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Who's Developing for "Square" MagStripe CreditCard Reader & Touchscreen Payment Systm

Who's Developing for "Square" MagStripe CreditCard Reader & Touchscreen Payment Systm
When I first saw a display ad here on XDA for this gizmo around beginning of April, I thought it was an Fool's joke because the gadget was so small, and it seemed "too smart" to be true.
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... but many of you know it's been out for quite a while. Threads here go back to I think September 2010, (though there was zero traction then)...
Website: https://squareup.com/media
FAQ: https://help.squareup.com/customer/portal/topics/4139-frequently-asked-questions/articles
It works on Android phones and iphones...
Then, by the end of April, having poked around a bit, following links, asking questions on their twitter feed and at facebook, I come to find out that SQUARE, the name of this device, new company and payment system, is the brainchild of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, a real visionary, who's been ahead of the curve before, regarding the ways people, and groups of people, interact, and where technology can play a role there.
With this new knowledge -- which is significant -- it completely reframes the way I looked at this device: from a QUESTION MARK about
"who's using it and what do you think of its viability?"
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to
"who's using it and WHAT KINDS OF APPS do you see developing around this system for use by small businesses -- delivering them customized apps with physical credit card transaction systems?
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Very different perception about the entire product and viability as you see in the 3 short posts I made in this thread, how it quickly progresses
So, has anyone here....
• used one? If so, how did the transaction go? Is it smooth sailing, does the card reader work the first time? (if so, it's better than most checkout stands at grocery or drug store)
• bought one? if so, have you used it for a business, or just to try out, or to write an app for?
• developed custom software for it?
From the looks of it, if this works half as well as it appears, it seems pretty darn revolutionary.
Curious to see if there is any feedback.

To be honest it's not something that i would trust.

matt.blackwood said:
To be honest it's not something that i would trust.
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Explain more please. Do you mean as a card holder making a transaction? You mean you would not trust ...
(a) the security of the system to properly authenticate with the credit card company and approve the transaction
(b) the card reader's and software's inherent reliability to firewall your credit card data and isolate just that single transaction, without grabbing your credit card info?
(c) the vendor using the credit card reader and who knows what software has been tied to the reader to grab and suck down all your credit card data, nicely stored for vendor to use another time, another place -- or sell off to some third party?
(d) or the vendor is acting in good faith but someone makes an app for his particular business and sells to him and he is legit, but unbeknownst to him the app is "phoning home" to app maker or some third party with credit card data?
-------- Please explain , don't just pick a, b, c, d .... I'd really like to understand. And these just sprang off the top of my head once you said that.

I've been eyeing them as a company and as a mobile PoS system solution for a while... I signed up today, guess we'll see in a month how it goes.

RADRaze2KX said:
I've been eyeing them as a company and as a mobile PoS system solution for a while... I signed up today, guess we'll see in a month how it goes.
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Great! I hope you'll give us some feedback.
My first impression, as mentioned, upon seeing just the top image, was "what a clever joke" -- because I hadn't really thought something so small was realistic.
Then when I'd clicked through and saw it was tied together thru the headphone jack, I thought: wow, this is clever: Immediately flipped my thinking from joke -- to -- very clever engineering -- with a very smart snap/snug, stable external device mounting method, plus the critical input/output connection.
Then, seeing nothing more my mind wondered but what's the quality of the mag-stripe reader? ---- that's impossible to know... But upon seeing the device was actually in use and had history, I knew it had to work-- and -- my mind instantly flipped again to: How many times had I been to a major chain grocery store or "big-box" store, or ATM machine or parking lot checkout reader, and have my credit card rejected because "not readable" -- only to then have the same card work perfectly fine 10-feet away at another ATM machine? ... Answer: Very often.... And the cashier ends up taking the card and either swiping it in another device, or manually entering the numbers, so, my thought was: hey if it works 75% of the time, it's as good as most industrial strength systems i encounter in every day life... SERIOUSLY.
My mind tumbled out all of these reactive thoughts all in a split second -- like, what about signatures -- and of course, touchscreens, just like in stores. I didn't check to see if they provide a capactive stylus, but i have used about 3 brands of capactive stylusus on my various devices, and they are not bad ---- Put it this way, They are EASILY as good as controlling my signature as the crappy pens provided with almost every touchscreen signature system I have used at grocery stores, drug stores, etc, where my signatures is wildly uncontrolled and yet the system accepts it.
(NOSTALGIA NOTE: The argument has long been had about resistive vs capacitive screens -- I've been in on those for several years. The feature I miss the most on my post-windows-mobile phones is stylus-based drawing and handwriting and character recognition and "handwriting to text"... The entire industry took a giant 10-year step backwards with capacitive screens when that incredible advancement -- poof - just went away, got buried -- and most post-iphone-world consumers today don;'t even know that it was ever possible... oh.well. .... )
So, when I posted this thread, I was pretty psyched.
THEN came the first reply -- and his was the only reply before yours -- saying
To be honest it's not something that i would trust.
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And that lead me to immediately examine everything I'd ignored while I marveled at the technology. I never got a reply back from matt.blackwood
which is a real drag
because he raised the issue, and at the very least I wanted to know if the factors I then took apart were the factors bothering him -- or if it was just an overall intuition he hadn't really examined in the detail I did.
In the end, there is NO WAY THIS CONCEPT CAN FAIL ultimately... whether this particular company solves all the problems of security or someone else does... whether they get bought out by paypal, or whatever may happen. It's TOO SMART TO FAIL and I would consider investing money in the company.
Let's face it, the Apple Store uses clunky mobile credit card transaction devices, and they swipe the cards -- and the whole thing is very smart... But I recall asking a guy at Apple store in San Francisco a year ago
"Hey, how come you guys haven't hooked up an external card reader device to an iphone to do this same function? It seems kind of foolish to be touting the iphone's "there's an app for that" only to then have this dedicated terminal that seems way bigger than it needs to be to perform its function"
And the guy looks at me... You know that semi smug look you get with their cool blue t-shirts and tags around neck with the general attitude of "I know all" and "there's nothing you can possibly know that apple hasn't altready thought of" ...
And he starts to speak about "well I am sure they are working on..."
And I pull out my HTC Desire and say "But I'm just saying.. it's a pretty simple concept, anyone could do it, it's not that hard, they could do it to THIS phone, right?...So I'm just kind of surprised it's not even in prototype stage"
And the smug look has evaporated with no place to go... I wasn't being smug at all. I was just being correct. And he says "You're right. We should have that by now" ....
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So, *I* had envisioned an add on that was, of course, credit card sized, and was flat, and would butt-up flat to the bottom of a touchscreen device. That seemed so obvious.
Which is why I was initially baffled by this gizmo and thought it was a joke, because it seemed so unrealistic .... Until I clicked through and saw --- wow, *I* was wrong. Very very smart product design. They should change the external design to look less plastic and cheap, so as to convey a more durable and serious, secure product.
Please let us know what you think.

