KS Update – Blog. by Next Thing https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com News & Notes. Process & Projects. No BS. Srsly. Thu, 09 Nov 2017 03:16:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.5 March C.H.I.P.s, C.H.I.P. Boot Repair Tool for Mac, and a Note About Kickstarter Messages https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/march-c-h-i-p-s-c-h-i-p-boot-repair-tool-for-mac-and-a-note-about-kickstarter-messages/ Wed, 17 Feb 2016 18:33:02 +0000 http://blog.nextthing.co/?p=97  

C.H.I.P.sters!

First point of order…March C.H.I.P.sters have until Thursday evening to finalize their addresses. Get them in at chip.backerkit.com now! Don’t delay!

repair tool works

The C.H.I.P. Boot Repair Tool for Mac is here!

C.H.I.P. BOOT REPAIR TOOL FOR MAC!!!

Our suite of cross-platform repair tools is now complete!  Working off the framework Howie and Tina developed for the Windows version, Wynter and Crunch have popped our repair tool code into Mac OS!   This version has been tested on Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) and 10.11 (El Capitan).

DOWNLOAD C.H.I.P BOOT REPAIR TOOL FOR MAC!

Check out the instructions here and Alex’s forum post here.

For those of you looking for the Ubuntu and Windows versions…

DOWNLOAD C.H.I.P. BOOT REPAIR TOOL FOR WINDOWS!

DOWNLOAD C.H.I.P. BOOT REPAIR TOOL FOR UBUNTU!

While these tools are only necessary for C.H.I.P.s shipped from our first production batch in late December, they lay a lot of important groundwork for a user-friendly C.H.I.P. flashing tool in the future.   

DIRECT EMAIL > KICKSTARTER MESSAGES

We’ve identified an issue with the integration between ZenDesk, our customer service platform, and Kickstarter messages.  We read and respond to every Kickstarter message, but have found that our responses through ZenDesk get lost in the ether instead of getting back to you.

We are working to resolve the issue moving forward.  The best solution both long and short term is to contact us directly at ahoyahoy@nextthing.co, rather than using Kickstarter as a third party.

Again, for questions and support, email ahoyahoy@nextthing.co.

March C.H.I.P.s, ready to ship!

March C.H.I.P.s, ready to ship!

SHIPPING UPDATES

March C.H.I.P.s will be leaving our warehouse soon. We need final addresses for March C.H.I.P.sters by EOD Thursday.

December, January, February and Kernel Hacker C.H.I.P.sters should have either received their shipping notification or their C.H.I.P.s. If you have not, check your spam folder, and email us ahoyahoy@nextthing.co so we can sort it out.

PocketC.H.I.P.s and adapter boards are still on schedule to ship by May.

mmmtc (much much more to come)

hearts – everyone at Next Thing Co. (especially Wynter and Crunch)

 

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Merry C.H.I.P.mas!!! https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/merry-c-h-i-p-mas/ Wed, 23 Dec 2015 18:00:54 +0000 http://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/?p=42

Happy holidays from Gus and the Copyright Free Snow Beast! (C.H.I.Pmas GIF by Michael!)

DECEMBER C.H.I.P.s ARE SHIPPING!

Twas the days before Christmas, in Oakland, C.A.
Ari burst in the office, “Hey C.H.I.P. ships today!
C.H.I.P.s for December had left Hong Kong on a flight.
With January C.H.I.P.s’ journeys nearly in sight.
Done it, she had! The C.H.I.P.s shipped on time.
NTC crew rejoices with holiday rhyme.

December C.H.I.P.s have shipped! (graphic by Tina!)

C.H.I.P.mas GIFTS (in the form of PROJECTS)!!!

For all of you C.H.I.P.sters wanting projects for C.H.I.P. We’ve launched some on hackster.io for your fix!

A C.H.I.P Synth, See ‘n Say, and Airplay to start. Also how to take Teddy Ruxpin apart. ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Follow along to see what C.H.I.P.sters will build.

Submit your own project, we can’t wait, we’re thrilled!

C.H.I.P. is on hackster.io! Find a project or Submit a project!

SHIPPING UPDATES!!!

December C.H.I.P. backers, get your addresses in now!
January C.H.I.P.s too,, through BackerKit that’s how!
February C.H.I.P.s in FEB, with March C.H.I.P.s by then.
PocketC.H.I.P and adapters, May ‘16, ya ken.

We wouldn’t be here without you dear C.H.I.P.sters. Thanks for backing a computer built by hipsters. What you make with C.H.I.P. we can’t wait to peak.

