New website request

[Linux-SWAT]

I still have my unused shoot them up music track:


http://slackware.openpandora.org/music/audio/2010/20100310%20shoot%27em%20up%20alpha%203.wav

 

[Link]

I suggest you click through the website and give the YouTube video a like on their site to boost rankings.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

I suggest you click through the website and give the YouTube video a like on their site to boost rankings.

Where to click ?


BTW openpandora.com doesn't work.


Also, on the menus, when my mouse goes vertical, other menus won't highlight until i make an horizontal movement.

 

[Link]

^


You have to click through the video with the Pandora background and get that to pop up in YouTube.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Ok, thx.

 

[hmc]

Lots of people buy for emulators. But if you can have emulators AND a real keyboard for surf in facebook / msn / writing emails this rocks. If you can surf with a real keyboard and write notes / shorts texts it rocks more.

Welll, that's all stuff you can indeed also do with an iPad h34r:


(except for the "real keyboard" part, for which you would need an extra piece of hardware).


EDIT: And of course the optimized (retro) games and emulators... ;-) most games available for Android and iOS, that I have seen, have much less appeal to me than the good old retro games. Too many graphical details, too bad story or handling. Speaking mostly of Jump-n-runs, as those are the games I like and see most.


What I find so appealing about the Pandora is its Linux OS, that enables usage of very special and high-quality software, that's not available for iOS or Android platforms. That, in conjunction with the real keyboard and the clamshell design, makes the Pandora really unique.


Maybe that's also a fact that can be used for advertising.


Like here:


http://www.hermocom....cts/openpandora


(I know, I'm a lousy advertising and sales guy, but at least that's a beginning. I plan to set up a Google Adword campaign for this, too).

 

[elwing]

speaking only of the gaming aspect is a bad idea... if it were only a gaming machine there would be no reason to buy it for that price, heck for that price you could buy another handheld that is almost as good as the pandora just for gaming, a new one in two year, and a third one in 4years...


and while the pandora is still better than current gaming only competitor what about the competitor in 2 and 4 years? a "gaming only" pandora is not a good idea as the price tag does not match that product niche at all.

 

[hmc]

The problem is: There ARE alternatives out there if you're mostly interested in Emulation, and they are cheaper as well.


But there's no Mini Linux PC out there, and there's certainly no combination of both out there.


That's why I planned to do a website where the customers can choose whether they are interested in gaming or the Mini-PC aspect.


While the new website looks awesome, it's focus is gaming, which is only half the usage case.


I still hope to find time to do the other part of the website - a Mini Linux PC.


It's the combination of both that makes the Pandora awesome.

+1!


Let me know, if I can help providing some web site content for the other aspect.


In fact, I wrote that one page about it already:


http://www.hermocom.com/en/products/openpandora


You may copy whatever text you like from it.

True about the video, no price is given there, so people will be interested.


But does the current website also give enough information about the usage as Linux PC?

Definitely not.

I still have my unused shoot them up music track:


http://slackware.ope... up alpha 3.wav

Great track! Did you compose and produce it on your own?

 

[drenyx]

Well, 90% of the reactions on the GamesCom were:


'Oh, that's nice. But the price is way too high. My cheaper smartphone can do the same', and once we showed them the full desktop and running Linux and behaving like a MiniPC, most of them said 'Oh, it's not just for playing games, it's a complete PC... that's neat.'... and after showing them that AbiWord, FireFox, etc., most of them found that the price is fine.


I also doubt only the emlators will sell a lot of Pandoras, that's why I want to remake the old page into a portal showing and linking desktop stuff as well as Slackware, etc.


It will give indepth information for the Linux fans.


I don't need Linux-SWAT to tell me that desktop stuff is also needed. It IS what makes the difference between a cheap gaming device and a full Mini PC.


Just see the reactions we had during the last months when a newssite posted about the Pandora, only mentioning the gaming part of It... 'too expensive' were most of the comments.


With that huge Eurogamer feature, my sales didn't increase.


But we'll see. We'll see if Craig can increase the sales, I'll keep working promoting the Linux side of it and will also be at the FOSDEM again

This is what put me over the edge... the completeness of a whole pc that can play games. 50+ months ago when I preordered the pandora, $300 was still a bit high for wanting to get in on it. This is when the cpu/memory being offered seemed reasonable for the time. Now yes, the memory and cpu have increased somewhat, but so has the price. $480/$700? I could buy a phone un-subsidized with that. I'm talking something that has been out over 6 months now dual core 1.5Ghz and 2GB of ram. Need controls? $40 at a local store. Is it packaged as nicely as a pandora? Maybe not, but I can root a phone and have linux console access for half of that stuff I wanna do.


The phone I'm about to upgrade FROM (single core 1.2Ghz) can almost run N64 emulation with it's bloat/overhead. If you can't show it's strengths other than "it's in a fancy package" you've shot yourself in the foot. I've learned the last 4 years I can sacrafice 'fancy packages' for 'in my hands now' any day of the week.


