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Using the #Gnarbox for the first time

Posted on 5 June, 2017 by Andrew Leave a comment

Women at the Arimatsu festival posing next to a banner that says "Arimatsu" in Japanese script.

The Gnarbox was a Kickstarter project, and it is an in-field storage and back up device. It also lets you edit and post pictures without a laptop, and do it away from your office. I pitched in on Kickstarter paying USD$149, and it now retails at $299. It has a capacity of 128Gb, and a claimed battery life of 4 to 6 hours (a wide error of margin) with 4,000mha capacity. It can connect to your smarthphone or Android or iOS tablet via wifi and the Gnarbox app.

Sony a99 with Sony 70-300mm G lens, Gnarbox, iPad Mini 4 with Gnarbox app in index view. (photo taken on iPhone)

The Gnarbox arrived and it sat doing nothing for about two weeks. It was already obsolete by the time I received it. It was originally meant to be delivered in March 2016, but finally came in May 2017. My previous blog posts describe the ordeal of waiting for the Gnarbox, the constant new promises, and missed delivery deadlines. There were constant complaints by Kickstarter backers near the end of 2016 and early 2017. For me, by the time it arrived it was already replaced by a Toshiba wifi memory card. Also consider that most new cameras now include wifi connection to your smartphone, too. Anyway, I paid for it (back in July 2015), and it’s finally just arrived. On Sunday just gone, I went shooting at Arimatsu. They are known for their cloths and tie-dying industry; no, not hippy tie-dying, but the kimono type, as you’ll see below. So, I thought it would be a great chance to do a real life test of the Gnarbox.

A kimono on display blowing in the midday breeze at Arimatsu. Photo taken on Sony a99 with Tamron 28-75mm lens, processed in the Gnarbox app.

To prepare this blog post, I’m using the WordPress app, the Gnarbox with my iPad Mini 4, the Gnarbox app, and an ice-cold Chocolista from my favourite cafe in Japan. Firstly, the wifi connection doesn’t show in the top bar of the iPad, and so I thought it wasn’t connected. After five minutes of trying different things, I thought I’d just try the viewer. Lo and behold, it was connected. It was showing 40% battery. Then I realised it didn’t automatically import the +300 photos from my SD card. It took a slow 5 minutes or so to do the job. In the meantime, it was sucking the battery dry.

From left to right. Sony A99 camera with Sony 70-300mm G lens. Gnarbox first generation (128Gb capacity). Apple iPad Mini 4. Tully’s Chocolista Tall size.

Additionally, the top surface of the Gnarbox was getting too hot to touch. A point of no concern for their snow-based “real world” testers. It seemed like they really did most of their testing in the Californian winter alps (just check their Instagram feed). I mention this, as I’ve not seen any other sample images and videos from the Gnarbox Instagram account. Previous blog posts describe how I was blocked by Gnarbox after complaining about yet another missed delivery date, and the social media censorship that coincided with the start of the prestigious CES exhibition. They obviously wanted to hide their missed deliveries and angry customers.

Editing view of the Gnarbox app. It’s simple compared to the Adobe PhotoShop Express app, but it can do raw files.

A young lady in a kimono at the Arimatsu festival. Photo taken on Sony a99 with Tamron 28-75mm lens, processed in the Gnarbox app.

There are good points and bad points. Mixed in with this are the two facets of the Gnarbox, the box and the app. The box itself is heavy, but feels quite sturdy and rugged. The data connections including card slots are protected with environment proof flaps. In the app, the thumbnail display didn’t complete loading, and so I sat there waiting using up valuable battery life. I eventually found the refresh button; a problem I probably won’t have again. The main concern I noticed right away with the app was the skin tones; the gamma levels seemed off. Also, it doesn’t seem to be able to manage the transition from highlights to normal very well. I’m certain this isn’t a lens or sensor issue. Admittedly, no one wants to shoot in the midday sun, which of course contributes to the problem, but the point of editing software is to reduce this issue, which it failed. However, I do love the “punch” slider. I’m not exactly sure what it does, but I do like the outcome. It is probably like the vibrance slider in Lightroom. It does manage recovering details from dark areas wonderfully. The app seems good, but lacks a range of features when compared to the older and more mature Adobe Photoshop Express. However, the Gnarbox app can manage full resolution images, in raw format and video.

Two men sitting in the shade in front of a store at the Arimatsu festival.

Two men sitting in front of a store at the Arimatsu kimono and cloth festival. The man on the right is wearing a summer kimono known as a yukata. Photo taken on Sony a99 with Tamron 28-75mm lens, processed in the Gnarbox app.

