Andy's Incipio Blog

Live Earth and Incipio

2007-07-07T18:27:00.001-07:00

Today is the day the biggest names in music reached out to the rest of us in an attempt to bring light to what I think may be the most important issue we face as a population, Global Warming. The climate crisis we all face and how we can do simple things in our everyday lives to better our chances of survival. That’s right – I didn’t say “guarantee our chances” or “maybe prevent global warming” I said to better our chances for survival – I’m convinced that we as a species, are on our way out and the only thing we can blame are ourselves.

Fun stuff huh? Not really – It makes me angry to see what we – yours truly included, have done to everything around us. From the products we buy to the way we make those purchases, from the homes we live in to the vehicles we drive and to the way we care for and dispose of these items.

See, we are in the business of producing accessories for devices that we as a population feel are “indispensable” – many of the accessories we make are designed to prolong these gadgets life by protecting them from the elements. Most people purchase accessories because they made an investment in a device and they don’t want to see that investment go to waste prematurely . I would say very few people purchase our cases because by prolonging the life of their mobile phone or MP3 player it’s going to keep the landfills that much emptier. But it would be nice if that’s how it worked and that was the way people viewed the devices they owned. Now, I speak mostly for the people in the US. This job, what I do, has afforded me the luxury throughout the years to travel extensively. With that said, I’ve seen how people in Europe, the UK, Asia, South America (basically everywhere) make purchases and live their lives. We, in the US and A like to buy multiple this and multiple that and dump our perfectly fine stuff in the trash as soon as a new one comes out. I’m as guilty of this as anyone else.

People in other countries own one “1” device - Not and MP3 player, a phone, a digital camera, a video camera, a PDA and an alarm clock. It’s weird to see people in other countries make purchases of mobile devices – They take time, ask questions, read and get help from an in store expert and use their devices till they are basically dead and then get them serviced. We in the USA run through Best Buy and grab whatever is on ad or the newest thing on the shelf and if it gets a scratch or begins to act funny, we toss them in the trash.

I don’t want to preach at you or anyone for that matter, but I do want people to know that it’s something we should think about and consider as we make purchases and decisions. Throughout the years I’ve done very little to lessen the impact of my ways. Like I said before, I’m just as guilty as anyone that’s ever walked the face of the earth. However, reducing my “Carbon Footprint” from this day forward is something that is going to be a priority for me and Incipio. We will work towards less packaging, reusable bags, more “earth first” products like our eco|CASE for iPhone and hopefully a few products aimed directly at the issue of global warming. If this, or the day has had any affect on you, I commend you and hope we keep in mind what’s really happening around us.

A few days with the iPhone

2007-07-02T00:38:00.001-07:00

Its been a couple days and I’ve been using the iPhone as my secondary device. I have to say that it hasn’t been an incredible experience. Its been nice – but not incredible. I hate to admit it but Ti is right about the keyboard or lack there of. My dad liked it - Its funny seeing an old dude that isn't great with computers pick it up and in a few seconds checked out every feature and gotten a hang of the basics. One thing that he doesn’t do and wont is text so, he didn’t care about the keys – he pointed out something though – Which I thought was pretty interesting – Once you set everything up – you get all your info in one place – He wont input into the device at all – For him its just a portal, and reference, much like a TV. Which may be how many people use the iPhone.

Now, I think I’ve gotten the hang of the keyboard - Speed isn’t bad – probably about the same as the Pearl and just about as accurate so I would say on par with anything else out there without real QWERTY keys. What’s a bit annoying is that I make mistakes tapping on icons and things of that nature that never happen with a device that has keys and a few buttons. What I think happened here is that its too clean, to beautiful and way to minimal. I really think that 2-3 more buttons on the thing wouldn’t kill it aesthetically and I think would have really enhanced basic functionality.

Also.....It gets hot – Really hot! I’m used to phones warming up a bit and my laptop doesn’t run cool either – But for a phone that I’m supposed to hold up to my skull? That’s a bit freaky!

I’ve heard some comments comparing the Wi-Fi to the Dash or other devices, but the way the iPhone hands off data is really nice – Makes you wonder why others cant get it right. Every time you access any type of data feature, whether its Google Maps, Mail or Safari it looks for an access point, In fact, the antenna on the thing is pretty impressive - I was picking up networks that I hadn't seen before on my laptop.

