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Archive for September, 2009

Wed, Sep 9 2009

From Sketch To Store in 24 for The Ultimate Apple Accessory
By nikki at 1:30 am

So we’ve hit threshold on three products so far. We’re pumped about where we are…and now it’s time to kick it up a notch!

Today we are promising to develop an accessory for apple’s latest gadget in just 24 hours by leverage the participation of our existing quirky community (of kick-ass gadget ideators!) as well as sapple enthusiasts worldwide.

Idea submission will be open for just 4 hours & SUBMISSIONS WILL BE FREE. Everything else stays the same– we just move quicker. As per usual, 30 cents of every dollar generated from the sale of this product will go back to all influencers.

We’re confident we can do something really amazing here with your help. Spread the word and cash in on some major influence. The twitter hash tag for this event will be #qnq. Who’s ready to get quick & quirky with us?!

The approximate schedule for this insane 24 hour development cycle will be as follows:

12:45 pm: Free idea submission for ultimate accessory to accompany apple’s latest product begins

5:00 pm: Product ideas move into evaluation

7:00 pm: Product idea is selected and product naming begins

10:00 pm: Product name is selected, industrial design begins, logo design begins, and tagline project begins

12:00 am: Industrial design is complete

7:00 am: Tagline and logo design is complete

12:45 pm: Product goes live and available for pre-sale in quirky’s online store

Stay caffinated, stay creative, stay glued to your computer….Let’s do this thing!
- Tags:
- 24 hours,
- apple,
- products,
- qnq,
- quick & quirky
Wed, Sep 9 2009

Scratch & Scroll Hits Threshold, Moves to Production!
By nikki at 1:30 am

Well, we’ve done it again Quirks– Scratch& Scroll has hit threshold in the early hours of this here 09.09.09 morning! This marks the third ~~child~~ product we have sent off to ~~college~~ manufacturing.

Scratch & Scroll will now be available in sales phase. If you missed the boat, sorry– but you’ll have to cough up some extra dollars for shipping. Next time get down with the pre-sales stuff, ok?
- Tags:
- p9,
- production,
- products,
- scratch-n-scroll,
- threshold
Tue, Sep 8 2009

An Interview With Mat Poprocki: The Man Behind the DigiDude
By nikki at 12:46 pm

As the DigiDude is being manufactured, we figured it was time to hear a few words from Poprocki, the original ideator of our portable tripod and keychain. Below is an interview with Poprocki:

1. When did you think of the idea for the DigiDude?

When starring at the submission form it hit me like a bolt of lighting. I was very excited about what just happened and went straight to the sketch pad / photoshop to materialize the vision. 12 hours later I was ready to hit submit.

2. Had you tried to make this thing on your own already?

I made a few of them out of clay (as seen in the photo), but I really want to be able to create molds at some point for some other ideas that I’m working on.

3. what do you do? (job-wise, ya know, when you are not on quirky)

I’m just trying to enjoy life and have a good time.

4. where are you from?

O.H.I.O… that’s how I roll.

5. who/where do you derive your creative inspiration from?

My friends and whoever I meet are a huge influence on me, I run all my ideas threw them first. Life experiences also play an important roll. But most importantly I generally feel connected to the universe and just let ideas flow from that.

6. What do you wish quirky had that it does not already?

I miss validated amps from the kluster platform, but it would be nice to see the sell count of a product even after it surpasses it’s threshold.

7. What store would you love to see your DigiDude in?

Urban Outfitters, Target, Wal-Mart, Best-Buy, or any kind of Super Store.

8. What is your favorite deli meat? What is your favorite cereal?

LOL, bananas for breakfast, and tofu or veggie patties in the sandwich please.
- Tags:
- digidude,
- ideator,
- p5,
- products
Mon, Sep 7 2009

Labor Day Scratch & Scroll Frenzy
By ben kaufman at 2:51 pm

So here we are, 2pm on Monday the 7th of september… Labor Day here in the US- Another threshold looming?

It looks as though we may be about to hit yet another product threshold just days after a launch, this one for the Scratch & Scroll– Another Marc Zech creation which has gotten a lot of love from the Gadget Press in the last few hours.

Remember, buying a product in Pre-Sales phase earns you influence. If you’ve already bought, you can go ahead and add even more influence to your purse by getting friends involved using your social sales link.

I say we hit this threshold before morning… Who’s with me?

CrunchGear: http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/09/07/scratch-n-scroll-mousepad/

Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/06/scratch-n-scroll-noteable-mousepad-puts-the-do-back-in-to-do/

Slippery Brick: http://www.slipperybrick.com/2009/09/scratch-n-scroll-noteable-mousepad/

And Many more…

Lets hit it!
- Tags:
- p9,
- products,
- scratch-n-scroll,
- threshold
Mon, Sep 7 2009

We Love You Too, People
By ben kaufman at 9:10 am
Sun, Sep 6 2009

Getting Quirky With The Times
By ben kaufman at 8:18 am

Ahoy! We’re rockin’ out early on a Sunday morning here at Quirky HQ…..

Quirky, Marc Zech of Split Stick fame, and the Digidude are all featured quite prominently in todays New York Times Magazine. You can read the article right here on the interwebs, or run out to your local starbucks and grab a copy.

