Jun 10, 2015

15/06/10 BETTER RE News: We successfully funded $69,465!! Thank you!



Wow time really flies!
It feels like we only started funding a few days ago, and it's already over!

Thanks to you all, we successfully funded $69,465, 138% of our funding goal!
With 781 backers from more than 42 countries around the world, we made it a success.
We want to thank everyone who supported us, gave us great feedback and spread words about our story. It would have been impossible if it weren't you.



The only moment many of us living in energy-abundant environment fall short of power is when our mobile devices are running short of battery. This was an important insight that helped us - who have developed solar lamps to solve global energy&environment issues - invent BETTER RE. We got the chance to start from solving problems near us, which can grow to solve energy poverty as well.



From now on, as ENLIGHTEN’s mission and vision, we will develop the low-price model of BETTER RE to distribute to developing countries. We will let more people get access to energy, making people's lives easier, freer and brighter.
We are sure BETTER RE will become a creative and sustainable global energy solution!



Thank you very much for joining us on the meaningful first step, fully supporting us on the way. We will keep communicating with you backers through Kickstarter Updates, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,and Newsletter, continuing our efforts to make better products, business and enterprise.
Hope you would stay with us to the end with warm support. :)


A small note for BETTER RE backers!
For the following days,  please keep an eye on your mailbox where our backer surveys will soon arrive! 

 
Thank you a million times, and wish you all the very best of luck.




Best regards,
Team ENLIGHTEN.

Jun 7, 2015

15/06/08 BETTER RE News: We're on Engadget + Over 120% funded!!

Hello there, all readers!
It is Monday morning here and I am SOOOOO happy to bring you a wonderful news.



We were featured on Engadget, one of the major tech blogs worldwide!




We are glad to see several major media showing interest in our project.
The good thing about this is that more people can know about our project and take part in saving our world.
Our project gets more boost when more people take part in. We can save more batteries, save more lithium from being wasted, and make our environment cleaner!
Of course, not to mention our lives becoming freer and more convenient. :)




Another news is that, we funded over $60,000 this morning!


We are amazed to see many people supporting our cause. We want to thank everyone for active support. :)
We funded over 120%, and we won't stop here! For the remaining 45 hours, we'll do our best to let more people join us for better world.



There's time left before we congratulate ourselves, but I'd like to thank everyone who helped us on the way before the great moment arrives. :)
Let's keep working for the best!!!

To get BETTER RE hot on Kickstarter: http://buff.ly/1AQHjz5


Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day. 



Awaken your Energy, Enlighten our World.

Jun 5, 2015

15/06/05 BETTER RE News: We're on Fast Company + USB output ports added to All Expansion packs!

Hello everyone.
We now have about four days left before the funding ends.
More and more people are backing us, and lots of media are reaching out to us! :)
Don't be too surprised to catch us out on TV programs! ;D


Today we were featured on Fast Company, the well-renowned magazine in the US!



http://www.fastcoexist.com/3046913/this-clever-gadget-lets-you-turn-your-phone-battery-into-a-portable-power-pack
In the article, you can find out what environmental problems smartphone batteries are causing, and how BETTER RE can solve them!
You would be surprised to find out how important it is to reuse old smartphone batteries. :)




Today, I'm here to tell you three news about BETTER RE.

First news,
We decided to add USB output ports to all BETTER RE packs, including the expansion packs!







Yes, we suggested as a stretch goal,
but after long consideration, we concluded that we want to send our backers the best product we can make.
So we agreed to add USB ports to expansion packs as well, no matter how much we fundraise.
Now you can share BETTER RE with your friends and family, and you can charge multiple devices at once!




Second news,
We got many questions from backers about the input and output capability of BETTER RE.
There were some confusions during the process, but we made it clear the both input and output is 2A!
If you were worried BETTER RE would charge (or be charged) slowly, don't worry now!