Other issues aren’t major ones. My camera was set to raw + jpg, as it is the only way for the Toshiba wifi card to work and connect with my phone. However, Gnarbox can work with raw files, no jpgs needed. However, the index view doesn’t indicate which is raw and which is jpg. Furthermore, as nice and neat as it looks, the cropped images make it hard to choose which photo is worth editing at a glance. You have to tap on one, check, then flick through and find out which you want the hard way.

The index view of the Gnarbox app. Using square cropped previews is nice, but which one will you want to edit? Which are raw and which are jpg?

Different tie-dye cloths on display at the Arimatsu festival. Photo taken on Sony a99 with Tamron 28-75mm lens, processed in the Gnarbox app.

I don’t do much video editing, and so I probably struggle to use this feature. Which may explain why I couldn’t figure out how to stitch two separate videos together (if it is indeed possible). It is said that the Gnarbox comes with some basic music that can be overlaid into your in-field created video, and you can add more sound tracks to the box yourself. The video colour editing function didn’t work. The error message said something about a firmware update is needed first, something not possible while working on the fly.

The Gnarbox battery went from 40% to 9% within 45mins, which hints that the claimed 4-6 hours might not be possible on this particular unit. It was at about 50% when I opened the box minutes after receiving it from the mail man. There were issues regarding battery life reported online; I hope mine isn’t one of the affected ones. Some buyers have had to return theirs and get a replacement. The Gnarbox took some hours to charge, it was charged overnight, and so I’ll now have the opportunity to test the full battery life in the future.

Women demonstrating creating feature patterns that are unique to Arimatsu. Photo taken on Sony a99 with Tamron 28-75mm lens, processed in the Gnarbox app.

Do you really need a Gnarbox? For day trips, it’s probably not needed. Just use a $50 wifi SD card and the Adobe PhotoShop Express app (set your camera to raw + jpg). For extended trips, as a backup device in case you lose your memory cards, for some people it’s good to have. For immediate social sharing it’s a must have (if you can’t or don’t want to use a wifi SD card). For an overseas jaunt, it’s perhaps quite under capacity at a mere 128Gb. An hour or so of shooting at Arimatsu created 198 photos taken at raw & jpg, which created a 5.92Gb folder. Plus two short videos at 100mb (1:09min) and 35mb (0:24min). I usually take about 300 plus photos at an event and more video. So, I typically walk away using about 12Gb of storage space on memory cards. Consequently, for a trip away, I think the last few photos won’t be transferred onto the Gnarbox. For videographers and vloggers, you might want to wait and see if Gnarbox creates a second generation product with more capacity. Of course, this is my own take on things on its first outing, and as based on my needs and uses. You may see advantage in it, or not. Overall, I will use it, but not as often as I might have 22 months ago. Would I buy one now? No. I’ve never lost a memory card, and my next camera will probably have wifi built in anyway. I have to say this once more, the Gnarbox app does a great job of recovering details in the dark areas, and the punch/vibrance slider is awesome.

Women at the Arimatsu festival posing next to a banner that says “Arimatsu” in Japanese script.

Posted in Article tagged with Arimatsu, festival, gnarbox, japan, japanese, kimono, photography equipment, traditional, yukata

#Gnarbox Well, this is awkward

Posted on 28 May, 2017 by Andrew Leave a comment

To summarise, in July 2015 I got all excited when I discovered the Kickstarter project Gnarbox. It was due to arrive in March 2016 (Gnarbox). There were in fact multiple delays, multiple promises of delivery, and multiple broken promises and missed delivery deadlines. Fourteen months after it was first due to arrive… it arrived. However, trust had diminished increasingly as each promised delivery came and went. Additionally, there were problems when they claimed to be delivering in late March 2017; people got shipping notices but still nothing arrived by late April. More trust was lost. Consequently, I cancelled my order. However, this is the series of events:

29th April 2017: Request made to cancel order, and receive refund by Kickstarter messenger. Picture 1 below.

Gnarbox interaction 20th May

4th May 2017: Delivery / shipment notice delivered by email.

6th May 2017: Gnarbox acknowledges cancel request via Kickstarter messenger.

19th May 2017: Gnarbox arrives! (shortly before 7pm), and I had to pay ¥900 for duties.

Gnarbox arrives.

20th May 2017: I contact Gnarbox to ask what now.

22nd May 2017: Gnarbox gives a convoluted response, which hints at no desire to actually communicate, and is laced with assumption that I’d keep it anyway.

