Laurens Laudowicz

4 days ago
Laurens Laudowicz
backed a project
CAPITAL C - how the crowd liberates itself by Timon Birkhofer

The very first documentary about the crowd funding revolution. Finally.
- Documentary
- Greensboro, NC
- 96% funded $77,112 pledged
- 461 backers
on May 18
Juicies - colorful cables for iPod, iPhone & iPad
- Product Design
- Honolulu, HI
Laurens Laudowicz
Posted project update #28

Juicies - 360 days later
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1. 1. Kalee Featherwise 4 days ago
    
    Greezer, nope, Im not one of you fools who pledged a buck for this thing and now have the nerve to be crying about it. I pledged a fair and reasonable amount for the item and I'd up it now if I could and order another cable from him. I have that much faith that it will be delivered.
    
    Chris, in your attempt to sell me a faulty NY bridge ;P you have just proven that you are exactly the type of shady dishonest person you accuse laudowicz of being.... Perhaps you are so sure that he ran off with your money because that's what YOU would do in his situation? To me the countless samples of cables with various fixes are proof enough that he is working on this. I don't need to see accounts of every penny he has spent. Ultimately laurels is obviously trying to turn this product into a successful business... Somehow I don't think that him broadcasting his costs for producing the item for all the world to see is going to do much for his ability to turn around and sell these for a fair markup... As we have seen proven over and over by all the people complaining and whining on here starting a mere two months after the project was funded, people tend to have unrealistic demands... If he puts up something saying (with random numbers as an example) that he purchased the finished 5000 cables from such and such manufacturer for 5000.00, do you really think he's ever going to get customers to give him $10 to $15 per cable? Nope...people don't take into account all the unseen expenses and the fact that someone has to mark up their products in order to make a decent living wage for their work.... If I was him I wouldn't be putting such things up either... Especially when he's already been presented with ample evidence of the unreasonable behaviour of soooooo many people on here. Some of you guys are all but making death threats on this guy for the lousy few dollars you invested.
  2. Sam Kass about 7 hours ago
    
    Only 23 backers pledged more than $20 for this; it's not like he got anyone's life savings. And Kickstarter is not a place to order completed projects, it's the backing of something new. And one of the things about Kickstarter is that you don't get equity in the company and therefore have no right to audit expenditures. Seriously, I think people need to settle down. Even if this project ends up failing and nothing ever ships (which is not what I think will happen) it was a worthy attempt to try to manufacture and package cables out of recycled material and sustainable processes as much as possible.
  3. greezer about 3 hours ago
    
    Sam: I pledged 40$, but in the 20$ or more package, to get two of them.. And I think, so did others, too.. so please recalculate.
    It's not even about the money!! It's about talking bullcrap and making some lame promises. And in my opinion, someone who can't make a good start for a business, should not try it further.
    yeah sure, maybe he thought it would be a lot more easy, but if you realize that.. show some balls and accept that fact. Inform your "clients" about delays, show them clear where the problem is and accept critics if you fail.
    That's all important things to keep in mind to make a nice living out of a business.
    
    In my point of view, Laurens sucked in all these areas. No information, empty promises, no answers. Just some lame excusions.
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on May 17
Laurens Laudowicz
backed a project
Remee - The REM enhancing Lucid Dreaming Mask by Bitbanger Labs

Shrink to the size of an atom. Teleport to Mars. Bowl with John Lennon & Liz Lemon. Free your dreams!
- Technology
- Brooklyn, NY
- 1,636% funded $572,891 pledged
- 6,557 backers
- Funded May 18, 2012
on May 16
Laurens Laudowicz
backed a project
The Limb.al by Bill May

A flexible mount for iOS and Android phones that uses standard USB ports to mount your phone at your desk, laptop, or car.
- Product Design
- Brooklyn, NY
- 489% funded $53,881 pledged
- 1,721 backers
on May 16
Laurens Laudowicz
backed a project
Une Bobine - For People Who Love iPhone... and Android by Jon Fawcett + [Fuse]Chicken

A flexible and eclectic stand, sync, and charging cable accessory for iPhone... and Android.
- Product Design
- Akron, OH
- 1,082% funded $106,047 pledged
- 2,674 backers
on May 15
Laurens Laudowicz
backed a project
Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android by Pebble Technology

Pebble is a customizable watch. Download new watchfaces, use sports and fitness apps, get notifications from your phone.
- Product Design
- Palo Alto, CA
- 10,266% funded $10,266,845 pledged
- 68,929 backers
- Funded May 18, 2012
on April 19
Juicies - colorful cables for iPod, iPhone & iPad
- Product Design
- Honolulu, HI
Laurens Laudowicz
Posted project update #27

Juicies - T1 arrival
Hi all

In my last update I was waiting for the T1 samples and the color samples to be shipped to Hawaii. I am happy to inform you that I have received both of them in good condition.

