Swingbyte

Swingbyte 2 Shipping Update

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:55:39 -0500

Swingbyte 2’s remain on track to start shipping initial pre-orders within a week. We’ll ship pre-orders on a first-come first-served basis starting with those placed at the PGA Show. It’s likely all pre-orders placed to date will be on their way by mid-May. Tracking numbers will be sent via e-mail once your order has been shipped.

As always, please contact us anytime at support@swingbyte.com with questions and feedback.

Have a great weekend!
Alex, Brian, and Nathan

An Update on the Updates

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:24:20 -0500

We’re thrilled to share that Swingbyte 2 and the new app are just around the corner! Here’s what you can expect:

The App

The awesomely redesigned iPad app has been submitted to the App Store. Apple typically turns these around within a week or two, depending on a variety of factors.

This will show up as an app update for all iOS users, but only the iPad will get the new UI in this update. The iPhone will receive stability enhancements and various fixes, but will maintain the current UI. We are hard at work developing the new UI for all platforms (phone + tablet, Android + Apple), and will keep you posted as we get more information there.

One more thing about the app. We are really excited about the video features we are rolling out. We showed them off at the PGA show, and are making sure that they are fully tested before rolling them out. This release (2.0) will have synchronized video recording and trimming. ITR will be released in an update to the app soon thereafter, once we’ve finished our testing of accuracy. We are working with various stationary systems to make sure the numbers we produce are what you expect.

The Hardware

Swingbyte 2 hardware is in final testing, which means the start of production is just a few days away. We are aiming to ship the first batch of Swingbyte 2 pre-orders on 4/30. They will be sent on a first-come first-served basis, which means pre-orders taken at the PGA show will be filled first, followed by those placed online, and then retail orders. Expect to see SB2 at an AT&T store near you in plenty of time for Father’s Day, and at a few other retailers to be announced shortly!

We’ll continue providing updates on the new app and Swingbyte 2 here and on Twitter and Facebook. As always, please contact us anytime at support@swingbyte.com with questions, feedback, and success stories!

All the best,
The Swingbyte Crew

There's Still Time to Earn Your Swingbyte 2 Loyalty Discount!

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:46:00 -0500

Swingbyte 2, featuring attachment and alignment enhancements, will be released later this spring…and there’s still time to earn your Swingbyte Loyalty Discount! Record a swing in the Swingbyte app by end of day Sunday, March 24 - the last day of the PGA Tour’s Bay Hill event - and we’ll e-mail you a $50 discount code towards the purchase of a Swingbyte 2!

You may pre-order Swingbyte 2 here.

We’ll announce an exact ship date of initial Swingbyte 2 pre-orders within the next few weeks.

Have a great weekend!
The Swingbyte Team

Swingbyte Loyalty Program

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:58:32 -0600

We’re thrilled to announce the spring release of the redesigned Swingbyte 2 hardware and app! And we want to reward all current Swingbyte users with a great incentive to enjoy the latest and greatest Swingbyte hardware.

On March 24, 2013, (the last day of the Bay Hill PGA Tour event), all Swingbyte users with swings recorded in their app will receive a $50 coupon via e-mail towards the purchase of a Swingbyte 2. Please note, the original Swingbyte sensor and Swingbyte 2 will both provide full - and free - access to all features in the Swingbyte app, including app version 2.0 with integrated video.

Swingbyte 2 pre-orders will be available at www.swingbyte.com shortly. We’ll announce the exact timing soon via Twitter, Facebook, and the Swingbyte blog. Please sign up here if you’d like to be notified by e-mail when pre-orders open.

Thank you to all Swingbyte users for making 2012 such a phenomenal year. We look forward to helping even more golfers #ImproveFaster in 2013!

It's that time again - app updates!

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:29:00 -0500

Android and iOS users should be seeing app updates this week (iOS updates pending Apple review), and they’ve got some neat features. The coolest is a brand new history screen:

iOS

Android

This dynamic screen will show new swings as they appear, and let you filter all your swings by date, club, shot shape and rating, giving averages across the filtered swings. A condensed version is also available on Android phones and the iPhone.

A quick note: this numbers change is retroactive, and will re-calculate your swings when you upgrade to the new version. While this is happening, your swing history may either be empty or show 0s for values. Don’t worry - all your data is still there, we’re just reprocessing it to show the updated face to path numbers.

Another part of the update is the definition of Face to Path. We’ve updated how that number is calculated to have it more closely follow industry standards. That is specifically the left-right orientation of the face relative to the club path, viewed from overhead at the point of impact. The old definition, the club face orientation within the plane it’s traveling on at any point is still available, but has been renamed to “face to plane.”

