As promised, I would like to give you an update on our manufacturing progress. In my last post, I let you know that our previous contract manufacturer had run into credit problems which forced us to quickly find a new production partner. Yes, it was painful, but I’m happy to say we’ve made great progress.

The picture below shows the new facilities. And the handsome guy at the left, Kevin Cahill, has been doing an awesome job in making it all happen. I mentioned a four week postponement and it looks like we are tracking to that pretty well. Our goal is to resume shipments the first week of November. I will keep you in the loop as we make progress towards that goal.

Please let me know if you have any questions – peter [a] buglabs dot net. Thanks!

Cars have become nothing more than computers with some mechanical pieces that, frankly, have not fundamentally changed since Ford’s Model T. The action is all in the electronics.

So it’s not surprising at all that an automobile company like BMW would want to embrace open source IP. Let’s face it, it’s totally in line with how aficionados have always viewed their relationship with their vehicles – 4 wheel or 2 wheel – i.e. open for tweaking, tuning and modding – in short, innovating. This website provides a good example of the options.

What BMW is doing is especially exciting because the auto industry is at a critical inflection point. Auto manufacturers, as well as just about every other old school manufacturing based industry, need to find a new growth vector. It can’t be just a tweak of the existing model. Big thinkers like, Umair Haque (blogs here and here), John Seely Brown and John Hagel (good blog here) have been saying this for years and I completely agree. There needs to be a genetic change, a core transformation. Open source is not the answer obviously. But it does point the way towards a way of innovating that I deeply believe is the way the most important 21st century inventions will be realized.

BMW seems to have grasped this, at least insofar as their openness to taking big perceived risks. Good for them. We applaud this type of thinking. And dear Dr. Reithofer (BMW CEO), if you’d like some assistance on the open source front we’d be happy to help out!

Bug Labs was at the Austin Maker Faire this weekend, where we won a Editor’s Choice award from Make! We were really honored to be part of Maker Faire and excited to show everyone our product!

Just before Maker Faire, at our Open House, we got our breakout board module (The Von Hippel) talking to an Arduino mini! It was a collaborative effort with help from NYC Resistor, who brought us a much needed R232 to TTY chip at a moment’s notice.

The folks at Maker Faire enjoyed clipping together modules together and coming up with new module ideas we should consider for the future, such as the Jelly Bean module and a Robot Wheels module (pictured below).

Hope everyone enjoyed seeing demos of the Bug! If we took your picture with the DrawPad app, check for it on Bugnet!  View more pictures of Bug Labs at Maker Faire here!

As I think back all the way to last night’s Open House I can’t help but recall… “I wasn’t there.”

But others were! Lots of others in fact! And we have pictures and cool stories to prove it. Rather than me share some interpreted anecdotes as assembled by the gang who could make it, we’ve put together a short collection of vignettes.

Matt C: “I enjoyed talking with Cynthia – she said some are saying technology is keeping kids indoors. She wants to use technology to get them outside (BUG scavenger hunt is an easy hit).”

Amie: “I met a handful of people who are considering or have already applied for a job at Bug Labs. That made me feel good.”

Melinda: “There was a woman that showed up last night who had no tech experience and wasn’t working in the tech industry, but when she heard about BUG she was so excited over the possibilities that she had to stop by to see it in person. I think one of the most rewarding aspects of the evening was talking to people that aren’t geeks, but who still see the potential for something truly great in what we’re doing. ”

Brian B: “I spent most of the night demoing a simple BUG application. The app lets you snap a photo, draw on and annotate the photo, and then upload the photo directly to an rss feed. Most people get uncomfortable when you point a BUG at them, but once they saw the beautiful art we made, they relaxed.” (more on Brian’s app here, expect an update from him soon!)

Peter: “I had a terrific conversation with a woman interested in getting more girls into technology. We both agreed the Test Kitchen could be a great resource. Alicia wants to have a “GeekGirlz” nite ” (JT’s note: after a lengthy lecture on appropriate terminology, we determined that the discussion was actually about encouraging young women to pursue technology-focused careers. Good job Peter!)

Amie: “I talked to Dan, a software developer from hedge fund company, who found out about us on the day of open house and decided to stop by with two of his colleagues. It’s always good to see such enthused reaction from fellow developers!”

