Report from Ohio Linux Fest

[janvlug]

I posted a suggestion for an article in Linux Voice: http://forums.linuxvoice.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=151&p=1637#p1637

 

[Nintendo]

Pandora is for the Elite.

Pyra will be much the same.

 

[rygD]

Pandora is for the Elite.

Then why do I use and love mine?

 

[Grench]

OK,  a few things to keep in mind when trying to market a Pandora / Pyra / $700+/-  handheld wonder.

You're not selling doughnuts.

The US is by many measures the 'richest' nation on the planet.  That said, 75% of the US population could not come up with $1000 in liquid assets on the spot if they needed to.  And yes, I wish I could find the source for that quote - it isn't my research.

So, yes, you need to reach a technology literate audience, but you need to reach the wealthy portion of that technologically literate audience.  Marketers used to be able to target this type of audience via verticals, i.e. magazines.  Although hardly anybody reads magazines anymore, there still are a few physical magazines and online equivalents that get the right audience.

It's two audiences that are hard to cross because they don't intersect well.  Frankly I suspect the uber rich couldn't care less about the details of technology so long as they have whatever is 'cool' for that month.

Regardless, there is a lot of 'stuff' on the market competing for the article/review space and actual advertising is very expensive.

Wired - online and off, but mostly online.

Engadget - online and product based, but you don't want the article to hit too early.  You want it to hit when you have Pyras in stock and ready to ship.

Popular Science & Popular Mechanics magazines.  I don't subscribe anymore but will occasionally pick one up in the airport if I don't have a book for the upcoming flight.

The 'Tom's Guide' section of Tom's Hardware.

Timing is everything though.  Whatever you do, don't start advertising or getting articles rolling yet.  It needs some production quality review units produced, a price, open pre-orders, and a set in stone launch date before anything should happen.  IMHO.

 

[fusion_power]

Spreading the word is easy today, we have the internet.

The point is to make the device attractive enough so that the audience will be big enough to buy one. Then the popularity grows exponential, like the Occulus Rift for example. They basicly only did a KS campaign but the device was so popular that the news spread "automaticly".

 

[EvilDragon]

I also want to send one to iFixit.com as a positive example of a device where everything can easily be replaced and accessed

 

[Farox]

Today i was at a fair near me, and i printed 3 copies of the old flyer and gave it to the stand of local Perugia LUG (Linux User Group) for promotion.

 

[headcrash]

Hi,


one advantage of the pandora / pyra is the 'trusted' hard & software.


Security is an issue today and for the future. No Google, Apple, MS or other spyware.


Maybe this can attract some attention, too ...


Greetings

 

[groovechicken]

The Pyra could additionally target those people who want a portable, quiet fanless computer. I know I was hooked when I saw the C64 emulation. However, I grew to use it as more than a game computer. (an overly expensive ogg/mp3/flac player). The target should be broader.

What we need to do is get a Hollywood movie get a hacker to use a pandora to hack into something. That would increase the coolness value.

Great idea, now if I can just get someone to pick up one of my movie script ideas we will be in business.

 

[groovechicken]

I think mainstream media will help with increasing awareness.  Maybe a Pyra can be donated to MythBusters.  Actually, the 2 remaining guys may not be into it as much as a particular former member.  I dunno, maybe Wil Wheaton or Felicia Day would like it.

Maybe Wil Wheaton could bring it on Big Bang Theory... that would get some attention.

 

[groovechicken]

In terms of marketing, I will be posting info on the Linux and LinuxActionShow subreddits when we get close enough for people to start getting excited about the Pyra. If we can manage to get one or more of the BSDs running on it, there is a healthy niche of users there that have virtually no competing options for a device like this. Now that ARM is a fully supported platform among the BSDs, this might not be too hard to pull off.

I think that seeing the device in action is way more motivating than even the great "Day in the Life" articles that ekianjo has been publishing. I have done videography and editing in the past and would happily produce a video showing it being used for all the things it does well. The only catch is that I don't know if I will be able to afford one by the time they ship. I am going to have to start hiding cash $5 and $10 at a time when I have an extra in my wallet and hoping I have enough by then... unless I can convince my boss that I deserve a bonus.