Merry C.H.I.P.mas to all, and to all a great week!

(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭Everyone at @NextThingCo (especially Ari)

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C.H.I.P. Happens! aka Mass Production Has Begun! \(•◡•)/ https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/c-h-i-p-happens-aka-mass-production-has-begun-%e2%80%a2%e2%97%a1%e2%80%a2/ Tue, 15 Dec 2015 18:00:10 +0000 http://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/?p=41 C.H.I.P.s are flying off the line in Shenzhen!  Tested. Approved.  Ready to ship!

Last month, with our deadline on the line, Wynter and Gus hitched a ride to join Vanessa in Shenzhen to make C.H.I.P. happen.  (Wynter’s first time outside stateside) Wonder what life’s like making C.H.I.P.s in China? View the video!


C.H.I.P. visits the Computer History Museum!

Want to see C.H.I.P. in action?!  Head over to the Tech & Tinsel Holiday Product Demo Night at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View! C.H.I.P. will be doing computer things and maybe running a few projects as well! (ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ).

Join team NTC from 6-9 PST!

C.H.I.P. will be there. So will bananas. Will you?

SHIPPING UPDATES!!!

We’ve made a list and we’ve checked it twice.  Naughty or nice, December C.H.I.P.s are coming to town (imminently)!  December C.H.I.P.sters should visit chip.backerkit.com to submit, update, or verify their addresses.  The sooner you are in the system, the sooner we can ship you your C.H.I.P.

January C.H.I.P.sters! Great news! We made too many C.H.I.P.s and we want you in queue!  Keep your eyes peeled for an address confirmation email fromBackerKit today! ╭( ・ㅂ・)و 

February C.H.I.P.s still on target for February. March C.H.I.P.s for March. HDMI & VGA adapters and PocketC.H.I.P.s for May.  Stay Tuned! Your time will come soon!

mmmtc (much much more to come)

\(•◡•)/ – Everyone @nextthingco (especially Wynter, Gus, and Vanessa)

That is one big pile of C.H.I.P.s – Alex

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The Clear Case for C.H.I.P. (also pre-orders are open) https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/the-clear-case-for-c-h-i-p-also-pre-orders-are-open/ Mon, 30 Nov 2015 18:00:26 +0000 http://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/?p=40 C.H.I.P.sters!

Hope those of you who celebrate it had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We here at NTC certainly enjoyed the time and turkey with our friends and families.  Thanksgiving in the rearview means today is Cyber Monday! Cyber Monday means C.H.I.P. pre-orders are open! Until 12 am PST, you can #GetCHIP for $8 at getchip.comusing the promo code GETCHIP!

Want more C.H.I.P.s?! Go for it! You can now pre-order up to 5 C.H.I.P.s at once!

A Fistful of C.H.I.P.s

C.H.I.P. 1.0 Design + C.H.I.P. Case!

With PVT (Production Verification Testing) done, we are almost ready to kick off production batch 1 of C.H.I.P. 1.0!  Extra thanks to backers like @rickyroberson and  who made some excellent design critiques which helped improve the C.H.I.P.’s final design. ¡Viva Open Hardware! Check out the (very, very close to) final design!

C.H.I.P. 0.91. Very close to mass production.

Same size. Same components. Same functionality.  We’ve made a change from the smaller R8m (our Alpha C.H.I.P. processor) to the larger R8, which are functionally identical. Because of sourcing complications and repackaging costs for the R8m, we’ve chosen to move forward with the R8 to remain on time and on budget.

So the processor is now on the back of the C.H.I.P.?

Sure is. Doing this allowed us to keep both our functionality and our form factor, the latter of which is especially important for PocketC.H.I.P. To protect the processor, every Kickstarter C.H.I.P. will come with a case, absolutely free!

As you can clearly see, the case for C.H.I.P. is clear.

SHIPPING UPDATE! (now with dates!!!)

December C.H.I.P.s are currently scheduled to ship from Shenzhen, China the week of December 21st! Shipping times are estimated to be 7-9 days.

As such, December C.H.I.P. backers should receive an address confirmation email today from BackerKit.

January C.H.I.P.s are still on schedule for January. February C.H.I.P.s in February. March C.H.I.P.s in March. PocketC.H.I.P.s and the HDMI & VGA adapters are still on schedule for May. If you are curious when your Kickstarter reward is scheduled to ship, please check your pledge.