Matt C: “100 beers gone, and plenty of Bug shirts awarded…. Awesome to see so many people so engaged – and trying out applications (like draw pad)”

Big thanks to everyone who could make it and join the crew. Maybe next time we’ll have one in San Francisco and leave them New Yorkers jealous?? Of course they do have the awesome new Test Kitchen there, not to mention the engineering staff and everything. Oh well, at least we’ve got better burritos!

Over the past couple of months I’ve been reading with great interest all the postings on how the current economic crisis can/can’t, will/won’t effect the start up world. Having lived through the 2001 – 2003 nuclear winter, I feel strongly that no one will be spared, irrespective of how big your company is.

This reality scored a direct hit last week when we got a call from the CEO of our contract manufacturer (domestic, not overseas). Their credit lines were pulled by their bank (one of the big ones) because they had violated some terms of their loan agreement. While in the past, this type of thing was met with a “let’s work it out” type of attitude from the bank, instead given the credit crisis, that attitude disappeared. Consequently, they closed the facility where our product was being built.

As a result, we needed to immediately pull all our inventory, test fixtures, and packaging out of their facilities. To say the timing was terrible is a grave understatement. Our products were literally on their assembly lines, on schedule for our early October shipping deadlines.

It’s hard to describe the feelings this sudden crisis created. First there was the enormous frustration of having to cope with another manufacturing delay. Closely coupled was the harsh realization we now risked losing the confidence of our loyal customers that we’d ever get these units out the door. To that end, let me describe what we’ve done and are doing to make sure this setback has minimal impact.

Our product team, having gone through the process of spinning up a new contract manufacturer (CM) not too long ago, is well prepared to make this next move happen quickly and smoothly. We have already identified, contracted and engaged a new CM who has committed to hitting the ground running. This CM is a family run business, a bit smaller than the one we’d been using, is debt-free with strong financials. While of course there are no guarantees, I feel strongly that they are the right fit for the job we need to get done right away. They know the stress we’re under and have signed up to the task of helping us move rapidly.

This switch will create a four week delay in our shipping schedule. Not good news, but hopefully not terminally bad either. Many of you who are reading this have been waiting for a long time for your BUGs and I can only say everyone here at Bug Labs is working like mad to get them to you. We all deeply appreciate your patience. We will get through this setback.

I will continue to blog about our progress to make sure you stay informed. If you have any questions, concerns, frustrations or suggestions I would love to hear from you. You can email me at peter (a) buglabs dot net.

While most of you have been going about your daily business paying no attention to the following web site, there are 31 people who have been checking every day…. anxiously biting their nails… pacing to and fro in front of their computers… even twittering… Why?

At the end of August, Jeremy presented at Gnomedex and asked the audience to suggest some BUG gadgets they’d like to build, with the promise that 4 of them would win BUGbundles.

After a month of deliberation, and more than a few calls to Lady Cleo, we’ve made our decision (yes, we are late, we know, we’re sorry!). The following BUG fans will each be receiving a BUGbundle for their ideas (and their strong desire to actually build these items…)

i-Doorbell from Mike Koss
The i-Doorbell consists of a wall-mounted BugLabs base with the LCD, Camera, Motion Detector, Microphone and Speaker (TBD) modules. When a visitor arrives at the front door, the i-Doorbell welcomes them, and takes a photo. They are invited to announce themselves and leave a brief audio message. If someone is home, the interior doorbell is activated. If not, an SMS message is sent to the owner, as well as an email with an embeded image of the visitor. For homes with an electric strike lock, the i-Doorbell can be used to scan a 2-D barcode (e.g. a QR Code) from the camera. When a valid code is presented, the door can be unlocked (codes can be activated to limited periods to allow visitors or vendors to have limited entry).
Why You Want It: One device can be used to replace conventional door camera, intercom, AND card reader. Yet allows much more flexible guest access and security to a home or business.

TimeLapsr from Jess Martin (we think Jess works in Web2.0)
A device for creating time-lapse videos composed of still images from either the built-in camera or your own DSLR. You can set up the TimeLapsr anywhere and generate a timelapse video on the fly. Device can be set to be activated by motion detector, so you only catch the good stuff. You can use the built-in 2MP camera or utilize the USB interface to take pics directly from a high-end DSLR. Once the images are taken, the BUGbase’s MPEG4 encoder can create the video immediately. This gives you a one-touch solution for creating time-lapse videos but is also highly customizable using a high-end camera if desired. And why not tag the video with GPS info for fun. Can playback recorded timelapses using MPEG4 decoder.
Why You Want It: More uses than you can list- home/shop security camera, artsy timelapse video creator, observe consumer behavior in public settings, timelapse a sunset/sunrise, in-vehicle road trip timelapses, etc.