So, welcome to any new eyeballs that have found our little website from the Times… Thank you to Rob Walker for the great coverage, and congratulations to the entire community for the work done thus far– and the work about to be done in the coming weeks and month.

This should be a super fun week coming up, we have something interesting planned– not sure if it will work as good as it sounds in my cabeza, but we’ll give it a go anyway.

Shake & Bake
- B
- Tags:
- ben,
- digidude,
- p5,
- p6,
- press,
- products,
- quirky team,
- split stick
Fri, Sep 4 2009

introducing the quirky wholesale & retail network
By nikki at 10:35 am

We are pleased to announce the launch of quirky’s wholesale and retail network. With the roll out of the W&RN we will immediately begin scaling up the amount of units sold during both the pre-sale and sales phase of our projects (read: we’ll all make more money). That said, there is enormous benefit in getting involved as a wholesaler & retailer, as noted below:

As a quirky wholesaler, you’ll be notified as soon as a new product hits our store (so expect a notification every few days). If you want to become known as a pioneer and not just a “buyer” … you’ll have to move quick.

If you see potential in a product, you can cash in on your intuition. To do so, place an order in quirky’s pre-sale phase—this earns you influence in the product. Once we move into production, that influence earns you a perpetual royalty on the product.

That’s right, now every time someone buys the product—whether it be at your store, or your competitor’s store—you’re cashing in. How great is that?

For more info, click here!

Want in on the wholesale action? Shoot an email to businesstime@quirky.com to let us know how you can help get our products to the masses.
- Tags:
- pre-sales,
- products,
- retail,
- W&RN,
- wholesale
Thu, Sep 3 2009

Product 9 Launch: Scratch-n-Scroll
By nikki at 10:45 pm

Scratch-n-Scroll is a standard mousepad with an added writing surface. This mousepad is for all those times you are working at your desk and cant find a pen to jot down that phone number or list item you know you will forget later on.

Simply, write notes to yourself on your mouse pad using just the pressure from your finger or the built in plastic stylus as a “pen.” Cool thing is, just like your childhood toy the magic slate, you can erase the notes at any time simply by flipping up the semi-transparent top sheet.

Scratch-n-scroll maintains the slim portable design and scrolling surface you’ve come to expect of a standard mousepad, and works in conjunction with any optical / ball based computer mouse. It features a non-slip back pad ensuring that it stays put on your desktop while in use.

Let’s push another quirky creation thru pre-sales and into manufacturing. Commit here!
- Tags:
- mouse pad,
- p9,
- pre-sales,
- products,
- scratch-n-scroll
Thu, Sep 3 2009

Our Latest Quirk
By nikki at 11:45 am

We are pleased to announce the newest member of the quirky team. We’ve scooped Brian Kerr out of the community! You might remember him, the guy behind Watt Time? Well, he definitely stuck out as an all star quirky community member and contributer. We were cranking hard on our end and in need of another designer. Thankfully, Brian was excited to get started and is now a full time member of the quirky team.

Even though he’s gone from two of the most despised social classes of the rest of the quirky team (he’s gone from Hippie to Hipster (New Hampshire –> Brooklyn))… we are super happy to have scooped Brian Kerr out from the quirky community. He studied painting and design at UNH and received his masters in Industrial Design from Pratt. Brian is enamored by folding bicycles, tea, coffee, and all of their overly designed brewing paraphernalia. BK from BK spends his days and nights knee deep in styrofoam prototypes– and often sprays the shavings everywhere when he taps violently on the table because he misses his snare drum. This episode of meet the team brought to you by Designers like Brian and viewers like you… (read: Brian loves NPR)
- Tags:
- designer,
- p8,
- products,
- quirky team,
- watt time
Wed, Sep 2 2009

An Interview With Marc Zech: The Man Behind the Split Stick
By nikki at 10:08 am

As the Split Stick is being manufactured, we figured it was time to hear a few words from Marc Zech, the original ideator of our double sided USB drive. Below is an interview with Marc:

1. When did you think of the idea for the Split Stick?

Frankly, I have NO idea. It’s been in my headd for some time. When I saw quirky it got me thinkin’ of some ideas. I had no idea which of my ideas would fit here but I decided to give the thmb drive a try.

2. Had you tried to make this thing on your own already?

Not really. I asked some partners from the advertising/merchandising world but I got stranded somewhere while I was busy working on other projects.

3. what do you do? (job-wise, ya know, when you are not on quirky)

I am a freelance copywriter and concepter.

4. Where are you from?

I’m from beautiful Hamburg, Germany in the European Union.

5. Who/Where do you derive your creative inspiration from?

Invention-wise, I try to look out for things in my every day life where things don’t work the way they should or people have problems or where it doesn’t feel easy to do things. I try to think of products that which could solve these issues. In addition, I try to think up what would happen if already exciting things and products get combined together to come up with something new.

6. What do you wish quirky had that it does not already?

- a general forum
- make me millions

7. What store would you love to see your Split Stick in?

staples. bestbuy. radioshack. to name the smaller ones

8. What is your favorite deli meat? What is your favorite cereal?

hmmm. that’s the best question. I’m a vegetarian most of the times. Cereal: I like Special K red fruit.
- Tags:
- ideator,
- p6,
- products,
- split stick