Dearest Spark Friends,
Today is a very exciting day! We’re proud to announce the newest addition to the Spark family — the Electron, our cellular development kit that we hope will open up the Internet of Things to a whole new category of connected products. Best of all, we’re going back to our roots and launching the Electron on Kickstarter, the same crowdfunding platform where we first met so many of you way back in May of 2013. Visit our Kickstarter campaign to pre-order an Electron and be one of the first to own this amazing addition to the Spark lineup.
The Electron works a lot like our other development kits, the Spark Core and Photon, except it connects to the Internet using a 2G or 3G cellular connection instead of Wi-Fi. This means it works anywhere your phone does, and can go wherever you need it to — your backyard, your bicycle, or your banana grove.
Back to Kickstarter
Throughout the past two years, we’ve grown our team from 4 to 24, raised venture capital, and shipped tens of thousands of Spark Cores to engineers, designers, and product creators all over the world. We’re grown up a bunch since our tender years, which begs the question —why Kickstarter?
The reason we’re so excited about the Electron is that we think the world of builders and creators really needs it. The cellular version of the Internet of Things (often called “Machine to Machine” or “M2M”) has quite a few barriers, and it’s not set up for the little guys (or even the medium-sized guys). For most companies outside of Tier 1 handset and automative manufacturers, building a cellular-connected product is nearly impossible due to opaque pricing, drawn out negotiations, high volume expectations, and complicated certifications.
We’re back on Kickstarter to change all that. Our hope is that by rallying support around a development experience that is affordable, easy to use, and open, we can disrupt the cellular industry and open up the floodgates to a new generation of incredible connected products. The best way to disrupt an industry is to raise a rumpus, and we think that Kickstarter is the perfect venue to do just that.
The campaign is now live, and we’d love if you helped us spread the word by sharing with your friends and family!
Forward looking, backwards compatible
We’re also happy to announce that the Electron provides a whole new way to connect to the world while maintaining compatibility with the accessories, software, and development tools you’re already familiar with.
With the introduction of Spark OS, the Photon, and now the Electron, Spark has become much more than the development kit we launched in 2013. We’ve got our sights set on changing the way people and things everywhere connect with one another, which is only possible with the help, enthusiasm, and support of you all.
Bottom line: we love you guys, and we’re proud and excited to take this leap into unexplored territory together.
If you have feedback, please send it to our way — we’d love to hear from you 🙂
High fives all around.
Cheers and Spark love,
Zach and the Spark team