BikeBuddy from Cassie WallenderDescription: Today’s urban biker is more often then not, eventually going to end up in some sort of accident with a car. Anyone who’s bicycled around Seattle can tell you. Unfortunately, when it comes to proving who’s at fault, it’s often one person’s word against another. The more unbiased data you can have in situations like these, the better. BikeBuddy will automatically turn itself on when in motion, and the built in camera and GPS will track where your bike is, how fast it’s going, and the conditions around you. As long as it’s in motion, it will take a photo every 4 seconds pairing it with GPS coordinates. It can do this by emptying it’s earlier taken photos constantly as well. If you get into an accident, you would tell it to stop, and have all the most recent photos and location information at your disposal.
Why you want it: To protect yourself while you’re trying to protect the environment. Imagine having a picture to prove that the light you went through was green, while the car that hit you was going through a red. Case closed. BikeBuddy FTW.

Travel Security Alarm Clock from James ThomasDescription: travel alarm clock that automatically adjusts time based on GPS coordinates. Touchscreen allows variety of sleep and wake settings. Can set wake alarm type (beep, music wav file, sounds of nature wav file) and wake alarm type (immediate on, or slow volume increase – 15 second ramp to 15 minute ramp). Also can set music to go to sleep by (with decreasing volume). Final part is security function: Set up touchscreen side of Bug to face sleeping person, and motion activator and camera to face out to room. If motion is detected, sound alarm and start video recording
Why you want it: Great to slowly wake to the sound of gradually increasing music. Even possibility of 2nd back up alarm. Market place right now does not provide for ‘gradual wake’ feature of longer than 15 seconds – this would be the first alarm clock to allow gradual wake over 15 minutes, and could provide back up alarm. When traveling, time is automatically adjusted eliminating the hassle of reseting time. Finally provides security when you sleep, or when you are away from your room.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Chris & Ponzi Pirillo for hosting another great conference.

It’s time for a long overdue Open House at Bug Lab’s new SoHo office. Here are three reasons why it’s going to be a great night;

1. We are wrapping up work on our Test Kitchen – a workspace for one and all to collaborate on apps, build hardware, construct projects and share solder. Alicia, the latest Bug full timer, and a NYC Resistor, will be brewing up some wicked Test Kitchen havoc.
2. Of course – it’s demo time. Plan is to have some cool apps using BUGnet-data and something with our upcoming audio and von Hippel modules.
   
3. The ladies and men of Bug Labs recently had a challenge to decorate the respective comfort stations here in the office. See for yourself who did a better job. You can also try your luck and stand under the wall of bikes.

There is lots to do, and we have to fit it all in before the last US of A presidential debate starts. See you soon!

When: Wednesday, October 15th, 6-8pm (get some substance before the last debate)
Where: 598 Broadway, 4th floor (yes, we moved since the last one!!!)
Who: Anyone, all are welcome!

We’ll pick up some beer and snacks, so please let us know if you think you can make it!

One thing we’ve had in the works for a few months now are some tools to integrate OpenEmbedded and Poky with Eclipse.  We are a big fan of Eclipse as a modern development tool and use it as the foundation of our Java-based SDK.  Poky (based on OpenEmbedded) forms the foundation of the BUG Linux operating system.  In addition to making Java and OSGi apps easy to write, we’re also adding tools to make it easier for those of us that work down in the pipes.  Here is a screenshot of a BitBake recipe editor.  If you are interested in this kind of functionality, we’d love to hear from you!

Using the VonHippel module and a simple c program compiled for the ARM, BUG can talk to the Arduino (in the picture, the USB cable and USB to serial chip on the breadboard are probably superfluous as the VonHippel has serial on it).

Jan came in for a visit a few days back, during an OSGi Alliance meeting going on nearby.  Concierge, the OSGi framework that enables some of the BUG’s features such as abstract hardware services, was written by Jan as part of his research at ETH.  We had an interesting conversation on the state of various efforts going on with OSGi, and we are glad that Jan is involved in the alliance.  It seems all-too-common for standards, specs, and projects to bloat over time.  Concierge is a great example of simplicity and minimalism and we hope that same spirit continues in the alliance.  Thanks for stopping by Jan!