Any additional C.H.I.P. added in BackerKit will ship with your earliest C.H.I.P. Any accessory added in BackerKit will ship in May (with your existing shipment if that applies to you).

Want your C.H.I.P. shipped to you instead of someone who is not you?Submit, update, or verify your shipping address through BackerKit atchip.backerkit.com.

Pre-orders are estimated to ship by June of 2016, beginning after Kickstarter rewards are fulfilled. 

You may notice the shipping prices on pre-order C.H.I.P.s vary slightly from where they were during the campaign. While some have adjusted up, the vast majority have adjusted down. This is the result of the tireless effort by Ari, our maven of international shipping logistics. We understand this was a cause for concern for many during the campaign, and we’ve spent the months since endeavoring to become the world’s most affordable computer to your doorstep. Ari (and the rest of the team of course) has found a solution we believe will work, thanks in no small part to your support as an early adopter.

Ari, en vogue.

We cannot wait to get you your C.H.I.P.s!  Stay tuned!

mmmtc (much, much more to come)

╭( ・ㅂ・)و – Everyone @nextthingco

Gus, Wynter, and Ben stopped by Allwinner to say hello before C.H.I.P. mass production batch 1!

 

 

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Give Thanks. #GetCHIP on Cyber Monday. https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/give-thanks-getchip-on-cyber-monday/ Wed, 25 Nov 2015 18:00:34 +0000 http://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/?p=39 C.H.I.P.sters!

You should be the very first to hear some very exciting new news…

C.H.I.P. Pre-Orders Open at getchip.com at 7 am EST on November 30th, otherwise known as Cyber Monday, marking the first time since our Kickstarter campaign to #GetCHIP (and/or PocketC.H.I.P.)!

Rest assured, pre-orders will ship after Kickstarter rewards are fulfilled.  We want our early C.H.I.P.sters to get their C.H.I.P.s first.

But wait, there’s more!

Cyber Monday only, C.H.I.P., the world’s first 9 dollar computer, will be C.H.I.P., the world’s first 8 dollar computer.  Just use promo code GETCHIP at getchip.com! (BTW, if you check out getchip.com before the sale you can sign up for the pre-order announcement. If you’ve already signed up for the pre-order announcement, you’re good!  No need to sign up again!)

We’ve issued a statement to the press, but we decided to have a little bit of fun with it.  See below.

This, apparently, is what a press release looks like.

We’re so thankful you’re on this fun little adventure with us.  Stay tuned!

mmmtc

\(•◡•)/ – Everyone @nextthingco (especially PocketC.H.I.P.)

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A C.H.I.P.’s Best Friend is it’s Software https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/a-c-h-i-p-s-best-friend-is-its-software/ Tue, 24 Nov 2015 18:00:27 +0000 http://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/?p=38 C.H.I.P.sters!

The air is getting colder. December is nigh.  C.H.I.P.’s software is due!

Alexeveryone’s favorite German particle physicist turned software lead, and Ben,PocketC.H.I.P. backer and newest member of team NTC, have been hard at work architecting the official C.H.I.P. operating system. Take a look!

Building an operating system for C.H.I.P. requires some heavy duty driver work.  Maxime from Free Electrons abandoned the French countryside and joined us in sunny Oakland, CA to make sure we’re on-time and feature rich.

Maxime aime C.H.I.P. Alex aime les Free Electrons.

Want the C.H.I.P. OS background? Git it!

 

SHIPPING UPDATES

Meanwhile in China, Gus, Wynter, and Vanessa have spent much time setting up our first C.H.I.P. v1 mass production run (much more later). December C.H.I.P.s are on schedule to be shipped in December.

Want your C.H.I.P. shipped to you instead of someone who is not you?Submit, update, or verify your shipping address through BackerKit at chip.backerkit.com.

January C.H.I.P.s are still on schedule for January. February C.H.I.P.s in February. March C.H.I.P.s in March. PocketC.H.I.P.s and the HDMI & VGA adapters are still on schedule for May. If you are curious when your Kickstarter reward is scheduled to ship, please check your pledge.

Pre-order announcement comming very, very soon!

mmmtc (much much more to come)

\(•◡•)/ – everyone at NTC (especially Alex & Ben) and also Maxime

 

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C.H.I.P. or Treat? https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/c-h-i-p-or-treat/ Thu, 29 Oct 2015 17:00:41 +0000 http://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/?p=37 DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES? 