I think the main issues are definitely B, C and D on your previous post. I'm sure A has been solved by now, otherwise this wouldn't even be a product.
People are very paranoid about their credit cards, and with good reason. Anything remotely "new" will have a tough period of adaptation and the fact that this is portable and so ad-hoc (clever though it is) will only fuel people's doubts. It's great from an engineering perspective but its more of a risky bet when you take marketting into account. But not to worry, there's a lot of places that could pioneer these devices. Cyber cafe's with iphone-armed waitresses and such would be ideal. From there on it would spread. (I would NEVER use it on a hot dog stand like the ad photo suggests though, no way XD)
The signature thing caught my eye as well. Its gonna be really awkward to sign with your fingers. They should DEFINITELY package an iphone-compatible stylus with each reader.

Wow, didn't know SQUARE is from inventor of Twitter, his next "vision"
This quadruples my interest in this gizmo and belief in its destiny to take over the credit card terminal business:
http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/04/jack-dorsey-201104
Frankly, now with this information, I'm really surprised XDA-devs is so slow to get onboard with this. My god, people are dragging their heels on this? It's completely nuts. This is a homerun. If someone has an app to develop for android or windows7, or even iphone, or vendor-by-vendor custom apps, this is going to be a huge huge money maker for app developers customizing apps for SMALL BUSINESSES.
He or she who drags feet will be like Microsoft dragging feet after the iphone flipped the UI for touchscreens to finger-based navigation.

CptAJ said:
I think the main issues are definitely B, C and D on your previous post. I'm sure A has been solved by now, otherwise this wouldn't even be a product.
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Thanks for replying. Here's what their site says about security. I would love to see the XDA-dev security experts scrutinize every aspect of the security issues, and pick apart any shortcomings -- simply for identification purposes. I want to see this succeed, and as you can see in the way I have reframed the way I see the product, I am certain it will. I can't see it failing to gain significant traction in X years' time. It will probably be way faster than it took paypal to build user trust -- because that was a different time in the internet curve of adoption by consumers.
https://squareup.com/security | VeriSign Secured seal | PCI Compliant link
Physical & Network Security
Sensitive data is encrypted using industry-standard methods when stored on disk or transmitted over public networks.
Only standard, well-reviewed cryptographic protocols and message formats (such as SSL and PGP) are used when transferring data.
Symmetric cryptographic keys are required to be at least 128 bits long. Asymmetric keys must be at least 2048 bits long.
Security updates and patches are installed on servers and equipment in a timely fashion.
Security settings of applications and devices are tuned to ensure appropriate levels of protection.
Square’s website and API are accessible via 128-bit, extended-validation SSL certificates issued by VeriSign.
Networks are strictly segregated according to security level. Modern, restrictive firewalls protect all connections between networks.
Card-processing systems adhere to PCI Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), Level 1.
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Web and Client Application Security
Card numbers, magnetic stripe data, or security codes are not stored on Square client devices.
Applications developed in-house are subject to strict quality testing and security review. Web development follows industry-standard secure coding guidelines, such as those recommended by OWASP.
Card-processing applications adhere to the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), Level 1.
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Organizational Security
Access to sensitive data, including application data and cryptographic keys, is strictly controlled on a need-to-know basis.
Two-factor authentication and strong password controls are required for administrative access to systems.
Security systems and processes are tested on a regular basis by qualified internal and external teams.
All access to secure services and data is strictly logged, and audit logs are reviewed on a regular basis.
Security policies and procedures are carefully documented, and are reviewed on a regular basis.
Detailed incident response plans have been prepared to ensure proper protection of data in an emergency.
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Research and Disclosure
We want to encourage responsible reporting of problems with our service. If you believe you have discovered a problem with our service, please contact us at [email protected].
Square will respond to all reasonable reports of potential security problems, usually within 24 hours. If you report a problem, we will:
Acknowledge your report, and provide you with contact information for our team as we investigate;
Work with you to ensure that we understand the issue, and consult with you about the best way to address it;
Work with other organizations, if necessary, to ensure that other services are protected too;
Keep you informed as all of this takes place; and
Give you credit, if you wish, for helping us.
Security is critical to Square. By reporting problems to us in a responsible manner you enable us to address issues and protect our users in a timely fashion. We also recognize that legitimate and well-intentioned researchers are sometimes blamed for the problems they disclose. In order to encourage responsible reporting practices, we promise not to bring legal action against researchers in response to a disclosure, provided they:
Share the full details of any problems found with us.
Do not disclose the issue publicly or to others until we have had a reasonable amount of time to address it. We will try to act quickly, but some aspects of our system are complicated and may take time to patch and test.
Do not intentionally harm the experience or usefulness of the service to others.
Never attempt to view, modify, or damage data belonging to others.
Do not seek compensation or reward for the report, either from Square or a third party.
This pledge is intended to balance the protections and guarantees necessary to encourage responsible disclosure against our own requirements and responsibilities for data security. It is not an invitation to test the security of our service without authorization. If you have any questions about this, or have any doubts about whether your tests are appropriate, please contact us before proceeding.
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***
*** I want to actually respond to your post's points that I can respond to in next post. This was to isolate the security info into one post.

I have one of these and have used it, the transactions have gone smoothly. I haven't used it often, but I've had it since they first launched (I was one of the first people to get one of them), and it works great as a swipe card reader as well as a manual input card device if you need to take a credit card number over the internet or phone. I'm not planning on using it in place a normal merchant account (I'm in the process of getting one set up for online transactions), but for in-person transactions I'd feel just as comfortable using this as I would any other card-swiping solution.
Just my two cents.

