The work that goes into developing a new product is not always obvious, even when the Product teams who develop the products are sitting a few steps away from Sales and Marketing. It takes the motivation of the teams working with product development to create that awareness within their own company.

To help our company better understand the product development process, our Hardware team initiated the Hardware Community project.

The Hardware Community project aims to reinforce Airtame’s strong culture so that our work processes reflect our solid social ties. The project aims to create more transparency and, more importantly, to help the company as a whole identify with the new hardware products we develop as we continue to grow.

Better together

Like in many tech companies, fostering strong work relationships between product teams and user-facing teams takes constant work.

We don’t mean to brag, but we at Airtame have strong social relationships between our teams. This didn’t happen on its own. It took a conscious effort from our founding team early on to create an open culture that encourages cross-team collaboration.

We believe it is vital for every one of our employees to understand the Airtame product from all aspects. It is not unheard of to have someone from the Product team or Marketing team jump into the customer chat support to experience the challenges our users might face firsthand. In fact, we wrote a piece on our all-hands support program last year.

The value this creates for our customers cannot be underestimated. When everyone in the company has a deep understanding of our products and how they’re created and used, it makes it possible for us to create a truly user-friendly solution.

How does the Hardware Community project achieve this alignment within our team? By holding internal info sessions that dive deeper into existing and upcoming products and their features, they give Sales and Customer Success teams a new perspective of our products, which brings huge value to our users.

For example, the Hardware Community project has held talks on topics such as Airtame’s mechanical construction or the form factor of Airtame 2. It helped clear up any confusion around our new Airtame 2 product.

Talks like these give the Sales and Customer Success teams a chance to share their insights from their daily interactions with users. Our software developers, who are part of the Product team but on the software side, join in to share their ideas on performance testing and ideas for optimization.

By combining our product-facing and user-facing knowledge, we make the best product we possibly can.

This project goes beyond the doors at Airtame. The Hardware Community project also aims to build stronger relationships with the external product development community.

Learning from the best

Our team is no doubt talented and passionate about product development. Part of being at the top of your game, however, is finding industry leaders to consult with. This is vital to our research and development on any project, for instance, when we worked on our RSDB WiFi chip for the Airtame 2 with our supplier, Cypress.

An important reason why we reach out to the experts in the product development community is not just to learn from the best. Knowledge sharing is a two-way street, so of course, as part of the community project, our hardware team plans on sharing their learnings publicly.

 

Giving back to the hardware community

As our team grows and learns, we want to share our learnings with our community.  Writing pieces that showcase product development is a nice start, but we also want to meet our community face to face.

We have already hosted two events since the project was initiated.

Our first event was a talk on sustainability at Herningsholm HTX/HHX upper secondary school in Herning. We had the chance to talk about the ways Airtame develops with sustainability in mind, such as our sustainable packaging, product optimization to minimize waste, and logistics and supply chain improvements to name a few topics.

We most recently hosted a student visit from Aalborg University’s Department of Architecture, Design, and Media Technology at our new Copenhagen HQ in March. Students from the Industrial Design program came to tour our office, hear how we do user research and hardware development, and got hands-on in a workshop on product interaction.

The Hardware Community project has more exciting events planned in the coming year, so keep an ear to the ground for more news!

Would you like to talk about collaborating on an event in the future? Reach out to us and be sure to mention the Hardware Community project!

The post How our Hardware team builds products in a community appeared first on Airtame.

When you receive a new Airtame, the first step you take is a natural one: unboxing the device. But what do you do with the packaging when you’re done setting up your Airtame?

The thought of our boxes sitting in a landfill made us realize we had a chance to completely rethink our packaging in a way that reduces our environmental footprint. From that point on, our hardware and design teams set out to develop more sustainable packaging.

The result is a revamp of our packaging, specifically the outer box, the inlay that holds Airtame 2, and the instruction manuals. It not only looks good but makes us feel good too.

Sustainable from the outside in

When developing our packaging, we had three main priorities. The packaging had to:

1. Help users quickly set up their Airtames
2. Protect the device and accessories during transport
3. Be easy for users to dispose of

We spoke with a few suppliers that offered different options. Our first consideration was a carton material, which is similar to that used in our original packaging. This material, however, did not fit our vision for the new Airtame 2 packaging: simple, sustainable, sturdy.