What horror boots within the ancient zip disk labeled ‘Occult Archives’?  That question burns inside the mind of Mr. Sharps, and when the NTC crew leaves the office early, he is no longer able to resist its call.  (special thanks toPro8mm)

WARNING: Contents may blow your mind.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

ヽ ( ⁰д⁰)ノ all the zombies at NTC (especially Richard, Michael, and Mr. Sharps)

spooky links:      TWITTER       FORUM      DOCS      PRE-ORDER        ADDRESS CHANGE 

Ari wastes the last of the super 8 film.

All work and no play make C.H.I.P. a dull toy.

 

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C.H.I.P. Does Computer Things!!! (aka Debian on C.H.I.P.) https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/c-h-i-p-does-computer-things-aka-debian-on-c-h-i-p/ Thu, 22 Oct 2015 17:00:27 +0000 http://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/?p=36

With December deadlines in sight, it’s about time C.H.I.P. does computer things!

Debian means we are go for GUI (graphical user interface).  GUI means we are go for computer things!  (and super slick projects like C.H.I.P.py Ruxpin too)

Wynter shows off C.H.I.P. GUI which is an excess of acronyms.

Our Software Doges, Alex, Wynter and Andrew, have been hacking away to flash Debian to our tiny little 9 dollar computers. And now it’s here, in all its flashable glory!

Calling all Kernel Hackers and CHIP-SDKers! Start your adventures with Debian on C.H.I.P. at 42.nextthing.co or GitHub.

Love release notes? Check out the Debian release notes here!

Alex and Wynter both love flashing and talking about flashing

NAME YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM!!!

What’s in a name? A C.H.I.P. OS by any other name would boot just as sweet…right?  We say why the heck shouldn’t we give it a sweet name?!

We’re calling on you C.H.I.P.sters!  What should we call your Debian on C.H.I.P.?  Tweet us your suggestions at @nextthingco using #CHIPDebian! (there may be a super secret prize for the winner…)

The software team, an important part of the jury, waiting to be impressed.

THE C.H.I.P. COMMUNITY

They Live!  The forums are frothing with knowledge, know-how and nonsense (of the kind most fun!).  Shout out to our SuperHackers renzo, mrIowaIowa,soderstrom & nbastin, who collectively and successfully hacked Debian onto C.H.I.P. before our flashing tools were available!  Join them and the growing conversation at bbs.nextthing.co!

For documentation, including new Debian tutorials, visit 42.nextthing.co.

Stalk us on Twitter!  We love sharing C.H.I.P. progress and showering tweeters with GIFs.  We’re @nextthingco and we love hearing about your C.H.I.P. plans(and your suggested C.H.I.P. OS names!)

A sample NTC tweet, full of encouragement.

SHIPPING UPDATES 

Currently, we’ve only shipped Alpha C.H.I.P.s to those who backed at the kernel hacker reward level (we call them KHBs – Kernel Hacker Backers). Stand alone C.H.I.P. pledges begin shipping in December (soon. very soon) and continue through March with PocketC.H.I.P.s and display adapters shipping by May of 2016.  We are still on track to meet our estimated shipping timelines!

If you’re curious when your reward is estimated to ship, check your pledge on Kickstarter. 

Moved recently? Moving soon? Update your address anytime atchip.backerkit.com. Forgetful? No worries! We’ll send an address confirmation email 2-3 days before we ship your C.H.I.P.(s).

Jonesing for another C.H.I.P.? Sign up for the preorder announcement atnextthing.co!

mmmtc (much much more to come)

(⌐■_■) – everyone at NTC (especially Alex)

Alex flashing C.H.I.P.s, as he is all out of bubblegum.

 

 

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Alpha C.H.I.P.s 2: The New Batch! https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/alpha-c-h-i-p-s-2-the-new-batch/ Thu, 15 Oct 2015 17:00:30 +0000 http://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/?p=35 Alpha C.H.I.P. Batch 2 is flashed and en route to our Kernel Hacker Backers! What adventures would befall Gus in China this time?  Find out below!

THE C.H.I.P. COMMUNITY

It’s Alive!!!  Alpha C.H.I.P.s in the wild has been a lightning strike on the NTC forum. Join the growing conversation at bbs.nextthing.co!

For documentation and answers to all things NTC, head to 42.nextthing.co.

Follow along on the twitter! We’re @nextthingco. What are your C.H.I.P. plans? Let us know!

A sample NTC tweet. Vault Boy tested, Vader approved.

