Bringing your connected device from concept to market just got a whole lot easier – and coding skill or a soldering iron is not required! Today, Electric Imp is happy to announce a new collaboration with Quirky, the company that makes invention accessible by bringing new consumer product ideas to market through its unique online collaborative platform.
Last Wednesday, Quirky and GE unveiled a groundbreaking partnership to develop a new line of Internet-enabled consumer products. Creative people around the world are invited to participate in the development of these new products on quirky.com/GE and encouraged to join in and influence the creation of the products. The new line of products will be co-branded Wink: Instantly Connected and available in stores by the 2013 holiday season. Electric Imp will serve as the connectivity backbone of any device created through this initiative.
Electric Imp is looking forward to working with Quirky and GE to provide connectivity for the next wave of consumer devices so they can collaborate with each other and popular Internet services to become truly intelligent and integrated with our lives. The Imp platform, which encompasses everything from our friendly and seamless BlinkUp configuration to WiFi and cloud services, is a natural fit for innovative vendors, allowing them to concentrate their efforts on what makes their products special, rather than what makes them connected.
Kevin Fox, an Electric Imp co-founder and director of user experience, and I are excited to be part of the program’s evaluation process that determines which devices are ultimately put into production.
“This is one of the most exciting new categories in consumer products and what it’s missing is simplicity for the average consumer,” says Ben Kaufman, founder and CEO of Quirky. “Electric Imp is going to be key in developing technology that allows the world to invent devices that are instantly connected right out of the box, and we are really thrilled to be partnering with them.”
Electric Imp believes ideas should not be limited by technology. Our unique platform easily moves hardware into the cloud, enhancing the innovative mechanics of your product with those that can come through the cutting edge connections the device has to Internet services and other connected devices. The Imp platform connects easily to any service that has a Web API, such as text messaging and email services, data websites, and even customized services.
For example, you could synchronize sprinklers to a weather website to ensure a lawn or garden is no longer watered if the forecast calls for rain later in the day. You could also start conversations between users and their homes by developing products that send a mobile alert to the user or service department when a device isn’t working properly. Conversely, a user can use a mobile app to turn on a device or check in on its status.
Moreover, the problem you are trying to solve might be best approached by the way your device interacts with other products, and how their relationships can change and improve over time. The act of powering down a work computer at the end of the day could turn on a home heating system so the homeowner arrives to a warm house, for instance.
Ultimately, there are boundless ways in which devices can be intelligently connected and empowered. So think big! Electric Imp’s platform gives you and your idea the flexibility to determine what devices to connect, as well as the ways in which you combine them, to suit your particular needs for practically any situation.
We encourage you to submit your concepts and join us on the journey from ideation to launch. Submissions are free, but you’ll need to get cracking on your ideas quickly since the product evaluation process begins Wednesday, April 17.
Want to participate but don’t have a product idea or problem to solve? Not to worry. You can still help determine which Wink: Instantly Connected products are made by being an influencer. Whether you submit an idea or provide feedback along the way, you still have the opportunity to get a share of the profit if the product is created.
Stay tuned for more updates to see which products come to life from this innovative program. One of them might just be yours!
Hugo Fiennes
CEO and co-founder