Next, we’ve made it even easier to put Swingbyte on - if you put it on at the 3 o’clock position for righties (or 9 o’clock for lefties), but upside-down, it will simply work, no change necessary. If you put it on at the wrong position, rather than not capturing anything as it did before, it will display a message that Swingbyte isn’t oriented correctly (this last part is coming to Android shortly).

Finally, for those lucky iPhone5 owners out there, the new app update takes advantage of the increased screen real-estate, and is iOS6 compatible.

The updated Android app is available now in the Google Play store, and the iOS app should be available as soon as it’s approved by Apple.

As always, let us know if you have any questions.

-Alex, Brian and Nathan.

Swingbyte adhesive mounting tabs now available!

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:39:24 -0500

One issue some Swingbyte users have mentioned is that sometimes the Swingbyte sensor twists on the shaft after impact. How much this happens depends on the shaft, the club head speed, and how big of a divot is taken. For most users this isn’t a significant issue; occasional realignment before the next shot is an easy habit to develop. For those bothered by occasional sensor twisting - we have an enhancement. We’ve developed an adhesive mounting tab that weigh less than 1 gram. It has an adhesive backing that will stick to any club shaft, including the slipperiest irons. Once attached, Swingbyte goes right over it, and stays in place. The added advantage is that you’re guaranteed to put your Swingbyte on in the same spot time after time.

While the attachment isn’t meant to be taken on and off, if you do need to remove it, it will come off clean.

If you are a current Swingbyte owner in the United States or Canada, and would like to receive 4 complimentary tabs, please send an email with your mailing address to inserts@swingbyte.com and we’ll send yours out ASAP! If you reside outside of the United States or Canada, or wish to receive more than 4, please contact support@swingbyte.com

For installation instructions, check out our FAQ

Thanks,
Alex, Brian, and Nathan

Swingbyte Meetup: this Saturday, 8/25, at Oak Brook GC (IL)

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 23:39:00 -0500

To All Chicago-area Swingbyte fans,

Please join the Swingbyte team at Oak Brook Golf Club in Oak Brook, IL, from 3-6pm this Saturday, August 25. Come demo Swingbyte and enjoy food, drinks, and free range balls…and win cool prizes, too!

Oak Brook Golf Club is located at:
2606 York Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523

For driving directions and more information about the club, please click here: http://www.oak-brook.org/index.aspx?NID=240

The weather looks great for Saturday. We look forward to sharing a fun afternoon with you!

- Alex, Brian, and Nathan

Latest app updates

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 23:13:00 -0500

Last week we published two major app updates, one for iOS and one for Android. The updates introduced two important new features - the ability to rank swings (“thumbs up”/”thumbs down”) and improved navigation for phones. Android also got its own look to match better with the fact that it’s…well, Android, and not iOS.

In phone versions for both, you can now access the common actions (clubs and views) with a single click instead of 2 or 3. You can “swipe” left-to-right with two fingers to load a previous swing, and right-to-left to see the next one. You can also view data on the 3d screen by selecting your preferred data point in the Swing Data screen.

One unfortunate side-effect from the Android update was that for much of the weekend the Android app became unstable, causing frequent forced closes. While we have since fixed the problem, we did want to share with you what went wrong and why the Android experience has lagged behind iOS until now.

One of the advantages of the Android platform is the multitude of hardware options available to consumers. There are hundreds of phones and literally thousands of permutations. The drawback is that, at that scale, it is difficult to test all variations of all manufacturers’ phones when a new app update is developed. The update this weekend had a last-minute fix for an issue that affected one specific phone and OS combination, and that update ended up breaking some functionality.

We don’t like having to frantically fix releases any more than Swingbyte users like dealing with glitches. We feel your pain when there are issues, and we apologize for the hassles the Android release may have caused this past weekend. As always, we remain hard at work to continue making Swingbyte even better for you, including efforts to ensure that all future app updates will work as they should right from the start.

Specifically, next week there will be another update for Android. This will bring Android up to the same level as iOS, adding the swipe gestures for swing navigation.

Please stay tuned to Twitter, Facebook, and the Blog for announcements about forthcoming app updates and other major news…and please keep the great feedback coming about how we can make Swingbyte even better!

Thank you,
Alex, Brian, and Nathan

Have you seen the Swingbyte video vault?

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:02:08 -0500

Have you seen the Swingbyte video vault?:

Swingbyte’s video vault is rapidly expanding. In addition to some of the great features on Swingbyte, including NBC’s 2012 Equipment Special, our YouTube channel also includes some informative “How to” videos for getting the most out of your Swingbyte. Check it out here!

Also, we love receiving videos from Swingbyte users about how they’re using, enjoying, and benefitting from Swingbyte. If you’d like to send us a video - and earn some cool Swingbyte swag in the process - please e-mail them to videos@swingbyte.com.