Now for the work stuff – What I’m really happy about is that all of our cases fit and work great! All the sensors are open and work fine – The volume and vibrate/ringer button work great and the sleep button is easy to get to as well. I spent some time this weekend looking through some eBay and Amazon listings – I wanted to see what the all hacks out there had to offer and I was really disappointed. There are so, so many people that are going to get there $5 case from the garage operated eBay business and be ticked off cause the iPhone’s screen doesn’t want to come on or that you cant get to the buttons or that they just bought the pimpiest phone in the world and put hubcaps on the thing – Come peeps – what’s the deal? Spend a few extra dollars and buy from a reputable company that has done some testing and makes accessories as their primary business. More on this later....

I love this! - ʇxǝʇ uʍop-ǝpısdn ǝʇıɹʍ

2007-07-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

Source: http://www.revfad.com/flip.html

First iPhone Take Apart - Disassembly Video

2007-06-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

I've never seen such amazingness.

2007-06-29T20:03:00.001-07:00

Just like the other One Million loyal apple fans out there I just got my iPhone. Instead of getting off my blackberry that I love so much I thought I would just activate a new number with a new contract through AT&T. Which means I had to go through the entire process of establishing new service which is normally a bit of a process. NOT THE CASE with the iPhone. It couldn't have been easier and quicker. Even on iPhone Day it was easy. You would think that during this mad rush of activating we would see some slow downs. But I didn't. Amazing.

About the sync process.

See, I have like 80 gigs of music movies and pictures on my laptop and I was a bit worried about how the sync process would go down. So I just sync'd up one playlist 2 movies all my pics, 2500 contacts, a monster calendar. All without a hitch.
Before I noticed it the iPhone had found my wi-fi and jumped on. The first thing I did was open google maps and I have to say. I was so so impressed at the speed in which it launched and how fast it was rendering (zooming) into my neighborhood on satelite view that I couldn't believe my eyes.

Now you have to remember that I'm blogging this on my BlackBerry 8300 and that I use google maps all the time and the 8300 is awesome. It really is. The text input on the iPhone was surprisingly easy and it seemed to have a natural layout of sorts. Like my super strong geek instinct took over and I just knew how to work everything as if it were with me for years. Now that may have something to do with all the apple ads I've seen or that I have watched all the videos of the iphone. But let's chalk this one up excellent planning and a super slick OS.

I'm going to spend the evening dining texting browsing and showing it off. Expect an update in the morning....

Incipio Making a good Show at the NYC 5th Ave Apple Store Courtesy myItablet.com

2007-06-28T09:40:00.001-07:00

Our good friends at http://myItablet.com made the long trip out from
Arizona to the NYC to Camp out in line at the 5th Ave Apple store for an
iPhone. Now they could have just gone down to the local store for one.
But not these guys - they live and die Apple. We thought we would show
them and the first 10 in line a little love, Incipio Style! Staying
true to our "Made for You" attitude we hooked up these loyal fans with
Custom made Incipio Shirts numbered 1-10 for the first 10 people in
line. The shirts were awesome! Individually numbered with little
iPhones in the background. Ben got these done in literally 20 minutes
and we barely got them into FedEx in time and . We also hooked them up
with Brand New Hipsters and Ranger Cases as well as our awesome 2 Step
Cleaning Kits. Needless to say these guys were stoked.

I want to personally thank Vincent from myItablet.com for putting in so
much effort and sitting out there all night in the rain. Also, if you
caught today's Good Morning America Show on ABC you can see our Shirts,
Vincent and a few of the loyal campers in the background.

Service above all....

2007-06-11T02:45:00.001-07:00

Now, those of you who know me, know that I love Apples – Both the delicious and nutritious variety as well as the stylish battery operated type. Don’t get me wrong - I love my PC even though its been acting up the last few weeks.

One of the reasons that I love the latter is really about the service – I’ve owned Macs for years and I haven't had a horrible experience yet – Now, I’ve had hard drives go out “Damn Fujitsu!!!!” But I have yet to have even a less than excellent experience from Apple.com sales or from the Apple Store - (Fashion Island is my favorite). Since its only 2am and I am waiting on some much needed information from production I’ll let you in on what's happened in the past few weeks....

