We've sent out a second batch of 50 (-1) voucher codes last night, fixed another few warts in invoices and front office (http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?p=1470508) and we hope to send the remaining vouchers this week, as announced. Means: during next 24h. Bear with us when it takes longer due to some surprise showing up until then.
[edit](I'd send your email right away to end your pain, if only I know which one )
/j

Ah ...balm to the ears...
Salve to the burning itch ...(hm..I should get that looked at..)
I'll pm it to ya..
last time I put up my email ... sarah michelle geller wouldn't stop hitting me up for a movie and nachos...
edit: aaaand there we go..email sent.

#joerg_rw (or anyone else who knows) what's the latest estimate on cost of a complete device?

https://neo900.org/faq#cost

According to current calculations, the cost of the motherboard should be somewhere around 990 EUR. The complete device will cost about 150 EUR more, depending on prices and availability of N900 spare parts. Those prices are just recent calculations, are subject to change, and depend heavily on the number of orders. (See also exchange rate effects.)

https://neo900.org/exchange.html

The Neo900 project originates from a country in the Euro region, and it is therefore only natural for it to calculate its budget and to keep its financial assets in Euros.

In September 2013, when the project's budget was first estimated, one Euro was worth about USD 1.33. The Euro appreciated slightly in the following months and at the time of the reorganization it was around USD 1.36-1.37. So the project had actually "won" 2-3%.

Then something unexpected happened: the Euro started to drop ... and kept on dropping until it almost reached parity with the US dollar in March 2015. Since then, it has maintained a value around USD 1.08.

The evolution of the exchange rate over the last two years can be seen here.

This means that every Euro of the project's reserves has lost 25-30% of its value in US dollars in the last months. This came as a bit of a surprise to us since, while aware that the Euro wasn't doing great, we did not actively monitor the exchange rate and thus didn't realize just how much it has changed. Not that we could have done a lot about it - there are greater powers than little us at work there.

Unfortunately, most components are priced and have maintained their value in USD. This means that the cost of the components of Neo990, is now significantly higher than planned. Also other costs are influenced by the value of the US dollar and have increased.

This has a number of consequences: first of all, it changes our budget projections. That by itself is not so bad, but it can mean unwelcome news. Also, in case the Euro appreciates, the projections may improve again.

Second, any money we are spending in the course of the project will have its purchase power determined by the exchange rate at that time and nothing that happens later can change that. Therefore, if we buy with a weak Euro, we need to spend more money than with a strong Euro.

This means that, even if the Euro should recover in the coming months, the project cost (in Euros) is permanently affected, because that hypothetical value gain does not affect any money already spent.

The good news is of course that for anyone operating in a currency that has appreciated with respect to the Euro, Neo900 hasn't changed much and may even have become cheaper.

I prefer to use international Bank Transfer. Yes, it includes $18 fee per transfer. It may include Visa conversion fee, but I find it unlikely, given that it is direct bank transfer, not a payment by credit-or-debit card.

If you are paying by card and not by a bank transfer, you may want to catch a moment when your currency is strong, then create a Visa Prepaid card with USD or EUR currency (whichever currency Neo900 is using; currently it's Euro, I think), and when you pay from this Visa Prepaid card (my bank calls it Travel Card), you do not pay Visa conversion fee (because there is no conversion going on), and when you initially prepay-fill this Visa Prepaid card, you do not have to pay any conversion fee, either (may depend on your bank, read the rules).

P.S. Haven't received my voucher, yet, but will wait.

Is it only me, or if you keep disclosing the price in one currency you are still vulnerable to unexpected happenings? Say you open shop today and start gathering the Value in EUR, but like with swiss francs, announcement of a central bank happens and it jumps/drops by 25% from Sunday to Monday, what then? Sorry, all who paid in EUR/USD need to pay/are entitled to additional 25%, because this was unexpected? Only way to save yourself from it is to evaluate the Value in combined sum:
EUR price (all costs that come from EUR) + USD (all costs from USD)
This way, no matter how currency 'values' change, people would pay you the correct amount? You know which components are in USD, so just give USD price for them, you know what is paid in EUR, same here

Quick info - we've just sent all the vouchers. If you donated >= 100 EUR and haven't got one - please holler!

Just finished my order...
thought I'd give a breakdown of what I'm doing and why...
I ordered the board with no modem.
I did so with not the point of avoiding the (possible) high-end estimated final price of a complete device.
I did so since :

A- I already have 2 n900's in excellent shape (and will most likely get a 3rd too) and one can be utilized just for the board.

B- Hopefully (but I'm not counting on it) Canadian customs would pass my board by ...whereas they more than likely won't if it were a full device.
I have no problem throwing truckloads of money at the neo project ..I am just tired of watching even more of my money get bled away by every vampire that thinks they deserve it...regardless whether they DO deserve it. So that is that.

C-Concerning the modem...preferably..optimally ...
I would want the PXS8...since it is a global alternative...
but considering it is unknown whether it will be available...
and considering upon that ..
if it were not available I personally would have no interest in the global umts variant since it seems too much similar to the n900 in prospect (and 3g has it's probs here for available carriers since the push is to move everyone to 4g...frankly I think it incredibly stupid to abandon cdma...)...
as well where cdma is having a rough time of it here in canada and is being phased out...to the point it is pretty much vendors selling time on cdma..(which is really the best choice btw.. for any foreign visitors too..since 3g and 4g are geographically restricted to high-density populated areas...and in this beautiful country that is less than 10% of the country that is being covered...and when visiting...who wants to be around more people and in crowded cities?.. when the idyllic countryside awaits? BTW...
Petro-Canada Gas Stations http://mobility.petro-canada.ca/en/features/406.aspx
and 7 / 11 Convenience Stores http://www.speakout7eleven.ca/prepaid-cell-phone-rates
sell cdma time compatible with the n900 and I'm sure the neo900 (if the PXS8 becomes available) and both businesses operate in every province and every city. So if you are visiting and want to use your n / neo 900 ...remember..it is your best alternative while traveling)
and 3g is old here..and the other option being only North American LTE...
I would have no desire to have a restrictive modem only to a section of the planet.
Also the final price being high enough I would never use the device as a daily driver...I will use it daily ..all the time I'm sure ...but not as a phone-phone..
Hopefully when the neo1000 comes out I buy it too then ..
and hopefully it will not only be more affordable...
but will as well utilize new tech which circumnavigates the old horrid 2g, 3g, 4g telephony limitations and boundaries...for now it appears to be limited to wifi..which I can live with for now.

So there we have it.
I'd prefer to have a full device..but..(read the above )
and I'd prefer to have the PXS8 ..
but all things considered ...
and..if it isn't going to be on the table ...
I'm not enthusiastic at this point in having a N.A. restricted LTE...
nor a global umts which may or may not work depending on the canadian B-tard service providers here ...
pushing everyone toward the future with limited geography-crippling high-speed LTE.

In case you don't follow the Brainstrom sub-forum, see my post here for an idea that could boost interest in the Neo900.

Holler!

I have received nothing, and nothing in my spam folders either, checked that already

For the purpose of "mak[ing] a news on a populaire[sic] Linux website" it would also be very useful to have a short news article on neo900.org which announces the now open web shop and all the particularities about it: mainly, how the "down payment" idea works, how much the final device/board will probably cost and what specs it will have.

Then it would be easier to attempt getting more customers by posting these news to sites like hackernews or slashdot because such a news entry could then link to your "official" announcement.

I think that even though the price became crazily high now for somebody from EUR countries, many will either not be from EUR countries or only have waited for a binding way to reserve a device. So I think it would be very useful to spread the news now that such a binding order can now be made.