Captain’s Log - PuzzlePhone Episode 1: Leading an R&D Revolution

PuzzlePhone’s Indiegogo campaign concluded in December, and since then we’ve been silent – but not inactive! And we’re not remaining silent anymore. This is the first of many blog posts to come.

Our intent is to keep you current on PuzzlePhone’s journey from the drawing board to your pocket. It’s an amazing R&D story, a story of reshoring, of proving that Europe isn’t that sleepy little hamlet people (well, those in Silicon Valley) think it is.

At least no one around here in Finland is sleeping. In fact, together with an awesome team of European R&D all-stars, we’re blazing the trail for Industry 4.0. Who’s on the PuzzlePhone team?

• Grant4Com’s labs have given birth to some of the greatest products on earth. They are experts in the testing of mobile telecommunications from antenna- and audio performance all the way through to environmental and destructive testing. They’re based in Oulu, just over 600 kilometers north of us in Helsinki (and not too far from Santa Claus hometown).
• Haltian is known for turning ideas into physical, cutting-edge technological products. They are veteran ex-Nokia hardware and software engineers with a pedigree in design development of smart phones and consumer electronics. They’re also based in Oulu, where it’s cold and dark enough they spend all their time working.
• Convergentia Group is known for simulation-aided design solutions, which means products can be brought to market faster and at lower cost. They’re specialists in RF antenna, thermal and mechanical performance (drop test and lifecycle). And they’re in Oulu which, as you’ve already guessed, is a geek’s paradise.
• Fraunhofer is Europe's largest application-oriented research organization, and they’re key to guiding our decisions from environmental, recycling and repair aspects to ensure a truly circular economy design. Fraunhofer is in Berlin because, well, we couldn’t let Finland have all the glory.

Physical tests at Grant4Com facilities in Oulu.

Driving all that R&D is our UK-based CPO, Julian Swan and CTO, Ben May who share the dream of better hardware. Ben has declared that he’s “fed up with the constant throughput of disposable equipment” in his life. Now he’s leading the team that will bring an end to the disposable nature of smartphones.

So follow us in this blog. Follow our journey as our great team brings PuzzlePhone from the drawing board to your pocket. As our CEO Alejandro Santacreu puts it: “We are a startup that is designing, engineering and assembling a new smartphone in Europe! How unlikely is that?”

Unlikely, sure. But it’s happening. Track the progress right here. In our next episode we take a closer look at the development process and timelines.

The Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign main purpose was to test the market interest so we can better finetune the PuzzlePhone. Now we have a better knowledge of the market dynamics related to the PuzzlePhone and will incorporate this in the development.

We will keep you all updated here, in the newsletter and trough our social media channels.

Alejandro Santacreu (CEO)
On behalf of the PuzzlePhone team
The PuzzlePhone!
Upgradeable, sustainable, incredible!