The uBeam FAQ

[PaulReynolds]

Interesting tweet from a former uBeam employee:

https://twitter.com/alexwhittemore/status/1441824887367032837

"The biggest annoyance at uBeam was if the demo units were running when you took a call. The other side was always like "what the HELL is going on over there?" "Oh yeah sorry I'll go in the other room." The ultrasound down-mixes in the MEMS mic."

This is interesting as I've not heard similar issues from other groups operating in this frequency range, or heard it myself. If true, I wonder if that was disclosed to investors or customers? Seems pretty important for general use and especially public spaces.

[PaulReynolds]

For those of you who remember the IEEE Spectrum article on uBeam - Lee Gomes, the author, recently passed away. I'd gotten to know Lee and he was a great guy and journalist, sad to see him gone.

https://spectrum.ieee.org/experts-still-think-ubeamrsquos-throughtheair-charging-tech-is-unlik

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/sfgate/name/lee-gomes-obituary?id=23371687

[langwadt]

Interesting tweet from a former uBeam employee:

https://twitter.com/alexwhittemore/status/1441824887367032837

"The biggest annoyance at uBeam was if the demo units were running when you took a call. The other side was always like "what the HELL is going on over there?" "Oh yeah sorry I'll go in the other room." The ultrasound down-mixes in the MEMS mic."

This is interesting as I've not heard similar issues from other groups operating in this frequency range, or heard it myself. If true, I wonder if that was disclosed to investors or customers? Seems pretty important for general use and especially public spaces.

disclose something bad? lol

[PaulReynolds]

disclose something bad? lol

I should have put that in sarcasm quotes

[EEVblog]

Interesting tweet from a former uBeam employee:

https://twitter.com/alexwhittemore/status/1441824887367032837

"The biggest annoyance at uBeam was if the demo units were running when you took a call. The other side was always like "what the HELL is going on over there?" "Oh yeah sorry I'll go in the other room." The ultrasound down-mixes in the MEMS mic."

This is interesting as I've not heard similar issues from other groups operating in this frequency range, or heard it myself. If true, I wonder if that was disclosed to investors or customers? Seems pretty important for general use and especially public spaces.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/the-ubeam-faq/?action=dlattach;attach=1300850;image

Downmixing into the very thing it was designed to power!

[jrs45]

So I randomly took a look at the website today, and it's gone, parked by godaddy.

Is this officially the end?

[MrMobodies]

It looks like they haven't renewed that one yet:

https://whois.domaintools.com/sonicenergy.com

6,597 days old
Created on 2004-01-01
Expires on 2022-01-01
Updated on 2021-01-02

Registered more than year before than their Ubeam domain:

https://whois.domaintools.com/ubeam.com

5,953 days old
Created on 2005-10-06
Expires on 2022-03-23
Updated on 2021-03-24

[coppice]

So I randomly took a look at the website today, and it's gone, parked by godaddy.

Is this officially the end?

Zombie companies rarely die completely. I stumbled across http://www.sco.com still resolving a few days ago

[EEVblog]

So I randomly took a look at the website today, and it's gone, parked by godaddy.
Is this officially the end?

 

[SiliconWizard]

=)

[MrMobodies]

Your last video about Ubeam when you said "By Meredith" it reminded me of this:

I could only find the clip on Youtube 5:16 in the video:

https://youtu.be/PlPPjUhZ7AM?t=316

[ivaylo]

Someone should buy the domain name and point it to a few pages describing the history of that ill fated enterprise, there are good lessons here…

[Kean]

Someone should buy the domain name and point it to a few pages describing the history of that ill fated enterprise, there are good lessons here…

Current bid appears to be $14   

[jrs45]

I'll bid $15!

I wonder when the liquidation sale will be!  I'd enjoy some new test gear subsidized by foolish VC's.

[Howardlong]

I'll bid $15!

I wonder when the liquidation sale will be!  I'd enjoy some new test gear subsidized by foolish VC's.

Indeed, it’s worth it as a tribute, lessons learned on how well-meaning rich people can be manipulated into p!ssing away theirs and other people’s money on snake oil?

Maybe with links the this thread and Paul Reynolds’ blog.

Like Theranos and their front person Elizabeth Holmes.

I wonder, am I missing something really obvious about certain people and their, ahem, attractiveness to investors?

[EEVblog]

I'll bid $15!

I wonder when the liquidation sale will be!  I'd enjoy some new test gear subsidized by foolish VC's.

Indeed, it’s worth it as a tribute, lessons learned on how well-meaning rich people can be manipulated into p!ssing away theirs and other people’s money on snake oil?
Maybe with links the this thread and Paul Reynolds’ blog.
Like Theranos and their front person Elizabeth Holmes.
I wonder, am I missing something really obvious about certain people and their, ahem, attractiveness to investors?

I can neither confirm nor deny that I bid 

[SiliconWizard]

I'll bid $15!

I wonder when the liquidation sale will be!  I'd enjoy some new test gear subsidized by foolish VC's.

Indeed, it’s worth it as a tribute, lessons learned on how well-meaning rich people can be manipulated into p!ssing away theirs and other people’s money on snake oil?

