KICKSTARTER

Thank You, Kickstarters! We Did It!!!

Thanks to the power of Kickstarter and amazing backers such as yourself, the aTrackt! product launch has been a resounding success!!

Now for those who missed the Kickstarter project, don't worry! We've got you covered! You can order the aTrackt! and the aTrackt Go! over on our new e-commerce site, Inertial Design (www.InertialDesign.com). Plus for a limited time, we are still offering free shipping in the continental United States!

Again our new site is: ; www.InertialDesign.com. Come stop over and say hi!

Thanks again for helping bring this project to life, and here's to what comes next!

Mark A. Donohoe Founder, Inertial Design A division of IntuoSoft, LLC ; www.InertialDesign.com;

2/25/2011 - New Level Added - Go Duo!

We are now offering a new pledge level called The Go! Duo! which gives you two (2) aTrackt Go! units for $150! This means you're getting them at $75 each or a savings of $30! Put them both together and have two Go! units, or leave one apart and use it as a standard aTrackt! on your desk and have a choice of plates for the other one!

2/17/2011 - New Kickstarter Special!

We are now offering custom lower plates for the aTrackt Go! at no additional charge. Simply choose the appropriate new pledge level: the standard frame, the solid plate or the new Kickstarter logo version. Additionally, all pledges of $125 will receive a second aTrackt! for free!* (Note: I am unable to edit the existing descriptions for pledges with backers. Rest assured, existing $125 level backers will get two aTrackt! units even though the description still says one.)

The aTrackt! is a surprisingly simple and elegant device which securely positions the Apple Magic Trackpad alongside Apple's matching Aluminum Wireless Keyboard. Unlike its competitors, it does so without raising either device off of the desk or altering their incline, thus affecting their ergonomics. Plus, you can quickly and easily remove the devices to access the power button or remove the batteries. Additionally the aTrackt! can be used in a left- or right-handed configuration simply by reversing its orientation.

The aTrackt Go! is a variation of the aTrackt! which allows your devices to be used away from your desk. Unlike it's competitors, it features a solid 5/32nth-inch thick lower support frame that's rigid enough to allow you to perform a physical, tactile click on the trackpad while being used in your lap or even held in your hand, yet thanks to the two large cutouts, it still remains incredibly light. This makes it perfect for use with home theaters or even just reclining in your chair to relax while working or surfing the web. Like the aTrackt!, the aTrackt Go! can easily be converted from a right- to a left-handed configuration.

At the highest pledge level, you can have your logo custom CNC'd right into a special solid version of the lower tray. Here's an example for Nextiva (www.nextiva.com), a company who provides our business VoIP services as well as our toll-free phone number:

The aTrackt! will ship with vinyl or teflon 'feet' for the ends of the lower face of the product to protect your desk from scratches while still allowing the device to slide around as needed. (Even without the tape, it's still incredibly smooth.) The aTrackt Go! however will ship with four adhesive white rubber feet for the same purpose except they of course are not meant to slide easily. Also, they will not come pre-attached as the user can configure the device for left- or right-handed configurations which dictates which side of the plate you're supposed to affix it to.

The parts used in the aTrackt! family of products are precision-machined using CNC from a solid block of aluminum for both beauty and strength. Their minimalistic design and anodized finish perfectly match the Apple Magic Trackpad and Wireless Aluminum Keyboard. The aTrackt! and aTrackt Go! are both designed and manufactured right here in the USA at Wagner Industries, a high-end CNC facility responsible for the manufacturing of several items used in Boeing aircraft, including portions of their amazing new 787 Dreamliner.

The Origins of the aTrackt!

The idea for the aTrackt! came about from a personal need. I'm a huge fan of Apple's Glass Trackpads. For years I had hoped they would finally release a wireless keyboard with one of these multi-touch masterpieces built-in. While that never happened, they did the next best thing which was to release the pretty incredible Bluetooth Magic Trackpad. I picked up two the day they came out.

However, after a short while of using it with my Mac Pro, even with the trackpad's larger size, I found myself less-productive than when using the smaller one built-in to my notebook. I was constantly pressing the wrong place on the trackpad with my thumb and often found the cursor's orientation on screen to be slightly off from what I was expecting.

As both an engineer and a naturally curious person, I had to figure out why this kept happening on the Magic Trackpad but not on the notebook, so I started to really analyze what the differences were between the two. That's when I realized it was actually caused by the Magic Trackpad’s tendency to 'wander away' from the side of my keyboard during use, sometimes rotating slightly in the process. This was exasperated by the fact that I routinely move my keyboard around my desk to make room for other things like drawing by hand, writing, reading books, or even just eating lunch. As a result, I was constantly having to reposition the trackpad to 'put it back' where it should be, something I simply don't have to do on the notebook since they were always in a fixed position relative to each other. At first I considered ordering one of the many 'keyboard-trackpad' trays which come in all shapes and sizes. Some wood, some plastic, some large, some small. But they almost always raised the keyboard and trackpad off of the desk or changed their incline, thus affecting their low-profile ergonomics or worse, causing wrist-strain; or they took up so much space on the desk it defeated the purpose of having wireless devices in the first place.

I knew there had to be a better way to give me the results I wanted while staying true to the minimal form and function of Apple's industrial design, so I decided to try and create something myself. After several prototypes, a lot of false-starts and a very thorough patent attorney to help protect all of this, I finally came up with the designs you see here.

Simply put, I couldn't be happier with the results. I hope you too agree.

I’m really excited to have the opportunity to bring both the aTrackt! and the aTrackt Go! to market. With a little luck and your support here through the incredible concept that is KickStarter.com, together we can make this project become a reality! And if this project becomes the success I truly believe it can be, hopefully someday soon you'll be able to walk into an Apple retail store and find the aTrackt! family of products available for purchase, and you'll know your personal support helped make that happen.

Thanks for checking out my aTrackt! project, and here's to what comes next!

Mark A. Donohoe Founder / Lead Designer Inertial Design / IntuoSoft, LLC http://www.IntuoSoft.com Mark(dot)Donohoe(at)IntuoSoft(dot)com

3d Models created in Bonzai 3D 2.0 by AutoDesSys.

* NOTE ABOUT CUSTOM IMAGES: For pledges that have custom graphics, the person pledging is supposed to provide vector-based artwork in PDF, EPS, AI or CDR formats. For laser-engraving, we can also accept raster-based images. However, the quality of the output cannot be guaranteed. For CNC milled images, only lineart-type artwork can be accepted. Interior corners cannot be machined at a 90-degree angles and are restricted to the size of the mill being used. Milling can be either sub-surface (does not go entirely through) or as a cutout. If the design requires a floating cutout (see the 'O' and 'D' in 'Gizmodo or the 'O' in TRON in the example), there will be an extra charge of $50 as this requires a two-pass design. If you do not need the center pieces (see the 'Engadget' example) there is no additional charge. Finally, we can custom-create the artwork from your logo for a flat fee of $100 per logo.