Support The Team And The Production!

[neko]

Is this post some kind of joke? You can't be seriously considering using paypal, and I can't believe you're asking for publicity with Craig saying he can barely keep up with all the emails he is getting.

If you're seriously looking for investors, there are people who've expressed interest.

 

[Rebel]

ED - This is not a negative post, far from it but I really must state that I am *INCREDIBLY* worried that your initial posts reads like you wish to use next batch preorders to pay for current batch expenses, this is basically using the preorder inertia as a pyramid scheme as you will require ever escalating numbers of orders to cover the cost of making ones that are committed sales. And while I personally am quite happy to wait for however long it takes for my Pandora to turn up, right now I cannot in good conscience advocate to my friends and family who trust my judgement to invest in purchasing something that will arrive "when it's done" (Duke Nukem forever anyone?).
I have made various groups aware of the Pandora but so far no one seems too willing to put money down unless they know the order will be fulfilled within a sensible timeframe.
You can be assured that once I get hold of mine I will be pimping the living s*** out of to all and sundry. Speaking of which I am willing to put banners up on my community sites and I have influence with other groups who could help promote it too, I just haven't seen the point right now as OP havn't had the capacity to deal with the customer they already have including many hundreds who have been around this community FAR FAR longer then I have (and I only came out of lurk mode and put my order in relatively late in the game.)
I can't code (I last used C like 15 years go) but I do have about 2.5TB/month transit spare and plenty of hosting capacity which I did offer to craig when I preordered (although I don't think he got the PM as he didn't reply)
I would love to help raise the awareness of the Pandora but to what end? Do you really want to have even more people getting aggravated at having to wait for something that frankly is still in a very experimental build process?? That's PR suicide! Surely its much better to have a small community of enthusiasts who understand just what a monumental project this has been and the problems it has had to overcome then thousands of casual gamers posting over the entire internet that OP's name is mud as it can't even get the hardware out of the door (this is before they start slating it for things like the wifi performance).
So yeah I would like to help out as much as I can, and it would be nice to help raise your income (I really want to see the OP project succeed and become one of the dominant forces is mobile gaming (and general computing for that matter) I want to do it in way that 1) doesn't put the projects long term survivability at risk 2) Isn't complete madness on the PR front.

 

[fusion_power]

d) Merchandising:
I always wanted to have a T-Shirt which has a Pandora logo on the front and "I just had to wait two months (TM)" on the backside.

Me likes. I recommend to use the Pandora-Font for this.

Everywhere I go, a lot of people would buy it within a blink of an eye if I could give it to them right away.
However, preordering, paying the money upfront and waiting for an unknown time (well, not two years like you did, but still not 100% assured) is what is driving away a lot of them.

Another reason to go quickly into "real" mass production. You should leave the preorder-story as fast as possible and go into real Supply and demand. I've grown up in the former GDR I know how bad it is when supply and demand don't fit together. You have to avoid this under all circumstances I recommend.

 

[hedwards]

Can I teach you guys Toyota's Lean Manufacturing Methodology? I had it shoved down our throats where I work.. They claim it's saving us tons of money.

Toyota practices Kaizen, a Japanese appropriation of a concept that was originally developed in America and only reached Japan after WWII reconstruction had begun. Kaizen From the sound of it, the team is already on to some of it, they just don't have the volume of parts necessary to really get it down pat, as it's incremental changes over time.

EDIT: A bit more on topic, but a lot of this is premature given that most of us have yet to receive our unit even though we've paid our cash for it. I can't speak for anybody else, but I doubt that many of us have extra money floating around and it's tough to boost a unit which we haven't even received. It would be sort of like wearing a Duke Nukem If-Ever t-shirt during the first year or two of production. Sure this one is shipping, but very slowly and by the time they actually have the opportunity to buy one, you've been looking like an idiot for quite a while. Not to mention that you might get them jazzed on it and they forget about it since they have to wait a while to even pre-order it.

 

[Dead1nside]

I'd definitely buy Pandora merchandise.

 

[foxblock]

d) Merchandising:
I always wanted to have a T-Shirt which has a Pandora logo on the front and "I just had to wait two months ™" on the backside.

I would totally buy one of these if they were properly printed

c) Place banners:

Well - we don't have Banners yet, but maybe one of you could design a few good ones in different resolutions?
People could use it for Signatures on other boards, etc.

If I may put this shameless plug here: http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?/topic/55868-pandora-intro-animation/

I am looking for an animated Pandora intro animation (something about the logo and the name) to use in games and videos, this could also act as a banner.
It seems like we have a favourite, create by a community member some time ago, but it needs some changes. But if there are alternative ideas and maybe designs, feel free to post them (in that thread)!
Basically I just want to get the discussion going, so we can select one which pleases most of the people and is used as the primary choice.

foxblock out

 

[cosam]

A bit more on topic, but a lot of this is premature given that most of us have yet to receive our unit even though we've paid our cash for it. I can't speak for anybody else, but I doubt that many of us have extra money floating around and it's tough to boost a unit which we haven't even received. It would be sort of like wearing a Duke Nukem If-Ever t-shirt during the first year or two of production.