Reply from Gnarbox 22nd May 2017

23rd May 2017: PetaPixel does a story on this device, claiming they started delivering in November 2016. In fact, the first deliveries were to their friends in February or early March 2017.

28th May 2017: I still haven’t used it. There literally is dust on the box, which had only been opened once. I’ve been using my iPhone or the Toshiba wifi card instead.

A 32Gb Toshiba wifi card is available for about 5,000 yen or USD$50.

Will I use my Gnarbox? Why did I get it? For one main reason, and one lesser one. For in-field back up, and perhaps for direct to social media posting. Now, I’ll probably use it very little as memory cards are very reliable, and I’ve never lost one (yet). It’s already obsolete; 128Gb capacity is not very much, and now very small for videographers. Additionally, I was never really into social media until recently, but the quality of my new iPhone is really good and perfect for shoot-direct to social media. Finally, I now have a wifi SD card which does the job lighter, cheaper, and easier, and my next camera will probably have wifi built in. That leaves the elephant in the room remains; the Gnarbox photo & video processing. I mainly use Adobe PhotoShop Express on both my iPhone and iPad, which is a more mature product than the Gnarbox editor. Consequently, in 2017 the Gnarbox is a waste. If it were invented ten years ago, then absolutely it would have been used to death.

Posted in Article tagged with gnarbox, photography equipment

Oh no! My #GnarBox shipping notice!

Posted on 4 May, 2017 by Andrew Leave a comment

On Sunday I gave up. All the comments on a kickStarter were saying that only Americans and Germans were getting their Gnarboxes. There were some comments on technical issues including batteries not recharging, failed updates turning devices to bricks, and some SD card slots not working (it’s essential for them to be functional). The device is now totally 14months overdue, and despite delivery notices, weeks later, devices were not arriving still. So I gave up and requested my money back on Saturday.

On Sunday, I bought a cheap ¥5,000 ($50) wifi capable memory card, which does half of the job of the Gnarbox. The other half of the job the Gnarbox does is backs up memory cards, which I’ve never lost or had damaged.

Toshiba FlashAir wifi capable memory card

Then today (Thursday) I get this notice, which means, they either didn’t look for my request or ignored it.

Gnarbox Delivery Notice

So, what should I do? Return it or keep it? I’ll probably keep it, as an in-field backup device. I’ll see how it goes. It wasn’t a huge outlay of money. Unfortunately, Gnarbox decided to use USPS as their courier, which means poor tracking. I have no idea where the package is, nor its estimated delivery date. It could arrive next week, six weeks, or lost in customs.

Posted in Article tagged with gnarbox, photography equipment, sd card, wifi

I’ve given up on the #Gnarbox

Posted on 29 April, 2017 by Andrew Leave a comment

The Gnarbox is now 14 months overdue. That is, one year and two months late. I’m in awe and wonder at how they can pay their employees for a year, and not be making money for over a year either. I don’t know their financial situation, but I bet it’s dicey.

The Gnarbox page on Kickstarter.

There were many promises of delivery, and many missed delivery deadlines. I have to go back through my previous blog posts to count them (seven or eight, depends on how you count the most recent promises). The last communication from the Gnarbox company was the 8th of April, and they promised imminent delivery, and since then they’ve ignored their backer community. There have been backers saying that they’d just received their delivery notification. Weeks later, the same people are saying they’ve got their delivery notification, but nothing has arrived as yet. One backer, Gabriel Legault said in the comments section that he had phoned Gnarbox, and was told the problem is with USPS (an American delivery company). This begs the question, why doesn’t a delivery company deliver? I can order from iHerb, an American company, and within seven days of pushing the “Order Now” button, the box had arrived, and I’m already eating my goodies. Why are Gnarbox backers waiting for over a month? I can only assume that one of several possibilities. Please note that this is pure speculation, and is done so in the absence of communication from the Gnarbox company.

The delivery notice is a delay tactic. The Gnarbox company may not be able to pay for delivery. Perhaps they need to sell Gnarboxes to new customers until they can get money to pay for delivery. This fits the story that USPS would be waiting for payment before delivery can commence. Or else the imminent delivery notice is a rouse to bide time until money is available to pay for postage.
The delivery notice is a delay tactic. Perhaps there’s some other technical issue they cannot fix yet, and the delivery notices are a rouse to bide time until they really can deliver. That is to say, there are no boxes/parcels as USPS yet.
They have started deliveries, but so far, only people in the US have received theirs. They are only delivering to backers in legal jurisdictions that can harangue the Gnarbox company into court, and hoping that they can get away with not delivering to others. This fits the story that someone in Germany has theirs held up in customs, but Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, and others are yet to be told anything. That is, they are aware that they have legal obligations, and accept the fact that these cannot be met, but are doing what they can to reduce the hurt to themselves.
Some other reason that I haven’t thought of and unaware of.

