LUCY - Der Digitale Buttler

[Percy]

Update Nr. 12:
Dear backers.
More than 3 weeks since the last post - time flies. We worked hard, traveled a lot, we met many good and talented people and all of us are pushing to make L.U.C.Y. work the way we planed it. But bad things first: We were not able to use this production slot since we are not happy with the hardware design, the hardware capacity and the software yet. We are getting closer, but there is still some relevant work to deliver. One by one:
Hardware design
The screens are to thick. Instead of 4 cm we now are looking at an 7.5 cm thick screen which is not what we want. It does not look good enough, it feels heavy and clumsy.

We decided to review the specifications with our hardware producer and he is willing to redesign it.
Software
L.U.C.Y. needs some more love. We are not ready yet to send the software out to hundreds of users to use it. This is a crucial part of our development and unfortunately one core member of the team has left us for a job with a huge pay roll. We have outsourced a fair part of the development and testing to software developers in Europe to ensure we deliver a stable Version to our first users. Testing and debugging takes time. But we want to do it right.
Voice control
Amazon announced that they will build Alexa with a big screen soon. That worries us and we are looking into alternative voice controls. This is the biggest issue we have since we are so close now and we need to review our software architecture. But our first versions worked without Alexa, too. We might have to roll back there. If that happens we might have to descope some functionalities at the beginning. Right now we are planing to deliver Alexa integration but we must be ready for a switch to ensure L.U.C.Y. works.
Packaging
What we thought is a no brainer turned out to be complicated. The packaging we want is to expensive and the one we do not like turned out to be the one that works without side effects.
Cables
Finally we got a solution for that. But still we are waiting for the samples to verify it is what it looks like on a picture.

Certifications
We are still missing the Bluetooth, FCC, RoHS and CE certifications. These approvals can be done once we are happy with the hardware setup.
Timeline
The timeline is pending finalising those tasks in late March. The new timeframe for delivery is:
February shipments in late April/early May 2017
June shipments in July 2017
Pre-Orders from our website in August 2016
We are VERY sorry about the delays. The critical path is now to find a hardware setup that works and looks like our prototypes. An updatable software core that is not dependant on other service providers is also a must have. Until the entire system is stable, we cannot go from prototype stage to production stage. It is all about having a solid product.
Old Refunds
We refunded all those who asked for it. One by one - not always as fast as we all wished. Basically all of you who asked for it should have the money back on their credit card. We have learned that Kickstarter needs a couple of days to deliver.
New Refunds
For those who are not happy with the new timeline: Please send us an email to refund@welcome-lucy.com and we will find a way with our partners to refund you.
Again - we are very sorry for the delay of delivery and the radio silence the past two weeks. But we had to clarify all this first and make some tough decisions.
Thanks for your support.
L.U.C.Y.