First of all let me say that I really did feel some form of relief, as the quality of the samples is now very close to what I originally had in mind. Most of the colors are now spot-on when compared to the Pantone colors that are being used for the iPad Smart Covers and the iPhone Bumpers. The colors of the cable itself, the Dock Connector housing and the Stress Relief part are also matching nicely.

All T1 samples that I got are working properly with numerous devices including ALL iPhones, ALL iPod Touches, many older iPods, the iPad and iPad 2 and of course “The New iPad”. I have tested them many times and I have also done a lot of stress testing such as plugging them in and out over a thousand times (seriously, I counted! :-). In addition, all outer measurements of the Dock Connector housing and of the male USB housing are as specified. This is very important because it means that it is possible to use Juicies in combination with the original iPhone 4 Bumper Cases. This is also good since a lot of 3rd party audio accessories require you to fit your existing Dock Connector through a very tight opening.

BUT… there are still a few details, which have to be corrected:

1. The colors of all the cables itself are perfect. However, the orange, green and yellow Dock Connector housings seem a little translucent. It’s not something you notice immediately, but when paying close attention to it you will see it. It doesn't look that good, especially when held against the light. Sounds minor, but it is a rather big deal to me since these things are all about the color. And who wants to see the PCB (printed circuit board) shining through?

2. The USB logo and the Dock Connector logo have still not been printed on the housings. I called the manufacturer immediately after having received the T1 samples. They said they would take care of it right away. Basically, there is a top side and a bottom side to the housings (see the picture below). From all the research I have done, there seems to be no official standard for what to print on which side. It seems that most USB related cables have the specifying logo (i.e. the USB logo, the Dock Connector logo or the Thunderbolt logo, etc.) on the top side of the housing, so that when holding the cable you can see which way to plug it in. Any other logos or labels should therefore be on the bottom-side. With this in mind, we have decided to place the ever so slightly recessed Juicies Drop logo on the bottom-side. The specifying logo will be on the top side.

3. The cable imprint saying “Designed by Juicies in Hawaii Assembled in China” has to be on the cable for import reasons. However, it should only be on each cable ONCE! There is no need to continuously print it all over the cable, which is unfortunately exactly what the cable supplier did for the T1 samples. I'm glad that this issue has already been corrected and the next batch of T1s will hopefully not need any further corrections.

Have a look at the pictures below with my comments. Once the above-mentioned issues have been resolved, we should be ready to deliver the high-quality product that I have been promising to all of you from the very beginning. Sending out sub-standard, low-quality cables is just not an option after all this time.

I hope this update was helpful to you. As always, I highly welcome all comments and suggestions. I want to thank everybody again for sending me messages and leaving comments. It means a lot to me to receive your words of encouragement.

With much Aloha from Honolulu!

Laurens

info@juicies.com

808.351.2891
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1. 1. greezer on May 9
    
    almost another month, you won't tell me, nothing happend...?
  2. Alex Allegro on May 9
    
    What a scam this is. A year now and no product. I've seen movies made faster. Good thing I only gave a dollar, because this is a joke now.
  3. jvsapp on May 10
    
    and yet no response. i wonder if we could do a class action suite? here's more news.... looks like this cable will become obsolete before it get's produced. at least i'll have a colorful cable to hang something with.
    http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/05/iphone-5-report-suggests-a-larger-display-and-new-dock-connector/
    "Lastly, iLounge reports that the phone will have a new dock connector, something that has reported previously as well. The new charging port is said to use fewer pins and be smaller."
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on April 3
Juicies - colorful cables for iPod, iPhone & iPad
- Product Design
- Honolulu, HI
Laurens Laudowicz
Posted project update #26

Juicies - the minor things
Hey

In my last update I had stated that the T1 samples are on the way to Honolulu and the cable color samples are in progress. Here is another update, which refers to the latter.

The small corrections that I shared with you in the last update did all get taken care of. The manufacturing of the whole product actually consists of several components, most of which are being produced in the one factory we are working with. However, the cable sleeve (the colorful rubber-like material) that we usually would refer to as “the cable itself” comes from another larger factory that makes only cables, and nothing but cables. Since this part is made from a different type of material than the housing parts of the Dock Connector, the male USB and the female USB, the colors have to be perfectly matched first. Check out the pictures below, I feel that the manufacturer has done a good job regarding this matter.