FORGET ABOUT ALL DOUBTS in Square payment system: VISA investing in Square
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42783124
For all those who were marginalizing SQUARE with a "wait and see" approach, you might as well sprint ahead and get into adoption mode, and start developing for it. With this VISA partnership, hard to see SQUARE needing any more validation. It's going to clean up big time.
Square Partners with Visa, Gaining Advantage in Mobile Payments Race
Source: squareup.com​
Startup Square just secured a major advantage competitive mobile payments space — a strategic investment from Visa which will put one of its executives on the company's advisory board.
This isn't about the cash — earlier this year Square raised $27.7 million in financing, led by Sequoia capital — this is about validation from Visa, a leader in credit card payments.
Considering that all of Square's rivals, including Quicken and PayPal, have been looking to partner with a giant like Visa, this gives Square a huge advantage in getting merchants to adopt its service.
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more in link: http://www.cnbc.com/id/42783124
And from GigaOm:
Visa is making a strategic investment in mobile payment provider Square, providing the start-up with an undisclosed sum of money as well as a new advisory board member. It’s a nice boost for Square, which is on a roll as it tries to ramp up payments via a smartphone. But it also highlights the growing role of credit card companies as they try to prepare for the growing mobile payments boom.
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Kaessa said:
I have one of these and have used it, the transactions have gone smoothly. I haven't used it often, but I've had it since they first launched (I was one of the first people to get one of them), and it works great as a swipe card reader as well as a manual input card device if you need to take a credit card number over the internet or phone. I'm not planning on using it in place a normal merchant account (I'm in the process of getting one set up for online transactions), but for in-person transactions I'd feel just as comfortable using this as I would any other card-swiping solution.
Just my two cents.
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Kaessa, would love to get more anecdotal information about how customers are responding to this form of payment -- what questions do they ask... and even procedurally -- walk me through it, do you in fact hold the phone in your hand, as pictured, and they swipe it? Or do you turn phone sideways (90-degrees) so they can swipe card more like at cashier terminals?
Then what, do you keep the reader plugged in and flip phone around for people to sign?
Do people have an okay time with finger?
Is there a reset/ try signature again?
Just curious! Thank you.

I really want to get one of these to play with, but they are not available outside of the US. I don't want to use it for payments, just as a mag-stripe reader.
I was wondering if anyone in the US would be willing to buy one and send it over? I heard you can buy them over the counter from apple stores...

crazy stuff

MOD note: After going through the thread, indeed it's related to phones and shall be moved back to general shortly.
It might have been misinterpreted by ORB, even we moderators are humans and can make mistakes.
So, I suggest OP and everyone relax.
Also, if OP you have any further issues address them to me via PM ( not rant threads - like the one I shut ).

That is correct, initially it seemed to be an iphone only related thread, now OP edited and included other OS´s.
@OP, Next time please contact Moderator instead of creating rant threads please

orb3000 said:
That is correct, initially it seemed to be an iphone only related thread, now OP edited and included other OS´s.
@OP, Next time please contact Moderator instead of creating rant threads please
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OP only edited it to make it more apparent that it was about phones. No image was changed. No information was changed re OS. It was about Android from Day 1.

quicksite said:
Kaessa, would love to get more anecdotal information about how customers are responding to this form of payment -- what questions do they ask... and even procedurally -- walk me through it, do you in fact hold the phone in your hand, as pictured, and they swipe it? Or do you turn phone sideways (90-degrees) so they can swipe card more like at cashier terminals?
Then what, do you keep the reader plugged in and flip phone around for people to sign?
Do people have an okay time with finger?
Is there a reset/ try signature again?
Just curious! Thank you.
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I've only done it a couple of times, so I'm probably not the best one to ask. One was online, as an eBay transaction... PayPal had screwed up his account so I just took his Visa over the phone. There is a "card not present" option, just like with any other credit card machine.
As far as swiping the card, I would take the card from them and swipe it. It's a fairly delicate device, not like a grocery store card reader, and someone getting over-enthusiastic with it could break it or your phone's headphone jack. I don't worry about breaking it myself... I carry it around in my purse in the same pouch I carry my headphones in.
As far as the signature goes, the finger signature works fine... just turn it around and either give it to them, or put it on a flat surface and have them sign. I don't know if there's a "try again", but there probably is. It's a well developed piece of software, really slick. Looks like they thought of everything when they put it together. I haven't had anyone hesitate to use it. Now that Visa is in on it, I'm sure there won't be any problems.
I'm thinking of using it at my next yard sale. Should get all those looky-loos that "forgot to bring enough money".

[Q] Asus Worst Support Ever!!! What does it take to reach Lvl 2 or 3 support?

Ok, So I dont really start threads about complaining but I had to on this one. I had the most frustrating experience with Asus support today.
I'm having two issues one with audio and one with the dock both have been reported by MANY users.
Sound issue: The left speaker volume is much lower than the right
Dock Issue: Keeps diconnecting after a few seconds to a few minutes after using and has dropped wifi 3 times. turning off track pad has *SEEMED* to correct this.
So here we go. I call asus support and describe the issues I have and also tell the guy that a lot of other people I knew in user groups were having the same exact issue I had. His first question... "That's running windows 7 right? Are you Fu**ing kidding me???? The about the dock issue "Is the dock manufactured by Asus?" ARE YOU KIDDING????
So I tell him it's obvious he knows nothing about the product and I would like to speak to a supervisor or someone who actually knows the product. He puts me on hold coming back on the line every 2 minutes to tell me he is looking for a supervisor.. He transfers me.. it rings for like 10 minutes straight and disconnects me.. I call back ask for a supervisor right away, Same thing.. transfers me rings and rings and get cut off, call back a 3rd and 4th time. Same thing! Now mind you I have been doing this for about 2 hours now..
I finally get a supervisor on the phone after 5 calls and tell him the issues and he says they can only repair it.. Why should something brand new have to be repaired? you dont buy something brand new and expect that it needs to be repaired, if it does need to be repaired when it's brand new then it SHOULD just be replaced...
So fine, I ask about cross shipping, even offering my CC # as security, He says he cant do it. Fine.. I'm super pissed at this point. He tells me I would get an email with the RMA info in 3 minutes, it's been 15 and still no email.. Then I ask if they ship a prepaid box to send it back in.. Nope they dont even do that! Almost every company I have dealt with has at least sent as box to ship the unit back in.. In all my years I have NEVER had such a frustrating experience with support(and I have had many)
I love the TF, but because of the service I received and this issues I'm experiencing this will be the first and last asus product I buy again!
Great concept, great idea but major fail in QA and launch.. Like I said I usually dont start threads like this but I'm so frustrated!!
Please if you are experiencing the issue with your left speaker volume being lower than the right please call Asus and report it. if it is a sw issue like some suspect then then if a lot of people report it we might see a fix quicker.
If you are having an issue with the dock keep becoming unresponsive report that as well!!! They wont know there is a problem unless people complain about it. And these two issues I dont consider minor or nit picking..
ASUS SUPPORT #'s
US 1-888-678-3688
canada # 1-888-616-2787

I have the speaker issue you mention but it's not a dealbreaker for me. Hopefully a firmware update will correct it. If not, I can live with it. They already know about the dock issues and the next firmware is meant to address them.
While I'd hate to be kept waiting and have to chase up on a support line, that's the way it's been with all companies in my experience over the last 10 years or so. Usually outsourced to some place you can't understand what they are saying from their accent. The best way to get support nowadays is to go via their official forum because that way you air your issue in 'public' and usually that gets a response from the company.

