Headworx

Shipping hardware is oh so different. Yes it does matter if you want to distribute 1k or 100k "copies". Because unlike software / apps nowadays, adding bandwidth just is not so simple. We have products with radio modules. We have designed the module and our CM (Contract Manufacturer) is making them. They have to main parts inside: a radio protocol processor and a frontend. The latter is a combined PA (Power Amplifier) and LNA (Low Noise Amplifier). Both are used to extend the radio range. The PA boosts output, the LNA improves sensitivity. Unfortunately there are precise regulations setting limits on the maximum transmit power level. Unfortunately each frontend chip is different. They differ in input impedance, which translates to the signal level to be amplified. So in some units the amplified signal is less than the allowed maximum, and in some it exceeds the allowed level. To maximize the performance, we have to calibrate each unit (measure the output level and softw...

I've just finished Peter Thiel's Zero to One and it is a great bible for startups and entrepreneurs. I've found there some very important tips as well as important words of reassurance. Below are my highlights, I think you find them encouraging to read this book. When we think about the future, we hope for a future of progress. That progress can take one of two forms. Horizontal or extensive progress means copying things that work—going from 1 to n. Horizontal progress is easy to imagine because we already know what it looks like. Vertical or intensive progress means doing new things—going from 0 to 1. Vertical progress is harder to imagine because it requires doing something nobody else has ever done. A startup is the largest group of people you can convince of a plan to build a different future. Simply stated, the value of a business today is the sum of all the money it will make in the future. Every monopoly is unique, but they usually share some combination of ...

I'm writing this on my way back from the CES. The show went absolutely exploding for us with one major unexpected development that must had happened over the last few months or even weeks: the adoption of Bluetooth Smart as the radio of choice for home automation. At Seed we placed our bet on Bluetooth Smart a few years ago. It has been a lonely journey for most of the time. It was taking us a lot of efforts to keep explaining "why Bluetooth" in our pitch to investors and customers. Today we may drop this part. Everybody, essentially everybody we met at the Show, have already been converted to Bluetooth Smart. The questions were not "why?" but "when?" and "how?" and "how fast?". One particular reason we are so confident about the future of Bluetooth is the structure of the Bluetooth SIG organization, which essentially "owns" the radio. This means the speed of evolution of the standard is the fastest possible. No need to ...

In preparation for the intense business season that starts tomorrow (my flight for the CES show leaves at 6AM), I've been spending quite a lot of time sorting our the threads I'm entangled in. The subjects of preparation , combing and other techniques that keep me organized in the massively multi-threaded, highly clocked business. Working with the Inbox-Zero mindset on a daily basis I usually make sure I am not behind with any response. But this is reactive. It is only a part o of the story, as it assumes the others are taking actions and I am not stopping them. The proactive part is even more important. Look around. See what needs to be done. Start doing (which often means write an email). This would be complete if the others worked with the Inbox-Zero mindset too. Unfortunately very often they don't as it requires an extra effort (yes getting the Inbox to zero is not difficult, you just have to keep doing this - no excuses!). But to isolate those who keep with t...

There's been this 7 Ps rule I tend to follow. Even when it comes to leisure and hobby. In general terms, I'm not entirely sure whether 7 Ps for leisure is a good thing, but I just find so much fun and satisfaction in the preparation process itself that I just can't help doing it... And also... because " a goal without a plan is just a wish " (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) - efficacy has always been in my blood... I'm planning a vacation trip to Africa next summer, and as it was the case with most of my trips, I'll be taking many pictures. When it comes to photography, I'm a beginner but I love exploring technology and learning. As mentioned in the Photo Musings post, the preparation has already started and it is well on track. As planned, I've acquired two essential pieces of gear: the Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm VR II lens at the Nikon D750 body. It's been a while since I tried a new DSLR - 7 years to be precise , so one can expect a lot of pr...

Last week we got the final certificate for our first OEM consumer product that will be offered by our international distribution partners. The certificate means the assembly lines are clear to start the mass production. The product is a Bluetooth Smart Plug. It is our first complete design of a software - defined physical product. It has everything in it to become a bestseller. And it has been an enormously steep learning curve for us. The reason we've made it to the finish line, was our complete lack of experience at the beginning, coupled with a non-compromise mindset and desire. Otherwise we simply would not start the project, judging it impossible or too difficult at best. So from start to end it took us 10 months (mid February till mid December). Looking at similar Kickstarter projects we see they score a 10 months DELAY on average. Industry veterans say it is impossible to start shipping a hardware product just ten months from the inception. Especially as it requires 3-4...

At Seed we nurture the habit of internal bi-weekly demo days. Teams present their achievements and then we have a happy hour / celebration. And I tell you what: each time I watch the presentations, I am amazed and proud. The things we are doing are extraordinary and they all carry the potential to make an impact. It was no different last Friday, but the event was special. Held at our R&D office in Krakow, it was the first one entirely in English. We have close to 60 people now in the Polish R&D center and we are on a quest to become a truly multi - national organization. The San Francisco office has been active for nine months now and we already have several full time employees in China. Integration of the Team has always been the paramount goal. And neither our US - based nor the Guangzhou - based friends should feel any distance. I know we are setting the bar high, but we want to be a team of A-players. Only this way we will achieve the A-goals. And being an A-player is...