Since July 2015, when I first backed this project three things have happened. Firstly, the size of the Gnarbox device (128Gb) is no longer a realistic size for me as a travel photographer. Honestly, it was just under the size I expected for such a device when I first ordered, and now with my new Sony a99 (purchased in Jan 2016), it became that less capable. Secondly, security of internet capable devices has come to the fore. With webcams being used to spy on people (including children’s toys, and Samsung TVs); Gnarbox has said nothing about device security. Journalists have been demanding encryption and password access to recording equipment on their new devices. Thirdly, and significantly, my next camera is probably going to have wifi built in. That means, I can connect to the camera directly (without needing the Gnarbox as a middle man), and edit and share photos and videos direct from my iPhone or iPad. I’m currently seriously ditching my Sony/Minolta system to go to the Canon M6. The Canon M6 is small, light, and has all the features I need, without the weight and the bulk my current system suffers. There are many other advantages to going to the M6, but that’s for another blog post.

Canon M6 with wifi and other connectivity options.

Therefore, I had to reconsider my investment. The main issues are the lack of security, my next camera this year will have wifi built in, and the Gnarbox has a limited storage capacity, which makes it already mostly obsolete even before I get it. Furthermore, because I do not believe they can deliver from their lack of communication and possible capital issues. Consequently, on 29th April 2017 I sent them a personal message through Kickstarter requesting a refund. Below is the polite request I had made.

Request to cancel and refund.

Posted in Article tagged with canon m6, gnarbox, photography, photography equipment, sony a99

#Gnarbox plays GnarGhost

Posted on 15 April, 2017 by Andrew Leave a comment

I suppose many Gnarbox backers are now at the point of feeling the kind of bitter one feels after a joke that was funny, is being replayed again, even after its self life is long past. Gnarbox was delivered to a select group of investors in mid to late March, and they promised to ship the rest on the 3rd of April. However, as of today, only one or two commenters have said they’ve received their Gnarbox, whilst many others are saying “Where’s my shipping notice?”. Which is to say, another delivery or rather shipment deadline came and went; again without acknowledgement from the creators. Admittedly, those who have received theirs seem to be as pleased as punch with their Gnarboxes.

The Gnarbox page on Kickstarter.

Considering there are a lot of people who still haven’t received theirs, assuming many of them are in the US, and we’re now mid-month, I am not holding my breath for mine to be delivered at all this month, despite their February and March promises. Possibly, there may be many who received their Gnarbox, but now just don’t need it anymore as their current workflow has already made it obsolete, or the blissful post-purchase honeymoon period has long since taken the shine off the product, and so they feel no motivation to talk about their shiny new delivery. Perhaps, the bitterness of the 13 months of delays has soured their enthusiasm, and so they don’t want to publicly admit they have one now. In any case, the Gnarbox creators still haven’t communicated the latest excuse for a delay, nor have they updated the delivery schedule.

If you have received yours, I’d like to hear about it. What is it like? How does it fit into your workflow… if at all anymore. How did you feel about the 13 months of delay? Anything else you like to comment on.

Posted in Article tagged with equipment, gnarbox

Gnarbox update: The saga continues

Posted on 16 March, 2017 by Andrew 2 comments

This article follows on from the previous article about my experience with Gnarbox, which so far has been terrible and dismal. However, this is the first proper glimmer of hope. The Gnarbox Kickstarter project started in July 2015, and was due to be delivered in March 2016 (twelve months ago). They had made five promises of deliveries, and has failed to fulfill any. They have also blocked me on Instagram, their only channel of communication outside of Kickstarter. They blocked me because I was one of many who complained about the non-delivery in Instagram comments. It should be noted that the blocking occurred days before CES in January, and before Lok Cheung saw them. The community of Kickstarter backers have complained loudly at the consistent failure of Gnarbox to deliver. Then this morning, there was a break in the weather.

The Gnarbox page on Kickstarter.

I received an email marked 7.38am this morning (my time) with the first update, first of any kind of communication from Gnarbox that I’m aware of in four weeks. In fact, the last communication from them was on the 16th of February, when in the comments section on Kickstarter they confirmed someone’s address had been received. Otherwise they’ve been ghost, and completely ignoring their Kickstarter backers. It appeared really bad, and it truly seemed like anything could have happened and we were in the dark.

