waits until 9th of February it is much
>> easier to estimate.
>> 
>> Those who subscribe early simply have to wait much longer
>> although they have paid. This is why we developed this early
>> bird rebate at all, to give some benefit to those who really
>> subscribe early and taking more risk.
>> 
>>> day when you were offering the same item the day before for 449 euros. 
>>> First you need to find out if my view is held by others, if so my advice 
>>> would be to write to the current subscribers to the group tour explaining 
>>> that you made a mistake with the pricing, and ask permission to cancel 
>>> their orders. Then you could create a new group buy with fair pricing for 
>>> all which I am guessing would be a price somewhere between 449 and 499 
>>> euros.
>> 
>> 
>> The amount of the rebate we give to the early birds is driven
>> by donations and these are too limited to spread to everyone.
>> The fair price to everyone would be 499 EUR which covers all
>> cost we expect (i.e. we don't have 350*50 EUR = 17500 EUR).
> 
> I should ass that the 449-499 EUR

... add ...

> also include some money
> set aside for developing future devices. Reducing the price for
> everyone by that amount wouldn't help for a long-term future.
> 
>> 
>> So what do those think who have already ordered? Would you
>> think that cancelling the orders and start a new group buy is
>> an way to go?
>> 
>> Nikolaus
>> 
>> 
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Re: Openmoko Community Survey 2011 – Results

2011-12-29 Thread Torfinn Ingolfsen 
On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 1:50 PM, Niels Heyvaert
 wrote:
> Why is AoF is not even mentioned in the distro list is a mystery to me.
>
> Believe we should pollute this list more often with pure AoF related topics
> to keep reminding people it also exists ;-)

AoF?
This one?
http://code.google.com/p/android-on-freerunner/

I didn't know about it. Thanks!
-- 
Regards,
Torfinn Ingolfsen

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Re: Openmoko Community Survey 2011 – Results

2011-12-29 Thread Niels Heyvaert 

Why is AoF is not even mentioned in the distro list is a mystery to me.

Believe we should pollute this list more often with pure AoF related topics to 
keep reminding people it also exists ;-)

Niels

--
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Re: Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller 

Am 29.12.2011 um 13:06 schrieb Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller:

> Hi Ben,
> 
> Am 29.12.2011 um 12:49 schrieb Ben Thompson:
> 
>> Hi
>> 
>> Thank you for creating the GTA04.
>> 
>> My problem is the early bird pricing which it seems to me requires some 
>> people pay more than others, without any real incentive or added value in 
>> the goods received. I don't want to pay 474 euros one
> 
> Well, the early birds take a higher risk that the group tour does
> not start at all. If someone waits until 9th of February it is much
> easier to estimate.
> 
> Those who subscribe early simply have to wait much longer
> although they have paid. This is why we developed this early
> bird rebate at all, to give some benefit to those who really
> subscribe early and taking more risk.
> 
>> day when you were offering the same item the day before for 449 euros. First 
>> you need to find out if my view is held by others, if so my advice would be 
>> to write to the current subscribers to the group tour explaining that you 
>> made a mistake with the pricing, and ask permission to cancel their orders. 
>> Then you could create a new group buy with fair pricing for all which I am 
>> guessing would be a price somewhere between 449 and 499 euros.
> 
> 
> The amount of the rebate we give to the early birds is driven
> by donations and these are too limited to spread to everyone.
> The fair price to everyone would be 499 EUR which covers all
> cost we expect (i.e. we don't have 350*50 EUR = 17500 EUR).

I should ass that the 449-499 EUR also include some money
set aside for developing future devices. Reducing the price for
everyone by that amount wouldn't help for a long-term future.

> 
> So what do those think who have already ordered? Would you
> think that cancelling the orders and start a new group buy is
> an way to go?
> 
> Nikolaus
> 
> 
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Re: Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller 
Hi Ben,

Am 29.12.2011 um 12:49 schrieb Ben Thompson:

> Hi
> 
> Thank you for creating the GTA04.
> 
> My problem is the early bird pricing which it seems to me requires some 
> people pay more than others, without any real incentive or added value in the 
> goods received. I don't want to pay 474 euros one

Well, the early birds take a higher risk that the group tour does
not start at all. If someone waits until 9th of February it is much
easier to estimate.

Those who subscribe early simply have to wait much longer
although they have paid. This is why we developed this early
bird rebate at all, to give some benefit to those who really
subscribe early and taking more risk.