Few things. First, they have 2 new tablet devices on the market, the Eee Pad (That's you) and the Eee Slate that runs Windows 7 so I can understand his confusion. He would also be required to ask if the dock is made by Asus due to third party products such as bluetooth keyboards as well as fakes.
Secondly, you would be surprised by just how many people try and return brand new products even though they fully function. By saying they will only repair it is a way to deter those who just want a new product because the box is slightly damaged or as a way to obtain a full refund if they dislike the product etc. It actually is an expensive process to pay for return shipping, restocking, refurbishing or even replacing a product.
I can understand your frustration but it's hard for any company to take on everyone's issues on a case by case basis. I do wish you good luck on getting your products fixed one way or another.

Calling low level techs wont do you any good with any company.

The sound issue is a known firmware issue (if you read the [info] thread on the firmware it list this as an open issue that will be resolved). There is nothing support can do until the software changes (surprise there isn't an equilizer that would allow you to set the shift manually).
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The dock is mostly likely a software issue (no clue why it impacts wifi). This is the negative of being on the bleeding edge.
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You have two choices - return it and wait for the technology to mature or live with it until it is fixed but chances are fixes will take a few weeks.
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I guess there are a few other choices - gripe to your blue in the face - give it a few weeks till you reach the end of the return period and then make a decision.
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From what I have read the dock issue is not hardware or at least specific to your instance of the dock.
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It was like this with the P67 (read the threads on the various motherboards and bios isssues); it was like this with [pick your favorite bleeding edge technology].
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In this specific case asus is fighting two levels of bugs/maturity. Their firmware/hardware AND honeycomb (which adds its own problem). While the speaker issue is likely asus issue it would not surprise me if the many of hte issues with the dock is honeycomb.

True story: Last week I cracked the face of my new Skagen watch being drunk and doing god-knows-what. I accidentally dropped it face down a couple of days later, and the weakened face completely shattered. I wrote Skagen asking them how much it'd cost to fix the watch, understanding it was non-warranty work and a result of my own idiocy. They wrote back and said they'd fix it for free, I just had to pay $9 S&H. I love their watches anyway, but now I'll never buy another brand.
Point is, I hate where customer service has gone these days. It's refreshing and shocking when a company goes out of its way to keep a customer rather than throwing up roadblocks to keep from helping them. I hope Asus gets it together on the tablet side. Simply rationalizing why they gave this guy a hard time is why it's gotten this way in the first place, no accountability.
*Old man-esque rant over*

jake21 said:
The sound issue is a known firmware issue (if you read the [info] thread on the firmware it list this as an open issue that will be resolved).
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I better correct you there before this gets quoted everywhere. It's in my list of "things NEEDING to be fixed". I don't know if it WILL be fixed. Caps for emphasis there. The list at the top of my thread are the things that should be out in the next update.
EDIT: I've now changed my thread around to make it clearer for people, as there have been a few others misquoting it too.

Semi-related:
I purchased an Asus eeepc 1000HE when it launched about two years ago. It started making a terrible noise that I diagnosed as fan noise. A new fan was about $20 and I would have to void my warranty to replace it. I emailed Asus, telling them exactly what the problem was, etc. I had to pay to ship it to them, so I packaged it up and printed out a sheet with my name/info stating EXACTLY what the problem was. I also asked them to replace one of the rubber feet that had fallen off.
I got my netbook back about 10 days later with a note that said "technician heard grinding noise, replaced with (model number) refurbished hard drive". There was nothing wrong with my drive. I also noticed that the other rubber foot had fallen off/been ripped off, so the fool that was working on it just put a single foot in a bag and put it in the box. Didn't even bother to reattach it or fix the other one like I had asked. I ended up with a crappy refurb that is noisy, a still broken fan, and one less rubber foot. When I called to complain and inform them of their stupidity they told me I would have to pay to ship it back, and that I would get another refurb'd drive and hopefully a new fan. I ended up just replacing the fan myself, solving my problem. Should have done that in the first place :\
With all that being said, Asus customer service is TERRIBLE. The technician must have been an idiot, and as mentioned the outsourced phone support is annoying/time consuming to deal with. I have dealt with plenty of company's customer service in my time but Asus is tied with Philips (that's another story) for the worst.
I really hope that my TF doesn't have any problems because I would never want to deal with those idiots again.

Is any of the other companies better ? I've had great service from non-computer companies (similar to the guy's story about his watch). However, tech companies have been a crap shoot for me largely depending on the individual I manage to contact.
Two companies I've been very happy with (for service) have been g.skill and canon both of which have not only given excellent service but also detail technical information that demonstrate deep understanding of products (this is canon-usa; I've heard not so happy things about canon in some other markets).
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Oh well can't help with asus; can't defend them as i've never required service from them; but they've never screwed me over either (though the shipping policy is harsh and I'd probably avoid them had i realize prior to purchase).

graffixnyc said:
So I tell him it's obvious he knows nothing about the product.
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You sounded kind of impatient here. He said the same thing about windows seven and pressing F7 to get to safe mode. I just patiently explained to him that we were talking about two different products.
Im coming on here to counter your experience: in dealing with my bricked transformer I've received awesome customer support including expedited shipping although still no cross shipping or prepaid but I wasn't worried about that.
In fact I even got a call from a technician (his personal cell #) and he told me about the progress they made in fixing the issue and he said if I ordered another TF and it experienced issues to call him back first thing.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

