4 ms·
> This is rather expensive for what looks like a home 3D printed toy with some cute software. This attitude really rubs me the wrong way, especially on a site
by hn_throwaway_99 1y ago
> This is rather expensive for what looks like a home 3D printed toy with some cute software.
This attitude really rubs me the wrong way, especially on a site called Hacker News.
I think we absolutely should be supporting projects like this (if you think they're worth supporting), else all we're left with is giant corporation monoculture. Hardware startups are incredibly difficult, and by their nature new hardware products from small companies will always cost more than products produced by huge companies that have economies of scale and can afford billions of losses on new products.
So yes, I'm all for people taking risks with new hardware, and even if it doesn't have the most polished design, if it's doing something new and interesting I think it's kinda shitty to just dismiss it as looking like "a 3D printed toy with some cute software".
- keyle 1y agoHey it's fine to make a 3d printed camera and cool stuff like that. But it's another thing to make it a product, that isn't shipping yet and asking $399 with a shiny website and with closed source software. I don't mean to disregard the technical feat, but I question the intent.
- didacusc 1y agoCouldn't agree more!
- BoorishBears 1y agoThis literally looks like someone made a closed source hardware kit out of mostly open parts and software then shipped it preassembled. I support it but I recognize it is a 3D printed toy with some cute software... toys can be interesting too. Not everything needs to be a startup.
- litlTucker 1y agoCheck Ali for "shitty" minature key-ring C-thru packaged cameras that look just like this "3D printed toy with some cute software", going for $4.00, not $400!
- deckar01 1y agoThe BoM is ~$150 MSRP. I doubt the ZKP Rube Goldberg contraption will survive a day of reverse engineering once it gets into the wild.
- typpilol 1y agoYou literally can't even export the photos...
- nextlevelwizard 1y agoIt would be cool if this was open source because looking at the pictured this is all off the shelf hardware. I am guessing only bespoke thing here is the stl for the case
- whywhywhywhy 1y ago>This attitude really rubs me the wrong way, especially on a site called Hacker News. It's just that even in the realm of hardware by small teams built upon Pi boards this is very overprice and poor construction and cheap components for what it is. Selling for $400 there are case solutions other than a cheap 3D print, and button choices other than the cheapest button on the market.
- Workaccount2 1y agoThis isn't a hardware start-up, it's a software start-up using off the shelf consumer hardware to give their software product a home. If it was a hardware start-up, the camera would be $80 built with custom purpose made hardware. Once you decide to launch a hardware product composed of completed consumer hardware products, you are already dead. All the margin is already accounted for.