Nevertheless it is still challenging to work with a manufacturer abroad. Another small thing that came up is the following: the imprint on the cable should say “Designed by Juicies in Hawaii Assembled in China". Even though this was already called for on the spec sheet back in August 2011, they still sent me samples that say: “Designed by JUICIES in Hawaii Assembled in china". Here you can note the improper capitalization and on the picture below you can see that there are huge gaps in between each word. Doesn't seem like to big of a deal, I guess, but then again I don't want to print another piece of paper or make a sticker and attach that to the cables because of this. Each newly manufactured item that gets imported to the US from overseas needs to be labeled with the place of origin. A proper imprint on the cable itself would take care of this requirement. These are only some of the small obstacles, which I am talking about. The communication can take a lot of effort at times

The next steps for the color samples are as follows:
- The correction on the imprint on the cables has to be made
- The connector housing parts have to be manufactured according to the T1 samples
- The cables and connector housing parts have to be assembled
It would have been much easier and faster if I had opted for a non-MFI licensed cable, but then again I wanted a certain standard for the product right from the beginning. It took me about a month to produce the colorful non-MFI licensed samples back in 2011 before I launched this Kickstarter campaign. However, while those looked great, the quality was basically junk. They stopped charging intermittently and sometimes even damaged the devices I was trying them out with. The MFI program is great. Also, if there will be any updates in the future to connectors on the OEM side (i.e. Apple, etc), then it should be rather easy and much and faster for us to just update as well. (Thunderbolt to Dock Connector rumors anyone :-) Anyways, some of you have asked what MFI actually stands for, so let me describe the MFI Program very briefly:

“The Made for iPod, Made for iPhone, and Made for iPad logos mean that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod, iPhone, or iPad and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards.

Developers receive technical specifications describing the iPod Accessory protocol, the communication protocol used to interact with iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Developers also gain access to the hardware connectors and components that are required to manufacture iPod, iPhone, and iPad accessories.”

You can read more about it here: https://developer.apple.com/programs/mfi/
As you can see, some delays in production just can't be helped, yet I want to state once more that I take full responsibility for completing the project. It is not my intent to blame the manufacturer or any other person. The only reason I am sharing these problems and obstacles of my JUICIES product venture with you, is because I feel that you, the backers deserve more transparency and I want to show you what I am currently working on.

Thanks for all the useful comments, which I have received as a response to the last update. I hope this update was helpful too. Aloha.

Laurens

808.351.2891

…one last thing, yes JUICIES will work just fine with “The New iPad” (3rd Gen).
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1. 1. Matt on April 7
    
    I also don't like the idea of text on the cables at all... I Agree with what Adrian says.
  2. Wolf Mackenzie on April 14
    
    I agree with others. I don't like the text being on the cables. That is messy and unnecessary. Part of this is for eco friendly and another part is looking sleek and nice. Text doesn't fit in. It's maybe not a huge turn off but it probably would, in the end, make people go for a colored cable that isn't yours if they were side by side.
    
    However, besides that slight disappointment, I am much happier that you're updating a little more now. I know a lot of time is waiting and communications. But updates do make it feel that things are getting done.
  3. Wolf Mackenzie on April 14
    
    However.... I reread what you put and agree that if you can get it small and unobtrusive then I do agree with printing it on the cable itself. The idea of these in the long run is to be eco friendly. Most people seem to be forgetting about this. Extra paper or plastic just because it isn't as aesthetically pleasing totally takes that away. So hopefully you'll get that print sorted out and looking a little nicer.
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on March 24
Juicies - colorful cables for iPod, iPhone & iPad
- Product Design
- Honolulu, HI
Laurens Laudowicz
Posted project update #25

Juicies - T1 samples
Hey there

First of all let me thank you for all the comments, which I have received since the last update. It really means a lot to me to receive some encouraging words in this rather difficult situation.

Let me give you a brief update regarding the current project status. The T1 (approval) samples are finally manufactured, you can see some pictures of them below. From what I can tell by looking at the pictures, the quality is now finally what I have been asking for. There are still a few small corrections that have to be made regarding the USB extension, but that shouldn't stop us from finalizing the Dock Connector cables.

Here is an overview for the next steps:

- waiting for the white T1 sample to arrive

- colorful versions are being manufactured in the meantime

After the color samples are received in Honolulu, I will have to sign them all off once more and express mail them back to the manufacture. I also have to adjust some of the print artwork on the packaging. Being part of the MFI program means that we have to stick to Apple’s packaging guidelines. Our packaging got approved except for one minor change, which I am working on right now.

I know that all of this may sound like a very easy procedure, but there are always small details, which seem to cause further delays and difficulties. That being said, it looks like right now things are back on track. As I had mentioned in my last update I just can’t be posting a timeline for now until I am 100% sure about it.

I hope this update was helpful and if you have any suggestions please let me know.

