Good news! Karma Go is inches away from entering the certification labs, which means we have a projected ship date we can share: April 10th. We apologize it took this long to update you; we want to be sure we share a timeline that is accurate. No date is sacred, but we now have a high level of confidence that we're past the bumps.

As we mentioned in our last update, Karma Go was close to, but not quite, finished. But once we got everything working together we realized the device didn't have enough memory for Go to run smoothly. To fix it we needed to redesign and manufacture a new PCB (the green board that holds all the chips, and includes the extra storage and RAM). Now with the new PCB we can move forward.

Karma Go, alive and ready

Unfortunately, this delay means we missed the slots we had scheduled at the certification labs. Certification makes sure that the internal radios all operate correctly, match the FCC's specification, and can communicate flawlessly with the LTE network. Because of the detailed nature of these tests, the device has to be 100% finished before it can begin the process. Certification for any device with a cell radio in it takes a few months, and if you miss your scheduled slot it's kind of like missing a doctor's appointment: you have to wait for a new free slot to open up. Now we have a new certification schedule, which means we can finally give you a planned ship date.

Going forward we have two timelines running in parallel: manufacturing, and certification. While the device gets poked and prodded in the labs, the factory will begin sourcing in volume all the components needed for mass production. By the time the final stamp of approval comes down from the labs, the first run of Karma Go units will instantly go out for delivery.

The manufacturing timeline has little risk for unexpected delays. However, the tests and certification could require adjustments to Karma Go to make sure it matches standards. We feel very confident Go will pass through flawlessly, but it’s still a test and there’s always a chance that something can go wrong.

Every step of the way

In the interest of more transparency going forward, we've put together a timeline of the milestones we'll be hitting leading up to first shipment. We'll keep you updated along the way as we hit each milestone, and we'll let you know as soon as possible if we miss one.

We'll be explaining more about what each step means as we go along, and if you have any questions or concerns right now don't hesitate to contact us: help@yourkarma.com. Our entire team wants to make sure you're happy. This delay sucks, and an April launch was not what we planned for going in, so we understand if you're frustrated. But we don't want you to stay frustrated. We value your happiness more than your money, so please let us know what we can do to fix this.

Our super friendly support team

That said, we want to take a moment to answer some of the questions we've been seeing in recent weeks. In the grand spirit of the internet we love so much, a FAQ:

How far along are you, really?

This week we received several fully functional Karma Go devices. We’re running our own tests, and they’re connected to the network. We can touch them, we can smell them, we can tear them apart and put them back together again. And, most importantly, we can get on the internet with them.

Why didn’t you announce this new date sooner?

We wanted to have something solid to share. When the memory issue came up it put our original testing and certification timeline up in the air, so we didn’t have a firm date to work with. Now (as of this week) we have everything pinned down again and have a date we feel good about.

Why did you start pre-orders so early, is this just crowdfunding?

No, we’ve had a product on the market for over two years. When we originally announced the December ship date for Karma Go we knew it was an ambitious, but doable, timeline. We wanted to be able to offer the device for the Holidays. We never needed the pre-orders to fund our development, it was already well underway when orders started.

How can you be sure there won’t be more delays?

It’s impossible to guarantee. We have every confidence in the device we’re building and the software it’s running. The manufacturer we’re working with has a great track record of getting mobile devices through certification, and manufacturing at high volumes, so we currently have no cause for concern.

What are you going to be doing in the meantime?

Get this thing tested and certified. We’re not resting until you have Karma Go in your hands, and we will keep you updated every step of the way.

More questions or feedback? We're here for you: help@yourkarma.com

All torn up