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Posted by: Sean

Update :: a deal has been struck and as soon as we have all the details worked out, we will announce it to the forum. I will say this, the new owner, I am confident, will carry on with MGN just as we all want it to be run.



It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. Tomorrow at around noon Pacific time, MGN will go up on the auction block on Ebay. I have been running this site since October of 2003 and it has really been a trip. My current lifestyle just does not allow me to run this site the way it should be run and with increased demands at work and at home, I have to step down as the "HMFIC" around here.

The sale will include the MobileGadgetNews.com and mpx200.org domain names and the site as a whole. I will help the new owner transition into the role in every way that I can and provide them with support and even free hosting through the first half of 2006. There is serious potential here for someone who wants to build an empire.

I do plan to stick around and be a contributor and the other moderators and admins of the site, I believe, will all stick it out too. We just need a new boss, I'm tired and overloaded.

If you think you might want a turn-key site you have about 24 hours to get with me before the site goes up. I am going to put a reasonable reserve on the auction but I would estimate that the site would go for similar money as http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:11&item=5824557094 did a few months ago when it was sold by Brad. If you are interested, let me know and we can discuss the details. Email me, pm me, grab me on Google talk or MSN.

Don't worry folks, MGN will live on and probably be better for the change overall.

Posted by: The Undude

This news makes me sad. You've created a friendly environment here, with it's own unique voice and style. It's a good place you've built. Let's hope you make a good little packet of cash on the transaction and that the new owners can match your style, wit and good nature.

I wish you every success and enjoyment with your next endeavors!

Posted by: smeg36

You will be missed as the head honcho Sean. Hopefully the new owner, whoever they may be, will only improve on what you have already built. I know I, along with my fellow moderators, will fully support whoever it is in any way possible. The news also makes me sad, but all things have to change eventually.

Posted by: net_bull

Sean,
As a person who wanted to help but wasn't able to do much due to various obligations, I totally understand your reasoning for the move. All good things come to an end and who knows, maybe we will get someone as good to buy this site out. Thanks for starting the original mpx200.org and poured tons of energy and resource into this and hope everyone will stick around for the long run.
Good luck on the sale.
Cheers,

Steve

Posted by: abatis

I met Sean and his beautiful family in DC at the MGN get together. That was a while back. For a married person, family time with the wife and kid is the most important things in life from my perspective. I respect Sean for what he has accomplished and his values. Sean has provided great leadership to get the site to this point. The site really provides a valuable service to all users of MS mobile platforms. I appreciate the opportunity Sean has provided all of us to be part of such a positive site.

Posted by: robgreen

Sean,

I'm not much of a tech guy. I bought my mpx200 a few years ago and used your site to help me get the most out of the phone. thanks for making this site. Best of Luck in everything you do.

Rob

Posted by: gears

Sorry to hear about your decision Sean, but I can understand that family must always come first. I hope MobileGadgetNews lives on and is as good as it always has been - I've always checked your site daily since October 2003 and the fantastic mpx200.org site, which I still end up typing in my address bar!

Good luck mate.



Gears (Webmaster @ http://www.coolsmartphone.com)

Posted by: mkestu

Good call dude. Thanks for all the effort and time you put into this project.

Posted by: encece

Good Riddin's!!!!!




























Just kidding. Sorry to see you stepping aside. We all know how life can get in the way of things we like to do...but fortunately you have the wisdom to know that this obsession we all have pales in comparison to the stuff that really matters most. Good Luck to you and yours.

(excuse my poor spelling!)

Posted by: kmaerke

sorry to hear your decision sean but with 2 kids of my own I can understand. with that said I am making an announcement

anyone interested in purchasing the site??? i bet there are a few of us that would put up a few bucks? let me know. I am much like the general population here in that I look at the site for info almost daily. this site is too influential to let go. PM me to discuss any ideas.

Posted by: Slacker

As Sean has indicated, the "staff" of MGN is here to support the community in whatever capacity the new owner(s) wishes. Sean started this effort for the community and that is why we all participate. In essence everyone here is staff, offering insight and information where and when they have it, making us all better able to take advantage of our Windows Mobile devices. Sean stepping down does not mean an end to that, and in fact means exactly the opposite.

Sean, I have said it before and now I say it publicly: Thank you for the opportunity to help out, and for the empire you had the vision to create. I know you will be around continuing to offer your insight but your leadership will be missed. I respect the decision you have made and believe you have made the right decision. Good luck to you and your family.