jake21 said:
The sound issue is a known firmware issue (if you read the [info] thread on the firmware it list this as an open issue that will be resolved). There is nothing support can do until the software changes (surprise there isn't an equilizer that would allow you to set the shift manually).
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The dock is mostly likely a software issue (no clue why it impacts wifi). This is the negative of being on the bleeding edge.
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You have two choices - return it and wait for the technology to mature or live with it until it is fixed but chances are fixes will take a few weeks.
-
I guess there are a few other choices - gripe to your blue in the face - give it a few weeks till you reach the end of the return period and then make a decision.
-
From what I have read the dock issue is not hardware or at least specific to your instance of the dock.
-
It was like this with the P67 (read the threads on the various motherboards and bios isssues); it was like this with [pick your favorite bleeding edge technology].
-
In this specific case asus is fighting two levels of bugs/maturity. Their firmware/hardware AND honeycomb (which adds its own problem). While the speaker issue is likely asus issue it would not surprise me if the many of hte issues with the dock is honeycomb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too heard the sound issue was firmware related since so many people I know that have the tf are experiencing it, but there have been two people so far that have said the sound is the same level on both sides, running the same FW as I.
I'm not really upset about the issues, it's a first gen device so they are expected. What got me was the way I was dealt with by support. I work in it and have dealt with many vendors etc.. hell even moto sent me a prepaid box to ship the xoom back in. That's not really the big deal because it's only a few bucks, but it's the principle. I felt like I wasnt treated as a customer should be treated. I dont expect them to kiss my ass but be willing to work with me a little bit, dont make it impossible. I seriously got the run around by them. Every tech I got was a tech in training. When I was explaining the first call to either the 3rd or 4th guy(cant remember which) and saying that the 1st tech didnt know the product he said "I see" So then I asked the 3rd or 4th guy.. "So what OS is in the Asus eee pad transformer?" he was stumped and hesitated then heard him typing. And I then said "you see this is why I need to speak to level 2 or level 3 support or a supervisor, because I need to speak to someone who knows this product well and who can actually understand the product well enough to understand the issue I'm trying to report."
I love the product, I really do but at the same time the way I was given the run around today making 5 calls before I got a supervisor is not acceptable cs if you ask me.. that's what ticked me off the most..
oh well.. I finally got the rma email. Part of me wants to send it in asap and part of me wants to wait a couple of weeks to see if it is indeed a sw issue and will be fixed.
If it was a known sw issue by asus, wouldn't they have known about it when I called in? So I honestly was calling them with the hopes of getting confirmation that it was a sw issue, but the tech told me the opposite that it's a hw thing and that's why they are giving me an RMA..
I dont know. I dont nit pick about little things (creaking, a **little screen bleed etc...) but things like the dock keep disconnecting and sound coming more out of one channel to me are pretty big flaws
on a good note, when it's docked and closed it does feel nice in the hands and everything else except these two issues for me is great

I had some of the same issues with the L1 techs - lack of knowledge and escalation to a supervisor that just rang over and over for 10 minutes until I gave up and called back. I can understand L1 having issues with a brand new device like this -- I had to correct them repeatedly when they asked questions like "did you check the Windows services?". But I would think that, in the next few weeks, they should definitely be up to speed.
My own device is RMA'd and on it's way to California now (problematic touch screen and a smudge / bad pixel on the screen) and we'll see how it goes. If they at least fix my issues then I'll be satisfied. But if it comes back in the same shape it was in (or worse) then I will start yelling. So I have to wait and see what the outcome will be.
Not to defend Apple in any way, but one thing I have to say about them is that they do have very good customer support. But of course you pay a premium for that.

I actually also called today because my brand new transformer has pretty bad light bleed. The rep i talked to said he had never heard of that before in his life. I realized i was just talkin to a moron and hung up. I hope ill get a better rep next time i try calling. There will always be a some clueless people working customer service.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

I worked for a hardware company doing technical support for several years.
Believe me, they put stuff out there and don't bother to train their support staff on it. Happens all the time. Or we'd know about it, but they would drag their feet for MONTHS before we got any real training. Of course, by then we had learned enough through supporting it that the training was only somewhat helpful.

Just throwing my own unrelated out there... bought an asus 26 inch monitor two years ago, it had a black speck of dirt trapped between the screen and plastic shielding.. anyways I called, sent it in. I got my unit back (I knew it was mine because of some surface scratches I had on my unit) with the dirt removed. I have to say i was impressed.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

Come to think of it.. I wonder if that "supervisor" I spoke to was really a supervisor at all.. Because when he was telling me they would do a RMA for me and I asked about cross shipping he put me on hold for a few minutes like he had to go find out if that was an option. If he was a supervisor wouldnt he have known if that was an option or not? Anyway, I have sent an email to two people in public relations and that Eric liu guy that was here on the forums. I also filed a complaint with the better business bureau. Not for the issues I have with the product but the terrible customer service I received and was given the run around. And when I asked for people's names they only gave me fist names, no badge numbers or last names. It was really just one of the worst tech support/cs issues I've ever had. those phone calls were like something out of a nightmare

graffixnyc said:
I also filed a complaint with the better business bureau.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You (and anyone else who gets support run-around) should contact The Consumerist website. The BBB has no real teeth anymore but The Consumerist has a wide enough reach to publicly shame the company into fixing issues which is often the only way to get them to respond these days (unfortunately).

Well, I had many RMAs with Asus b4, my motherboards are all Asus. IMHO, the L1 Techs are just normal CSR without any knowledge abt their products. They just simply check your serial # and issue RMA. I always pushes them to give me a returns Fedex shipping label and sometimes I got it. Probably it's depend how many times the product had "RMAed" . So usually I 'll want to speak to the L3 Tech in CA, rather those @ Indiana. L3 are the one who can give u the replacement and fast shipping. Probably the TF don't have those premium warranty offers.

rogconnect said:
Well, I had many RMAs with Asus b4, my motherboards are all Asus. IMHO, the L1 Techs are just normal CSR without any knowledge abt their products. They just simply check your serial # and issue RMA. I always pushes them to give me a returns Fedex shipping label and sometimes I got it. Probably it's depend how many times the product had "RMAed" . So usually I 'll want to speak to the L3 Tech in CA, rather those @ Indiana. L3 are the one who can give u the replacement and fast shipping. Probably the TF don't have those premium warranty offers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you reach level 3 support? When I was talking to the L1 tech and asked for a supervisor or lever 2 or 3 support he never mentioned getting me a higher level agent

this is kinda typical for most tech companies.. L1 support is always crap..no surprise...
as an engineer works for Netgear myself (we occassionally fill in the role of L3 support), I totally understand your frustration as I always feel the same when talking to these guys.. they just have no idea what they're talking about..
however if you think about it again..it's not really their fault...they have to support hundreds of products so you can't really expect them to answer everything...and they don't really have any power to make decisions for refund, pre-paid delivery label, etc..
the best thing you can do is to ask for a L2/L3 support who really understands the product you are talking about

Consumer rights advice needed...(uk related)

Good evening all (UK question)
Just wonder how we stand if htc dont revise the back cover and make it fit the phone without gaps and the wifi Ariel is not moved? consumer direct, small claims?

