It is happening. And as with most crowdfunded projects – indeed most projects in life – we’ve had a few bumps along the way.

Most of our supporters know they are supporting this project to help get it off the ground (and that bringing a product like this to market is a long and arduous process). However, we also appreciate that some would like to be more involved.

Recently, we have been receiving requests for more regular updates on product development, so here is what we will be doing:

First, there will be monthly updates on our Indiegogo campaign page, and additionally, if there are major or important milestones.

Second, this blog will offer regular updates every week or so.

So, in this first blog post, here’s a little bit about what is currently happening in the thingCHARGER world:

1. We have an awesome 3D prototype and will be able to share updated renderings and physical “prototype” shortly. We are really excited to show you these, so stay tuned for our next update.

2: We’ve tweaked the tip design so the tips are long and slim instead of wide. As a result, they will allow charging with your device in almost any case.

3: We originally had a U.S. manufacturer lined up and ready to go with quotes. As the project developed, however, it became increasingly clear that they didn’t ‘have our back’: their entire focus was on getting checks written (to them!) with zero sense that our project mattered to them at all.

To make thingCHARGER amazing, we need a manufacturing partner that is thrilled to work on the product. After talking to some huge names, we are now finalizing a manufacturing-distribution agreement with an amazing team. These discussions always take much longer than expected, but we’re now days away from a signed agreement. There is such confidence and commitment on both sides that while the lawyers do their thing, we are already working together to get things moving as quickly as possible.

4. We’re getting countless inquiries about a delivery date, and trust us, we cannot wait to have one. Ironically, it was one of our key criteria while searching for a new partner - one reason why it took a while to find. Our priority is to deliver you the highest quality product possible, as fast as possible. We’re currently told that, as we previously said, we’ll be shipping later this year, probably early Q4.

5. As for the future of thingCHARGER: this first U.S. version is currently our top priority. However, we have filed both domestic and foreign patents to protect our designs for future versions.

Although we are a little further behind than we initially planned, we are definitely making progress. Even though we say it every time, we cannot thank you enough for your incredible and ongoing support; we really appreciate your patience and understanding as we work on bringing this invention to life.

Amy, Seymour and the thingCHARGER team.

Hello again!

Yes, the campaign is over, and we have had a short rest… but we are back in the thick of it as the real work to produce thingCHARGER begins.

We are busy with so many things, most importantly implementing the structure needed to put all the parts together to have thingCHARGER produced and in your hands. We’ll keep you updated on all facets of development as so many of you have been asking. It’s all very exciting!

As we move forward here’s the most important thing to understand:

You placed your trust in us to get thingCHARGER off the ground…and we thank you! Producing any product is very complicated which countless actions and hundreds of decisions.

As we make those decisions we will always prioritize:

1. Product Quality: We want the product in your hands to be absolutely delightful;

2. Safety: (you’re going to plug your thingCHARGERs into high voltage electricity after all!)

3: Success over speed, every time.

That third point is really important.

We get emails from contributors all the time, very often asking about speed “When will I get my…”— which is totally understandable.

The thing is, to honor the commitment we’ve made we have to balance many things alongside speed. Here’s a simple example of why:

If we rush critical steps like prototyping, product design, electrical design and certification we could literally jeopardize the whole project. To fulfill all the perks in the campaign we have to have over 30,000 thingCHARGERs made.

One design mistake, and we could wind up with 30,000 unshippable units destined for landfill and no money to start over. (Yikes!)

So we’re working as quickly as we can… but taking all the time we need to get this right for you—and we’re really grateful for your understanding and support as we do that.

Here is where we are now…

Looking After You — Contributor Care:

We have received literally hundreds of emails in the past several months that hadn’t yet been answered—largely because we hadn’t anticipated this amount of volume.

We didn’t have a system in place to handle the vast amount of inquiries received, but we’ve got something in place now and are working to make it run smoothly. Thanks for being so patient with us as we work our way through this growth spurt. If you haven’t already received a reply, check your inbox for a message from our daughter Nina, who is in the process of answering all your questions.

CES & Recent Developments:

The annual International Consumer Electronics Show took place in Las Vegas a couple of  weeks ago, and we were there! Needless to say, we had a very productive week, meeting with many companies and individuals interested in helping move thingCHARGER along. These included various developers, manufacturers, distributors, and media contacts. We now have several irons in the fire, so to speak, but most importantly it gave us the opportunity to explore different proposed improvements to the existing product, as well as optional features.

These include:

    • Improving the internal mechanism to adjust for devices utilizing deeper cases/covers;

    • Some ideas about tips…some being tweaked or phased out as technology in the market evolves;

    • International models;

    • An additional domestic version offering surge protection (by popular demand)

Electronics products can be quite tricky to engineer given their many components, and safety certifications. So the extra time spent on fine-tuning now makes for a better, stronger product later. We want to really get this right!

Manufacturing:

Prototype(s) are in development now. We’ll probably need to run through 3-4 revs to get it perfect but we’re excited things are underway.

Distribution:

Wow, this part really blew us away! There were several individuals who sought us out during the show who are EXTREMELY ENTHUSIASTIC about thingCHARGER and very eager to help with distribution. We don’t want to let on who they are quite yet, but suffice it to say that we have several fabulous opportunities waiting in the wings, including online retailers, big box stores, on-tv sales, and specialty retailers. We will be in discussions over the next several weeks and we’ll certainly report back with any big news as soon as we get it.

That’s all for now. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts…and stay tuned for more updates.

Seymour, Amy and all of the thingCHARGER team.

LIVE from the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas!

We are proud to announce a stunning upgrade for thingCHARGER!

TIME SENSITIVE: Watch this video for a critical last minute announcement:

Yup. By huge popular demand we are adding thingCHARGER+ with Surge Protection.

You know you should protect your stuff from power spikes - now we’re building it right into the new thingCHARGER+ with Surge Protection.

Seymour, Amy and all of the thingCHARGER team.