Problem is, nobody really cares, except us engineers (well, the ones that haven't worked on such projects at least, the others having gotten some good money from it.)
Well-meaning rich people?
You think they even really care if the project fails? If it turns out great, then it's all good and they'll get money from it. If it fails (which happens quite often, so since they are probably not *that* stupid, they already know most of those startups do fail), then well - it's often invested money that they can get tax cuts from, so it's either investing it in funky projects, or giving it as tax money. Guess which is more fun... =)

[MrMobodies]

I see their Sonicenergy domain is up for sale for $3500 on Afternic,

https://checkout.afternic.com/BDAddToCartFromProdId.do?&prodId=3398517&traffic_id=3805



Looks like that domain was owned by some venture firm who has their own register.
https://whois.domaintools.com/sonicenergy.com

Registrant Org   Alpha-Venture Inc.

Dates   6,600 days old
Created on 2004-01-01
Expires on 2022-01-01
Updated on 2021-01-02

Last time that was captured working was December the 28th:
https://web.archive.org/web/20211228113052/https://sonicenergy.com/

[EEVblog]

I see their Sonicenergy domain is up for sale for $3500 on Afternic,

GoDaddy say that it was last sold for $3500. Presumably that's whay uBeam paid for it when they changed their name?
Someone has just set up an autobid on GoDaddy.

[jrs45]

Like Theranos and their front person Elizabeth Holmes.

I wonder, am I missing something really obvious about certain people and their, ahem, attractiveness to investors?

I suspect that there is a lot of motivation from the press to highlight the "achievements" of female scientists and entrepreneurs, especially those that are easy on the eyes.  It sells more articles, gets more eyeballs, and supports the current cultural emphasis on achievement by the historically "repressed", and all the wokeness that is so fashionable these days.

This glowing, uncritical press coverage brings them attention from more investors and credibility, making it much easier for them to raise money, and encouraging them to continue with their nonsense.  Rather than, you know, actually building something that works.

Of course, in these cases it completely backfired, because both Holmes and Perry were frauds.  Hardly good examples of female scientists/entrepreneurs.  A real shame, because those who actually deserve recognition are being overlooked in favor of charlatans.

[EEVblog]

Like Theranos and their front person Elizabeth Holmes.

I wonder, am I missing something really obvious about certain people and their, ahem, attractiveness to investors?

I suspect that there is a lot of motivation from the press to highlight the "achievements" of female scientists and entrepreneurs, especially those that are easy on the eyes.  It sells more articles, gets more eyeballs, and supports the current cultural emphasis on achievement by the historically "repressed", and all the wokeness that is so fashionable these days.

This glowing, uncritical press coverage brings them attention from more investors and credibility, making it much easier for them to raise money, and encouraging them to continue with their nonsense.  Rather than, you know, actually building something that works.

Of course, in these cases it completely backfired, because both Holmes and Perry were frauds.  Hardly good examples of female scientists/entrepreneurs.  A real shame, because those who actually deserve recognition are being overlooked in favor of charlatans.

Nothing new here. And it's not just females, it works both ways.
An attractive college dropout male with a backstory and a "look" gets the media attention over the genious Jabba the hut ugly triple PhD guy any day of the week.

[langwadt]

Like Theranos and their front person Elizabeth Holmes.

I wonder, am I missing something really obvious about certain people and their, ahem, attractiveness to investors?

I suspect that there is a lot of motivation from the press to highlight the "achievements" of female scientists and entrepreneurs, especially those that are easy on the eyes.  It sells more articles, gets more eyeballs, and supports the current cultural emphasis on achievement by the historically "repressed", and all the wokeness that is so fashionable these days.

This glowing, uncritical press coverage brings them attention from more investors and credibility, making it much easier for them to raise money, and encouraging them to continue with their nonsense.  Rather than, you know, actually building something that works.

Of course, in these cases it completely backfired, because both Holmes and Perry were frauds.  Hardly good examples of female scientists/entrepreneurs.  A real shame, because those who actually deserve recognition are being overlooked in favor of charlatans.

Nothing new here. And it's not just females, it works both ways.
An attractive college dropout male with a backstory and a "look" gets the media attention over the genious Jabba the hut ugly triple PhD guy any day of the week.

I think with females it is slightly different in they get to say they are oppressed because they are female while at the same time the reason they get attention is because they are female

[Buriedcode]

I hate to point this out, but what wrong with using the word "Woman" or Women.  Describing people as "males" and "females" is creepy and non species specific, we're not narrating a nature show.

[Nominal Animal]

I hate to point this out, but what wrong with using the word "Woman" or Women.  Describing people as "males" and "females" is creepy and non species specific, we're not narrating a nature show.

We most definitely are narrating a nature show.

[Kean]

Woah, the current bid on GoDaddy for sonicenergy.com was sitting at $101 yesterday, and today it is $4,010!

I wasn't sure if that was USD or AUD, as I get directed to the au.godaddy.com site but no currency is shown on that page and it didn't matter much when it was sitting at $14.  When clicking through on "Place Bid" it says $2,550 USD which is roughly $3,646 AUD, or $4,010 AUD when adding 10% GST.

Bid history shows 9 bidders and 19 bids as of right now, with the first low ball bid on 26th Jan, and significant activity yesterday.  Bidder 5 has an automatic bid placed on 27th Jan which is winning so far.

https://godaddy.com/domain-auctions/sonicenergy-com-408187121

No idea why I care