<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><br><div><div>Am 03.03.2012 um 14:07 schrieb Gerald A:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 8:03 AM, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:hns@goldelico.com">hns@goldelico.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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Am 01.03.2012 um 13:28 schrieb Wolfgang Spraul:<br>
<div class="im"><br>
>> So what to use? Nothing to use...<br>
><br>
> We should look for what comes after phones and tablets.<br>
> What's next?<br>
<br>
</div>Next generation phones and tablets :)<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>As a consumer, it's a bit hard to distinguish between one generation and the next, though. In the past, it was easier -- upgrades from LCD to mono screens, from mono screens to color, from telephone keypads to qwerty.</div>
<div>It's harder lately to distinguish, at a quick glance, a "retina" display from a regular one.</div><div><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
It is difficult to develop something totally new.<br>
(My standard methapher: each revolution looks<br>
like evolution if you have a sufficiently distant point<br>
of view).<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I agree to a certain degree -- from a hardware point of view, at least.</div><div><br></div><div>But it's pretty clear that the iPhone and iPad were dramatic shifts for smartphones and tablets.</div>
<div>The iPhone brought new energy and enthusiasm to the smartphone market. There were a few big players already in this market, but Apple managed to change the direction of the market.</div></div></blockquote><div><br></div>I think they mainly could because they were neither a network operator nor a classical phone manufacturer. So they could decide to make standard Web browsing (instead of MMS "services") the default.</div><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div class="gmail_quote"><div>The iPad brought tablets, which had languished for years, from being ignored to something that many people knew something about.</div></div></blockquote><div><br></div>And, they have very valuable content to distribute. That makes IMHO the main difference. Before, a smartphone was a device to communicate and have some preinstalled games plus "PIM" applications to sync with your desktop.</div><div><br></div><div>Now it became the access device to a plethora of well organized content. And the Apps ecosystem is nothing else than a publisher business model (incl. selection and quality control). This was IMHO the most dramatic change.</div><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div class="gmail_quote">
<div><br></div><div>Now, the hardware they used wasn't the greatest in each case -- it had and has lots of limits. But they had amazing software, and a vision for the "customer" of their device.</div><div>They didn't end up inventing a "new" device, per se, but they did end up re-inventing it. To consumers, they are new devices, because they never saw the clunky windows tablets or older smartphones. </div></div></blockquote><div><br></div>Consumers mostly see the content (that is always well packed by Apple/Disney), not the device.</div><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div class="gmail_quote">
<div><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex; position: static; z-index: auto; ">
For phones and tablets it means they will increase in<br>
screen resolution, increase in processing power and<br>
networking speed, increase in battery life, increase how<br>
easily they can be used.<br>
The last one is the most interesting since it includes<br>
both hardware and software.</blockquote><div><br></div><div>One thing is clear: Until a device is commercially successful, it has no chance to survive in the arms race that is commercial phone development. Things change too fast and cost too much to bring out a new rev every X months.</div>
<div>Every hardware piece is a compromise, and I've been a close watcher on the sidelines when FIC/OM launched their phones. It's harder with a phone, because since almost everyone has one, everyone will have an idea about one.</div>
<div><br></div><div>So, where does that leave us? I think it's simple -- we have to compete, at first, mostly in software. I held out lots of hope for this with the Neo and the Freerunner, but they had basic issues that made them a bit difficult to deal with.</div></div></blockquote><div><br></div>I think QtMoko and now SHR are on a good path. The OPAM3 used in the GTA04 is a much better supported platform to concentrate GUI development on the useability aspects.</div><div> <br><blockquote type="cite"><div class="gmail_quote">
<div>I do think there are markets that are out there that are unserved and underserved, where something with good software could flourish.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm still not convinced your business model is the best approach. While it involves the least risk for all concerned, it feels to me like it's not working well. I gave you some thoughts earlier, and you had good points why your point of view was better. But, your current rallying point is to get to 40% of your goal, and that means that 60% remains. Don't get me wrong, I do hope your device gets built, and I intend to order when budget allows me ... but without some major donation, I'm not sure your timeline is feasible.</div></div></blockquote><div><br></div>I think it is still feasible. The only thing we must improve is the positive feedback look.</div><div>The more GTA04 (from stock) devices are out there and the more users of the GTA04</div><div>are happy (and report that), the more the undecided ones can decide.</div><div><br></div><div>Several factors are not yet positive enough, but we are working on it:</div><div>* production yield for the "from stock" devices is being increased</div><div>* we are working on a case kit so that a 3D printed case from Shapeways becomes a 100% replacement to disassemble a GTA01/02</div><div>* we work to preinstall QtMoko in NAND flash so that the first power-on gives a better impression and has less problems formatting the SD card correctly</div><div><br></div><div>Nikolaus</div></body></html>