Third news,
You can now use the Qualcomm quick charge 2.0 fast charger with BETTER RE!
The quick charger can charge devices at up to 3A. Quick, huh?

When you charge one BETTER RE pack with QC charger, it would be charged at 2A, due to the input limit of BETTER RE.
But when you charge BETTER RE with expansion pack on it, they will be charged at 3A altogether!
Yeah you can charge BETTER RE much faster now!




The last day of our funding is getting closer, and we are trying to come up with new ways to make BETTER RE better.
Thanks to many of our backers giving us suggestions, we found good ways to do so!

BETTER RE is going to be shipped on November, so it will be a great gift for your loved ones on Christmas.
Share our story, and let more people get involved!



To meet BETTER RE on Kickstarter: visit http://buff.ly/1AQHjz5



Hope you all have a wonderful day! :)

Awaken your Energy, Enlighten our World.

Jun 1, 2015

15/05/29 BETTER RE News: We Reached the Funding Goal of $50,000!


Hello there!
Today I brought a great news for everyone!




Last Friday, May 29th, BETTER RE reached its funding goal of $50,000!
530 backers from over 30 countries around the world supported our project.
We want to thank everyone for having interest in our project and sparing no efforts to spread our story.
It would have been possible if it weren't you!

We now have about nine days to go, enough time left to reach the stretch goal.
We are searching for various ways to improve our project, 
so for those of you who still did not join in, check out the big cause what we are striving for and take part in!

To get BETTER RE before the funding ends, visit http://buff.ly/1AQHjz5 !


Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day.


Awaken your Energy, Enlighten our World.

May 28, 2015

Learning about Kickstarter #2. How to be a backer


Greetings to all! This is BETTER RE.
Now that we learned what Kickstarter is, let's check out how to be a backer!



I'll show you how to back a Kickstarter project with BETTER RE as an example.
(We started funding on May 11th, as you can see in the picture. ;-)

Now, let's learn one by one, step by step!





First of all, you need to find the project page you are looking for.
You might have direct URL address that leads to the project page, 

If not, you can paste in the address into the address bar, 
or go to the Kickstarter page and enter 'BETTER RE' (or the name of the project you want) on the search bar!
Here's the link to Kickstarter page. --> https://www.kickstarter.com

If you don't have a specific project in mind, click 'Discover' and see which project catches your eye!






Then, you'll enter the project page you were looking for.
At the very first page, you can see the project video and current funding status.

1) The project video is one of the key elements of Kickstarter project.
It's quite different from ordinary commercials or advertising videos. 
The project video tries to promote the product (or service, or something else), of course, 
but in most cases, the creator comes out to explain the purpose of the project and the reason he or she needs you backers.

Creators put a lot of effort in the video since it is the first moment they meet potential backers. 
It needs to be interesting, informative and convincing!
Take a look at videos of the projects you are interested in, and learn more about them!

2) The funding status tells you how many people are backing the project, how much fund is being raised, and the remaining time.

+) Below the status, do you see the 'Remind me' button with a star☆ sign? 
If you click that button, Kickstarter informs you 48 hours is left before the project ends.
You may click the button for the projects you found interesting and want to keep track of.





Then, it's time to explore the project page!
There are three menus on the top: Campaign, Updates, and Comments.

1) Campaign: You can find pictures and information about the project.
Creators would have put everything they can tell you into this part. 
For BETTER RE, we explain the problem we faced, the features, how to use it and a lot more.
In most cases, creators inform you the timeline of the progress (when the product will be shipped, etc) and info-graphics of the rewards or stretch goals!

2) Update: This is where you can see recent news the creator updated.
How often do creators update their news? 
It depends - some update even the smallest news, and some post updates only on critical moments.

3) Comment: If Update were the space for creators, Comment is where backers can participate, too.
You can ask questions or give feedback you want to give to the creator. 
The creator would (in most cases) reply to your comment soon. :)


Scroll up and down to explore the project and hear what others think!