ED: Keep up the good work, fight the fight.


Craig: I have that gun for shooting yourself in the foot.

 

[Galaxis]

While I'm repeating myself 'cause I've written that in other threads too - the only people I've seen interested in the Pandora at this stage are from the tech geek camp. It's a portable Linux PC about as powerful as a Raspberry Pi? Cool!


Gamers - even those interested in emulation - have mostly moved on to their smartphones and tablets by now. But hey, nothing wrong with trying.

 

[TrashyMG]

While I'm repeating myself 'cause I've written that in other threads too - the only people I've seen interested in the Pandora at this stage are from the tech geek camp. It's a portable Linux PC about as powerful as a Raspberry Pi? Cool!


Gamers - even those interested in emulation - have mostly moved on to their smartphones and tablets by now. But hey, nothing wrong with trying.

I agree, however the Pandora even the original 256MB model is considerable more powerful than the Raspberry Pi which is a bonus.. But people liked the Pi because it was cheap, that said the Rasperry Pi group could be a gateway to the Pandora..

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Did you compose and produce it on your own?

Yup. Used to be a pro musician in a previous life.

 

[porg]

Anyway, what we are missing here, which should be shown in front are NATIVE games and apps.


Just look at those comments (from youtube):




"But I find it humorous that the entire video shows how good it is at pirating games! =p"





"handheld that's only useful when it's emulating another system."

+1


Please better represent the excellent native games and ports in the promotion video!


For a listing, i.e. check "My Favorite Pandora Games" at my user page.

 

[Binky]

I apologise for being a vocal minority poisoning ED's mind, but isn't a promotional video supposed to make the product seem as capable as possible?


There's a big market for emulation, mostly dominated by smartphones


There's a smaller demand for real pocket-sized linux computers, in which the pandora has few competitors


Surely both should be advertised?


Why would hiding major product features be a good sales strategy?


Should I use fewer rhetorical questions?

 

[NoeleyC]

What about a video that showed both sides in a light hearted fashion, as if the ad wasn't sure what the Pandora was. Something like..


What is the Pandora?


It's a games machine(clips of ports and modern games)


No it's a Linux pc!


No it's for reliving my childhood?(emulators)


Nope I'm pretty sure it's for productivity (Firefox, coding etc)


That looks too complex for me(then show mini menu and PND manager with captions)


Well that's ok then! What if I'm not a Linux head?(show android clips)


Then at the end say...Wait! It's does all that and more!!


Then a list of the specs


Finishes with


Openpandora, what will you do with yours?


Or openpandora, the whole world in one little box!


(And I hate the tapatalk app, this is the fourth time I've written this now!!)


((And the more I read it, the more I think I like my second slogan!! ))

 

[Farox]

Nice video Craig..but i'm also like the idea of include some apps on it Firefox , Sunvox, VLC, Codeblocks etc and


also i think will be important to let see some nice native games/ports like Frogatto, SuperGeometryDust, VVVVVV, etc

 

[Link]

^


+1


adding to that:


Forget-Me-Not, Spheres of Chaos, White Butterfly or Garden of Colored Lights

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

What about a video that showed both sides in a light hearted fashion, as if the ad wasn't sure what the Pandora was. Something like..


What is the Pandora?


It's a games machine(clips of ports and modern games)


No it's a Linux pc!


No it's for reliving my childhood?(emulators)


Nope I'm pretty sure it's for productivity (Firefox, coding etc)


That looks too complex for me(then show mini menu and PND manager with captions)


Well that's ok then! What if I'm not a Linux head?(show android clips)


Then at the end say...Wait! It's does all that and more!!


Then a list of the specs


Finishes with


Openpandora, what will you do with yours?


Or openpandora, the whole world in one little box!


(And I hate the tapatalk app, this is the fourth time I've written this now!!)


((And the more I read it, the more I think I like my second slogan!! ))

Sounds like a solid idea. I think it could actually work.

 

[hmc]

What about a video that showed both sides in a light hearted fashion, as if the ad wasn't sure what the Pandora was. Something like..


What is the Pandora?


It's a games machine(clips of ports and modern games)


No it's a Linux pc!


No it's for reliving my childhood?(emulators)


Nope I'm pretty sure it's for productivity (Firefox, coding etc)


That looks too complex for me(then show mini menu and PND manager with captions)


Well that's ok then! What if I'm not a Linux head?(show android clips)


Then at the end say...Wait! It's does all that and more!!


Then a list of the specs


Finishes with


Openpandora, what will you do with yours?


Or openpandora, the whole world in one little box!

Very nice idea for a video.


Except: I'd replace the word "No". maybe Instead say "And". Otherwise some people could be unsettled by not knowing what the Pandora really is.

 

[NoeleyC]

I think I'd not change the "no"'s to "and"s , I might opt for "or" instead? The main point of what I was suggesting was to make it sound unlikely that one tiny device could do all these things!(until the big reveal at the end)


Hope that makes sense?(puts on Don Draper hat and starts sipping whiskey!!)