Our search for the right materials supplier finally led us to DS Smith for the outer box and PaperFoam for the inlay that holds the Airtame 2 device within the box. DS Smith offers a wide range of protective packaging materials. This and their dedication to recyclable materials made them an attractive option.

To hold the Airtame 2 device inside the box, however, cardboard was not a viable option, as we needed something with more pliability and softness. Enter, PaperFoam.  

From potatoes to PaperFoam

We discovered PaperFoam, a 100% recyclable and biodegradable material that can be molded to the shape we need.

PaperFoam mixes starch from potatoes, natural fibers, water, and their own secret ingredient, to create their lightweight, yet cushioning inlay. Yes, the raw materials are technically edible, but we wouldn’t encourage snacking on the finished product.

Making the change to more sustainable packaging is great, but how does it really help users set up their Airtames more quickly?

Benefits of recyclable materials and sustainable processes

Choosing sustainable materials also has powerful results with regards to making it easier for users.

Whether you’re unboxing one Airtame or one hundred, you can easily dispose of the box and inlay in one recycling bin. This is possible because a majority of the packaging material is not only made of sustainable materials but also simplified down to a similar type of recyclable material – mainly cardboard. Less time spent on sorting waste means you can set up Airtames much more efficiently.

Turning efficient into sustainable

Choosing recyclable cardboard and paper materials plus PaperFoam’s specially formulated inlays is a humble step towards creating sustainable processes at Airtame. The road to more sustainable packaging is not without some bumps and comes with its own learning curve.

Sustainability does not only stop at packaging materials. Our hardware and engineering teams are currently looking at ways to make the Airtame product more environmentally friendly and energy efficient in your office or school. Watch this space for any updates on that!

Not heard of Airtame before? Check out our quick intro video:

Read more about sustainability in the workplace in our 2019 office trends piece

The post Unboxing our new sustainable packaging appeared first on Airtame.

Deciding on what a new product should look like and be capable of is challenging to say the least. The new product specifications need to support the entire company strategy, which requires a lot of alignment and maturity within a company.

The specs should also be somewhat future-proof to accommodate for market variations because of the relatively long development time of most hardware products. Many things can go wrong, but in the end, that’s also what makes it so exhilarating.

Now that we have a second generation product out, we thought we’d share with you what the journey towards a new product looks like.

Better, faster, stronger

Our primary objective with the first Airtame was to get rid of cables. It’s a common problem that’s easy to solve with a tool like our first generation product. However, with the feedback we’ve received since, we realized there’s a huge potential to do more than make connection to screens cable-free.

We want to create a more inspiring environment for learning and sharing. To make screens in a professional setting easier to use and more functional for everyone. That’s why we’ve shifted our focus a little bit with the development of Airtame 2. We not only want to kiss cables goodbye; we also want people to use screens better.

It’s been approximately four years and 100,000+ devices shipped since our first device saw the light of day. What happens naturally in the lifetime of a hardware and electronics product is that some components reach their end-of-sales (EOS), which means it’s time to develop a new solution.

There are so many small electronic components that go into making a single device, each produced by different manufacturers spread across the world. The decision to stop or start production of any of these components is taken by their manufacturer based on profitability, supply and demand, and is not something controlled by end-product developers.

It is, however, standard within the industry to announce when parts are being introduced or removed so that development companies can adjust their product pipelines accordingly. This happened with some of the first-gen Airtame components, which, as a stroke of luck, coincided very well with our plans for the next generation product.

While the first Airtame is still a very capable streaming device, things have also started to shift during the four years since its first release, and our users are now hoping to do more with their screens than just screen mirroring. They want to utilize them in ways they haven’t before, such as implementing personalized digital signage, and we want to empower them to do so with Airtame 2.

These are the features our users have been requesting most frequently, and consequently the ones we have sought to improve with Airtame 2:

• More reliable streaming performance, especially when playing videos
• Better support for web content, digital signage, and dashboards
• Faster upgrade times, and improved speed all-round
• Stronger, more reliable wireless connection
• Robust security measures against theft
• Flexible hardware setup and installation

Let’s take a look inside Airtame 2 and check out some of the powerful components we’ve included and how they add value to our users.