SHIPPING UPDATES

Currently, we’re only shipping Alpha C.H.I.P.s to those who backed at the kernel hacker reward level (we call them KHBs – Kernel Hacker Backers). Stand alone C.H.I.P. pledges begin shipping in December and continue through March with PocketC.H.I.P.s and display adapters shipping by May of 2016.  We’re on track to meet our estimated shipping timelines!

If you’re curious when your reward is estimated to ship, check your pledge on Kickstarter.

Moved recently? Moving soon? Update your address anytime atchip.backerkit.com. Forgetful? No worries! We’ll send an address confirmation email 2-3 before we ship your C.H.I.P.(s).

Alpha Packaging for Alpha C.H.I.P.s

Jonesing for another C.H.I.P.? Sign up for the preorder announcement at nextthing.co!

mmmtc (much much more to come)

\(•◡•)/Everyone at NTC (especially Gus)

Alpha C.H.I.P. 2: The New Batch. No bright light. Do not get it wet. Do not feed after midnight.

 

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International C.H.I.P.ping: Much Fun Wow! https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/international-c-h-i-p-ping-much-fun-wow/ Fri, 09 Oct 2015 17:00:30 +0000 http://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/?p=34 Dearest Kernel Hackers (and others interested in international shipping logistics),

Two weeks ago, we proudly announced that we shipped our first batch of Alpha C.H.I.P.s. Over 900 units to 57 countries in one fell swoop. C.H.I.P.s are in kernel hacker’s hands. Our forums are filling with tons of feedback and ideas.  But the fact remains…

We still have over 100,000 discrete units to deliver to almost 40,000 people in 97 countries over the next seven months. A dress rehearsal was essential.  

HOW C.H.I.P. SHIPS

C.H.I.P. will touch many hands before it gets to yours.  Our factory in Shenzhen to our shipper in Hong Kong through customs in your country to your national mail carrier to regional shipping centers to final last mile delivery. Let’s take a breath and take a look at some early results.

HOW WE DID…

C.H.I.P.s arrived.

C.H.I.P.s were flashed. 

But we were not without hiccups. 

Our logistics partner promised an average of 7-9 days transit time for delivery. Some Alpha C.H.I.P.s arrived before that. Some arrived within that estimate. Some arrived later. A handful have yet to arrive.

1) Our shipper prioritized batches with shorter journeys, which resulted in a much wider range of delivery dates.

2) Shipping integration tests resulted in tracking data becoming available later than promised.  This meant no individual shipping notifications were sent to backers and tracking data was sent to NTC instead.

WHAT WE’RE DOING

We’ve been working closely with our shipping partner to get rid of these hiccups. Tracking issues have been sorted and every KHB has been sent a tracking number, regardless of whether or not you have received your Alpha C.H.I.P.

For most of KHBs, it will confirm the obvious: you have your C.H.I.P. For others, it will estimate the arrival of your C.H.I.P. If there is still confusion, shoot us an email at ahoyahoy@nextthing.co.

GETTING BETTER!

We can get better. We need to get better. Fortunately, we are getting better. Lucky us, we have a chance to prove it. Alpha C.H.I.P., batch 2 is heading your way early next week. What’s changing? Check out this list…

  • Better communication between NTC and our shipping partner.  We’ll be receiving updates at each step of the way. Like GI Joe used to say, “Knowing is half the battle.”
  • Better communication between NTC and you!  Now that we’ve been through this once, we’ll be able to update with accurate shipping estimates.
  • Improved communication between NTC and you!  Now that we’re better linked to our shipper, we can send tracking numbers much sooner, eventually automatically, upon shipment.
  • Even better improved communication between NTC and you! We’re here for you across our support channels: bbs.nextthing.co, ahoyahoy@nextthing.co, @nextthingco. (we also still have a close eye on the kickstarter comments and messages)  We’re always trying to break our response time records.

So that’s our shipping situation, in a bit more than a nutshell.  This first shipment was meant for feedback between NTC and our shipping partnersAND our backers and NTC.  Feedback is crucial to us getting this right by December. Don’t hesitate to give us your two cents at ahoyahoy@nextthing.co.

SO MUCH BUSINESS TALK…LET’S GET EXCITED!

The 9 dollar computer is a thing that is happening!

Tweet us your C.H.I.P. progress @nextthingco!. Watching you flash, hack and experiment is legitimately awesome.  Your excitement is why we’re pushing this giant rock up this giant mountain. So keep it up!

Thanks for your patience. You are, in fact, the best.

M.M.M.T.C. (much much more to come)

hearts – Everyone at NTC (especially Ari)

Ari. Maven of International Logistics.

 

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