Ah, maybe you can get one that reads "I ordered my Pandora two years ago and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

Sorry ;-)

(I'm not poking fun - in all seriousness, I think you have a good point.)

 

[EvilDragon]

Is this post some kind of joke? You can't be seriously considering using paypal, and I can't believe you're asking for publicity with Craig saying he can barely keep up with all the emails he is getting.

Ah, well, PayPal for small donations, why not?
There might be some users, too

Also, publicity is a good thing - yes, at the moment he can't keep up. But if people start looking for publicity now, I guess nothing will happen before September, and until then, the current mass of eMails shouldn't be there anymore (it basically was after sending the mail to all those who subscribed to a newsletter).

If you're seriously looking for investors, there are people who've expressed interest.

Well, I would - but Craig doesn't like investors...
I still think it could improve quality and production speed... but that one tablet PC (forgot the name) also showed that this can go wrong.

ED - This is not a negative post, far from it but I really must state that I am *INCREDIBLY* worried that your initial posts reads like you wish to use next batch preorders to pay for current batch expenses

Hm? I just checked my posts, though I could not find where I sounded like that...

Nope, Batch 1 is covered by Batch 1 preorders, Batch 2 will be covered by Batch 2 preorders and will hopefully leave us some money to crate Batch 3 in advance
That's what I meant, in case I didn't make myself clear.

 

[EvilDragon]

A bit more on topic, but a lot of this is premature given that most of us have yet to receive our unit even though we've paid our cash for it. I can't speak for anybody else, but I doubt that many of us have extra money floating around and it's tough to boost a unit which we haven't even received. It would be sort of like wearing a Duke Nukem If-Ever t-shirt during the first year or two of production. Sure this one is shipping, but very slowly and by the time they actually have the opportunity to buy one, you've been looking like an idiot for quite a while. Not to mention that you might get them jazzed on it and they forget about it since they have to wait a while to even pre-order it.

Oh, no problem. We don't want to grab more money from you guys - the above things were just some suggestions, as people were asking if and how they can support us (even by donating money).

We're not desperately seeking money right now, in case you're wondering. While it was an expensive ride for us, we're still doing fine

 

[SomeGuy99]

We're not desperately seeking money right now, in case you're wondering. While it was an expensive ride for us, we're still doing fine

That's nice to hear Ed. I was worried back when you said you were having nightmares.

 

[Caine]

Ah, maybe you can get one that reads "I ordered my Pandora two years ago and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

Hehe, nice It is true though. For this reason, I won't be buying anything extra from the team until I receive my unit.

The main problem is the lack of a steady flow of units shipping. When the Pandora starting shipping, the entire community started to thrive.
The last two months(TM) have seen no such deliveries except an incidental 100 units or so. That's what is killing the mood.

From the news we're getting, I'm having the impression that mass production is in fact imminent. My advice, keep working to ensure a steady stream of Pandoras ASAP.

 

[EvilDragon]

We're not desperately seeking money right now, in case you're wondering. While it was an expensive ride for us, we're still doing fine

That's nice to hear Ed. I was worried back when you said you were having nightmares.

Well - I'm still getting them
If all people would cancel all of a sudden, we would really have to look quickly into getting an investor or find a plan B
I'm sometimes getting nightmares that that could happen - even if my heart tells me it won't.
After all, looking how we started shipping and that only a handful of people cancelled so far but there are more and more guys preordering, it seems unlikely.
But still, if you see a lot of negative posts or just reading problems people have on the board, you get scared.

I was never very good dealing with stuff like that - I'm no harsh businessman, I'm afraid, I'm a very emotional guy.
I'm very enthusiastic and motivated when we achieve something, but I'm also scared and down quite quickly when bad things happen.
Sometime I wish I was a bit less emotional with such things, as they really can give you headaches and hard times... but on the other hand, that's also one of the reason a lot people like me: I'm human and I do have good sides and bad sides. Like everyone else.

The main problem is the lack of a steady flow of units shipping. When the Pandora starting shipping, the entire community started to thrive.
The last two months(TM) have seen no such deliveries except an incidental 100 units or so. That's what is killing the mood.
From the news we're getting, I'm having the impression that mass production is in fact imminent. My advice, keep working to ensure a steady stream of Pandoras ASAP.

Yep, that's very well true. That's why we also hope (and try to talk this into the factory!) to improve production speed.
Now that the boards don't seem to have anymore faults, I don't see no reason why this shouldn't be possible.

 

[SomeGuy99]

We're not desperately seeking money right now, in case you're wondering. While it was an expensive ride for us, we're still doing fine

That's nice to hear Ed. I was worried back when you said you were having nightmares.

Well - I'm still getting them
If all people would cancel all of a sudden, we would really have to look quickly into getting an investor or find a plan B
I'm sometimes getting nightmares that that could happen - even if my heart tells me it won't.
After all, looking how we started shipping and that only a handful of people cancelled so far but there are more and more guys preordering, it seems unlikely.
But still, if you see a lot of negative posts or just reading problems people have on the board, you get scared.

