Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Festivus (for the rest of us)!
over 4 years ago – Wed, Dec 25, 2019 at 02:11:25 PM

After months of production, testing and fulfillment craziness, not to mention the long nights with (very) little sleep and the not-so-occasional sleepless nights... We are proud to say WE DID IT!!!!

We literally couldn't have done it without all of our amazing backers, cheering us on and believing in our mission of healthy computing and socially conscious technology.

We hope to continue this journey with you and can't wait to see what you all teach your Chatterboxes to do and say. Please remember to share pictures/videos with us on social using @hellochatterbox and #hellochatterbox, or email us directly at [email protected].

To infinity and beyond (but first we need to sleep)!

Kevin and the Chatterbox Team

P.S. There are a couple backers, yet to receive their Chatterbox due to missing surveys and/or shipping issues. If this might be you, please email me at [email protected].

P.S.S. It's not the holidays if Chewy isn't singing you Silent Night. Enjoy!

Website LIVE + Important Announcements
over 4 years ago – Wed, Dec 25, 2019 at 05:39:32 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Chatterbox is coming to town + Updates!
over 4 years ago – Sat, Dec 21, 2019 at 02:32:50 AM

Our Chatterbox elves have been working their little elfin tushes off getting ready for the day that we can proudly say: Chatterbox is coming to town! 

 That's right! All Chatterboxes have been shipped, with the exception of a few addresses that were rejected. (Please check your email to see if you're on this list.)

Before we get to updates, I'd like to acknowledge the people that made this launch possible:

• Casimiro is my partner on the project and has worked endless nights perfecting our software. Without him, Chatterbox wouldn't exist and we wouldn't be so privacy focused. You'll be hearing more from him in the coming weeks.
• Nadia is my wife and partner for life. She's my hero, and has been supportive in every way possible. Besides raising our daughter (our original "Chatterbox"), she's touched nearly every aspect of Chatterbox and was our MVP for manufacturing, assembly and fulfillment of kits. Chatterbox was "Made in California," and I would add: "by Nadia."
• William designed the ChatterHAT hardware that gives Chatterbox its ears and voice. Without this, Chatterbox wouldn't be so fun and accessible for all. 
• Our visual creative Joya designed the logo and Chatterbox illustration that gives so much friendliness and character to Chatterbox.
• Alex is our muse and inspiration (and my and Nadia's daughter). At three years old, she's our inspiration for building a new kind of technology that is healthy and socially conscious for kids (and parents). Chatterbox is the kind of healthy technology education we want Alex to have. 
• Mike and Amira, my parents, raised me in a world of technology and innovation and have always pushed me to follow my instincts. They also helped with fulfillment and generally supported our epic push to get Chatterboxes to all our backers by Christmas. 

I'd also like to acknowledge the others who have been champions and supported the project in so many ways...

• Maher and Yousef, my brothers-in-law, who tested and assembled components until their fingers cramped.
• Sylvie and Dennis, who loaned us their guest house to act as our fulfillment center.
• Trihn, who volunteered to help out with picking, packing and fulfilling kits.
• Eric, who loaned us computers and helped with burning SD cards.
• Claire and Ricky, who loaned us computers, and helped keep us nourished throughout.
• Ed and our friends at Silicon Valley's Hacker Dojo, who gave us access to electronics equipment, laser cutters and GALLONS of coffee to make Chatterbox possible.
• And YOU! YES YOU! Chatterbox would not be possible without each and every one of our visionary backers who saw the value and appeal of a new kind of healthy and socially conscious technology for kids.

And now for the announcements!

We promised to get Chatterbox to all backers by Christmas. And we delivered! We couldn't be more excited to see  pictures of Chatterbox already showing up in the wild (pssst! be sure to tag us on social using @hellochatterbox and #hellochatterbox).

In each kit, you should have a welcome note directing you to our new website for assembly instructions and getting started tutorials. We promised Chatterbox by Christmas and we'll be launching our revamped website in time for Christmas at hellochatterbox.net. Stay tuned for our website launch announcement coming soon.

We are still in crunch time, but please send questions to me directly at [email protected] and I'll answer right away. 