Not good. Unless it is a problem with every phone made and it causes actual damage as oppose to incoveninance (sp?). Because its not a safety issues like with cars for example I dont think they can be made to do so either. The best case we can relate this to is the iphone4 reception problem. So at best we could probably hope for a free cover case.
Also unless HTC were based in the UK which I don't think they are the UK trading standards would be much harder to impose.
Hope this helps.
Sent from my HTC Sensation.

The only thing I can think of is returning your phone to the network supplier for a replacment phone. Either another sensation or similar.
Sent from my HTC Sensation.

from the other forum posts its a design flaw... just gota hope they fix the signal issue with a new cover, the overheating is not gona be fixed imo due to it just being crap rushed soc

If its a design flaw then there isnt much hope. There is no fault. Just un thought out workmanship. Don't quote me on this though I could be wrong but have spent some time around issues like this in the past. I'll do a bit of research later. As long as these flaws continue to cause no defect to the phone and don't impose a safety issue then nothing will be done as there is no fault to function other than minor inconvenience.
Sent from my HTC Sensation.

Same legal cover as with the iphone 4's external Airplane mode button.
IE the item is not fit for purpose then the retailer must either repair or replace, or refund if that is not possible.
If memory serves with the iphone issue, owners could get out of their contracts and return the phone.
The Sale Goods and Services 1979 provides that goods sold must be of 'satisfactory quality'. This means of a standard that a 'reasonable' person would expect.
Having wifi cut out because of how you hold it is not reasonable, assuming you're reasonably close to the wifi router.
You must inform the retailer of the issue within 6 months of purchase, as before 6 months you do not have to prove there is a fault, it's up to the retailer to prove there isn't (not that they'll try that considering how well documented the issue is).
Now, if they can't repair it, and you want to keep the phone, then that's your choice to put up with the issue.
Having said that, all the demonstration Sensations I've looked at had no problems with the cover fitting (couldn't test wifi obviously).
It could be that some warp in the heat (during transport for example) in which case a replacement part is likely to resolve that issue.
From what I gather about our friends on the other side of the pond, we are extremely lucky to have such good consumer protection laws.

Retrospective thoughts on Product Reviews

Like I'm sure many of you did, I read a TON of reviews before buying the Infinity. I mean I read and re-read almost every english site out there that had gotten their hands on a pre-release version a month or so before the device came out (and videos too!). All of these glowing reviews seemed to reassure me that I was making the right decision and amped up my excitement and expectations. But when I got the tablet I was really disappointed about the speed, stuttering, and lagging both while browsing and the device itself. I've upgraded to .26 and have been VERY happy with it since. I'm not complaining about the device or asking how to make it better. I love my tablet and can't wait to rock some custom roms!
My point is that everyone here noticed the problems almost immediately after opening the box. Lately I've been thinking about the inconsistency between the reviews and the initial release of the product and was wondering if anyone else noticed this and is now either more skeptical of review sites, or (especially after some of the debacles with Asus Device Tracker, the Unlock Tool Serial Issue, etc) if there is more going on behind the scenes with Asus.
I remember reading reviews for Motherboards a few years ago and while ASUS has always been one of the top players it seems that other entrants are doing just as good if not better. Other users were noticing the same trend in innovation and frankly quality. I applaud Asus for venturing out into new product lines, but I get this nagging feeling that they're really not doing the best they can and I'm surprised no reviewer called them out on it. I used to be a huge brand champion for them, but I might be slowly losing it....
Just something I've been thinking about and decided to share.

I know exactly how you feel. I have noticed absolutely raving reviews for hardware that was less than overwhelming out of the box before, but the past few year, the number of times I've noticed significant discrepancies between the reviews and the actual buyer's user experience far more often, it seems.
I'd imagine that either the manufacturer is buying off the reviewer (I know several hardware companies only make their products available for review on the explicit notice that only positive aspects are to be referenced, or that the review overall must at least be positive), or that they send off devices that have been pulled inside out by the engineers and have been tweaked to hell (and back), even as far as swapping out components. This isn't so hard to do when you haven't even settled on an actual end-product design.
I know that there's alsways a negative bias on the user forums (like XDA, for example), but the positive review bias is putting me off even more.

Excellent thread.
I wonder about this too, take the Prime...that device was virtually broken out of the box. How could any reviewer not mention the constant ANRs with the web browsing, slowness when installing anything and broken bluetooth?

My Infinity has been great right out of the box. So, no, it doesn't have any impact on my perspective since most of the reviews are in-line with my experience.
The Prime is altogether different, though. It had some clear problems that were broken at the hardware level, so it seemed like someone should have called it out much more quickly.
I would expect the manufacturer to more closely QA a unit they knew was going to be a hardware review unit, so minor flaws that are due to poor QA (a dead pixel/light bleed/etc) I would NOT expect to be called out by most reviewers. But a design defect as glaring and fundamental as WiFi and GPS iisues the Prime had? Not so much.

I expressed the same thoughts back in February with respect to the original prime:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22396949&postcount=7

Good thread!
The reviews for me add a lot of confusion as I'm sure happens to most.
As a long time home PC builder I got mad at Asus years back because of
some serious issues with their motherboards. So I've always just stepped
over the brand until recently. Asus seems to have changed or maybe it's
just hardware advancements that have become common.
We have a couple of other tablets and I've always thought they we're a hassle
to use in most cases. I've wanted a 10.1 tablet for a couple of years, yet wanted
to wait for some vast hardware improvement. That's where the TF700 comes into play.
I bought this thing for the inside first, quality second, reviews third Asus name last.
I dunno what will happen maybe Android 4.1 will give all the tablets wings...

Thats OK said:
The reviews for me add a lot of confusion as I'm sure happens to most.
As a long time home PC builder I got mad at Asus years back because of
some serious issues with their motherboards. So I've always just stepped
over the brand until recently. Asus seems to have changed or maybe it's
just hardware advancements that have become common.
We have a couple of other tablets and I've always thought they we're a hassle
to use in most cases. I've wanted a 10.1 tablet for a couple of years, yet wanted
to wait for some vast hardware improvement. That's where the TF700 comes into play.
I bought this thing for the inside first, quality second, reviews third Asus name last.
I dunno what will happen maybe Android 4.1 will give all the tablets wings...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That won't happen until CM18 - Redbull
But you hit on exactly what I was getting at with the motherboards. Innovation and quality are not always the same thing. I ended up with a Gigabyte board and was very happy btw.
To be honest I think that consumers in general are ok with sub-par build quality though. As long as something works and isn't absolutely terrible most people are cool with it. Basically as consumers we allow companies to get away with it because we still buy the products. It's a vicious cycle.