This update is significant. But first I have to remind of you of their previous update on the 6th of Feb. They said that they had started production and quality control testing, and were aiming to get failure rate down, then the next week they’d go into full production and shipping, so we should expect our Gnarboxes by the end of February. Today’s update (16th March) said that they’d completed production, quality control testing, boxing, and shipping of the first 150 units. That is, it has taken them six weeks to achieve this with just the first 150 units, and that they had not completed the remaining 2000 or so units. These first 150 were sent to their friends, family, and “investors”. They didn’t define what an investor is, but backers are investors in Kickstarter language. They also said that assembly of the next 820 units has started and deliveries will begin from the 20th March. Following that, the rest are due to ship on the 3rd of April, which mine will probably be included in that last batch.

Again, what is interesting is what they did not say. They have not explained the four weeks of complete radio silence, they did not explain why they failed to do their production in that time, but could only achieve 150. However, these issues are small and insignificant to the fact that they are still committed to ensuring that from end-to-end they are still rigorously testing all aspects of what they are doing. That is to say, they are still testing their boxing, shipping, and tracking procedures on friends and family, and so this process should happen smoothly for the rest of us. I think it would have been easy for a very demoralised group that has failed multiple times to deliver on their promise just to give up and get it out without much more effort. In contrast, they are still committed to the learning experience and getting the production flow right. This point has to be acknowledged and respected.

Three things cannot be overlooked. Firstly, this is the sixth delivery promise they’ve made. The first being March 2016, 19th September, November, January 2017, February, and 20th March & 3rd April. Secondly, their planning needs improvement, but they certainly should have learnt a lot about this from this experience. Finally, communication, and therefore respect for their backers is in desperate need of improvement. A lot of excitement, enthusiasm, and publicity they garnered in July and August 2015 has been more than spent. Their product is already partially obsolete, especially as the built in wifi in new cameras means the Gnarbox no longer fills a gap in the market (Dan Cook on PetaPixel). Will I use mine? I don’t have a wifi enabled camera yet, but it could happen this year, and my new iPhone does a pretty damn good job for social media use.

Posted in Article tagged with equiment, gnarbox, photography

We get you.

Posted on 11 March, 2017 by Andrew Leave a comment

We get you. Update to the JapanesePhotos Instagram at: http://bit.ly/2mboCVC.

Posted in On the road, TGIF tagged with tgif, weekend, woman

Tokyo is made of stairs

Posted on 6 March, 2017 by Andrew Leave a comment

There are some things that travellers think they are prepared for, only to find that the guidebook said nothing about it. In this case, it’s that Tokyo is made of stairs. Well, mainly the subway public transport system; and not just Tokyo, but also Nagoya and Osaka too. As you will quickly realise on your first day here, it is tiring. Your feet may be sore, and your leg muscles worn, and you have quickly faded at the end of the day.

Before you come to Japan, I strongly, strongly urge you to do a lot more walking as a part of your preparation. If you can use a stair machine, do. Sure, there are escalators and elevators, but stairs are the mainstay. Elevators are few and far between. Even though there is at least one elevator per station, these are impossible to find, or are very inconveniently located. So, if you’re carrying heavy suitcases, have a pram, or in a wheelchair, you will have troubles; so leave earlier than most people would. However, you will have a great time here. Bring high energy snacks to help you get about the place, but you will be a lot fitter for having lived or been here.

Posted in PhotoShelter, Travel Info tagged with subway, tokyo, transport

Copyright and stealing photos

Posted on 20 February, 2017 by Andrew Leave a comment

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. In restaurants, it’s free to look at the buffet, but it’s not free to take and eat. The same with photos, images, videos (and gifs), etc. Photos are free to look at, but not free to take. There have been website owners, bloggers, and other such people being served with take-down notices, having their website hosting accounts closed, and social media accounts closed too, all because of image theft. Photos cost money, and they are expensive to make. Don’t believe me? Well, you could obtain a license for my photos via the Free Photos info page, which will give you free access to galleries of my work, but for a trade.

People want their time paid for. You don’t go into your job to work for free. You surely don’t do overtime for free. You expect financial compensation. That is true for models, makeup artists, and me. The lowest price I can get a model for is about USD$25 per hour; many command modestly to a lot more than this. Each shoot requires a lot of preparation, and time before the first camera button is pushed. What is the difference between a model and having a friend pose for you for free? A lot.

A friend working for free doesn’t know what to do with his or her hands. They typically only look at the camera, and expect magic to… magically happen. A professional model knows what to do with his or her hands, knows where to look, angles to put their shoulders. They know how to angle their heads. And that is just the posing. A professional model will always keep their skin moisturised, hairs and nails trimmed, and knows some basics about makeup art. There is a difference between the makeup ordinary people use, and the makeup a model would wear. Suitable makeup is not free. Also, in the heat of the moment, a professional remembers how to pose, and won’t go scatterbrained like beginning models (and photographers) would.

The photo above was possible with a professional, still-life, gravure specialist model, and a makeup artist who can work quick, imaginatively, and can understand the context and make more of it. They know their stuff, and they know it well. Actually, I think I was the least talented one in the room.

After the shoot there’s the image processing, storage, and marketing. Software is not free. Hard disc drives for photos are not free. Marketing is not free. Just these three aspects costs thousands of dollars. There are cheap ways to do these things, but none are free. Online image storage for commercial sales costs hundreds of dollars a year. Every few years I must replace my external hard drives, and they cost a few hundred dollars each.

Some would say that an image that costs “hundreds of dollars” will sell many times, and so surely money will be made. Yes and no. Some images are more niche than others. Certainly the generic stock image will sell hundreds of times, and so the pricing is just a dollar or so. However, there have been confusing moments for consumers when two competing banks, by chance, used exactly the same $1 stock photos for their million dollar campaigns. The generic stock photos are clean and beautiful, but intentionally lack context so that they can be used for any purpose, thus increasing their sales potential.

Rights managed photos, like mine, are usually specific to a context (typically Japan), and are as authentic as possible. The image above was one of the more expensive to make. In the photo you see three people, but you don’t see the other two out of view. There was the makeup artist keeping an eye on the models and holding the flash, and me. The rickshaw puller cost money, and it also cost me money in getting to Tokyo to begin with. This image is model released, of which there are three signed releases. Using photos you find on Flickr might be easy and… free, but they won’t have signed model releases, and so they cannot be used for advertising and other similar uses. CBS, among other news outlets, reported that a family sued an Australian mobile phone company for using a non-released creative commons photo of their daughter. The reason? It was extremely insulting, especially as it says in big bold letters “Dump your pen friend” and shows a gregarious Asian girl (see here).

Regarding the specificity and context issues, image above is in an obvious touristy place, as you can see someone taking a selfie in the background, and a crowd in front of one the most photogenic, iconic attractions in Tokyo, Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. These are the things that separate my image above from free and generic stock images; the sales potential is low, and the cost to set up high. Furthermore, my images can be set to exclusive use, so to prevent copycats and rivals from using the same images for their campaigns.

There is a myth that it’s ok to use an image without paying for it, as long as you provide credit and links back to the owners. This is not true. I simply cannot go into McDonalds, take a burger, and then tell everyone “I ate this burger that I got from McDonalds”. It will still be called theft. To use photos, especially when people are displayed in the photo, you need to have permission. Let’s say the photo above of the Vietnamese girl sitting on the balcony of a cafe in Saigon is used for a cafe advertising campaign; there’s little risk to her reputation and mine. However, if it was appropriated by an AIDS or mental health campaign, she risks huge ramifications in her community. There is a model whose career was destroyed by false claims of plastic surgery, as purported by an internet meme (see here).

In short, photos are free to look at, but like a Da Vinci, Caravaggio, or Dali painting, you cannot take them home without paying… or you’d risk an international manhunt. I do have cheap alternatives for for bloggers, and other personal uses; there are many licensing options, just take a look at my PhotoShelter portfolio. At the end of the day, we all enjoy our work, but we all still need to be rewarded.

Posted in Article tagged with copyright, free photos, steal photos

Update on @gnarbox and Kickstarter

Posted on 28 January, 2017 by Andrew Leave a comment

Way back in July 2015 I heard about Gnarbox and their concept (Kickstarter page). As a travel photographer, it was exactly what I needed. Well, I wasn’t so needing the in-field photo or video editing and immediate social media posting, but the main draw card for me was the quick and simple SD card backup ability. It was only to be 128Gb (barely enough for a trip, but something was better than nothing), but it was supremely portable, and it hit the sweet spot at US$149. If it were much higher than that, I would have balked. I hummed and huhhed at the $149, but considered the project to be back-able. The recommended retail price was to be nearly USD$250, so a discount drew me in, assuming I probably wouldn’t regret getting it. As of 28th Jan 2017, it’s listed at USD$299 on B&H, and as “Coming soon” (B&H).