Thank you for your support! I can't wait to see what your kids teach their Chatterbox!

With gratitude,

Kevin and the Chatterbox Team

HOUSTON, WE HAVE LIFTOFF! 🚀🚀🚀
over 4 years ago – Thu, Dec 19, 2019 at 12:45:01 AM

We are so proud to announce that Chatterbox now has liftoff! After countless hours of picking, testing each and every component, packing and shipping, we are overjoyed and proud to announce that nearly 50% of our orders have been shipped! 

We are currently on track to finish fulfillment within the next 2 days - with everyone on track (barring any meteorological circumstances) to receive their Chatterbox well in advance of Christmas.

We'll have email updates with tracking numbers, but please be patient, because we want to first ensure that all Chatterboxes get shipped with time to spare. Please look for emails with tracking numbers within 36 hours of this posting.

For those of you that haven't answered your surveys (there's still a couple), please check your email and get those surveys in, so we can ship out your Chatterbox on time.

We did have a couple addresses that didn't work, so please watch out for email regarding any shipping issues for your device coming from [email protected].

Thank you all for your support and patience as we work to build the best (and most healthy) Chatterbox experience possible for kids. We couldn't have done it without each and every one of you! 

Gratefully, 

-Kevin and Chatterbox Team

It's the most wonderful time of the year + Production and Shipping Updates!
over 4 years ago – Tue, Dec 10, 2019 at 01:54:33 AM

It's the most wonderful time of the year and we're working as hard as Santa's 🎅 elves getting Chatterbox ready to be placed under your Christmas 🎄, Hanukkah lights or Festivus Pole (for the rest of us). We cherish all the encouraging notes from our backers and appreciate your patience while we work hard to bring you the best Chatterbox experience.

The past month has been a wild ride with amazing breakthroughs, a couple setbacks and tons of ☕. We're loving every minute of this experience and couldn't be more proud of what we've built... But FIRST!

Raspberry Pi 3B+ for all! 🙌

In our last update, we mentioned a "global shortage" on Raspberry Pi 3B+ and gave everyone an option to opt-in to a Raspberry Pi 3B in time for Christmas. We appreciate those of you (and there were a lot of you) who opted-in to receiving the RasPi 3B, but the AMAZING NEWS is that we were able to find enough Raspberry Pi 3B+'s for everyone! Regardless of your selection, you will be receiving a brand-new Raspberry Pi 3B+ with your Chatterbox kit.

Chatterbox Updates ✅

While everyone was stuffing their faces with turkey over Thanksgiving, we've been stuffing Chatterbox packaging with a feast of components with all the trimmings in preparation for shipping! 

Building the best educational experience for kids starts long before they even open the box. We're intentional about every facet of the Chatterbox experience. That's why we meticulously test every component before placing them into packaging. We about 85% done with component testing and just need to add the final touches before shipping.

🎁 Still on track for Christmas! 🎄

Some of you have reached out regarding last minute address changes and shipping in time for Christmas. Please make sure you update your survey because shipping starts SOON! Yay! 👏 Depending on location, everyone should receive their Chatterbox within 2-3 days after shipping (including international backers). Everyone should be receiving their Chatterbox with ample time to wrap  it and put it under your Christmas tree.

Important Shipping Note for International Backers

We've worked really hard to reduce shipping cost and negotiate sustainable rates for international backers. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get shipping rates as low as our initial projection on Kickstarter/Indiegogo. 

What does that mean for international backers? It means that if you fall under this category there might be a nominal balance on BackerKit. This only applies if you receive an update email from BackerKit this week. We truly appreciate your understanding. 🙏

We've been working non-stop, getting Chatterbox ready for all and we couldn't be more proud 💪 of what we've built (and this is only the beginning)! We can't wait to see what kids will teach their Chatterboxes.

Once again, we are so appreciative of your support and literally couldn't have done it with your help! We are so thankful to have such an amazing and supportive backer community.

As always, please direct any specific questions to [email protected].

Love,

Kevin and the Chatterbox Team

P.S. If you haven't signed up for our infrequent newsletter, you can sign up here. 

P.S.S. We thought it would be nice to share pictures from our journey making Chatterbox.