I used to own a 13” MacBook till I lost a hard drive (as mentioned above) - So, I took the thing into the my local and favorite Apple Store and the nice people back there took it out tested and concluded that it might be dead and we there’s nothing they can do and that I should call a data recovery service – or just swap it out for a new one (now I don’t have a receipt or anything) – They stock Toshiba now (excellent)!! Fujitsu is just crap. I told the dude there that I would give the data recovery a try and if it didn’t work out I would come back for an exchange.

So, I couldn’t wait - I bought a big fat 150gig Toshiba drive threw it in there and sold the thing to my cousin that night – who seems really happy with it by the way. So about a week later I went back into the Apple store and picked up another MacBook – It was ok and I used it for about a week then took it back because it just felt slow – Now I don’t know why – but it did. I got a 15” MacBook Pro – You know, cause that’s how I roll....Pro! (the nice people there were more than happy to accommodate me, mind you without a receipt) It was a sweet deal for me and my out of pocket was really minimal. So, a few weeks go by – actually 4 of them and sure enough Apple decides that they want to update the MacBook Pro line with all kings of goodies that I actually want – See, I got the 13” for battery reasons. These 15” suckers love to be plugged in. So – needless to say I called the store and they were more than happy to exchange my 4 week old now discontinued MacBook Pro for a brand new LED backlit, Santa Rosa, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT sporting version with 2 gigs of RAM for the same price (that might hopefully run 30 minutes longer). Now, they could have just told me to “F” off but they didn’t - they knew that the new one was so much better and that I would be so butt hurt if they didn’t let me exchange it. So, I roll in there and worked out the exchange (sans receipt) and they were even nice enough to throw in a new iPod. Not that I need one – Cause, we have like 20 of them. Meanwhile they are totally cool and helpful about the whole thing – Have you ever been to BestBuy or Circuit City? Its nuts in there and they kinda don’t like you to return things....
Remember that hard drive that I sent off to the data recovery service? Well it came back - There was nothing they could do for me and my stuff was lost! Did I mention that Fujitsu is crap!!! So, I roll into my favorite store again and find my favorite Genius (who will remain unnamed) and show him the drive – he says, “where's the computer?” ahhhh.....I sold it - So, with no more than a few seconds of cajoling he heads into the back (with my now out of warranty opened and loose hard drive) and brings me out a new Toshiba 100 Gig replacement for my dead Fujitsu Crap drive – Just like that! Easy!

Thanks to Ti’s wiley eBay ways we got a 2.5” SATA hard drive enclosure for .99 cents and I now have a new kick ass thoroughbred notebook that rocks some killer specs and and an external 100 Gig drive that is going to provide me with years of trouble free service. This could have gone south several times – Think about it – the first one was shot, the second return was legit but I could have been charged a restocking fee and the third one was way out of the allowed time for a return. Not to mention the hard drive thing at the end of it all - Wow!! Am I a happy kid!

iPhone "Killer App" - "Smart Error Correction"

2007-06-09T10:35:00.001-07:00

Now, its nuts to think that the iPhone is going to for sure without a doubt be a 100% slam dunk success. But, I tell you – I’ve been doing this for a long time and I have never, I mean never seen this type of buzz and industry readiness about a device. There are all kinds of folks out there claiming to have specs details and whatnot. The feature that raises the biggest question about its success is the keypad or lack thereof. What’s weird is the feature that seems the least talked about and what this device will have that no other QWERT device that I know of does. Smart Error Correction while typing.... I think that a large part of the success of the iPhone depends on the ability to quickly and accurately enter data into the device.

