Kickstarter

Hello guys,

This morning we received our third round of samples and parts look and function excellent. We have just one small adjustment to the socket tool and then we should be able to turn on production.

The tooling for the suction cups has been completed and their final material selection has been made. There are literally hundreds of possibilities available to mold suction cups in and each have their specific application. Our project demanded a unique blend of stiffness and compliance to effectively eliminate the "bounce" that would have resulted from common vinyl and rubber suction cups. In addition, we needed to address the prolonged UV exposure and extreme heat when used during windshield mounted applications. Our suction cups work extremely well under these extreme conditions.

Couple of side notes:

-There was some confusion that we resorted to "off the shelf" suction cups. NOT TRUE. Our products design and functionality are completely unique and therefore require the manufacture of entirely custom components. 

-There was some confusion that backers will be getting an outdated Orbit version 1.0 model. NOT TRUE. All backers will be getting the new and improved version 2.0 suction mount that reflects all of our design tweaks and material upgrades. 

-The brass inserts were eliminated in Version 2.0. YES. This was done to ultimately improve functionality with the added bonus of reducing the cost of the production manufacturing. A win-win for us and for you. Let me explain: When the mount is used on a windshield for example, it is constantly being twisted, turned and adjusted. We found that the brass inserts provided zero friction and were too easily loosened when the mount was rotated counter-clockwise. We chose to tap the polymer itself with an undersized class thread allowing us to control the amount of friction we needed to prevent this unthreading nuisance. We have increased the stud length and ensure that "stripped threads" will never be an issue. The polymer we have selected is extremely tough, so absolutely nothing to worry about. 

-We have decided to offer Version 2.0 in the Black & Red color scheme shown. The ball joint will be opaque black while the suction cups will be offered in a translucent red. The suction cups will have a red anodized threaded aluminum insert.

We have included a few pics to show how things are progressing. 

Again, a huge thank you for your continued support and patience.

Sincerely,

Jon & Joe

Hello guys,

As we announced last time we were seeing first article parts from our new manufacturing partners. We wanted to provide a few photos of some second round parts we received and let you know that we are in our final phases of dialing in final fit and finish specifications. Trust us when we say we know it feels like an eternity, but getting you quality parts is our ultimate goal. 

Along with the retooling the ball and socket assembly, we did also retool the suction cup and update their anodized threaded inserts (note: these samples shown here have not been anodized yet). 

We have not shown the magnetic component that we have added to the system. We will be revealing that new component, the new name and packaging after we fulfill our KS obligation. 

*Please note that our mounting system is not tied to any particular mobile device. It works great with the Apple line-up of iPhones & iPods as well as models like the Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note and many other Android models that have a smooth glossy back.

As we get closer to approved final production samples we will have more to share. Again, we would like to thank you for all for your continued patience and support.

Best regards,

Jon & Joe

Hello Backers,

We would like to thank you all for your ongoing commitment and passion to our project.

Let us get right to the point. Inadequate production parts and general non-responsiveness to our needs from the vendors we have worked with over the last calendar year has left us with only one option – to source new, higher-quality vendors that will yield the best possible product we can deliver – this will effectively be a version 2.0, with an updated design soon to be revealed. 

Some of the problems we were facing:

Since our last update we have been trying to resolve the production issues, but with little to no cooperation form our vendors. 

Suction Cups- We learned that our suction cups were sub-contracted out to be molded by another vendor resulting in faulty material and lack of processing control. While fulfilling the Kickstarter audience is our main concern, we knew that eventually we would need to move away from this vendor to meet a realistic production schedule that guaranteed quality parts, on time and every time. This was never going to happen so we decided sourcing new partners. 

Ball & Socket- Final production issues were misplaced threaded inserts that affected the fit and finish of the final product. We were forced to reject the production parts. In addition to this vendor being continually non-responsive, they were often plagued with tool malfunctions that required sending the molds out for repair. This resulted in months of setbacks and threw the project way off track. Again, if we were ever hoping to meet a realistic production schedule, we knew we would eventually have to cut our losses and retool with a more capable vendor. 

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Progress & Moving Forward:

Over the past year we have gotten an enormous amount of interest in Orbit. Despite the numerous setbacks we have had, we have always believed in the product and knew that once it was in the hands of our customers, that they too would realize its benefits. Although our goals have been tested and delayed many times, we have continuously chosen to take the high road. 

Realizing the potential of the project and the ongoing limitations of our current vendors, we decided a few months ago to retool the Orbit. We took this as an opportunity to make improvements to the design and expand its features for future release. We began developing relationships with great new vendors, invested considerably more of our own time and capital, but most importantly applied all that we learned from the development of Orbit 1.0 to the new an improved product. The new mount features expanded mobility, magnetic attachment options soon to be launched and a complete rebranding campaign. The bells and whistles may be improved, but the original concept remains intact – only this time, executed with the brilliance, simplicity and undeniable high quality which we seek to provide. It would be unfitting to provide you with anything less than the very best we can offer. 