Electronic components

When setting specifications and speaking with field application engineers (FAEs) and distributors about what components on the market were suitable for use in Airtame 2, we took complete advantage of the opportunity to select parts that improve on the exact features that our users were requesting. That’s why upgrading the following components was of utmost importance:

Cypress CYW88342 RSDB WiFi chip

Our new RSDB (Real Simultaneous Dual Band – more on this functionality in another article) WiFi chip on the Airtame 2 has more bandwidth than on our first generation, which means that it provides much faster and more reliable internet connection. It’s more than 5 times faster, actually.

With the first-gen Airtame, we received feedback from users that the network speed was relatively slow and you could only reliably stream offline content. We wanted to change that. With Airtame 2, the user can stream internet content such as cloud documents or YouTube videos while using WiFi Forwarding.

We worked closely with the chip manufacturer Cypress and our hardware partner RTX to implement this dual-band chip in an onboard design with custom antennas to maximize performance in all product orientations.

The RSDB functionality of the Cypress WiFi chip makes our product complete.

Ros, Firmware Team Lead @ Airtame

i.MX6 Dual(Core)Plus Processor

The name is quite a mouthful, so let me explain a little bit. Our new processor/SoC (System on Chip) has a better GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and is much faster, stable, and optimized for graphics. In layman’s terms, that means bigger and more advanced dashboards and websites can be shown. Another nice perk is that when streaming, it can run up to 60 fps while the first-gen Airtame could only go as far as 30 fps.

2GB DDR3L RAM

The Random-Access Memory (RAM) is required for the device to operate. It allows for reading and manipulating data faster than from local storage (eMMC). With Airtame 2, we’ve upgraded both the size and the performance.

Going with a 64-bit data bus means that Airtame 2 can handle twice as much data as its predecessor within the same unit of time. We also increased the size of the RAM from 0.5GB to 2GB, which makes Airtame 2 a much more capable device when dealing with more memory-heavy tasks such as digital signage, dashboards, and apps. Gone are the days where the page would run out of memory!

eMMC Storage

We’ve opted to use an eMMC (embedded Multi-Media Controller) instead of a Micro-SD card. The reason we went with this was to save space on the PCB, and to be able to have a more performant, high-speed storage available to hold the Airtame OS. The impact of the speed upgrade can be seen in a reduced boot-up time, and a massive ten-fold speedup for firmware upgrades, going from around 20 minutes for Airtame 1 to between 2-8 minutes for Airtame 2.

Form factor

Unlike its predecessor, the Airtame 2 is designed to be seen. We aimed for an iconic aesthetic that is easily recognizable so that anyone walking into a meeting room, for instance, will recognize Airtame 2 and know that if they need to share their screen, then they can see the device to aid them to do so.

To drive home that point, we wanted to design a device that didn’t look too ‘techy’ or make our users feel alienated by thinking that the device is too big a handful to operate – when in fact the opposite holds true.

I like to call it ‘friendly’ design, and here’s why. There’s an LED light guide on the front that glows with a dimmed, solid white as a standard setting to tell the user that the device is doing just fine. It’s not intrusive, and once again it’s not taking the focus away from the screen. When it’s performing an update, it’s flashing. That way, the LED serves as a way to communicate what the device is doing in an intuitive way that doesn’t require one to read or memorize a manual.

Your Airtame 2 should be your friendly little helper, guiding your way but never being in the way. The new design doesn’t scream tech; instead, it looks intuitive without taking the focus away from what’s important; the screen.

Production and Quality Control

Two words associated with this Airtame 2 production process: patience and integrity. We need trusted suppliers and manufacturers of components to quality check our custom parts and components over anything. Our suppliers are like an extension of ourselves, and we need to treat them with patience and integrity – just like they will treat our product. We work closely with them to implement incoming and outgoing quality checks at each link in our supply chain to ensure that the end product that ends up in the hand of our users is flawless.

Many of the mechanical parts of Airtame 2 are manufactured in China, Poland, Sweden and Denmark, but the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is mounted and our final product is assembled and packed in Sweden at our EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Service), Scanfil, in Malmö. They mount the components onto the PCB in their SMT (Surface Mount Technology) production lines and complete the programming, test, and assembly.