According to David Pogue of the New York Times

“Fortunately, you don’t have to be especially precise. Even if you hit the wrong “keys” accidentally, the super-smart software considers adjacent keys — and corrects your typos automatically. If what you actually managed to type is “wrclme,” the software proposes “welcome.” You tap the Space bar to accept the fix. It works beautifully”

Almost like T9 or RIM’s SureType I am under the opinion that the iPhone will have awesome Error Correction. Meaning that the phone will know there is no word in the English language that is spelled “aspoopklew” Well I just type “apple” with 2 fingers and the keyboard on my laptop gave me this. I am under the firm belief that the great people in Cupertino have accounted for mine as well as Steve J’s thumbs and will change “asoopklew” to apple for me. I had a conversation with a software engineer from Apple at MacWorld Expo on launch day and I asked him about the keypad and I said “ what about mistakes?” He said, while pointing to Steve Jobs “look at the size of his thumbs - Trust me, it works and its awesome!” He didn’t say what it was that made it work so well - but that is most likely what it is. Something along the lines of a custom word dictionary paired with error correction and spell check is what its going to take to make this the “Killer Device”.

.....and if it doesn’t and I’m wrong and the keyboard sucks – Well, we’ll just make a real QWERTY Keyboard for the iPhone.

Foleo, eat your heart out! Meet the Asus' new Eee PC 701

2007-06-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

The 7-inch ultraportable is based on an unnamed Intel chipset, and runs
regular Windows XP or Linux without a problem, but really shines in its
"easy" mode that strips things down to a barebones OS mainly for
internet browsing. The Eee line will kick things off with the Eee PC
701, which will sport 802.11b/g WiFi, Ethernet and a modem for
connectivity, along with a webcam, 512MB of RAM and a 4, 8 or 16GB flash
drive for speedy, reliable storage. The real kicker is that prices for
the 2 pound laptop are supposed to start as low as $200, and the Intel /
Asus duo won't be aiming this at massive governmental purchases, but
instead will be offering it to consumers through traditional retail
channels.

Source: engadget.com

Oh Foleo, Foleo. Wherefore art thou Foleo?

2007-05-31T02:39:00.000-07:00

He's dead. Dead I tell you! Dead!

Now, its been a good 10 years since Will Shakespeare and I hung out...but if memory serves me correctly.... Romeo croaked! And I'm of the humble opinion that the Foleo will undoubtedly follow suit in a much much shorter time.

The concept is really so off base, that you gotta wonder?!? Come on, who the hell is going to drop $5 bills on this thing? You can get a good laptop for five hundy. I'll tell you - There is no way I'm getting on the road for more than a 1 day trip without my beloved Mac. I tether the Mac with my BlackBerry all the time when I cant find a HotSpot but its really not fast enough for downloading emails and browsing.

The Foleo needs a 3G radio and an independant data plan from Cingular or Verizon for it to be even remotely worth it. It has to have more than just the ability to tether to a phone that then connects to the net. It's like how many things do they think we are going to whip out and how many batteries are we going to monitor when we are going to fire off some emails and check stuff out.

Now, I like the idea of an ultra ultra portable laptop/notebook/tablet thing/ but its gotta have a rock solid OS, simple word processor, browser, multi media viewer, camera, PIMs and killer email - pretty much everything that comes on my oh so slick BlackBerry Curve 8300. The Curve is so nice - I gotta say, that our neighbors to the north really know what they are doing. Now. I've only had it a short time - but its beautifully simple, feels great and does all the things that a BlackBerry does well. Plus the keypad is the best I've used EVER!

I'd like to go on record here and call the Blackberry Curve 8300 the Wii of the year when it comes to mobile phones - now lets not hope the iPhone ends up being the PS3.

I bet I can make my own "comparable" Foleo with a used Sony laptop from '02 and a USB Bluetooth dongle. OK - Good idea - I'll keep you posted and let you know how it works out.

I have been granted my 3 wishes - the Blackberry 8300 Curve

2007-05-03T00:57:00.001-07:00

There comes a time in our line of work that we have our 3 whishes granted,
at least in the way of technology.

As some of you may know Ti is a huge Windows Fan - In fact, I think I caught
him in Microsoft Shirts twice this week already and its only Wednesday. I on
the other hand run a PC at work, a Mac at home and Blackberry for my
handheld. I own and use an iPod and Zune. I love the Zune for its solid
build, great screen and easy navigation. The iPod has a battery and iTunes.
But my go to device, the one thing that I take with me everywhere - I mean
everywhere! Is the Blackberry 8100 Pearl. This is a solid performer. In my
opinion, probably one of the best devices ever. Its small has an amazing
battery, great reception and a wonderful OS. With that said, im sure he's
going to comment and he may be a bit biased and not give this thing a fair
shake..We'll let his blog do the telling soon enough, I'm sure.

