I received this in my email yesterday, this thing might actually arrive this year:
55 | Beta: A MEATER Block Story
Posted by Apption Labs (Creator)
Hi everyone!
In case you missed the announcement, we have started beta testing the MEATER Block! It’s been a long road, but we’re thrilled our product is being tested outside of Apption Labs.
Our goal for beta testing is to confirm that the MEATER Block meets the expectation we’ve set and fixes the problems it is supposed to solve. Testers include Block backers who understand the spec and have used the single MEATER. This will help identify bugs and improvements specific to the Block so we can focus on finishing any open hardware/software issues.
Testers were asked to use the Block without special instructions so we know where we need to fix the user experience. Our usability goal was to design an intuitive experience that requires little to no “instructions” (because who really reads instructions?). The process involves initial setup, automatic pairing of the probes, pairing with the MEATER app, WiFi configuration, cook set up, monitoring, range, and the overall cooking experience.
Testing is still in progress and we’re happy to share our findings so far:
Initial impressions (unboxing, setup, pairing, etc.)
• We haven’t finalized the packaging yet so there was no real unboxing experience. But it was echoed, if it was anywhere near the quality and attention to detail as the single unit MEATER, we will be in good shape.
• Initial WiFi setup: There were two testers that had issues connecting to WiFi. We troubleshot the issue and soon realized the units sent were not properly reset to factory default. The step-by-step instructions did not appear on the Block and set up was not done properly. Our testers have since connected the Block to their WiFi network and we will ensure it will be easier regardless of what state the Block is in.
Cooking and usability
• For testers who needed more range, they immediately pointed out that the Block solved this issue because of the connection to WiFi. You don’t need an additional smart device to use MEATER Link!
• Engraved probe IDs: Testers found this to be a very nice feature and that it helps to identify their probes/cooks easily. They also provided feedback on how we can improve it which we will consider implementing in future improvements of the system.
• Some testers experienced a few hiccups pairing the probes, and again we suspect the issues lie with not doing a “factory reset” prior to shipping. For example, the probes will pair directly to the phone vs. the Block. However, we will try to reproduce this issue and improve the pairing process so it does not matter how you’ve set up the Block initially.
Standalone Mode - Cooking without the app
• Though our original intention was for the Block to be used primarily as a Bluetooth to WiFi bridge, we also want to make sure you can cook without your smart device. One issue we ran into is there weren’t clear enough instructions. There will be improved instructions when the Block is released.
We have another set of beta units to ship this week, which will enable us to test the additional instructions needed to make the experience better. We’ve also made sure the units are set to “factory default” this time around. =)
Pork chops!
Pork chops!
Droooooool....
Droooooool....
Meanwhile, our team continues to validate the new printed circuits boards (PCBs), and are growing confident that these will fulfil our requirements. Our co-founder, Teemu, and a few of our engineers are currently overseeing the second pre-production batch (using the new boards) at the factory. This pre-production batch will be key to helping us anticipate and understand any challenges we’ll be facing going into mass production. We will share our progress on meater.com/blog in the coming weeks and a full update to follow next month.
Since beta testing is still in progress and we have yet to validate our pre-production batch of MEATER Blocks, we unfortunately cannot provide a shipping date at this time. However, we are confident in our product, and we are excited about releasing it later this year.
As always we thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you!
55 | Beta: A MEATER Block Story
Posted by Apption Labs (Creator)
Hi everyone!
In case you missed the announcement, we have started beta testing the MEATER Block! It’s been a long road, but we’re thrilled our product is being tested outside of Apption Labs.
Our goal for beta testing is to confirm that the MEATER Block meets the expectation we’ve set and fixes the problems it is supposed to solve. Testers include Block backers who understand the spec and have used the single MEATER. This will help identify bugs and improvements specific to the Block so we can focus on finishing any open hardware/software issues.
Testers were asked to use the Block without special instructions so we know where we need to fix the user experience. Our usability goal was to design an intuitive experience that requires little to no “instructions” (because who really reads instructions?). The process involves initial setup, automatic pairing of the probes, pairing with the MEATER app, WiFi configuration, cook set up, monitoring, range, and the overall cooking experience.
Testing is still in progress and we’re happy to share our findings so far:
Initial impressions (unboxing, setup, pairing, etc.)
• We haven’t finalized the packaging yet so there was no real unboxing experience. But it was echoed, if it was anywhere near the quality and attention to detail as the single unit MEATER, we will be in good shape.
• Initial WiFi setup: There were two testers that had issues connecting to WiFi. We troubleshot the issue and soon realized the units sent were not properly reset to factory default. The step-by-step instructions did not appear on the Block and set up was not done properly. Our testers have since connected the Block to their WiFi network and we will ensure it will be easier regardless of what state the Block is in.
Cooking and usability
• For testers who needed more range, they immediately pointed out that the Block solved this issue because of the connection to WiFi. You don’t need an additional smart device to use MEATER Link!
• Engraved probe IDs: Testers found this to be a very nice feature and that it helps to identify their probes/cooks easily. They also provided feedback on how we can improve it which we will consider implementing in future improvements of the system.
• Some testers experienced a few hiccups pairing the probes, and again we suspect the issues lie with not doing a “factory reset” prior to shipping. For example, the probes will pair directly to the phone vs. the Block. However, we will try to reproduce this issue and improve the pairing process so it does not matter how you’ve set up the Block initially.
Standalone Mode - Cooking without the app
• Though our original intention was for the Block to be used primarily as a Bluetooth to WiFi bridge, we also want to make sure you can cook without your smart device. One issue we ran into is there weren’t clear enough instructions. There will be improved instructions when the Block is released.
We have another set of beta units to ship this week, which will enable us to test the additional instructions needed to make the experience better. We’ve also made sure the units are set to “factory default” this time around. =)
Pork chops!
Pork chops!
Droooooool....
Droooooool....
Meanwhile, our team continues to validate the new printed circuits boards (PCBs), and are growing confident that these will fulfil our requirements. Our co-founder, Teemu, and a few of our engineers are currently overseeing the second pre-production batch (using the new boards) at the factory. This pre-production batch will be key to helping us anticipate and understand any challenges we’ll be facing going into mass production. We will share our progress on meater.com/blog in the coming weeks and a full update to follow next month.
Since beta testing is still in progress and we have yet to validate our pre-production batch of MEATER Blocks, we unfortunately cannot provide a shipping date at this time. However, we are confident in our product, and we are excited about releasing it later this year.
As always we thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you!
