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Hey HN, I run NewsBlur and am launching my hardware project Turn Touch today. Launched last year as a Kickstarter campaign, it is now available for immediate sh
by conesus 9y ago
Hey HN, I run NewsBlur and am launching my hardware project Turn Touch today. Launched last year as a Kickstarter campaign, it is now available for immediate shipping.
Turn Touch is a beautiful wooden smart home remote and pedestal. It’s designed to fit both your home and your hand. Use it to instantly control Hue lights, smart devices, Mac and iOS apps, and more. Turn Touch connects to most smart devices in your home that speak WiFi, including Sonos speakers and Belkin Wemo smart plugs. Turn Touch works with your Mac, iPhone, or iPad to control apps like iTunes, Spotify, and Keynote.
Here’s a few more reasons to buy it:
* Extraordinary design — This isn't yet another plastic remote. Turn Touch is carved from solid wood and worked to a show-stopping, textured finish.
* Well connected — Turn Touch is always on, always connected, and always ready to take your breath away. Once you connect your Turn Touch via Bluetooth it stays connected and always available, even without the Turn Touch app actively running. And there's no delay, when you press a button the result is instant.
* Built to last — Not only will Turn Touch stand up to drops and shock, its entire circuit board can be inexpensively replaced with newer, future wireless tech. You won't have to buy a new remote every time Apple comes out with a new phone. And instead of flimsy plastic clasps, a set of 8 strong magnets invisibly hold the remote together.
Plus it’s entirely open source. And good open source projects benefit from good documentation. Here is a five part series on how Turn Touch was built: https://medium.com/@samuelclay/everything-you-need-to-build-your-own-turn-touch-smart-remote-1689da664d62 https://medium.com/@samuelclay/everything-you-need-to-build-...
- bpicolo 9y agoIs S12 correct? Edit: ah, Newsblur was S12, that's somewhat confusing
- k1ns 9y agoI was wondering the same, and became even more confused when I couldn't find Turn Touch on the S12 batch list [0]. This founder first started NewsBlur, which can be found on the S12 batch list, and they are now launching their hardware project Turn Touch. Turn Touch has been a year or so in the making, a much nicer timeline that 6+. [0] http://www.ycombinator.com/companies/?batch=s2012 http://www.ycombinator.com/companies/?batch=s2012
- conesus 9y agoSame company, new product. Plus the remote integrates with NewsBlur. I tend to only build productivity tools that use aggregation to get work done.
- conesus 9y agoFive years now. I was researching how to build buttons the day Google announced the Reader sunset (March 13, 2013). That pushed me back a bit as I had to get NewsBlur in shape. It’s a solo project so it took a while to prototype and launch but now here we are. That’s why I wrote the open source documentation. It’s what I would have wanted when I started this project.
- k1ns 9y agoAh, the timing makes much more sense now. I was looking at the "YC S12" descriptor and wondering, "what's been going on the past 6 years for this to be shipping today?" This looks great by the way, well done.
- roel_v 9y agoWhere on the website does it say how it actually works? Because "the it works" page, well, doesn't. It seems it connects to a phone via bluetooth? But also uses Wifi? How does it actually connect to any devices? Does it even do that? Or is it just a bluetooth remote for your phone, and the phone then does the real work? If I put this thing next to my bed, and I use it to control my lights, and I left my phone downstairs - will it work?
- conesus 9y agoThe remote connects to your iphone, iPad, or Mac. The phone/computer uses wifi or the net to talk to your devices. You can also use IFTTT to control hundreds of devices that aren't natively supported by Turn Touch. I have a Turn Touch in a pedestal next to my bed and it controls all of the lights in my home.
- splitbrain 9y agoHuh? It needs my phone to be present to turn on the lights? What if my wife wants to turn on the lights? Why does it need to talk to a phone? Wouldn't a zigbee device compatible with the hue bridge make more sense?
- brk 9y agoYou should make sure to mention this on the Indigo forums (http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/userforum/index.php http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/userforum/index.php) given that it looks like an Apple-centric smarthome device. FWIW, the wood thing does not really seem like a selling point, and also most likely drives the price up more than a plastic case would. I like the concept of it though and plan to research the APIs a bit more and then will likely order a couple.
- conesus 9y agoYou're absolutely right that wood is driving up the price. But if this does well enough in wood then I'll launch a plastic version in a year or two for $49.
- atwebb 9y agoYou seem neat and open, personally, I wouldn't put a future price here unless you expect to really hit it. I've already got that in my head. :)
- conesus 9y agoI'm with you on that but I've had that price in my head for a long, long time. The sub $50 point is what I'm aiming for and having thought enough about the plastic version after having made the wood version, I also have a good handle on what it'll cost me.
- samstave 9y agoPlease don’t ever make a plastic one. An aluminum one would be interesting though.
- masukomi 9y agoagreed. metal could be cool. I'd still buy the wood myself (if i buy it at all) but i can imagine metal would make some people really happy even if it was more expensive (witness the apple watch)
- Fifer82 9y agoCongratulations on shipping the product. I must say that it is a beautiful little thing. Good luck moving forward.
- johns 8y agoI really like how this looks and I bought one to try out. I wish it were standalone and Z-wave (or similar protocol) with Wink (or similar) support. I hate having a different app for every device.