With that said...I was on a conference call earlier this week with one of
our partners and I was telling him how much I loved the Pearl, except...I
wished for just a few things.....and now its here.

Amazing how it only took a few days for my prayers to get answered....Enter
the Blackberry Curve. Now, at first glance you may think that its an 8800
with a camera slapped onto the back of it....But if you look closer, you
realize that its not. In fact, its an entirely new and different form
factor and just about the perfect size (107mmX60mmX15.5mm). With its fluid
lines, soft edges and convenient trackball.....Its just about perfect. Now
I would give this a 10! Five Stars! Two thumbs up! A happy face and maybe
even a high five! But, we will reserve that for the model with 3G
connectivity. Ya, you read right - no 3G.

I know I may sound like I'm ungrateful for the gifts that Waterloo has given
us...But really - Why not add 3G - Its got a rock solid - I mean solid
1100mAh battery good for 17 days of standby and the device has plenty of
space for a big daddy radio....So why not??? I think I know - Hear me
out....

Cause today 3G is not that prevalent, the Blackberry OS is so fast and
efficient that it makes up for network latency, plus users don't hold onto
devices long enough for RIM to make the masses pay for what looks like a
must have feature but really isn't. By the time the networks catch up you
and I will have new devices.

Gotta remember guys, I just got of a 3 week stint with Windows Mobile 5 and
6 on the BlackJack and Dash respectively. Both great devices...But no Pearl
and definitely no Curve. During my time with the BlackJack I think I had
good 3G coverage only in Ti's driveway which is great for him, but I live
and work in an area that gives my nothing more than sweet sweet EDGE. The
BlackJack and Dash are probably the best of the best when it comes to
Windows Mobile and they just aren't there yet. *They will be. I guarantee
it. Microsoft doesn't do anything half-assed.

So, am I complaining? Am I holding out for something else (iPhone)- The
answer to both questions is a big fat NO! As soon as I can get my chubby
little paws on the curve, I will. I don't want to, but might have to call
in a few favors to get one on my network. Cause the big question now is,
who's getting it first, T-Mobile or Cingular/AT&T?

Mama nature rocks!

2007-04-13T19:49:00.001-07:00

DynOmight!

2007-03-02T15:29:00.001-08:00

Geisha Roll.... Yum!

2007-03-02T14:06:00.000-08:00

New Logo, New Look, New Style!

2007-02-17T08:46:00.001-08:00

It's been almost 8 years since I started this whole thing. I set out to create the best carrying cases and accessories I could. I wanted to produce products that I would use (those of you who know me personally, know that I'm a bit picky with what I will and wont pick up, let alone use.) I have this thing for the nicer things in life - even when I cant afford them, I want them (need them in fact). I guess this is where my insistence on quality comes into play. Its this insatiable appetite for better, nicer, tighter and without compromise. I have come to realize throughout the years that others may consider this "obsessive" I disagree - In my line of work; it's a fundamental principle. It has to start here. Then you can build everything else - Brand, style, packaging, presentation etc.. (there's lots more but its early and if you are reading this you know it too).

Back when I started - In my parents garage - (Not kidding) I had an old laptop that I bought from Fry's for like $799 open box that came with Viruses and I don't know, some "free install" or trial of an office program - I cant remember which one. With this program came stom stock fonts and in my race to dominate the industry ( I really thought it was going to happen in like a week...NOT!) I had to type something out and send it into the USPTO for my Trademark. I did so, and later that same week I heard from my graphic artist that my logo sucked! He said it was horrible - he couldn't work with it and that I should change it immediately - "I was like - what does he know" I'm the man - I run this show - I know what's best - So, I say to him "DEAL WITH IT, BEN!" while secretly knowing that he was right - I couldn't change it because I had so much invested in marketing materials (1000 business cards from Kinko's at the time and an application into the USPTO). So, 8 years later and we're here again. We’re designing packaging, ads, brochures and lots of other stuff and he says to me - Your logo sucks! He said it was horrible - he couldn't work with it and that I should change it immediately!