To be honest I think that consumers in general are ok with sub-par build quality though. As long as something works and isn't absolutely terrible most people are cool with it. Basically as consumers we allow companies to get away with it because we still buy the products. It's a vicious cycle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also think that consumers (Americans in particular, myself included) tend to be incredibly price conscious and this has been further exacerbated by both the world economy and the pace of technology. So, the past decade or so, this has really accelerated.
As you note, nowadays, poor build quality is not preferred but it is highly tolerated... probably because the item was viewed as a "good deal" and we know we're just going to buy a new one and literally scrap the old one in just a year or two. We are not buying things with the intent to keep them for years or call a "repairman" if they break, like people did with TV sets in the 50s and 60s.
I have a Moto Droid 1 that was just released from it's 2 year contract in Jan and I've known people who have upgraded phones four or five times since I've owned mine. It's nuts. I'm finally going to replace it because the volume button broke but I found myself half wishing it wasn't so sturdy when I see everyone with their shiny new phones. It's hard not to fall into the rampant consumerism that helps fuel this negative quality trend.

wolfman87 said:
That won't happen until CM18 - Redbull
But you hit on exactly what I was getting at with the motherboards. Innovation and quality are not always the same thing. I ended up with a Gigabyte board and was very happy btw.
To be honest I think that consumers in general are ok with sub-par build quality though. As long as something works and isn't absolutely terrible most people are cool with it. Basically as consumers we allow companies to get away with it because we still buy the products. It's a vicious cycle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chuckle OL
"CM18 Redbull"
You may have actually tagged a future version!

Gadget reviews on the Internet are on the whole quite poor. There are a lot of factors that most users here could add to.
- they're all tied into an endless consumer release cycle that has to gear up every few months or year depending on the vendor. In that sense they're part of a big ball of constant marketing, hype and desire that people and places like here feed into (I'm guilty!)
- the explosion of 24hr tech coverage on the Internet has all these gadget sites competing for page views, advertising and even access from the very companies they're assessing.
- the gadget "journalists" are constantly switching to new devices, never living with it before they are pressured to judge it for an article that will likely never be updated but always searchable on the net. How many tablet reviews have you seen where someone is paging through home pages as they state how fast or slow a device is? Useless.
-it's true you see more negatives on XDA as far as quality control, but you also see more unfounded hype for new or unreleased devices because people want the next new thing or to feel like their emotional or financial purchase is worthwhile. I trust net reviewers when they uniformly say a device is mediocre (ie Note 10.1) because you know it had to be bad if it sucked in the brief amount of time they gave it. I don't trust their praise until I know for myself it's decent (Nexus 7, Infinity) because there are all sorts of issues they won't be around to see (Prime).

Microsoft Surface Ears, for low volume problems

Hi xda,
I have developed Ears for the Surface family of tablets. It has launched! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1463948377/ears-for-the-surface-tablets
I just want to see what your feedback is. This is my first project/product and if anyone has suggestions, let me know.
I would love to hear what the community thinks!
Thank you,
Brandon
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lgnationrc said:
Hi xda,
I have developed Ears for the Surface family of tablets. I will launch it Saturday at 9:00am EST (UTC-5:00) on Kickstarter. Right now you can see the Prefundia link: http://prefundia.com/projects/view/ears-for-the-surface-tablets/976/
I just want to see what your feedback is. This is my first project/product and if anyone has suggestions, let me know.
I will post a Kickstarter link when it goes live.
I would love to hear what the community thinks!
Thank you,
Brandon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really enjoyed the story behind your move to China and starting a business in there. I'm sure it will be inspirational for a lot of people!
Regarding the project, it's a good idea, but... here is a big problem I see with it. Your product is catered to a small group of people who bought original Surface RT (probably on fire sale when they drop the price). I know you really like it and still enjoying it, but in a big picture Surface RT (arm processor based, right?) was a huge flop for M$. On top of that, if they decide to release a new version of it and re-design location of speakers, your design will have to be changed.. Do you know what I mean?
Don't take it in a wrong way, I'm just trying to help you out with my opinion (I review a lot of products, see my signature link). The product you come up with is a good idea, but I'm not sure if its suitable for KS or IGG unless you set a low target. XDA is not the best place to promote it; you need to go directly to MS/Surface forums and communities to get a feedback from there and see if people will be interested to buy it. Then, maybe sell it through ebay or Amazon? Of course, I could be wrong, but I just feel the focus of this product is very narrow due to Surface RT being less popular product.

vectron said:
I really enjoyed the story behind your move to China and starting a business in there. I'm sure it will be inspirational for a lot of people!
Regarding the project, it's a good idea, but... here is a big problem I see with it. Your product is catered to a small group of people who bought original Surface RT (probably on fire sale when they drop the price). I know you really like it and still enjoying it, but in a big picture Surface RT (arm processor based, right?) was a huge flop for M$. On top of that, if they decide to release a new version of it and re-design location of speakers, your design will have to be changed.. Do you know what I mean?
Don't take it in a wrong way, I'm just trying to help you out with my opinion (I review a lot of products, see my signature link). The product you come up with is a good idea, but I'm not sure if its suitable for KS or IGG unless you set a low target. XDA is not the best place to promote it; you need to go directly to MS/Surface forums and communities to get a feedback from there and see if people will be interested to buy it. Then, maybe sell it through ebay or Amazon? Of course, I could be wrong, but I just feel the focus of this product is very narrow due to Surface RT being less popular product.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PM sent and thank you or the feedback!

To add to what vectron said...
My first take on seeing the product was OH LOOKIT A MICKEY MOUSE SURFACE! awww that's sooo cute... I suspect, however, that that isn't the desired effect Surface owners will be looking for. You are looking at your product from a purely functional view. However, consumers place a higher importance on aesthetic and stylistic aspects. From this, you can't pay people enough to use the "ears," let alone thinking of charging for them. Excuse the blunt words, but it's reality.
My second comment is that you need to think of your market, and not yourself, when creating a new product. As vectron said, Surface RTs are obsolete, with a small userbase. If you want to make something like this (ignoring my first comment), then you need a universal-fit model to fit any tablet. There are indeed many mobile devices with backward-firing speakers that can benefit from this.
Non-Apple tablets are very underserved for accessories, especially Windows tablets. If you are that targetting that niche, there are many things to try.
To name one, Windows/Android tablets are always starved for powered USB ports, and I've looked high and low for a suitable battery-powered USB hub to velcro onto the back of my tablet, but none such exist (one did exist, but it's no longer being made). Granted, this is an order of magnitude more complex than the mentioned silicone slip-ons, but there is wide demand for such.
Good luck with your business.