Aloha

Laurens

808.351.2891
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1. 1. Sandra Shaner on March 25
    
    I'll be happy to get mine whenever it is "really done" and done well I contributed planning on it to be a spare anyway, so no hard feelings from me at this point. Just keep on keeping on. And perhaps our investment in your learning curve will pay out somewhere else for all of us.
  2. greezer on March 27
    
    Is it possible, to send me some in-progress pictures of what you're doing at the moment?
    Say a prototype or something? But if you do, please add a paper to the picture with the actual date on it, so we can be sure its not an old picture.
    We, the backers, would appreciate this!
  3. greezer on March 28
    
    after sending my text above a few times to Laurens, here's what I got back:
    http://img7.imagebanana.com/img/gn340zao/photo.jpg
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on March 7
Juicies - colorful cables for iPod, iPhone & iPad
- Product Design
- Honolulu, HI
Laurens Laudowicz
Posted project update #24

Juicies - still working on it...
Hey there…
First of all I have to apologize for the delay in communication. I can understand some of the comments that were made and I completely understand if some of you are frustrated. I have to admit that I did my fair share of mistakes during the past month of working on my project and especially in the communication here on Kickstarter. I have completely underestimated the obstacles and challenges which are lying between an idea and a high quality retail ready licensed mobile accessory product.
Nevertheless I have to thank you for the constructive comments and feedback, I found some of them very helpful and motivating i.E. @Bert JW Regeer, @greezer, @jvsapp, @Jason L Chapman, @Yong-Soo Chung and many more. In this regard I have to make it clear that I WILL NOT stop working on the Juicies project until ALL of you get your rewards.
The reason for my sparsity in the updates is that I always wanted to present you with some "real" news where you can actually see the progress of the project. As far as the delay of the project, most of it was simply put the much(!) higher amount of cash needed to get things going from idea to final retail product. The initially somewhat small project became rather more complex and challenging at a certain point. It took me quite some time to get the remaining amount needed. Then came some hurdles regarding the required MFI license progress, which I still see as absolutely mandatory as it really does stand for high quality and compatible accessory products when it comes to iPod, iPhone and iPad.
Then unfortunately the first samples were really not that good at all, so I had to renegotiate small details a couple of times. More delays arrived due to the fact that I refused the idea of changing the core values of the product. Good quality and the recyclable content are basically the main reasons the project was started long with the idea of introducing colors.
The second and third set of samples were slightly better, but still not all that good. So I went back and forth with the manufacture. At some point during this progress they actually tried to convince me to use toxic PVC material instead of recycled PET and that even though the spec sheets were sent to the manufacture in July 2011...
As fas as the current status of the project:
- We made a down payment on the final retail packaging which will include the recycled box, a small paper bag for the cable so it does not get scratched and a little warranty card.
- We made some adjustment to the packaging so it complies with the 2012 MFI guidelines.
- We have built out a online store that will launch after the ALL Kickstarter backers received their rewards.
- We adjusted the molds for the longer stress relief on the cables.
- We are continuously working on the project and WILL NOT STOP working on it until all of you will have your "Juicies USB to Dock Connector" cables.
- We have made the down payment for the first production and we are STILL anxiously awaiting the T1 samples, which are the final version of the product right before it goes into mass production.
At this point I have to apologize again as I really have to refrain from giving an exact delivery date. I had tried to give an approximate time-frame early on in the project, but I do feel that this only caused more confusion then it was a benefit. I will give an exact date once I can. Of course I can totally understand your frustration. Believe me, I am so frustrated myself that I was not able to make it happen yet.
But once again I WILL NOT forget that all of you are my investors AND voices of encouragement. I don't want to make you guys feel upset or feel let down. I want to make you feel good and happy about having supported an idea that would have never made it to fruition if it wasn't for all of you.
Please let me know if this update was more helpful to you and also suggest how I can give you more transparency up until the day that your reward will ship.
Again thank you very much for your patience. Aloha.
Laurens
808.351.2891
info@juicies.com
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1. 1. Jennifer Yates on March 13
    
    Greezer. Three days and no response, but go easy on the guy. I'm sure Laurens will spend another hour or two on this Kickstarter project in a month or two. But in case he's busy throughout the rest of March, April and May I'll answer them for you.
    
    1) I don't know, I'm calling the suppliers EVERY day.
    
    2) I'm being honest with you. Trust me.
    
    3) I'm really sorry but I felt I should only update you when I've made progress, and as you've seen I'm terrible at making progress.
    
    4) No comment.
    
    5) I'll talk about refunds in my next update. I'm off skydiving!
  2. davdonline on March 14
    
    Thinking about requesting a refund, there are other colored cables on the internet that will ship in one day, not sure why it's taking so long to get this project together.
  3. Kathleen Thomas on March 18
    
    This guy needs to get a life...not suck the life blood out of others....
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