30,000 backers!! 40,000 C.H.I.P.s!! \(•◡•)/

30,000 backers!! 40,000 chips!! 

Chipsters, you are amazing! Thank each and every one of you so much for making this campaign what it is. We’ve been really excited about the $9 computer for some time and it feels great to see that it means as much to all of you as it does to us!

We know lots of you still have questions about C.H.I.P., so we’ve added a lot of answers to our FAQ page (the FAQ is at the very bottom of the “Campaign” page). We’re posting a few of the most frequently-asked FAQs in this update as well, just so there’s no missing them. 🙂

Why pledge now? 

We are working very hard to make C.H.I.P. possible, and every pledge on Kickstarter helps us prove that the world wants access to lower cost computing. By backing C.H.I.P.’s Kickstarter campaign, you add your voice to the conversation, and help show that the world wants a $9 computer for everything from education to home automation. Back C.H.I.P. today, and be a part of the early adopters that made it possible!

Will C.H.I.P. be available after the campaign?

Right now, we are entirely focused on the Kickstarter campaign. The only way to be an early adopter of C.H.I.P. is through Kickstarter. We plan to make C.H.I.P. available at a later date, but are committed to fulfilling our Kickstarter backers’ pledges first.

International shipping is (still) too expensive! 

Yes. And we are still very actively looking into it. We’ve been in contact with dozens of specialists: distribution centers, freight forwarders, fulfillment companies and customs brokers. We’re doing our best to find more competitive international rates and are trying to get our shipping costs down. Even though C.H.I.P. is small, there are handling, distribution and shipping costs that can’t be skimped on if we want your package to arrive safely.

Can I buy multiple C.H.I.P.s right now? 

We’ve held off on allowing multiple C.H.I.P. orders from our early production batches in order to make sure that everyone who wants to be an early adopter via Kickstarter is able. Offering Multiple-C.H.I.P. packs would mean that a single manufacturing run reaches fewer people. Don’t worry, we plan to make C.H.I.P. available in larger quantities later.

Can I add extra to my pledge to get more items? 

Unfortunately, no. Kickstarter does not allow us to offer add-ons to rewards, or allow multiple rewards, and with the amazing number of backers C.H.I.P. has, we simply can’t track each pledge + reward individually! Please take a minute to make sure your pledge and reward tier match.

Why composite video? 

Several reasons: Televisions are the most commonly available screen in the world and the vast majority of them have a composite input. Composite video can also be integrated without having to work in licensing fees to the cost of C.H.I.P. Composite is also a very low profile connector, allowing us to keep the footprint of the board small for people wanting to build C.H.I.P. into projects.

Does C.H.I.P have an SD Card slot? 

No. By integrating reliable storage onto the device, we’re able to both save you a “getting started” cost and allow Linux to come preinstalled on C.H.I.P. meaning it’s ready to go when it arrives at your door. One of the big goals of this project is making C.H.I.P. easy to use, and this goes a long way towards that end. If you need additional storage, it’s easy to add an SD card reader over the USB ports on C.H.I.P.

What was that “Chipsters” song in the MakerFaire Video?

It was called Chipsters! By Ultrasyd.  You can find it here!

http://bleepstreet.bandcamp.com/album/chipsters-ep

\(•◡•)/ – Dave, Gus, Thomas, Wynter, Sharps, Vanessa, Alex, George, and Richard (AKA everyone at @nextthingco)

Alex taking calls from regional banana wholesalers who saw our Maker Faire cart.

Gus and his Biltwell helmet, with C.H.I.P. “attachment”

MakerFaire Recap!

Howdy C.H.I.P.sters!

We hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! We had a great time at Maker Faire!!! Thanks to all of you who stopped by our tuk-tuk banana-stand. It was a pleasure meeting you in person and we appreciate all the lovely feedback. Watching you play with PocketC.H.I.P. and seeing your excitement in person was an absolute delight.

We snapped a few photos of our backers and cut a quick video together.  Enjoy!

\(•◡•)/ – Dave, Gus, Thomas, Wynter, Sharps, Vanessa, Alex, George, Richard, and Shelly (AKA everyone at @nextthingco)

MakerFaire!!!

Howdy Chipsters!

Will you be at MakerFaire Bay Area this weekend? We will! See what the maker community is making!

Speaking of making, we loved your ideas on how you’d use C.H.I.P. It’s the start of a great exploration on how versatile C.H.I.P. can be. Here are a few of our favorites!

  • @george mylonas wants to make midi instruments
  • @andthelion wants to release the band’s next album on C.H.I.P.
  • @Allen Puy and @mark Pavia want to teach their children to code
  • @muso2005 wants make a funky speak and spell
  • @patrick Liddell wants to make “video graffiti”
  • @chris reid wants make a wifi enabled old jukebox
  • @alex limonov wants to send C.H.I.P. to space!
  • @adrian levi wants to build a weather station module
  • @alistair blake wants to integrate CHIP into cosplay (which characters?!)
  • @quangDX wants to make video games
  • @Kenway Ng wants C.H.I.P. to be his 1 and 3 year olds as their first computer

Keep the ideas coming! Tweet us at @nextthingco

Hope to see you this weekend! Come find us and get your hands on a PocketC.H.I.P.! Look for the Tuk Tuk!

\(•◡•)/ – Dave, Gus, Thomas, Wynter, Sharps, Vanessa, Alex, George, and Richard (AKA everyone at @nextthingco)

20,000 Backers \(•◡•)/

Howdy Chipsters! Thank you so much for supporting C.H.I.P.! Ya’ll are the best and we couldn’t be happier to have you with us on this amazing journey.

How will you use C.H.I.P.? What things will you make? Hit us up! Let us know!

– Dave, Gus, Thomas, Wynter, Sharps, Vanessa, Alex, George, and Richard (AKA everyone at @nextthingco)

NEW REWARD: ALL of the Things – SPLIT SHIPMENT

Backers!

This past 60 hours has been incredible. We’ve received a ton of messages/comments/tweets about a great many things and are working diligently to get everyone the answers they want. Huge thanks to those of you who have been helping to answer people’s questions (looking at you @Steph “The best Call” Lovik \(•◡•)/) Keep up the good work!

Many of you have asked about packaging the CHIP shipping in December with the other rewards shipping in May. We’ve added a new reward to make this happen.

We want to make sure our early backers are taken care of before our first batch is sold out. This package will be limited to 3000 units and the shipping will reflect the fact that we have to send out two shipments.

Backers. We hear you. We’re still working on ways to decrease international shipping, but we don’t want to promise anything we cannot deliver.

Thanks for backing. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for your continued support.

Everyone @nextthingco