Now, you would have noticed the side bar on the right, titled 'Rewards'.

Rewards are what you can get in return for backing the project.
Unlike common shopping malls, crowdfunding platform is where you are a small investor
looking for good products or services to come alive.
So what you get for the money you pay is the "reward" the invested team offers you.

You'll be able to see the reward tier, in the order of the minimum amount of money you need to pledge.
What I mean by 'minimum' is that you can pick a certain reward and pledge more than the necessary amount.

For example, if I want to get a reward requiring $89 or more, I can choose the reward
and pledge $100, $1,000, or even more - as much as I want!
As an investor, all backers have the right to choose how much to pledge.
In some cases, backers pledge a certain amount of money but choose to get no rewards at all. 
All up to you!


When you put the cursor on a reward block, it turns green. Click the reward you want to get!





Then, a box will turn up, where you choose the shipping destination and the pledge amount.

As you would have learned from the last posting
Kickstarter is a global crowdfunding platform, so projects are created from all around the world.
Projects with tangible products have to ship their rewards to you, so some of them would charge additional shipping bills.

When you choose your shipping destination, the pledge amount will automatically add up the minimum amount!


+) For BETTER RE, we offer you another add-on option.
For every $10 you add to your pledge, you can get a healthy used smartphone battery!

Let me give you an example. 
You chose the reward with $89 or more, and set the shipping destination as the United States. 
Then, your pledge amount would turn into $104 ($89 + $15 shipping bill).
If you want 2 more batteries, you edit the pledge amount into $124 ($104 + $10*2)!

Then, we will know that you need 2 more batteries and send them to you.
Of course, to make everything clear cut, we send backer surveys investigating how many batteries you pledged for. :-)





Now that you decided how much to pledge, it's time to log in.

If you are already a member, good!
If not, you can sign up in less than 30 seconds, quick and easy!
All you need to fill in is your name, email address and password.
Or, you can log in with Facebook as well!





It's time to fill in your card information and billing address.

You need a card with one of Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.
Not sure if your card would work? Check if your card has a small logo with one of those three in the picture!
Fill in the rest of the information and the billing address as well.


One thing to remember is that you WON'T be charged as soon as you pledge.
You will be charged at the moment the project ends SUCCESSFULLY.
If the project you backed failed to reach the funding goal, nothing will happen.
If it does successfully fund more than the goal amount, the amount you pledged will be charged at the very deadline date!




And that's it!
Click the 'Pledge' button and you are done with it. You became a backer~ Yeahhhh!

You can see the projects you backed in your 'backed projects', which you can find at the right top of the page.






For those of you who are trying to back a project on your phone,
backing on mobile is almost the same as doing it on PC!
Actually, it's even more simple, so don't be afraid and log onto Kickstarter page!



Now that we learned how to back a project, you are all ready to back BETTER RE, right? ;-)
Explore the page and see what kind of interesting products are popping up from around the globe.
Who knows, you might get a brilliant inspiration from some projects and become another creator?






Hope this posting would be helpful to those trying to use Kickstarter page.
Thank you for reading, and if you want to take a look at BETTER RE's page, here you go! http://buff.ly/1AQHjz5


Awaken your Energy, Enlighten our World.

May 27, 2015

Learning about Kickstarter #1. What is Kickstarter?

Hello everyone! This is BETTER RE again. 



Today, I'm going to tell you what Kickstarter is.
To this day, we mentioned Kickstarter everywhere, but never explained what it is!
For those of you who aren't so familiar with Kickstarter, let me tell you one by one.





To put it simple, Kickstarter is a global 'crowdfunding' platform.
It is based in the US, and backers from all around the world are creating or backing innovative projects.





Wait, there's another point you might not be familiar with.
What is 'crowdfunding'?

Crowdfunding means 'fundraising from the crowd', as you can guess.
According to Wikipedia, it is "the practice of funding a project or venture 
by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, typically via the internet".
Recently, it is being used by organizations or companies - small ones, in many cases - 
to collect funds, through the internet or social network.




