It’s been a busy few months since May’s Imp unveiling! We’ve been working hard to give developers a great experience right out of the gate. We’ve redesigned the server architecture to be more scalable and flexible from the ground up, and we’re putting the finishing touches on the developer iPhone and Android apps.
Regulatory approvals
There are a ton of things that have to be done before a final quality prototype becomes a salable product. When the product is wireless, many of those things revolve around regulatory approvals. We’re happy to report that we’ve passed our FCC, IC, and CE tests and we’re certified for host-independent use, which means that imp-enabled devices don’t need to get their own wireless certification when adding an Imp.
We’ve gone further though, and have put the Imp through SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) testing which means devices with Imps in them can be worn as long as the Imp is at least 11mm away from the user’s body (think pedometers, sleep monitors, or Wi-Fi walkie-talkies). As with the other regulatory testing, this certification applies to the Imp no matter what device it’s inserted in, so most makers of Imp-enabled devices won’t have to get their own SAR certification.
Hardware
The first production batch of developer Imps is being assembled at this very moment and in our spare cycles we’re folding the boxes we’re using for developer kit shipments. Hugo and Lolo recently went to our factory and took a video of an Imp being born:
And here’s an Imp in developer preview packaging:
Developer Preview release
We’re on schedule to begin shipments of Developer Preview kits on July 31st, and we’re going to start accepting pre-orders soon. To get details on ordering, you need to be subscribed to the Electric Imp Developer mailing list, so if you’re a developer and you’re not already on the list, sign up now!
Before the kits go out, we’ll be opening our developer wiki, with API docs, example hardware designs and so on. We’ll let you know via the developer list when this is up.
Thanks so much
This is an epic undertaking, and we’re excited that so many people are excited as we are. (The grammar checked out. We checked.) In the coming weeks and months we’ll be using this space to highlight the amazing things that people are making with Imps, as well as chronicling our own journey as a company. If you’re the sort of person who uses RSS feeds, use ours. If you’re a tweeter, hear us tweet. If you’re a fan of the Facebook, you can like us there, and we promise to keep you posted.