> day when you were offering the same item the day before for 449 euros. First 
> you need to find out if my view is held by others, if so my advice would be 
> to write to the current subscribers to the group tour explaining that you 
> made a mistake with the pricing, and ask permission to cancel their orders. 
> Then you could create a new group buy with fair pricing for all which I am 
> guessing would be a price somewhere between 449 and 499 euros.


The amount of the rebate we give to the early birds is driven
by donations and these are too limited to spread to everyone.
The fair price to everyone would be 499 EUR which covers all
cost we expect (i.e. we don't have 350*50 EUR = 17500 EUR).

So what do those think who have already ordered? Would you
think that cancelling the orders and start a new group buy is
an way to go?

Nikolaus


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Re: Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Ben Thompson 
Hi

Thank you for creating the GTA04.

29.12.2011, 10:50, "Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller" :
> Hi all,
> that status of the GTA04 mass market group tour
>
> http://www.handheld-linux.com/wiki.php?page=GTA04%20Group%20Tour
>
> is that we have:
>
> * passed half time yesterday
> * first early bird batch is sold out
> * but still only 16% preorders (56 units)
> * we have approx. 6 weeks left to fill the remaining
>    gap of 84 %
>
> So I would say that we are still far away from becoming
> successful.
>
> If I read that over 2 Million new Android units have been
> activated over the Christmas holidays [1] and 4 Million
> iOS devices just on Christmas day [2], I can't believe
> that we do not find 350 potential buyers in 60 days...
>
> Well, we don't have a real mass market device and I think
> we should not even pretend to have one, in this phase.
> Because we are then compared to the 100 EUR Huawei
> Android/UMTS units where one has to suspect that the
> workers in China are being ripped off...
>
> What do you think should we do to make this group
> tour a success?
>
> * extend the subscription timeframe until we reach
>   100%?
> * ask for/collect donations to extend the early bird rebates?
>    Some sort of sponsorship by community members for
>    community members who can't afford a new GTA04
>    immediately?
> * have more resellers or buying groups to order batches
>    of 10 units?
> * talk more about the benefits and special features one
>    can only find in a GTA04 and nowhere else?
> * subsidize GTA04 boards by combining them with a
>    UMTS contract?
> * offer to pay only part of the price by end of the subscription
>    time frame so that we can already buy the expensive
>    and difficult to source components, but postpone
>    production individually until the remaining payments
>    arrive? (i.e. pay 200 EUR until 10th Feb and the remainder
>    until May)
>
> More ideas are welcome! But please keep in mind
> that we can't develop something completely new until
> February and components cost what they cost...
>
> The simpler the idea the better!
>
> And, there may be ideas which are too big for a single
> community member, but may become feasible if we all
> work together, contributing many small pieces.
>
> Curious about your ideas,

My problem is the early bird pricing which it seems to me requires some people 
pay more than others, without any real incentive or added value in the goods 
received. I don't want to pay 474 euros one day when you were offering the same 
item the day before for 449 euros. First you need to find out if my view is 
held by others, if so my advice would be to write to the current subscribers to 
the group tour explaining that you made a mistake with the pricing, and ask 
permission to cancel their orders. Then you could create a new group buy with 
fair pricing for all which I am guessing would be a price somewhere between 449 
and 499 euros.

Ben

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Re: [Gta04-owner] Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller 
Hi Neal,

Am 29.12.2011 um 12:18 schrieb Neal H. Walfield:

> Hi,
> 
> It seems to me that there are two problems.
> 
> First, if someone orders a GTA04, that person doesn't get all the
> hardware--that person needs to have a GTA01 or GTA02 and do some
> non-trivial assembly.  I realize that you have some cases that you are
> selling, which is the route that I went, but I think these are limited
> and independent of the group tour.  If this option hadn't been
> available, I would not have signed up for a GTA04.

I understand.

> Second, I think you are lacking publicity.  I haven't seen an article
> about this on the news sites that I follow, such as lwn.net (did I
> miss it?).

Well, we are not enough people in the core team to write and submit
articles to all the important magazines. And, we are not good
at writing...

There have been attempts to do that, but it appears that the
magazines are simply ignoring the GTA04 project. In Germany,
neither Heise.de nor Golem.de did take the story although they
got some tips.

