Hey guys, happy holidays and best wishes in the coming year!

There were some scheduling conflicts with my day job that forced me to delay the factory tour. However, I have decided to resign from my position there to focus more on my project. After my contract expires in March I will hop on a plane overseas.

I’ve already purchased my plane ticket and and last week I received my travel Visas, so my itinerary is set. I’ll be meeting with a team in Australia near Melbourne and from there on to Turkey and Asia for a few weeks.

In the end the trip is happening about six weeks later than I would have preferred, but life throws the occasional curveball, and such is the excitement if a startup. One has to roll with the punches but every obstacle is an opportunity to learn.

Happy New Year and I’ll update from the road. I think 2012 will be a great year!

Thanks for everyone that sent me the link to Nike’s teaser press release (which included Back to the Future merchandise and references) and their full announcement the next day: That they would auction off a limited edition run of ‘Air Mags’, a replica of the shoe shown in Back to the Future II.  

It must be said that these shoes look almost exactly like the ones in the movie, and even light up, but they are not power lacing and are really meant to stay on a shelf or under glass.  With some pairs auctioning as high as $75,000 you probably wouldn’t want to wear it outside too much.

The really cool thing though is that all proceeds will go to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research.  I applaud Nike and Universal for this and they’re already on track to raise a lot of money.  As my grandmother is a Parkinson’s sufferer as well, that is a cause that is close to my heart and it’s really great what they’re doing.

I’ve also been asked how it affects my project, and to that I say, “Positively”.

Before it was revealed exactly what Nike would be unveiling, the buzz was that they would be releasing some sort of power lacing product.  Though that eventually turned out to be false, I wasn’t worried because I believed Nike and I were focused on different segments of the market.

As I’ve always said, though my project was inspired by a Sci-Fi concept it’s main purpose and functionality would be geared towards helping the disabled.  Not just with the lacing mechanism itself, but with other features that I can’t unveil just yet.

While Nike may someday release a true Air Mag that autolaces (I doubt it will be before the mid to late 2012 launch date we’re aiming for) it’s very unlikely that Nike’s shoe will be based from the ground up for accessibility for the disabled which is what I spent the bulk of the project working on, one of the goal being true handsfree use.  

More than just Power Laces, I’m building a System.

Because of that, I believe my system is unique enough to stand on it’s own doing it’s intended purpose.

Another positive aspect as people searching for info about Nike’s shoe has lead them to my project, so I’ve received a lot of great support from newcomers cheering me on, and I’m looking forward to the next few months as I prepare for manufacturing.

Talk to you guys again soon!

Blake

Just a quick update while I’m waiting on the patenting stuff (a few rewrites were necessary). 

The “practice business” I decided on was something well done with a lot of info and inspiration available- nerdy t-shirts.

Relatively easy to set up and will give my creative side some much needed outlet.  

I’ve already had some talented people help bring my ideas to life, built a website (that’s still in stealth) and now I’m just looking for a good Print on Demand shop that will also handle delivery.

In ‘Laces news, besides the Legal stuff like just wrapping up my second quarterly Minutes meeting, I’ve scheduled time off this Fall to go visit some choice manufacturing facilities, both local and abroad.  I want to make sure I know the people and setup I’ll be working with before I make any final decisions in that area.

I’m really excited about that and again, I’ll keep you updated on the upcoming new developments!

Blake

Was holding off until I had bigger news, but looks like it’s going to take a little bit longer.

The prototype has mostly been finalized and we’re really liking it.  Some parts of it were so easy I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it before.

The paperwork has been submitted for a provisional patent, which is pretty exciting.  After that’s approved we get ‘Patent Pending’ status.

Since we’re going to be selling exclusively online, at least initially, I figured it would be prudent to develop and obtain some experience in that arena.  I’m working on a small online store that will help me learn about managing sales and inventory systems and such, which I believe will definitely be useful when I ramp up to the real thing.

It’s not quite ready yet as most of my time has been devoted to the main project, but once it goes live I’ll let you guys know.  And feedback on that will be helpful knowledge when I develop the official store.

We’re halfway through the (re)conception as the prototype is modified to be more durable, and some rather neat features are being added that move it beyond simply tightening your shoelaces.

It’s really an interesting puzzle to solve, as there are so many things that need to be taken into account.  And once those small issues are solved it leads to more questions and puzzles.

Fortunately I like puzzles :)

I have some great looking concept art for the direction we’re heading, but unfortunately I can’t show it off quite yet.

We should be moving into the next stage of production in mid-May, which is the technical stage where we begin testing materials and laying out the electronics and such, and when it’s complete we’ll have manufacturing blueprints.

Very exciting stuff.

Since the last update I’ve been contacted by a small handful of people (less then a dozen) that said their package must have been lost in transit.  I read all the comments to these Updates, so if you’ve posted here or sent me a message, I have received it and already marked you down for a new shipment.

The swag reorder was slightly delayed but it will be here early next week and I will send new stuff out again to the people who’s original package was lost.

Talk to you soon, and have a safe April 1st!

Hey guys, just wanted to let everyone know where we are.  

I’m getting a lot of word these past few dates of swag packages arriving safely.  If you haven’t received anything by this weekend write me at BlakeBevin@Power-Laces.com and we’ll get it resolved.

As I said in my last update I was looking for an engineer that would be a good fit for us.  It took a few weeks but I recently hired a mechanical engineer and we’re working together to refine my design.   I’ll keep everyone posted as new updates occur!

Despite a small delay do to the flu that knocked me down and out for a bit, as of last week all the merchandise was shipped out. Give it a couple of weeks to arrive, especially for international backers. If there’s any problem with your reward, don’t hesitate to send me a message or post a comment.

I have gotten word though that so far rewards seem to be arriving through the mail safely. Here’s a pic from a backer overseas: TwitPic

In other news, as I informed everyone earlier I’ve been working on a final mechanism and building model prototypes to illustrate the principle. I’ve retooled my original design and have refined it down to the “core” and am currently going through the portfolios of engineers/firms to help me create a virtual model and eventually a working mass production prototype.

That model will undergo physical durability and usability tests to see how it operates in the Real World, and work out the inevitable “kinks”. That will help in creating the Final Prototype that will be sent to the manufacturer.

Exciting stuff and I’m glad that everything is progressing quickly!

I’m back in San Francisco after spending the holidays with family, and the shirts have arrived. They, along with the rest of the merchandise, will begin to go out today and the shipments will continue throughout the week. I’d like to thank everyone again for their patience as I figured all this stuff out.

Seeing the family was great, but I’m glad to be back home and I’m full of energy and eager to get back to work on the project. I’m looking forward to making this a great year!

Before I get back to printing shipping labels, here’s something that was sent to me:

The 10 Coolest Kickstarter Projects of 2010

Talk to you soon! 

Just began my annual cross-country journey to visit family. 

Wanted to let everyone know that the resends for people who had their keychains torn up the USPS machinery were sent out last Monday, so that should cover the $5-$15 backers.  Again, if there was any problem with your shipment, just send me a message.

I also approved the final T-Shirt design, and they started printing them last Wednesday.  The envelopes are ready to go, and as soon as I receive the shirts I’ll send them, the stickers and keychains to all the $25 and up backers.

Again, I’d like to thank everyone for their patience, and I wish everyone a wonderful Holiday season!

Our new site, though very sparse and basic right now, is up and running.  Updates to the project will be posted here.  Check in periodically!