Finally, for those of you who are sorry for Sean's decision I don't think you should be. Sean is doing what is best for him and his family. MGN will continue on. Sean believes that he isn't providing the time and effort the site deserves and is stepping aside (not down) to let someone else drive for the good of the site and the community. THAT is leadership: knowing when the time has come and being able to make the decision accepting that you can't be everything to everyone all the time.

Jim

Posted by: MikeTemporale

Hey Sean, I certainly understand your decision, and it must have a hard one to make. Best of luck in the sale and your future endeavors.

Posted by: www.msmobiles.com

you wanna get 5000 USD for it? it's too much me thinks.

I can offer 944 USD - let me know if you are interested.

Otherwise: let's start the auction on eBay ASAP and see how it goes!

Posted by: Sean

Quick update - I am talking with a bunch of people about the site, there are some serious contenders who are interested. At the moment, I am pushing back the auction plans until I see how this plays out, I would prefer to have more control over who takes over, some of the folks who I have been talking to would be great so I will keep you all posted...

PS. Sorry msmobiles but at this point, I will have to pass...

Posted by: Sean

Please see the original post for an update.

Posted by: smeg36

That is a great update. It's nice to have the uncertainty out of the way. I'm looking forward to meeting the new boss! At least you will still be around and posting Sean, not like you are going dark or anything.

Posted by: Sean

"not like you are going dark or anything."

Nah, no Palm OS for me man...

Posted by: smeg36

Not quite the kind of dark I was referring to, but dark none-the-less. Unless in going Palm you are getting the 700w. But you did say OS, not just Palm.

Posted by: The Undude

Congrats on the quick transaction!

So Sean, does this mean you will no longer be needing your VIP tickets to the Mobile Adult Content Congress next week?

Posted by: elviaitalia

Sean,

I wish you all the best and, even if it might sound trite and useless, I totally second your decision. Family comes before everything else.

That said I wish to thank you for MGN and for all that MGN means/has meant for us Mpx200 users over the years.

I have a huge amount of WM-smartphones-related bookmarks on my browser but, from a statistical point of view I can affirm that I have always found the best, more knowledgeable, more useful informations on this site, every time the need for an advice, a pointer, an opinion, a confirmation has arised.

I still remember when I first dropped on this site in May 2004; I had got my Mpx200 for just one or two days and knew almost nothing about it. Thanks to MGN, to its moderators and its users I almost immediately became a "power user". MGN even helped me extending the phone's lifespan as I came to know about the 2003 and 2005 roms in here, before the news were out anywhere else.

What can I say? Thanks again Sean. I now am looking forward for your unvaluable contribution as a moderator.

By the way: Isn't it a bit of a coincidence that you have decided to sell MGN on the same day I finally made my mind up and bought a new smartphone to replace my still-perfectly-working-but old-and creacky Mpx200?

Posted by: GrYph0n

Back in November of 2003 I was taken by a nice looking shiny black phone that caught my eye at my local AT&T Wireless store. I have always been into gadgets, but this new little toy took it to the next level, and yes of course I am talking about my first MPx200. I didn't really know what I had in my possession until I had it in one hand and surfing the web with the other to find everything I could about this phone. Well to my amazement there was a site totally dedicated to this phone that I "lurked" on for a while before taking the plunge and making my first post. That site "MPx200.org" got me started with all the information that one would need to get the ball rolling (so to speak).
Heh, 5 MPx200's, an iPAQ 6315, and Audiovox SMT5600 later, I know that I couldn't survive without a WM device in my pocket, and I sometimes wonder how I had gotten along without one in the past. I really owe it all to Sean for starting up such a great site that has evolved into what we see today. Sean pulled me in kinda early and I have stuck it out as much as I could from then on. I too have met him and he truely is a great guy. I am glad that he is not stepping down, just stepping aside because I couldn't imagine MGN without him around in some form. Sean I would like to personally thank you for the opportunities you have presented me with and this community over the last few years.

Sorry for the delay in my posting this, but I am currently floating around out in the middle of the ocean with limited internet access (Mainly on my phone, when close enough to the coast). Unfortunitly my days here are numbered for an extended absence of deployment to other places. I will continue to do what I can to support the new owner(s) and ease the transition until I depart, and hopefully I will be able to catch back up and get back in the swing of things once I return (in the distant future). Sean, God Speed and Good Luck...

Posted by: Pony99CA

Good old Jacek, still being the putz of the Pocket PC world.

But, Sean, does this mean that we'll never see the review of the Mobile Crossing WayPoint 200?

Steve