There has been some minor coverage, e.g. 

http://www.google.de/search?tbm=nws&btnmeta_news_search=1&q=openmoko

And, I tried to submit a hot tip to http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/s/News/
but their "contactus" link is severely broken.

This is IMHO an area where the community could easily help!

> Given these two problems, I'd try to solve the first one before the
> second one (one only gets so many chances with the media...).
> 
> I suspect that people who are buying a GTA04 at this stage are not
> looking to use it as a phone immediately--they probably want to hack
> on it.  These people don't need a phone case.  But, they do need an
> LCD to get the experience.  My proposal would be to create a hackers
> package: a GTA04 board, LCD and a big bulky case that could be placed
> next to a workstation.  Even better would be if there is a commitment

While a GTA04 can even work without LCD or case (just bend a staple
to hold the battery and power through USB), such a kit with case is of
course much better.

> to provide a case once it is ready (do you have a time frame for
> this?).

I have a new idea and have planned to do some first evaluation next week.

It may become a real community solution where everyone could become
able to order an existing case or even a modified one (source code will
be provided).

We need of course provide the "missing pieces" like UMTS/GPS antenna,
speakers, vibracall motor.

BR,
NIkolaus


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Re: [Gta04-owner] Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Neal H. Walfield 
Hi,

It seems to me that there are two problems.

First, if someone orders a GTA04, that person doesn't get all the
hardware--that person needs to have a GTA01 or GTA02 and do some
non-trivial assembly.  I realize that you have some cases that you are
selling, which is the route that I went, but I think these are limited
and independent of the group tour.  If this option hadn't been
available, I would not have signed up for a GTA04.

Second, I think you are lacking publicity.  I haven't seen an article
about this on the news sites that I follow, such as lwn.net (did I
miss it?).

Given these two problems, I'd try to solve the first one before the
second one (one only gets so many chances with the media...).

I suspect that people who are buying a GTA04 at this stage are not
looking to use it as a phone immediately--they probably want to hack
on it.  These people don't need a phone case.  But, they do need an
LCD to get the experience.  My proposal would be to create a hackers
package: a GTA04 board, LCD and a big bulky case that could be placed
next to a workstation.  Even better would be if there is a commitment
to provide a case once it is ready (do you have a time frame for
this?).

Thanks,

Neal

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Status GTA04 GroupTour

2011-12-29 Thread Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller 
Hi all,
that status of the GTA04 mass market group tour

http://www.handheld-linux.com/wiki.php?page=GTA04%20Group%20Tour

is that we have:

* passed half time yesterday
* first early bird batch is sold out
* but still only 16% preorders (56 units)
* we have approx. 6 weeks left to fill the remaining
   gap of 84 %

So I would say that we are still far away from becoming
successful.

If I read that over 2 Million new Android units have been
activated over the Christmas holidays [1] and 4 Million
iOS devices just on Christmas day [2], I can't believe
that we do not find 350 potential buyers in 60 days...

Well, we don't have a real mass market device and I think
we should not even pretend to have one, in this phase.
Because we are then compared to the 100 EUR Huawei
Android/UMTS units where one has to suspect that the
workers in China are being ripped off...

What do you think should we do to make this group
tour a success?

* extend the subscription timeframe until we reach
  100%?
* ask for/collect donations to extend the early bird rebates?
   Some sort of sponsorship by community members for
   community members who can't afford a new GTA04
   immediately?
* have more resellers or buying groups to order batches
   of 10 units?
* talk more about the benefits and special features one
   can only find in a GTA04 and nowhere else?
* subsidize GTA04 boards by combining them with a 
   UMTS contract?
* offer to pay only part of the price by end of the subscription
   time frame so that we can already buy the expensive
   and difficult to source components, but postpone
   production individually until the remaining payments
   arrive? (i.e. pay 200 EUR until 10th Feb and the remainder
   until May)

More ideas are welcome! But please keep in mind
that we can't develop something completely new until
February and components cost what they cost...

The simpler the idea the better!

And, there may be ideas which are too big for a single
community member, but may become feasible if we all
work together, contributing many small pieces.

Curious about your ideas,
Nikolaus

[1]: 
http://www.giga.de/macnews/newsticker/ios-gegen-android-42-millionen-ios-26-millionen-android-aktivierungen-am-weihnachtstag-256890
[2]: 
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/12/27/holiday-gifts-drive-new-ios-device-activations-sharply-higher/
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