Video is where it's at, no doubt. A series of short videos, maybe from 15 sec to 1 minute long, could be uploaded to Youtube, etc. YouTube has no restriction on such use. Something (hopefully) cool and hilarious, that will grab attention. A little risky, edgy, so there's some chance of a viral effect.

Downside is, if they're NOT cool or hilarious, they could be come an unintentional bad joke and do more harm than good. So you'll have to be careful to get the desired effect.

Thing is, people here will have plenty of good ideas, actually pulling 'em off will be the hard part. IMHO cristexaport has some good ideas - not that others haven't or won't, but as examples. Ya need to get a few people together to pull his off. But they're a good starting point, have the right 'feel'.

Especially the bold and funny part. To make an effort worthwhile, i.e. to make a dent in the market, the campaign needs to appeal to much more than just geeks.

Cute idea, but Veri$on might get twisted about that.

The N900's multitasking goes beyond not just the iPhone, but beyond anything Android phones can do. It's one of the best things about it and should be hyped to the hilt.

Good ones for the TV out. But lotsa phones/ipods can connect for sound. How many can do it via an FM transmitter? Maybe have an iPhone guy without a cable and a guy use the N900's FM to save the situation.

I like this, and while I can see freppas' point, who really cares if it kinda overstates quality of the cam. That's what funny ads do - exaggerate for effect.

A geek's dream. Sex sells. Just wish I could get in on recruiting the ladies.
And that's another N900 advantage that needs to be highlighted.

Anything that brings attention to the 800x480 screen resolution would be good. Maybe 2 guys trying to watch a video and one can't tell who people are or just what they're doing. The other says he can easily on his N900 and pulls up the video to take a look. "It's Dick and Jane and fool, that's not YouTube you're watching, it's YouPorn!"

I guess you aren't aware of the various films and music videos created with Nokia phones, such as music videos by the Noisettes, Rob Dickinson, Eskimo Hunter, Chantal Kreviazuk, plus complete short and feature films from Spike Lee and Barbara Seghezzi.

Many aspiring filmmakers use Nokia Nseries devices for video, and the N900 shoots probably the best video other than the N93, and though without autofocus, which Nokia doesn't have in any other video device, probably alot sharper than the N93 as well.

Just trust me, the video angle will be a winner. It is for most Symbian guys, and the N900 will bring a different level of video and image capture than most of you are used to. It is DVD quality video. That's better than anyone else by far, and the world needs to know.

I agree whatever we do must speak to more than geeks, but we don't want to be too simplistic. The N900 is for the tech savvy guy, and we'll need to speak his language in layman's terms.

Something I think resonates with geeks on a subliminal level is if the characters are lampooned, like the Beastie Boys in the "Sabotage" video. The 70's look and bad wigs makes people laugh. It's totally G4/TechTVish in nature.

For the "Verizon like group", we don't need to copy them at all. I say call the devs "The ORG", and they should not look like geeks with the tape on the bridge of the glasses, but sleekly dressed trendy guys with fashionable framed glasses and expensive clothes. The RICH geek that's your boss, not the nerds with no ladies that work in the A/V dept. We need the geeks to be something cool, maybe a group of 10 guys and gals, all attractive, with laptops, wireless microphone headsets, the works.

I'm all for the FM transmitter deal, and the TV out one as well. Not many devices have true tv out.

I'm ready to start doing storyboards, but I don't have any video equipment at all right now. I can contribute music if necessary, maybe write a script. I'd really hope to have timsamoff as the lead on this based on his expertise and experience. Do we have a time constraint to get this done? I'm really wanting to make it happen.

I think the quality of the production should be good. To have multiple videos on YouTube of various quality may detract from the perception of Maemo and the N900. Apple ads are always perfect. We need the same quality, and I don't see why we can't get it ourselves.

Does anyone have any volunteers for a cast?

Let's play "Stand by Me" with n900's just like these guys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

Or we can sing something more related like "Heaven for Everyone" by Queen

^that was way cool... Thanks again.

If you want to have a campaign before or around the Summit you won't be able to use and show the N900 itself. Actually you won't beable to tell much based on your own experiences since most of you will not have grabbed one yet.

So what about something like 60" max videos with you explaining why you think Maemo 5 and/or the N900 are ideal for you? can be a self-portrait while you speak or something else with your voice in off etc

Easy to produce, good for right now and in the meantime you can prepare more complex productions...

Is the reason people may not have grabbed one due to the n900 not being shipped? This poster has suggested Nokia sent a letter related to a delay until November. Is it true?

Just wondering since I have pre-ordered the n900.

I think some youtube videos of people in "actual" situations would be legit. Using ideas already posted in this thread would work fine.

Like two guys driving in a car, and one guy pulls out his iphone and starts playing some crap music. Then the other guy pulls out his n900, and FM transmits some good music to cover it up. And the iphone guy is like dude, how are you doing that!!!

Or (my favorite part of the tablets):

The iPhone guy is like 'OHHH LOOOK! A app to take timed pictures! Only $5!' I'm a downloading it!!

Then the n900 guy is like "pshhh..." Whips out his tablet, and writes a shell script in the time it takes for the app to download.

However, the biggest selling point of the N900 is the multitasking, so something like a guy browsing the web, and listing to music, and talking on IM, while downloading some torrents, while doing other stuff i cant think off...

@Thesandlord: Unless you have a graphical drag&drop script builder for maemo that's usable by non-coder end user, I don't think that's a good thing to advertise:

Those potential buyers who can script and are already interested in Linux pocketable device, have probably already heard about maemo\N900. So we don't need to tout maemo's merit to them much..

Those regular Joes who make up for 90+% of the potential buyers will either get turned off by 'writing text programs' to do something that they can buy a $0.99 widget.. or will get the wrong ideas, and think writing scripts is like making Automator macro on a Mac.

@christexaport, no I'd never heard of that actually, that's so cool though! You live and you learn I guess.

I'm definitely down for making a short video about why I think Maemo and the N900 would be ideal for me. They could be a good basis for later efforts as well, Say using the voice of someone explaining what they'd like with images of the N900 actually performing them. But that's a later thought.

I have a slight problem though, since I am currently residing in China I have, at best, an extremely slow connection to youtube, facebook, twitter etc. Can you guys view www.youku.com? I know some of the content on there is blocked in the US for example.

freppas, I can view Youku content just fine from my end here in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, aka "Telecom Prairie"