Lately, individuals with innovative ideas or great handworks are creating novel products or services through crowdfunding platforms. There are some platforms that crowdfund for charity or donation. 
The possibilities are endless!




Among innumerable crowdfunding platforms, Kickstarter is the most well-renowned one, 
where lots of innovative products were born. 
Let me introduce some projects that were a big success, astonishing the world.





Pebble Time is the smart watch that funded a million dollars in just 30 minutes. Amazing!
It was the second version, and the first version was a big hit as well. 
I expect many early birds would have heard this news, right?




Coolest is the project that was the most funded one on Kickstarter for quite some time. 
It is an icebox with speaker, mixer, LED and so on. It magnetized camping lovers, and funded more than 13 million dollars!
In the project video, you can see how many cool things you can do with this cooler. ;-)



Not only innovative products but projects with big social value also exist!
Although some projects didn't make fund such a huge amount of money like what Pebble or Coolest, 
they have great meanings and have the potential to make our world a lot better. :)




The Bradley Timepiece is a watch for everyone - including the blind. As you can see in the picture, the hour hand and the minute hand are replaced by metal balls, 
with which you can tell the time by touching them. Great, huh?

It was named after Brad Snyder, an American swimmer who won two Gold medals and one Silver at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. He lost his eyesight from an IED explosion while serving in the US Navy in Afghanistan. He is the spokesman of the timepiece right now! For more info, visit the website!





Arki, the wrist band in the picture, Arki, is a wearable that analyzes and corrects our walking posture for healthy lives. 
Healthy body is made from healthy habits that might be too small to notice, 
and Arki can help you form one of the good healthy habits.





Too many to explain! 
Tens, hundreds, and thousands of many other projects are successfully funding on Kickstarter, making meaningful changes in the world. 
Even at this very moment, innovative projects are being created! :-)





Now, did you get the feeling of what Kickstarter is? Hope this posting was helpful.
If you visit the page yourself, you'll be amazed to see fun and amazing projects - and BETTER RE is one of them! 

What about browsing on Kickstarter today, checking out what projects catch your eye?
:-) Hope you have a fun time there! See you!

15/05/27 BETTER RE News: New Rewards added + More Early Birds open!



Hello everyone! How have you been?
Well, today we have a great news to announce!



Guess what.....





GREEN Package and FULL Package are added, and more Early Birds are open!








News one, we added new reward tiers!
Now you can get healthy used batteries 70~80% off the retail price. :-)
Those of you who don't have used batteries in your home - I suppose many iPhone ã…£lovers would be the ones - can order BETTER RE much more easily!
Also, we minimized possible waste by creating a new reward tier without USB cables and engraving!




The picture above shows the elements included in the new packages.
What's different from the existing rewards is that you can get the used batteries at much lower price!



First, the Green Package!

We got feedback from some backers that they already have a micro 5-pin cable on their own.
Then, for those people, giving another one would be unnecessary, producing e-wastes!
So we decided to give our backers an option NOT to buy the cables.
By excluding engraving as well, we lowered the price as low as possible, so that more people can feel free to join our campaign. :)

Also, we found out many people who are interested in our product fail to order one since they don't have used smartphone batteries in their home.
To solve this issue, we searched for many other battery suppliers.
Thankfully, we got in touch with one that can provide usable batteries at low price!
Though the total amount is limited, we want to return you backers the benefit. ;-)
Since we can not edit the existing rewards now (Kickstarter doesn't allow us...),
we added new tiers with large discounts on used smartphone batteries!


Simply put, the Green package is for those who don't need USB cable and engraving, but want healthy used smartphone batteries!!


Elements for each package are as follows.