I was never very good dealing with stuff like that - I'm no harsh businessman, I'm afraid, I'm a very emotional guy.
I'm very enthusiastic and motivated when we achieve something, but I'm also scared and down quite quickly when bad things happen.
Sometime I wish I was a bit less emotional with such things, as they really can give you headaches and hard times... but on the other hand, that's also one of the reason a lot people like me: I'm human and I do have good sides and bad sides. Like everyone else.

Oh Ed, I'm so sorry about that. You sound very sensitive, and I can be like that too (so I understand).

Its hard not to criticise because we all do it. In a thread yesterday, Craig was complaining about his Apple and Dell laptops breaking. I'm sure even you must have grumbled about something right?

But it's easier for those guys. They have customer service teams and are far removed from customers. At most, they probably only come into contact with people in focus groups or customer satisfaction charts.

But we're kind of a big family here, and you have to support your family.

Should we treat you guys like our family or a business? It's not an easy question to answer IMO.

 

[LeChuck87]

If you're seriously looking for investors, there are people who've expressed interest.

Well, I would - but Craig doesn't like investors...
I still think it could improve quality and production speed... but that one tablet PC (forgot the name) also showed that this can go wrong.

you mean crunchpad/joojoo? it's still not clear who the bad guy was...

 

[EvilDragon]

Oh Ed, I'm so sorry about that. You sound very sensitive, and I can be like that too (so I understand).

Thanks. It's a curse and something good in the same way
I like how I can be happy - but when something is bothering you, it's a curse.

Its hard not to criticise because we all do it. In a thread yesterday, Craig was complaining about his Apple and Dell laptops breaking. I'm sure even you must have grumbled about something right?

Hmm... can't really remember. I'm not the guy who grumbles about things that break usually.
I just think: "Well, it can happen" and then try to fix it

But I can surely understand there are a lot of people who grumble for perfect valid reasons.
And yeah, it's normal to grumble on the boards - it's just not normal that the people behind the project are here to reply to you
I guess that's something new and hard to learn - both for us as developers as for you, the community.
It changes things a lot

But it's easier for those guys. They have customer service teams and are far removed from customers. At most, they probably only come into contact with people in focus groups or customer satisfaction charts.
But we're kind of a big family here, and you have to support your family.
Should we treat you guys like our family or a business? It's not an easy question to answer IMO.

I think that's really the biggest problem.
Way back, when the GP32 was out (and later the GP2X), I basically was one of you guys. Supporting the community and scene by offering free file archives, but that was it.

Now I'm one of the guys who actually PRODUCES a unit for you. But I still see myself as part of the family, not of a business.

 

[SomeGuy99]

Okay Ed, you're part of the family. But what about the rest of the team? Do they think of themselves the same way? I wouldn't want to make presumptions.

 

[EvilDragon]

If you're seriously looking for investors, there are people who've expressed interest.

Well, I would - but Craig doesn't like investors...
I still think it could improve quality and production speed... but that one tablet PC (forgot the name) also showed that this can go wrong.

you mean crunchpad/joojoo? it's still not clear who the bad guy was...

Yep, true. But since it's unclear, you never know
No one here would like that to happen to the Pandora.

Well, getting an investor NOW would probably not take that risk - as we're already in production and delivering, so there's not much an investor could change here

 

[WizardStan]

Well, getting an investor NOW would probably not take that risk - as we're already in production and delivering, so there's not much an investor could change here

"You should add a phone feature. Everyone loves phones! And make it a capacitive touch screen; multi-touch is the future! And lose that Linux thing, it's got bad connotations; we've heard a lot of great things about this Android doodad."

 

[hedwards]

A bit more on topic, but a lot of this is premature given that most of us have yet to receive our unit even though we've paid our cash for it. I can't speak for anybody else, but I doubt that many of us have extra money floating around and it's tough to boost a unit which we haven't even received. It would be sort of like wearing a Duke Nukem If-Ever t-shirt during the first year or two of production. Sure this one is shipping, but very slowly and by the time they actually have the opportunity to buy one, you've been looking like an idiot for quite a while. Not to mention that you might get them jazzed on it and they forget about it since they have to wait a while to even pre-order it.

Oh, no problem. We don't want to grab more money from you guys - the above things were just some suggestions, as people were asking if and how they can support us (even by donating money).

We're not desperately seeking money right now, in case you're wondering. While it was an expensive ride for us, we're still doing fine

Although, that being said, once I have mine and a new job, I'll likely be donating to a dev fund. And definitely will be hyping it up if it's anywhere near as good as I think and the people who actually have there's do. It's good to hear that you're doing fine so far, it just is probably going to be a bit of a hard sell to get people still waiting to do much. Especially since anybody that does want one is probably going to be looking at batch 3 or more.

 

[fusion_power]

And lose that Linux thing, it's got bad connotations; we've heard a lot of great things about this Android doodad."

"Yay! And Android even has Viruses now! Never trust a OS without Viruses!" :lol: