[Gta04-owner] Status GTA04 GroupTour

[Klaus-Hendrik Wolf]

Hi all,

i am now reading quietly for quite some time and i really love the 
spirit of the group, the company and the idea of the free device!

Thank you for all you have already done and keep up the efforts!

And now to the ideas you asked for...

Am 29.12.2011 11:50, schrieb Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller:
[...]
> 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?
[...]
> * talk more about the benefits and special features one
>     can only find in a GTA04 and nowhere else?
[...]
> 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!

A lot has been written already about the different reasons, why the 
GTA04 is not a phone but "only" a motherboard-replacement for an 
existing phone with a limited number of units in existence who's current 
owners might not be interested in updating any more.

That said, my idea is to think of different usages and the marketing of 
those. Why not present it as a
- PlugComputer with UMTS (http://www.plugcomputer.org/)
- Über-Arduino with integrated BT, WLAN, UMTS, GPS, display-port... 
(http://www.arduino.cc/)
- maybe someone on the list knows even better or just more comparable 
projects? (please help out by responding!)

If you approach the corresponding established communities via the e.g. 
their mailing-lists, you would be able to increase the amount of people 
who are interested in buying your great device immensely!
Maybe you can offer some extension-PCB for those wanting to use GTA04 as 
an embedded device with board to board connectors, easily accessible 
soldering spots and maybe even some other stuff like VGA, HDMI, or other 
adaptors?

I would guess that there are some people how would be eager to get hands 
on a device like that. Some of the plug-computers were hard to get, 
because of the immense demand!

In the end the idea is to make some web-page about the GTA04 as an 
universal free hardware tinkering device based on open hardware and free 
and open software with all the interfaces you can think of and enough 
computing power for most (if not all) embedded systems.

Just my two cents! I would love, if it helps the project!

In the end you have to make people understand that

    free hardware is NOT free as in beer.

       But it is worth every single cent!

Best regards,

   Klaus Hendrik