- Single Green Package ($44, limited 100)
: 1 BETTER RE basic pack
+ 1 used smartphone battery (70% lower than the retail price)
- Double Green Package ($66, limited 100)
: 1 BETTER RE basic pack + 1 Expansion pack
+ 2 used smartphone batteries (75% lower than the retail price)
- Triple Green Package ($88, limited 25)
: 1 BETTER RE basic pack + 2 Expansion packs
+ 3 used smartphone batteries (77% lower than the retail price)
Gift Green Package ($122, limited 50)
: 2 BETTER RE basic pack + 2 Expansion packs
+ 4 used smartphone batteries (78% lower than the retail price)

(Of course, if you want to buy more than what's given, you need to add $10 each.)



Second, the Full package!

As I mentioned above, there are many potential backers who need smartphone batteries. 
Full package includes everything, from engraving and the USB cable to used smartphone batteries!
I expect many apple lovers who have used iPhone for a long time would love this tier. :)


Here are the elements of full packages.

- Single Full Package ($52, limited 100)
: 1 BETTER RE basic pack + Engravings, 1 USB cable
+ 1 used smartphone battery (70% lower than the retail price)
- Double Full Package ($74, limited 100)
: 1 BETTER RE basic pack + 1 Expansion pack + Engravings, 1 USB cable
+ 2 used smartphone batteries (75% lower than the retail price)
- Triple Full Package ($96, limited 25)
: 1 BETTER RE basic pack + 2 Expansion packs + Engravings, 1 USB cable
+ 3 used smartphone batteries (77% lower than the retail price)
Gift Full Package ($138, limited 50)
: 2 BETTER RE basic pack + 2 Expansion packs + Engravings, 1 USB cable
+ 4 used smartphone batteries (78% lower than the retail price)



That's not all!

News twoWe opened up more positions for Early Birds! 

To lessen your burden and help more of you make our world better, 

we decided to open more space for early birds of Single and Double packages, 50 backers each

If you missed the early bird at the beginning, now is your chance to get the new early bird chance! 



Wow this was a long news!
Hope all of you find this news interesting. 
I expect some of you would be eager to visit our Kickstarter page: http://buff.ly/1AQHjz5

Now it's time to spread the word and let more people join our journey.
Let's put our energy together to reach the goal, and beyond!

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day. :-)

Awaken your Energy, Enlighten our World.




May 26, 2015

Product specification - From Charging capability to Component parts

Hello! Good to see you all. Were you waiting for the next posting? ;-)
Now that we checked out BETTER RE's features, it's time to learn how much it can do!


Charging Capability

Let's start with the charging capability.


1. The number of full charges for your device

As you would have expected, BETTER RE's charging capability differs according to what battery is used in it.
Let's suppose you clip in battery with the maximum capacity - 3400mAh, used in Vega Secret Note 2 or Nokia Lumia 1520.
Since our purpose is to reuse old smartphone batteries, we assumed there is 80% of efficiency left in the battery.
  • With the single package - with one BETTER RE basic pack - you can charge iPhone 6 1.2 times, iPad Air 2 0.3 times, Galaxy S6 0.9 times, and Galaxy Note 4 0. times.
  • With the double package - with one BETTER RE basic pack and one expansion pack - you can charge iPhone 6 2.4 times, iPad Air 2 0.6 times, Galaxy S6 1.7 times, and Galaxy Note 4 1.4 times.
  • With the triple package - with one BETTER RE basic pack and two expansion packs - you can charge iPhone 6 3.6 times, iPad Air 2 0.9 times, Galaxy S6 2.6 times, and Galaxy Note 4 2.0 times.

Don't forget, if you have more batteries to reload, the charging capability can get bigger and bigger!


2. Time to fully charge



BETTER RE's output power is 2A in 5V.
While many other external battery packs have output power of 1A or 1.5A, BETTER RE can charge your device faster than you think!

Keep in mind that the total capacity does not affect the time to fully charge.
In other words, expanding the capacity doesn't mean the charging gets faster.
Larger capacity means more times of full charge!!

