[quote]Sony has launched a new crowdfunding platform designed to find and finance projects developed by Sony employees. The platform, called First Flight, is part of an effort by the Japanese company to promote new business ideas as it tries to drive itself back to profitability. In addition to crowdfunding new projects, First Flight will also let backers directly buy and pre-order new devices developed by Sony workers.[/quote]
[url=http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/1/8874943/sony-crowdfunding-platform-first-flight-launch]The Verge[/url]
[url]https://first-flight.sony.com/[/url]
As of right now it's Japan only, we'll have to see if it comes to the West.
That MESH project is pretty cool but it seems pretty expensive at 59$ per module. I don't think anything like those Kickstarter disasters will happen though which is good.
There will immediately be some negativity about this, but I think it's a pretty good idea.
Sony is a massive company with lots of money to research and develop things, but they may be using these crowdfunding things to measure interest at the same time as they let people pre-order the products.
From a consumer standpoint, this [I]isn't donation to a huge company that already has lots of money[/I], this is placing a pre-order.
Since the products are backed by Sony, they're pretty much guaranteed to be made when the goals are reached.
Everyone wins.
[QUOTE=paul simon;48094315]There will immediately be some negativity about this, but I think it's a pretty good idea.
Sony is a massive company with lots of money to research and develop things, but they may be using these crowdfunding things to measure interest at the same time as they let people pre-order the products.
From a consumer standpoint, this [I]isn't donation to a huge company that already has lots of money[/I], this is placing a pre-order.
Since the products are backed by Sony, they're pretty much guaranteed to be made when the goals are reached.
Everyone wins.[/QUOTE]
But like with any other kind of preorder, the products aren't guaranteed to not be awful.
Seems like it's specifically designed for people who work at Sony who have ideas of their own, and this is a way for Sony to put those ideas forward to the public, so that they can show an interest.
That's fine by me.
[QUOTE=DrTaxi;48094329]But like with any other kind of preorder, the products aren't guaranteed to not be awful.[/QUOTE]
Of course, just like with Kickstarter you've got to try and think whether this product is actually as great as they're making it out to be, and if you actually have got any use for it.
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