Well - I did it. I told him to give me some comps to look at and we will change the logo. Now its on! Its going to happen!

The logo for your favorite purveyor of all things leather and connected is going to change. The new logo is really nice - He has done a great job with it and it looks amazing (Yes, same guy) Nice flow, it fits into ads and packaging and it really captures where we are as a company today. Who knows - It might change in 8 years again???

With this new "fresh" logo comes a new look - We're tossing out all of our old packaging (yes its more than 1000 business cards from Kinko's now) More like pallets full of packaging and marketing materials..... Don't worry - Its getting recycled. We are going to update the look and the feel of everything we do from promo materials to the little things that go into every case - Like embossing of logos inside our cases to zipper pulls to snap buttons and even our pens and mugs. This is a huge change and its going to take some time to make this transition. But it must be done.

You may be saying to yourself = “Who cares, its just a logo” well, the answer is I do - Remember that obsession thing – Ya, applies to the logo too – Its a small change, but its huge in terms of where we are going as a company. I had to make compromises back then that I was not happy about but that’s one of the things you learn in small business - You make compromises where you can and move on to the next project, cause there’s always more to do and something else to deal with. Also, I didn’t have the time or the resources to make the changes that needed to be made – Things are a bit different – I have a great staff that works hard and has awesome style and its time. So, look for changes in our logo, our presentation and our site. I’m really excited!

Our New Zune Cases are Sick!

2007-02-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about our new Zune Cases (not yet shown to the public). These are truly some of the coolest cases for any media player EVER! We have literally traveled the world looking for inspiration. We have 3 new form factors and a bunch of styles. There's something for everyone - The car nut, the fsshionista, the tech junky, and we even have something in there for our local OC fans.

We have some exciting new relationships that we will be announcing in the coming days with truly the best in the business.

All in all its going to be a very exciting time for here at Incipio.

AF

is this where it started?

2007-01-28T22:44:00.000-08:00

I need this!

2007-01-26T02:21:00.000-08:00

MacWorld Expo and CES

2007-01-11T12:25:00.001-08:00

I’ve been doing this for some time now (going on 8 years). I gotta say, this is truly a great time for our industry and for consumers. Business is booming for accessory makers like us | http://myIncipio.com |. Devices manufacturers like Microsoft, Apple, Motorola, and many more are announcing and releasing better products than ever. Giving us, the accessory folks greater opportunities to design and manufacture exciting and innovative products.

All of this innovation and competition is giving us, the consumer more choices, better pricing and excellent - truly excellent quality.

We have seen the announcement of the long awaited Apple phone. The Microsoft Zune is gaining tons of interest and the device is really far ahead of anything else out there on the market today in terms of features and quality.

This year, more than ever we saw a shift from me too products to brilliantly executed creative attempts from many many companies. We are very excited about everything we are seeing...

AF

As the new year approaches...

2006-12-30T18:34:00.001-08:00

I would like to take a moment to thank all of our customers and vendors for a truly exceptional year. We saw amazing growth and change this year as our core business has changed and expanded far beyond the PDA and SmartPhone industry.

Next year we hope to accomplish even more. Look for more innovation, diversification and increased support for our valued partners.

We will see some truly fun cases and accessories for devices you know and love, like the Microsoft Zune and Apple iPod. As well as the new BlackBerry 8800, and the long rummored Apple iPhone.

We will even venture into customizing some of your favorite high tech home gadgets.

We will bring the street culture of London, LA, NYC and Tokyo and apply them to accessories for your mobile phone, MP3 player and PMP. Look for these exciting products Q1 of 2007.

Thank you again!

Happy New Year!
AF

e-mail blogging

2006-12-29T15:20:00.001-08:00

As I read on I am more and more impressed with this blogger thing. Its Google - so its gotta be good! But its not good, its great!

Lets see how this email blog works.

First Blog

2006-12-29T13:24:00.001-08:00

WOW! That only took like 2 years! Finally I have my very own Blog - Thats right kids - My own brand new shiny blog with goodies! Now, if it only looked like the rest of the companies' blog - Tony! Get me a template!!

Cant wait to tell the world what I think.

Cheers!