This campaign is now completed, thanks to all our Kickstarter backers! For further information on Gramofon, visit www.gramofon.com.
Updates
Nearly Gone. Thank you for loving Gramofon. Unlike some projects, there is a limited quantity from our first factory run available here. If you don't pledge through Kickstarter you will have to wait for later batches of the Gramofon. We are confirmed: We ship the first batch in July! We even brought some to the Kickstarter Blockparty in NYC on Saturday. Check it out here.
Why Gramofon is the best party.
• Gramofon is connected through WiFi, so you just need to connect it to your existing stereo (and then dance).
• Your laptop or phone doesn’t need to be plugged into a stereo or "tethered" by Bluetooth.
• Your music won’t stop when you get a text, a call, a Tweet or a Facebook like (the way Bluetooth systems work).
• You can use it anywhere in your house, and it boosts your existing WiFi so you have WiFi coverage all over your house.
• Your family and friends can connect to Gramofon with their phone. Not one at a time, so they can DJ too!
• Gramofon streams directly from cloud services like Spotify and Rhapsody to your sound system.
• It also comes with its own free music service.
• Reward levels: $50, $60 / €36, €44 / £30, £36 / ¥5115, ¥6138. Includes shipping & VAT. Countries are in the FAQ.
Let's crowdsource Gramofon.
Gramofon comes from the team behind Fon, the world's largest WiFi network. The essence of Fon is people sharing WiFi with each other, and we have reached almost 13 million hotspots around the world doing just that--crowdsourcing WiFi.
In this same tradition, we want to crowdsource a new product we have been working on for over a year: the Gramofon. We are so excited to unveil the Gramofon directly to all of you through Kickstarter.
How it works is simple.
1. Connect your Gramofon to the sound system or speakers of your choice.
2. Connect Gramofon to the Internet via ethernet or on your current WiFi.
3. Connect any Android or iOS phone to the Gramofon's WiFi signal.
4. Stream your favorite playlist from Spotify or listen to the free radio service powered by WahWah, all directly through the cloud.
The party is on! When your friends show up, you can all DJ together.
Connect. Stream. Listen.
Gramofon is the easiest way to get your music off of your phone and onto your sound system. Solo, or with friends.
Since WiFi means you can have many connections, with Gramofon you can have multiple people controlling your music together.
Gramofon does not depend on Bluetooth so your music doesn't cut out when you leave the room: WiFi isn't limited to a few feet of range, so your phone does not have to stay on the dance floor. The music plays on because it streams directly from the Gramofon.
As Seen On.
Techcrunch: Apple TV for your sound system.
The Verge: Streaming music through your home entertainment system should be simple, but..it’s a mess. Gramofon wants to solve that.
Gigaom: It uses Wi-Fi as a kind of authenticator for social music consumption.
CNET: The adorably-named Gramofon competes with audio and media streamers from the likes of Sonos and Roku.
The Next Web: Because Fon has plenty of experience in building routers, your friends can use the Gramofon to get WiFi too, without needing your password.
Elite Daily: No frat boys, no drunk dads, no creepy couples crowding the bar… just you, your friends and a guaranteed good time.
Why Kickstarter.
We think the world is going to love Gramofon as much as we do. But there is something we love even more: the gadget fans and dreamers who made Fon possible in the first place. The Foneros. You Foneros made our network the largest in the world because you wanted WiFi to be shared. We think you want to make share music in the same way too.
What began as a passion project turned into a much bigger thing: bringing social music to the masses, so you can listen to the Gramofon in your apartment, your dorm room, or anywhere else you want. We're just excited to keep on sharing the love (and hope you will share it too).
For those outside the US.
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform that allows you to support the project you care about. And it's all or nothing! So if we don't reach the goal, we don't get anything.
Each backer can only pledge one reward. Here on Kickstarter, we are offering FIRST edition Gramofons WELL below retail price, exclusive to this campaign. So get one while you can!
You get it first.
The factory is ready for the very first production run of the Gramofon ever. The project goal you see on this Kickstarter page is what it costs to get this first batch made.
As you can see, the Gramofon was a skunkworks project early on. The budget for the first production run comes from you, and all the units go to you. If you love them, we will pull in a lot more of the Fon team. In the meantime, be the first to get your hands on this product right off the press. This is the most valuable and least expensive it will ever be.
Right now, we have locked our first production run for 6500 units, set to ship in July. However, if we surpass our goal, more units means later delivery dates. We will handle that when the time comes. Until then, get in on that first 6500.