There are some downsides with the device. Firstly, it is only 128Gb, and so it will be barely enough. Secondly, all technology items at the moment have a useful life of three to five year before obsolescence. The Gnarbox is so far ten months late in delivery, and new cameras include wifi to smartphones, and new smarphones are now able to take amazing photos, reducing the need for a dedicated picture/video device. Thirdly, there is no password or encryption protection, or any kind of security, which makes journalism and cross-border travel risky for some. Fourthly, there is still very little to no independent assessment as to it’s in-field / real world use. How long is the battery life? How long until the batteries deteriorate and need replacing? How practical is it to carry an adapter for people using CF cards? Finally, does it still fit into my workflow?

The Gnarbox page on Kickstarter.

All investments carry risk, “will the creator deliver?”, “Will it be as promised?”, among other concerns. It was my first project to back on Kickstarter, and it was exactly the tool I needed. The device was due to be delivered in March 2016, which means it was intended to be a quick and easy development. Importantly, however, was the detailed information the creators provided on Kickstarter. I was impressed, and especially compared to other Kickstarter pages/projects, these guys seemed to have a clear idea of what needed to be done. So, I threw my hat (and money) into the ring.

Not all projects have smooth sailing, and not all best laid plans go off without a hitch; bumps are expected. In February 2016 the Gnarbox team announced that a deal with a processing chip manufacturer fell threw, and so they had to rejig their development to a new supplier, which meant that delivery was pushed back to September 2016. So far, I was not concerned, and considered it a necessary move.

September 2016 came and went without a word on delivery, which was the first red flag for me. The August update did not mention any problem with delivery deadlines, as shown below.

Gnarbox project update in August 2016.

Then in September they promised to start deliveries on the 19th Sept. The screenshot below shows that even the packaging had been designed and completed.

Gnarbox was apparently ready for delivery in September 2016.

Then in October they stated that they were to do FCC and CE certifications. This meant that they had not gone into production, and were officially not certified for sale or distribution in at least the US nor Europe. Then 27th October they claimed that they will start to deliver in November. That means that they missed their official delivery dates for March and September 2016, and promised a third date: November 2016. A Kickstarter update on November 19 said that there had been problems getting FCC and CE approvals, but things were going well. It also noted that US backers, and US-based pre-orders get the first three rounds of deliveries, and the rest of the world (including me, who invested into the project before US-based pre-order people) get mine in the fourth and final round of deliveries. At this point, of the original 2,988 backers, there were already discontent, and backers were making requests for refunds.

The 10th of December 2016 update in hindsight is very troubling. It focused on the positive in the development. It told what had been achieved – only what had been achieved. It failed to acknowledge that the third delivery promise had been missed, and it did not mention anything about their financial situation as backers were requesting their refunds. It also failed to slate a new delivery date. As the community discussion shows on Kickstarter, there were howls of anger at the lack of information; information that backers actually want. The discontent is understandable and justified.

Gnarbox on Instagram, and community comments about delivery promises.

Instagram is an important platform for promoting the Gnarbox. The Gnarbox team regularly posted photos and videos as the latest samples from in-field testing from the prototypes. Interestingly, all such Instagram posts include the Gnarbox watermark. However, it is not known if watermarking is possible on their editing software, or if the image was processed on a real computer back at home or studio. On Instagram, there were many backers leaving comments on Gnarbox official sample photos and videos like “Nice photo, would be nice to get my Gnarbox”, or simply “When do I get mine?”. All such comments were plain and civil, including mine. However, I was blocked by them, and it was a shock. To me it was a hostile move by Gnarbox; you should never disrespect the people who give you money, and yet I was treated like a common internet troll. I’m sure this will also count as a blackmark against me in the Instagram system. Also consider that they had missed three delivery deadlines, and there is community discontent, and trust was/is fading.

Gnarbox’s notice of blocking me just days before the CES tradeshow, message via Instagram app.

At the time I was confused and shocked. I had never been treated like this. Then I saw that Lok and Kaiman Wong were about to attend the 2017 CES trade show, and so it made sense. Gnarbox, who were to attend CES, were doing badly, and so they had to censor their social media reputation in the hope that they can draw in more money. However, there were still the howls of rage from the backers wanting updates or refunds, what had happened to the promises of a March, September, and then a November 2016 deliveries?

Gnarbox January 2017 delivery promise.

