A new backer update
almost 6 years ago
– Thu, May 03, 2018 at 10:38:27 PM
Hi there!
In this update, we want to take you behind the scenes and show you some of the things that have been happening in the production process of HEY bracelet.
Milling of a mould that is used to create the outer housing of the bracelet. The water from the nozzle keeps the milling bit nice and cool!
A selection of moulds for creating the various components of the HEY bracelet. Keen eyes will recognize the underside of the bracelet in the foreground.
Special delivery! Carefully packaged PCBA’s. The brains of HEY bracelet.
A close-up look at the custom-designed HEY PCBA (i.e. ‘printed circuit board assembly’, in case you were wondering) and the touch sensor. During assembly, the touch sensor folds neatly around the PCBA to fit inside the bracelet. You should be able to see the micro-USB port at the top of the PCBA for size reference. This thing is tiny!
We can expect the outcome of the product certification by mid-June. So, fingers crossed! From that point forward, things will go rapidly. But of course, you'll be hearing from us way before that. A new update can be expected around the 25th of May.
That’s it for now! If you have any questions, as always, feel free to contact us.
The HEY team.
HEY bracelet video
about 6 years ago
– Fri, Apr 20, 2018 at 05:14:13 PM
Dear backers,
Our latest update caused quite a stir and we received a lot of feedback. One of the most common reactions we got, was that we don't involve you adequately in the steps we take (and haven't taken) in the process of realizing the HEY bracelet. And we’ve also noticed that some of you have lost faith in us and you’re wondering if you’ll ever get your set of bracelets.
Because of those reactions, we’ve decided to update you more frequently, so you hopefully feel more positive and confident about your investment in HEY bracelet. This update is the first step on the road of restoring your confidence in us and your enthusiasm for HEY. To show you that we’re really developing a quality product and that we’ve almost reached the final steps of the production process, we’ve made a video of HEY in action.
You can expect the next update in two weeks. In this update, we’ll be sharing new footage that’ll give you some production insights. We’ll also share some highlights of the project timeline with you, so you know where we stand and what the next steps will be.
Stay tuned!
The HEY Team
HEY, where are you?
about 6 years ago
– Mon, Apr 09, 2018 at 05:51:19 PM
Dear backer,
We’ll get straight to the point: partly due to unforeseen circumstances, we’re unable to deliver the HEY bracelets in April. We realize that you do not like to hear this, but you have to keep in mind that the product we’re making has been developed from the ground up. That’s not an easy job, because it’s a long process that takes a lot of steps to complete.
Certification
To be able to export to other countries, electronic devices need certification. This is mandatory by law and the requirements per country vary. As HEY is made partly out of custom-built components, these parts need individual certification too. Unfortunately, one of the parts – the PCB that establishes the Bluetooth connection – didn’t meet the requirements for certification. We had to make adjustments to this component and produce new prototypes. The new versions have just been sent in for certification, but it takes another 4 to 8 weeks for the prototypes to run through the certification process. Certification is done for Europe, The United States and Canada.
After the prototypes have been certified, we have to start up the production of the modified components. This adds even more time to the process. We’re absolutely doing our best to speed up the process wherever possible, but we have to be realistic. Not only to ourselves, but especially to you. It’s hard for us to tell you this, but due to the circumstances explained above, we’re unable to ship the HEY bracelets before July this year.
Availability
We’ve also decided, due to the fact that each country or region has its own requirements for certification, to temporarily stop selling HEY bracelet in regions outside Europe and the United States. Each backer will receive his or her set of bracelets, but it’s no longer possible to order from other countries or regions.
We know this is not the news you’d hoped to hear, but we hope you also understand us. We’re a startup working on something completely new, doing our absolute best to make a product that lives up to our, and more importantly, your expectations. We invest all our time and energy in getting it done. To prove this, we are going to show you a demo video of two fully functioning HEY bracelets, and we’ll share it with you in two weeks. So, stay tuned.
Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the info in this update.
The HEY team.
A new backer update: visit to the HEY factory
about 6 years ago
– Fri, Feb 02, 2018 at 10:38:45 PM
Dear backer,
We’ve just returned from our visit to the factory in China and couldn’t wait to give you this update. So hey, here it is. We went to the land of the dragon with the following intentions:
- To approve the new production prototypes;
- To discuss necessary improvements/adjustments;
- To determine when shipment can start.
Since the factory tour, we now know for sure that we couldn’t have chosen a better place to have the HEY bracelets made. It’s a very modern, clean and well-organized facility, run by professionals. In the factory, we also evaluated the new prototypes of the definitive version of the HEY bracelet. Changes have been made to the USB port, the capacitive sensor, and the strap to make the bracelet production ready. More importantly, the issues with the motor and battery have been solved. The prototype now meets our high-quality standards, so that means the production of HEY bracelet components can start!
In China, we’ve also decided to make some cosmetic enhancements to the bracelet because we want to make sure it looks absolutely great, fits perfectly around your wrist and matches your expectations completely. Those improvements don’t interfere with the production planning and that means we’ll have all components ready by the second half of March. The assembly process can start right after that and with the new timelines that have been agreed upon with the factory, we can start shipping in the first week of April. Backers will receive their set of HEY bracelets first. Thereafter, the pre-order customers will follow.
Last but not least: the HEY app will be available in the App Store and Google Play Store as soon as we start shipping the first batch of HEY bracelets.
We stay in touch!
The HEY team
A new backer update: The HEY App. Part II
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Jan 05, 2018 at 02:39:38 PM
Dear backer,
We’ve got some good news this time! Since we planned on delivering the first batch of HEY bracelets in December, the HEY app is finished. We’re very happy with the result and we expect you’ll be too. To give you a preview, we’ve made a video in which Gijs (creator and founding team member of HEY) and Wes (developer of the HEY app) walk you through the application. After you’ve seen the video, please tell us what you think of the app.
We received some nice app feature suggestions from backers and were able to add one cool feature already which is the option to share your location. However, we take it not everyone is keen on sharing their whereabouts at all time, so this feature can also easily be switched off.
When pairing the devices, make sure they are within a 33ft reach of each other.
The sent and received touches are logged into the HEY app so that you'll always know you received a touch when you were offline.
Do you have questions about the app or want to have a closer look at the features? Send us an email and we'll be happy to be of service.
Production and shipping
Then, concerning the production and shipping of the HEY bracelets: we’re visiting the factory at the end of January to check on the quality and production status of the bracelet with its new components. As soon as we have all the necessary information and we’re happy with the quality, we’ll give you an update. Hopefully with a new date for the shipping of the first batch of HEY bracelets. And remember, from here on things can only get better. So stay tuned ☺.
The HEY team