This parallel effort has recently completed their tooling and just days ago we got a glimpse at first shots from our new manufacturing partners. We were extremely excited to say the least. Please understand, we never imagined we would be telling you like this, but we also didn't think that our current vendors would have strung us along for over a year, only to leave us with shocking disappointment. 

What this means regarding final product:

All our original Kickstarter backers’ orders will be fulfilled before the new product is released for consumer sale, and all original donation tiers will be fulfilled exactly as promised in the original campaign. Additional discounts and incentives for new accessories and additions to Version 2.0 will be made available exclusively to our original backers as well.

Bundle orders and retail packaging:
With regards to our backers that purchased the Orbit in a bundle for resale, we will be shipping those backers the new product in it's redesigned and rebranded packaging. 

Please stand by for an update with photographs, video and full illustrations of the updated design, new name and branding very soon.

We would like to thank you all again for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Jon & Joe

Hello guys,

Some of the problems have to do with the threaded inserts, some with molding issues, minor cosmetics, fit and finish and even the functionality of some of the parts.

To be completely honest, if you assemble the ball and socket and apply breath vapor to the suction-cups they stick and work completely fine. The ball joint holds great, pops infinitely in and out without affecting the snap-fit and adjusts and rotates flawlessly. No complaints there! BUT, the flip side is that the fit and finish is not what we were expecting and as a result causing functional issues. This leaves us in a really tough spot as to how to proceed. We are well aware of the time spent so far and have been adamant to produce an exceptionally functional product, not to mention great looking.

Let us just sum up some of the issues if we were to ship "as is":

Suction Cups (problem A)- They absolutely must be moistened with breath vapor or they have a very high expectancy of falling off. This is a huge liability for those that may get them as a gift without this "warning". OTHERWISE, "if" moistened they work great, no issues. But that's a big "if" when many of you will be applying these to your windshields.

Suction Cups (problem B)- Regarding the cosmetics, they have an irregular surface "matting" that occurred during the molding process. We are not sure if the plastic was overheated to speed up throughput or if the polymer "recipe" was tweaked causing the problem. Either way, this matting has a two-fold effect. One being cosmetic, but more importantly it also affects the suction. Of course suction cups want to be glossy to maintain their tight vacuum. We are noticing that this cosmetic defect is quickly becoming more of major functionality issue.

Suction Cups (problem C)- The threaded inserts in the suction cup have been poorly machined. First off, it results in a high rejection rate, but more importantly the ones that do "work" more or less, do not thread all the way down resulting in an unsightly gap between the suction cup and the ball/socket joint. This affects the intentional friction fit, causing the suction cup to unthread more readily when in use. (now this only happens when you rotate your phone counter-clockwise to adjust the view. By rotating it this way, it increases the chance of the two parts unthreading. Simple Solution: We have found that if you simply always adjust in a clock-wise motion, it eliminates this problem completely.)

Ball and Socket- The balls and sockets have been designed to accept a molded-in and post-op press-in insert. These inserts were intended to be molded flush to allow for that friction fit mentioned above in "suction cup problem C". The reality is that all the inserts are set slightly proud compounding this problem. It also compounds the aesthetic issue of having that unsightly gap between the parts. The molder is fixing this issue.

Please know and understand that we are continually communicating with our vendors to address the problems and see what can be done to get us great parts.

We are working diligently on this and will be back with another update when we get more feedback.

Sincerely,
Jon & Joe

Hello guys,

We wanted to let you know that production parts are finally starting to arrive. We have not received all of our parts, but this is a huge milestone with regards to what we've seen from our vendors so far. We are now going through the different parts and making sure everything looks and works as expected. There are literally thousands of components for us to inspect, but as we QC the parts, we will begin arranging them for packaging and delivery.

We would like to thank you all again for being so patient. This has been a most unfortunate experience for both of us. Regardless, we are still as determined to complete this project as the day we launched. 

We are looking forward to getting these out to you to use and run through their paces. We both use the Orbit daily and really think that you'll find it extremely handy in all sorts of situations.

Address Changes// For those of you who have or are moving, PLEASE READ!!!

Many of you have been emailing us with updated address changes and we have been making notes of these. Regardless, we will be sending out an update with an email for you to resend your new address (as well as your old) so that we can have one complete document of these updates. The shipping of the rewards is the final and most daunting task and we would like to ensure that none of you slip through the cracks.

We would like to thank you all again for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Jon & Joe