Then strangely Gnarbox posted their “Jan 4th update” on January 6th 2017, claiming that they had missed only two delivery deadlines, but would deliver in January 2017. Which deadline doesn’t count? The March, September, or November one? Instantly, there were backers saying that deliveries from China are notoriously slow, and this is an important point, as their printed circuit boards are produced there. Also note that 27th January marks the start of the Chinese New Year, when everyone goes on holiday there. Furthermore, there seems to be a rush by backers to get refunds while they can. I don’t know anything about their financial position, nor of their actual production schedule at this point. Gnarbox, since September has been teasing us with “deliveries will be soon” promises, and teasing us with frequent Instagram posts of supposed samples made in the field with their prototypes. These two factors have changed the mood from excitement to insult; here is a product you have invested in, but you cannot have.

At this point, it’s 28th January 2017 and no update from Gnarbox since the 6th Jan. It is 10 months past their original delivery date, and they’ve missed three delivery dates, and it’s almost certain that I will not receive my Gnarbox in the remaining three days of this month. That means that they will have missed four delivery dates, and have a string of broken promises to their investors. Finally, I need to consider if the device will ever be delivered, why I’m last on the delivery schedule (being non-US based, and outside their legal jurisdiction), and if there is any money left should I request a refund. The Gnarbox company will have committed to producing at least 3,300 devices, and the more they can sell at full price rather than at backer discount, the better. Consequently, refunds in fact, can be helpful to them; should I help or await my delivery? Decisions, decisions.

Watch this space, I may post updates below.

UPDATE, 31st Jan 2017: Gnarbox has posted an update. In short, no delivery. It is interesting to see that this update lacks any photos and no videos. Some of their previous updates included a video of the founder, looking a little nervous and shaky, giving a statement on their progress. This time we’re reduced to a short statement, three days after it was promised.

What is telling is that despite the promise to deliver this month, they did not say it directly, but they admit to not having even the first item produced to do quality control testing. It is interesting that they are avoiding stating what happened with the PCBs and the planned production, and that this message arrives on the final day of the month. They also fail to provide a timeline and details of the stage they are at in the manufacturing process. Do they have the PCBs? Do they have the SD, micro SD, USB port components? Do they have the cases? Do they have the rubber doors for the cases? Do they have instruction manuals printed? What has happened with the software development that they explicitly and detailed in previous updates?

It is also interesting that three days ago they asked in what form the community would like their customer support, and that question was answered with silence. Finally, and disturbingly, the Gnarbox team said that future communications will be taken off of Kickstarter and done via their email address; that is, away from a publicly viewable record.

Update 8th Feb 2017: Two things happened. Firstly, on the 4th Feb Gnarbox sent out an email to confirm delivery addresses. This was on the same day as they announced this in the comments section, “@all – First article inspection is complete and a pass. Shipping confirmation sent out.”, meaning they made their first Gnarbox, tested it, and it didn’t fail. This is unusual to me, as they successfully made exactly one successful item (no announcement on how many failed), and suddenly they are asking for delivery information. To me, you’d only ask for address information if delivery is imminent. People like me are way down the list for delivery, and they are hoping that I will still be at this address when they finally get around to sending mine out. Some backers have said that they might not be reachable in March or April. Let’s face it, Gnarbox have missed their March, September, November, and January deadlines. It’s likely mine will arrive in March, making it a full 12 months late.

Secondly, one of the backers shared this video by former DigitalRev wideo guy and presenter Lok, on the comments forum on Kickstarter. For me it’s infuriating, as this happy, positive promotional video was recorded just days after Gnarbox went through their Instagram posts and deleted all the late-delivery comments and blocked concerned backers/investors like me in their social media censorship.

It seems the delivery address email did it’s job in keeping the natives content, as it has so far stopped people from making more announcements of wanting their money back. Further, this video is the first real evidence I’ve seen that the product is real, and becoming real; albeit, 12 months later. Thanks Lok.

UPDATE 5th March 2017: Still not received my Gnarbox. My suspicion that they sent out the address confirmation three weeks ago may have been a stalling tactic seems true. In fact, nobody has seen or heard anything from the Gnarbox folks since the 16th February, and this is a moment when they claimed that people would have already started to receive their Gnarboxes. The backers’ comments on Kickstarter are basically calling for updates and confirmations that the company hasn’t done a runner. I think this is a moment where Gnarbox has seriously hurt their own reputation, as it will be hard to trust their claims in the future, especially because of this three week period of radio silence.

Also note that this month commemorates one year since they missed their first promise of delivery.

Update 16th March 2017: This is so significant that it needs its own blog post. See here.

Posted in Article tagged with gnarbox, kickstarter, photography equipment

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