Featured music services we support.
Music services we plan to add.
And a big Japanese music service. We are making an API so we can integrate any music service with Gramofon and we can support as many different providers as possible.
Featured technologies we support.
Tech specs.
3.14 x 3.14 x 1.65 inches // 80 x 80x 42mm
WiFi 802.11b/g/n
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Gramofon comes with the Gramofon app, featuring free streaming radio
Spotify Premium gives you 30 days free when you sign up and works with Gramofon
WahWah is a free radio service that works with Gramofon (the service will start in the USA, Spain and Brazil, and expand over time)
Qualcomm Atheros AR9341
AP / Hotspot, WPS and bridge mode supported
- Included: 5V/1A Charger, 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable
- Audio Out: 3.5mm Stereo
- Android, iOS
- Windows phone and desktop apps to come
The Core Team.
Martin Varsavsky, Fon Founder & CEO
Alex Puregger, Fon COO
Iurgi Arginzoniz, Head of Product
Noelia Morón, Head of Engineering
Martin Bone & Gregory Germe, Design, Bone&Black
David Valerdi, Iban García, Iker Pérez de Albeniz, Javier Domingo, Alaitz García, Imanol Fuidio, Borja Salazar, Lander Alonso, Fon Labs
Eduardo Aguilar, Cristina Palacios, Úrsula Romero, Alejandro Martín, Rafa Delgado, Fon Firmware Development
Vanessa Chiang, Hardware Procurement Expert
Luis Simon Gómez, Project Coordination
What to expect.
✓ Product spec
✓ Electrical board design
✓ Beta firmware and mobile app development
✓ Device case industrial design
✓ Models and pre-production samples
✓ CE and FCC approval
✓ Manufacturing partner selection and prep
✓ Source product materials and components
✓ Run first pre-production units and quality assurance
✓ Revise pre-production models and materials (April)
✓ First sample testing of production line (End of April)
☐ Finalize firmware and mobile app (Early May)
☐ Complete production run for Kickstarter backers (June)
☐ Ship to Fon offices and logistics facilities (June/July)
☐ Ship to backers (July)
☐ Partner with more streaming services globally (Ongoing)
So here is your chance to be first. Back Gramofon. Get Gramofon. Meet the team. Get the collector's item.
And however you choose to be part of it...thank you for everything you have already done in building the movement.
We <3 WiFi.
We built the Gramofon with the same core technology as our Fon routers, which means the cloud music player is also a great WiFi hotspot. With the Gramofon, you get free WiFi in millions of places around the world.
Unlike most hotspots, with Gramofon you don't need to use passwords. Your friends can use their Facebook logins to connect automatically.
More about our WiFi love here.
And while you're at it, join us on Facebook & Twitter
Making a New Kind of Wave.
Fon is about WiFi radio waves. So when we thought of working on music waves it was a big jump.
We started by building prototypes out of open source hardware and open source software like the Raspberry Pi. We built a fully working set of prototypes and played with the product for months with a small team in New York.
Then about a year ago, we started getting more serious and set up a small team of engineers in Madrid and Bilbao. We began planning a device design that would feature social music features, incredible sound, and powerful WiFi capability all in the same package.
The team got really excited when the first prototypes began pumping out their favorite tracks from Spotify.
The heavy engineering came in as we rebuilt the entire product from the board up around a terrific chip from Qualcomm Atheros. With this chip, we were able to stream music and WiFi really well, fit it in a small, cool body, and get the whole product built at a really appealing price.
Risks and challenges
Delivery dates.
The estimated delivery date for the Gramofon is in line with our production schedule for a first run. While Fon is an established company that has shipped millions of WiFi devices, there is always a chance that we will encounter delays, as our production turnaround is tight (shipping in July). If there are any delays along the way, we will be very transparent with our backers, addressing all issues with care and immediacy. Additionally, the parties are pending attendees' schedule. We will keep you very much in the loop, but do know that you will get your Gramofon this July.
More Info About Delivery.
While we are hoping that people in every country around the world join our movement and pledge for Gramofon, there are regional licensing limitations. If this is the case, and we cannot send you a Gramofon due to your country's restrictions, we will immediately refund your pledge and keep you in the loop about when your country becomes available. Check our FAQs below to see which country we can ship to, guaranteed. We will keep you in the loop as this list grows, and cannot wait to get Gramofon to you.
Learn about accountability on KickstarterQuestions about this project? Check out the FAQ
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Funding period
- (30 days)