Let’s take a deeper look at what that process looks like. Scanfil receives the PCB panels, each containing four Airtame 2 PCBs. The panels have some exposed copper, which needs to be ‘painted’ with soldering paste using a custom stencil designed for our exact layout before components can be put in position.

Parallel to that, they collect all needed components from their storage system and prepare them to be mounted in the SMT pick-and-place machine by putting the reels or trays of components in special feeders. When the panel (with soldering paste added) finally passes through the production line, the SMT machine has been programmed to place each individual component in the correct location and orientation.

The machine uses visual detection to position the components in exactly the right position, which is crucial as we are dealing with very small tolerances. After the components are placed, the panel continues further down the line through the re-flow oven, where the soldering paste heats up and solders the components, fixing them in place.

Scanfil and Airtame also use AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) along our production line to ensure all components are positioned correctly after re-flow and that no components were missed in the SMT machine.

After SMT and re-flow comes a series of production stations for programming, assembly and testing. The process of starting with the raw PCB and ending with the packaged product is what we call the ‘production flow’ and it has been designed and tweaked to ensure quality and traceability is maintained in every step.

Scanfil helped us optimize the timing and implement the production flow of the Airtame 2, and they have been a fantastic partner because they were easy to communicate with and in such close proximity (our HQ is in Copenhagen, and Scanfil is just a bridge-ride across from us in Malmö) that we could have a lot of hands-on meetings together with the exact team that is doing the final assembly of the product. That also means we were able to get real feedback directly from the ‘end user (in production)’ and improve on the user experience and setup of the production flow.

Solving problems face to face rather than discussing them via email is a lot easier. With a good setup and partnership like this, we have a high awareness of what happens at Scanfil, we can support quickly in case of production issues, and have a more hands-on understanding of our production – with the help of the competent employees there.

Infographic: Check out the full production flow for Airtame 2

Packaging

With Airtame 2, we’ve gone with a packaging design that we call an ‘at-a-glance overview’. When you open the box, you’ll find all the essentials right away. The Airtame 2 itself is neatly encased in foam to keep it in place and on the inside lid of the box is a simple setup guide that’s hard not to notice. In the foam just below the device sits the magnetic wall mount and underneath the foam is a (quick) installation guide and the two other parts needed for installation; the Aircord (our custom cable) and the power supply.

We’ve kept our users in mind when we designed the packaging. First of all, we wanted there to be as little packaging as possible – both for ease of setup but also to minimize the carbon footprint. Secondly, it’s easy to assemble and disassemble the box, and it can also be flat packed for easier recycling.

B2B users, such as ours, don’t require ‘pretty packaging’ as much as B2C users do, and we’re very aware of that. For B2C users, it’s important to have good-looking packaging because they might want to resell or keep it in store (think Nike sneakers or iPhones). What B2B users need is a functional packaging design that’s simple to figure out, neat to look at, and easy to throw out (hopefully, recycle) afterward.

Another initiative we have in the pipeline is ‘bulk-packaging’ which will make it easier for our users to unpack and deploy devices for larger roll-outs and of course dispose of the packaging when they need to.

Most of the packaging material is entirely recyclable, and at some point, we would like to become fully sustainable too. That demands us to take a closer look at the entire supply chain and production process. It’s a work in progress but something that’s very important to us so we’ll be working towards that. The Airtame 2 packaging design is a step in the right direction.

Suppliers/Partners

We have a wide variety of skills at Airtame, but we don’t have all the expert competencies required to run a development project. That’s why we partner up with the best-of-the-best to apply the expert competencies to our projects that we ourselves do not possess. We work with our suppliers to find the best working solution throughout the process, from manufacturing the components, through (sub) assembly, to quality control, testing, packaging, and shipping.

In a development process, your suppliers and partners mean everything. Especially when developing (physical) hardware. Our suppliers have been of great help in the process. When it comes to suppliers, we think it should be a mutually beneficial relationship, and we try to make it so. We want them to be a part of the Airtame family with all the trust and loyalty that entails.

Many of our component and part manufacturers are based in China.  Because it’s so far away, it’s imperative to get a good relationship up and running and find out whom to trust. Luckily, we have many trusted suppliers. In such a short article, we don’t have space to name the many, many great suppliers that we have collaborated together with on this project, but we would like to shortly highlight a few of them below.