With BETTER RE, you can charge your iPhone 6 in 54.3 minutes, iPad Air 2 in 220 minutes, Galaxy S6 in 76.5 minutes, and Galaxy Note 4 in 96.6 minutes.
Remember that this charging time is one of the fastest in the market right now!


Product Dimensions


Second, the size and weight of BETTER RE, as well as the maximum battery size that can fit in.

BETTER RE's width is 2.66 inches (67.65 mm), the length is 5.05 inches (128.50 mm), and it is 0.53 inches (13.70 mm) thick.
It weighs 2.57 oz, or 73g. Lighter than you think, right?
The total weight after you clip in your battery depends on the battery you used,
but it won't make much difference. ;-)

The maximum size of the battery to go inside is 3.86 inches (97.8 mm) * 2.30 inches (58.5 mm), with the thickness of 0.25 inch (6.5 mm).
Go check your batteries to see if it can fit in!



Component parts




I suppose many of you - especially those interested in machinery - would have been wondering what's inside BETTER RE.
And here goes the picture of all component parts in BETTER RE!

You would easily notice the aluminum body and the wood part, as well as the multi-clip.

The PCB in the middle is the circuit that helps utilize your used batteries to charge your smartphones.
See the three pins sticking out? They are the pins that connect to the batteries!
They enable us to use batteries with different structure of electrodes, regardless of the order of + and -. :)

The residual display button is on the top of the product, telling how much energy is left in the internal battery.
Open buttons are the two buttons on the side that let you open the case,
and the knob is the small handle on the back of the multi-clip.

Not sure what all these components are for? Check here to know how to use BETTER RE!




Hope this posting answered many of the questions you had in mind. :-)
Now that you checked the size of BETTER RE and the battery to fit in,
it's time to get your BETTER RE ready! Meet us at Kickstarter: http://buff.ly/1AQHjz5

Awaken your Energy, Enlighten our World.

May 25, 2015

Feature #5. Better Style, Better Design - Stylish look


Last but not least, fifth feature of BETTER RE!
Its simple yet polished style will complete your look.

In the last posting, we showed you the special materials used in BETTER RE. (here)
And that was not all!
Some of you might think good and eco-friendly products can rarely look cool.
BUT! BETTER RE will be presented to you in its great design, which awarded the 2014 Red Dot award.
The aluminum itself gives modern feeling, and the final finishing adds special look.
Brushed or matte - choose your favorite style!


Imagine how cool the aluminum would look with your devices!





You can choose from four styles, according to the color and texture finishing.
In the picture above, you can see brushed silver, matte white, brushed black and matte black.


Now let's see closely in how they look.












That's not all!
Naturally distinct grain of the wood part will make every one of you look unique and special.





As you would have probably noticed,
silver and white versions use bright colored maple wood,
while the black versions two use dark colored walnut wood.


Now it's time to see how it looks with real models.












Now it's your turn!! Don't wait to see how it will change your style.
Saving the environment doesn't mean you have to give up the style!
Join us to be better, and look better as well!

To check BETTER RE on Kickstarter, visit http://buff.ly/1AQHjz5 !

Awaken your Energy, Enlighten our World.

May 21, 2015

Feature #4. Designed for our Better world - Eco-friendly material

Fourth feature of BETTER RE!
It uses eco-friendly materials, caring about this world from start to finish.





BETTER RE's body is made of 100% recyclable aluminum, and the caps at the top and bottom are made of maple or walnut hardwood.

We wanted to minimize the potential harm likely to happen to the nature when BETTER RE is discarded.
Yes, the product's lifespan is semi-permanent (as we explained here), but people tend to throw things away!
Though the manufacturing process got a lot more complicated and the cost also rose,
we did not give up our principle; we want to make our better world! :-)





With BETTER RE, keep your life freer, the nature cleaner, and our future brighter.


Want to make our planet a better place? Visit http://buff.ly/1AQHjz5 !

Awaken your Energy, Enlighten our World.