Thank you for the feedback!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1463948377/ears-for-the-surface-tablets

Surface RT and Surface 2 may not be doing well (though there's more than enough customers of them to make something like this work out financially), but the Ears are also available for Pro and Pro 2, and those are pretty popular...

Frankly, for the trivial amount OP was asking, he could well have covered it himself. KS has morphed from its original mission of crowdfunding seed money to be a PR vehicle, as well as feasibility feedback for marginal ventures. This particular is among the latter.
OP's post confirms this, as it was more for PR than getting opinions, since opinions only matter BEFORE committing to a proj, not after. This thing was going live regardless of feedback. Taking OP's KS blurb at face value, my guess is that this is more about the process rather than the end product, ie OP is gathering info for future widgets, presumably via the KS route, and a simple & cheap widget to start was ideal, regardless of its appeal. In short, a dry run.
Extrapolating from the 2-day take, the proj could conceivably make the nominal 5.5K amount ($348 / 2 * 30 = $5220), although normally interest is highest the first few days, then tapers off. But OP miscalculated on the "sweet spot" amount, and the $5 slot (that most backers opted for) is used up. He'll have a tougher time convincing people to pay $10 for the next slot up.
But as said, my impression is the means is the end in this case, and OP is laying the groundwork for more KS ventures. It would be better if the proj gets to its goal, as then he can get more data about the carry-through rather than just the lead-up. But it's not particularly important. He has already gotten a valuable piece of info about how much his widget is worth (about $5 incl shipping).

e.mote said:
To name one, Windows/Android tablets are always starved for powered USB ports, and I've looked high and low for a suitable battery-powered USB hub to velcro onto the back of my tablet, but none such exist (one did exist, but it's no longer being made). Granted, this is an order of magnitude more complex than the mentioned silicone slip-ons, but there is wide demand for such.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not a full hub but:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Additions®-Battery-Extender-Batteries/dp/B002PHC1XU
^Battery pack with USB port
USB power injector cable:
http://www.newtech.cat/w/en/1473-USB-2-0-Cable-Double-Power-Injector--2xAM-AH--1-2m.html
Mains powered USB hubs are usually barrel jack connector. USB to barrel jack cables exist to use the above battery pack with a hub directly.
Neither option is the clean 1 piece unit but they are functional if you absolutely require a battery powered hub.

Of *course* the majority of the first 50 backers are going to go for the "get this thing half off" deal. That doesn't mean people wouldn't be willing to pay $10, just that they aren't going to pay 2x as much as they need to...
When I checked last night (midnight on US west coast), there were 0 people at the $10 or $15 levels. Now there are 7 and 1, respectively. That's not huge progress, but it's not bad for 11 hours in the middle of the night for the Surface's biggest market.

>Of *course* the majority of the first 50 backers are going to go for the "get this thing half off" deal.
People don't cost-justify for small amounts. Yes, my $5-ceiling guess looks to be off, and the $10 mark looks to still be under the impulse-spend threshold for the widget. Also, I didn't take into account that KS isn't just about crowdfunding money, but crowdsourcing publicity.
I'd retract my "Mickey Mouse ears = bad" comment. This falls into the "conventional wisdom" category that oddball accessories that clash against prevailing fashion sense are eschewed by the main. I think that still holds, but given the small numbers involved here, this isn't the main. For fringe projects, being unusual and weird is a plus in that it catches people's attention, and the money amount is small enough for impulse buy.
Yes, I dare say that if OP had shaped the ears to be like Mickey's, or Batman's, or a nekomimi shape (as a backer had requested), then the widget would have added "decorative" appeal. It can become a conversation piece. (How about glow in the dark?) Pragmatic concerns like "how does this work with a case" don't come into play until after the purchase, which are irrelevant for impulse buys.
Consumer buying and selling is mainly about psychology, and each platform has its own idiosyncracies. I've not paid attention to KS as a platform, but looks like I'll need to put it on my to-do list.
As said, all this is valuable data for OP as well as anybody who wants to make a go at the crowdfunding route--much more valuable than the actual project itself.

Congrats on passing your goal! Only 1/3 of the way through the campaign, too. I've seen some buzz online about this. Sorry I don't do more social media stuff myself. :-/

e.mote said:
Frankly, for the trivial amount OP was asking, he could well have covered it himself. KS has morphed from its original mission of crowdfunding seed money to be a PR vehicle, as well as feasibility feedback for marginal ventures. This particular is among the latter.
OP's post confirms this, as it was more for PR than getting opinions, since opinions only matter BEFORE committing to a proj, not after. This thing was going live regardless of feedback. Taking OP's KS blurb at face value, my guess is that this is more about the process rather than the end product, ie OP is gathering info for future widgets, presumably via the KS route, and a simple & cheap widget to start was ideal, regardless of its appeal. In short, a dry run.
Extrapolating from the 2-day take, the proj could conceivably make the nominal 5.5K amount ($348 / 2 * 30 = $5220), although normally interest is highest the first few days, then tapers off. But OP miscalculated on the "sweet spot" amount, and the $5 slot (that most backers opted for) is used up. He'll have a tougher time convincing people to pay $10 for the next slot up.
But as said, my impression is the means is the end in this case, and OP is laying the groundwork for more KS ventures. It would be better if the proj gets to its goal, as then he can get more data about the carry-through rather than just the lead-up. But it's not particularly important. He has already gotten a valuable piece of info about how much his widget is worth (about $5 incl shipping).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to get into conflict here but I want to say that this KS campaign was all about raising money and this thread was all about getting feedback. Since I have no money to produce these myself, this project would have never happened if the goal was not met. Period. I don't see the point to continue to put money into a project or business venture if people are unwilling to buy it. The whole point of Kickstarter. It doesn't make good business sense to me to continue to pour funds into a dying/dead business. There has to be an exit strategy. Mine was, if Kickstarter didn't meet the goal, the project will stop.
And no, no future Kickstarter projects planned. Personal I prefer to deal with angel investors. Yes, I have more projects and business' planned for the future, but none on Kickstarter for the foreseeable future.
I wanted more sound on my Surface, I thought the Surface crowd would share the same feelings as me, I have to put food on the table. Lets make a business!

GoodDayToDie said:
Congrats on passing your goal! Only 1/3 of the way through the campaign, too. I've seen some buzz online about this. Sorry I don't do more social media stuff myself. :-/
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Thank you! A much followed writer for Cnet Twitted about Ears and my project took off! It is back down again but I reached my goal. Surface owners are so far and few in between and Ears are very niche, so it is hard to get through to enough people. But it has been exciting to watch my project go.
Thanks!