In fact, it was seeing it in action that caused the guy to start bidding on ebay. When he handed it back to me, the LaTeX app was open, so I guess he was sold when he saw it doing "real" things other than games.

I can start planning ahead, anyway, and get a video put together ASAP once they are available and probably get them to run it on The Linux Action Show.

 

[rygD]

Maybe Wil Wheaton could bring it on Big Bang Theory... that would get some attention.

Yes, that might help.  I have noticed that it seems like they sometimes use props and wardrobe items that aren't addressed, and the average person won't know or care what it is.

I don't like that show.  I am not sure why, since it should be something I really enjoy, but it just irritates me.  I also didn't/don't like Wesley Crusher, but I still like Star Trek and Wil Wheaton.

Having thought about it for a second I think maybe the reason I don't like that show is because it doesn't seem genuine, as mentioned in my second sentence above.  I won't go into detail, but the two items I had in mind when I said that seem unrealistic in use.

Edit:

If we can manage to get one or more of the BSDs running on it

Yes, we should do this.

The only catch is that I don't know if I will be able to afford one by the time they ship.

Same here.  I may not be able to get one at launch like I wanted.

 

[_jr_]

A quick web search doesn't show any recent BSD on OMAP activity. Can you point me in the right direction?

 

[rygD]

https://wiki.freebsd.org/FreeBSD/arm/OMAP

 

[groovechicken]

I don't remember where I saw it originally, link was from reddit, but there was some recent news about NetBSD on Raspberry Pi, and NetBSD runs on darn near everything anyway. Here is a link to an image from earlier in the year:

ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/misc/jun/raspberry-pi/2014-03-22-earmhf/

FreeBSD also had recent news about ARM support, but I can't find it now by searching.

 

[groovechicken]

Maybe Wil Wheaton could bring it on Big Bang Theory... that would get some attention.

Yes, that might help.  I have noticed that it seems like they sometimes use props and wardrobe items that aren't addressed, and the average person won't know or care what it is.

I don't like that show.  I am not sure why, since it should be something I really enjoy, but it just irritates me.  I also didn't/don't like Wesley Crusher, but I still like Star Trek and Wil Wheaton.

For the record, I am not a fan of the show. I watched a few episodes and some of the jokes are funny, but I have a lot of complaints about it on the whole, so I don't watch it. A lot of people do, though, and Wheaton is nerdy enough that he might be convinced to talk the producers into letting him work the Pandora in somehow when he is on there again.

 

[rygD]

I don't remember where I saw it originally, link was from reddit, but there was some recent news about NetBSD on Raspberry Pi, and NetBSD runs on darn near everything anyway. Here is a link to an image from earlier in the year:

ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/misc/jun/raspberry-pi/2014-03-22-earmhf/


FreeBSD also had recent news about ARM support, but I can't find it now by searching.

I have seen Raspberry Pi mentioned related to FreeBSD a couple times.  I have probably seen it discussed with the other 2 big ones, as well.  I don't really keep up on news, but I know the Raspberry Pi has popped up in some surprising places (including Apple IIs), so it isn't a surprise.  If the Pyra provides options including Android, Linux, and BSD...wow.  I would be happy, and many others would as well.  I know there are less people into BSD as there are the others, but for those that are it might help with the appeal.

I watched a few episodes and some of the jokes are funny, but I have a lot of complaints about it on the whole, so I don't watch it.

Maybe this is something we can discuss later, because I have quite a few complaints.  I tried to like it for a while, but it feels like it is making fun of people like me, in a bad way.  If only my family understood this.  Instead they love it, and don't get where I am coming from at times. 

A lot of people do, though, and Wheaton is nerdy enough that he might be convinced to talk the producers into letting him work the Pandora in somehow when he is on there again.

That is why he is one of the ones I thought of.  He might like these types of devices, and he has the ability to reach a lot of people.

 

[canseco]

In terms of marketing, I will be posting info on the Linux and LinuxActionShow subreddits when we get close enough for people to start getting excited about the Pyra.

They wanted to review OpenPandora since 2010, and they did a few interviews at Ohio Linux Fest this year. 

Almost did an interview with me, but my english skills are not very good.

Someone near Washington with one device or maybe via streaming (Evildragon?) would be better.