Goodway Plastics

Goodway Plastics, based in HK/China, is our custom injection molded plastic part manufacturer, who are also doing some of our sub-assembly. Goodway Plastics is a new partner for Airtame, but are easy to communicate with and great at finding a solution when problems arise.

For the collaboration to work, we need to trust in their abilities to control these processes, and they really shine at that. There are many concerns when trying to find a good supplier far away, but Goodway Plastics has put all those to shame. They serve as a shining example of a company that has fantastic communication and service despite the remoteness.

Cypress

We have some special relationships with part manufacturers as well. Take Cypress, who manufactures our WiFi chip (IC CYW88342 802.11ac transceiver with RSDB for the tech-heads out there). This relationship is special because it’s the first time this specific RSDB chip has been used in a consumer device outside of an automotive application. They’ve been extremely accommodating and supportive on this new journey, and we’re so excited to have had this opportunity work with them.

RTX

RTX is our hardware development partner and we have spent many months together building and qualifying both our first generation product and Airtame 2. They are really an example of a partner with expert knowledge in radio devices, and without them, we couldn’t have implemented this new Cypress chip and on-board antennas, that optimize our device performance.

They have collaborated with us to really push the limits of innovation with some new advanced components on Airtame 2 that allow us to, for example, have only one USB-C cable going into our device that can provide three things: power, HDMI, and Ethernet.

EKTOS

Finally, we have worked with the Danish testing lab, EKTOS Testing & Reliability Services (TRS), in the final phases of the project to get our device tested and certified for the market. EKTOS TRS has tested our product according to the relevant European and USA/Canadian standards.

Their accredited test reports can be used as a basis for obtaining the necessary certifications. It’s a crucial step in the development process to get these tests done and reported correctly, so we can back up our claims, that we are a safe, tested and reliable product for our end users.

Read more about our EKTOS collaboration here.

Ready for the future?

We designed Airtame 2 with the future in mind. Users shouldn’t have to throw out their hardware annually or biannually just because it doesn’t live up to the new expectations. That’s why we chose to focus on a future-proof solution that works for how we see our users utilizing their screens in the years to come.

Airtame 2 is designed for more demanding digital signage tasks, more advanced cloud app integrations and of course better and more reliable streaming. Some of those features we don’t even have yet, but we know that Airtame 2 can accommodate them.

Our new hardware device, Airtame 2, helps us get towards that goal we have as a business, while simultaneously allowing our customers to use screen better.

Find out more about Airtame and its new features in this short video:

Pre-order your Airtame 2 devices today!

The post How we made Airtame 2 appeared first on Airtame.

Take a peek at the reasons behind Airtame 2 …

Components

Airtame 2 is better, stronger, and more reliable than the first generation device, simply because its components are better. Better components bring more memory and improved wireless range.

Did you ever want the latest and greatest Airtame software, but didn’t think you had enough time to update before the start of a meeting?  Fear no more, because, with a high speed onboard memory chip and cutting edge WiFi chip, the Airtame 2 performs firmware and software updates in just a few minutes.

And there’s more! The first generation Airtame was able to load animations, but could only load very few frames per second. Airtame 2 is much better in the sense that it runs more smoothly and takes less time to load.

In both the first-gen Airtame and the Airtame 2, there’s a WiFi chip. Airtame 2 has a brand-new WiFi chip though, about five times faster than its precursor, which provides the user with even more smooth and reliable screen sharing and faster load time for website backgrounds.

Airtame 2 is upgraded in many ways, but the improved performance in better latency deserves a mention too. Now, our users can enjoy an even more instant feeling when streaming plus a more solid AirPlay playback.

Hardware

Components are one thing, but they need to be cased in something with a strong form factor to be noticed. While we were happy with the dongle-shaped first-gen Airtame, we realized we could give our users so much more by upgrading the hardware itself too. We’re happy to introduce not just a new product, but a bold new look too!

Another thing our users have requested is more flexibility in terms of setup. Our previous dongle-like Airtame fit right into the HDMI port of a TV or projector, which came with a few disadvantages such as potentially blocking the WiFi signal.

That’s why we took a good look at the installation and made some amazing upgrades there too. Setup with Airtame 2 includes a magnetic wall mount that makes it easy to place the device next to the screen. It’s designed so that optimal mounting with the magnetic wall mount provides the best possible WiFi connection. Besides that, Airtame 2 has a modern, sleek design that adds elegance to any environment – we don’t think you want to hide it, but we’ll get to that later.

It’s clear why many of our users have made the suggestion of incorporating a Kensington Lock option. The Kensington Lock secures the device in areas that are accessible to many people, for example in semi-public places like a lounge, waiting area or classroom. While the first-gen Airtame didn’t have this feature, Airtame 2 does.

Airtame 2 is much more powerful than the first gen device, and therefore needs to be plugged into a power outlet. The new custom cable called Aircord removes the trouble of reaching both the HDMI input on the display and the power source by giving it more corded range.

There’s even the option of using Airtame 2 with our very own Power over Ethernet (coming soon to our online store), which connects Airtame 2 directly with the LAN cable for both power and stable internet without having to compromise on the simple setup.

Design

The first-gen Airtame is not meant to be on display. It looks great but is a little modest, and we knew there were some upgrades to be made here. Some of our partners have called the new Airtame 2 “sexy”, and while we probably won’t go that far, it’s safe to say the new design wins more hearts.

The surface of Airtame 2 is smooth to the touch without any disturbing elements. There’s only one attention-grabbing feature on the otherwise completely black device, and that’s the LED on the front.

The LED’s standard setting is a steady white glow, to indicate that your Airtame 2 is working just fine. This light is less obtrusive than that of the first-gen Airtame and will serve as a guide to users and inform them when a software update is imminent if a connection is lost – and many more things, some of which we’ll be constantly developing.

With many other of our competitors, you’ll have to connect something to your laptop or mobile device, drill a mounting plate or the device itself into the wall. It’s laborious and takes a lot of time. Airtame 2 comes with a magnetic wall mount. Yes, magnetic, no drilling required!

We recommend removing the adhesive from the magnetic wall mount and Aircord and find a good place beside your screen to set it up, but you could also just mount the device itself straight to the frame of the TV.

If mounted visibly, the Airtame 2 will receive better signal, but also make it easy for everyone to eventually recognize that the given screen is powered by Airtame – an easy, reliable solution.

Future advancements

It wasn’t that long ago we released our Homescreen apps in beta. We have an increasingly bigger focus on app integrations – building apps that connect to your pre-existing business or education services, allowing for more dynamic digital signage on your screens when they are not being used.

Airtame 2 is better equipped to show and run more advanced digital signage and dashboard solutions. We think the future will call for many more of these solutions, and that’s why we’ve provided our users with a future-proof device that grows with our users’ needs.

Price – still competitive

What about the price tag, you might ask? With all these state of the art components, the price must be sure to sky-rocket, right? We’re delighted to inform you that Airtame 2 is still a cheaper solution than most.

Airtame 2 costs €/$ 499 (ex. VAT), which is a bit more expensive than its predecessor. Airtame 2 is also an upgraded, future-proof solution that runs faster, has more memory, twice the wireless WiFi range and a more flexible setup. It’s a bargain when put under this context. Check out how we compare to our biggest competitors here.

Bottom line

Our first product is a fine device that we’re very proud of. And right now, it can suit most of the demands our users are requesting. But a year from now, we think that this device will have a hard time catching up to the features that we and our users want it to run.

And that’s why we’ve built a device with better components, a smarter design and room for all the improvements we will offer in the future to help you use screens better. We crammed all the learnings from our first-gen device into a new and improved form factor with kick-ass electronics.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Airtame 2s work perfectly well with the first-gen Airtame. So if you want, you could have these new, more powerful devices in rooms or environments where you need to impress more or need it to run faster and keep the first gen devices running like clockwork in the down-prioritized environments.

All in all, we’re launching a next-generation product that will be more prominent in the room, better performing and still as stable as the current platform that we’ve been continuously developing for four years.

Airtame 2 isn’t just a new chapter that continues a tale – it’s a whole new book that our users will be able to co-write with us.

Watch this short video to discover how Airtame works:

Find out more about Airtame 2 and buy yours today

The post Why you should upgrade to Airtame 2 appeared first on Airtame.