Thanks and have a great weekend!

- Alex, Brian, and Nathan

Exciting announcement about Swingbyte and AT&T

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:47:21 -0500

We’re thrilled to announce that starting 6/24, you will be able to buy Swingbyte at select AT&T stores around the country and online at att.com, in addition to swingbyte.com. We are honored to be part of AT&T’s new app-cessory offerings and we look forward to helping make this product segment a huge success.

Read more about it: http://www.thegolfwire.com/stories/262840

Thanks,
Alex, Brian and Nathan.

Happy Father's Day! (especially to Chicago procrastinators)

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:56:00 -0500

Live or work near the Chicago Loop and need an awesome last-minute Father’s Day gift for a golfing dad? There’s not enough time to order Swingbyte - one of Golf Digest’s “12 Coolest Items At The 2012 PGA Show” - and have it shipped by Father’s Day. But don’t worry, order NOW and we’ll personally bring a Swingbyte to you!

All you have to do is place an order on the Swingbyte website and then send an e-mail to fathersday@swingbyte.com by Noon on Friday to schedule a drop-off in the Chicago Loop. We’ll get back to you same day, and personally bring your Swingbyte to you by Friday evening. You’ll be a hero this Sunday!

- Alex, Brian and Nathan

Swingbyte's First Month In Your Hands

Thu, 31 May 2012 23:05:00 -0500

Swingbyte has now been in the hands of golf enthusiasts all across the US and Canada for over a month, capturing tens of thousands of swings… and the reception has been phenomenal! Thank you all for your incredible interest, enthusiasm, and feedback - including your feedback about how we can make Swingbyte even better!

As we close out our first month in your hands, we wanted to share with you a peek at what’s coming next:

First and foremost, the members’ website! We’re hard at work testing the site to give you the best experience that we can. We expect to launch it within a few weeks. In the meantime, all of your data is already being stored online, so that when we open the doors, you’ll see all of your swings and clubs there.

Hardware. Some of you have reported that the device occasionally twists on the club shaft after impact. While this doesn’t affect the impact numbers reported, it does require adjusting the Swingbyte prior to your next swing. To solve this, we’re developing an optional attachment mechanism. It is being tested internally and once we’re happy with it, we’ll send it to everyone who’s already bought a Swingbyte and include it in the packaging, as well.

While on the subject of hardware, the ease of orienting Swingbyte on the club is also the focus of a coming enhancement. There are three items that are affected by device orientation - the club path, and the visual orientation of the swing arc and laser lines relative to the target line. We find that “eyeballing” it gets you within a degree or two of square. For those of you that would like more precision, we’re working on an alignment tool. It will be available for purchase on the Swingbyte website later this summer.

Finally - the apps. We’ve received great feedback about the apps, and here are a few things on the roadmap:

More data on the 3d screen of the phone versions
Improved navigation in the phone versions, and easier navigation between swings on both the phone and tablet versions
Better usage instructions in the app

… and much more! In the meantime, please keep the fantastic feedback coming! We love to hear from you. Here are a couple of ways…

For general feedback and technical questions, please e-mail support@swingbyte.com
Have an idea about how to make Swingbyte even better? Please submit a Feature Request: http://support.swingbyte.com/forums/20653283-feature-requests/entries/new

One final note…Our manufacturing partner has been working tirelessly to fulfill all your orders as quickly as possible, and we’re happy to announce that we are now shipping within a week of ordering! The website will be updated shortly to reflect that.

Thank you!
Alex, Brian, and Nathan

Getting Started with Swingbyte

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:33:00 -0500

I got my Swingbyte! Now what do I do?

You are four short steps away from recording swings on Swingbyte!

1) DOWNLOAD: Download the free Swingbyte app from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. The app also contains a brief walkthrough for getting started with Swingbyte.

2) BLUETOOTH: Slide the power switch down to turn on Swingbyte, the green LED light will illuminate. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone (Android: Settings > Wireless and Networks > Bluetooth. Apple: Settings > General > Bluetooth). In your Bluetooth settings, select Swingbyte to pair with your phone or tablet. For Apple users, the blue LED light will illuminate once paired. For Android users, the blue LED light on Swingbyte will illuminate once “+Add Swings” has been pressed in the Swingbyte app.

3) ATTACH: Attach Swingbyte to the club of your choice. Swingbyte should be attached to the club shaft just below the grip, with the power lights up (towards the grip) and the Swingbyte logo down (towards the club head). Lefties should orient Swingbyte at the 9 o’clock position and righties should orient Swingbyte at 3 o’clock. For both, the grey/white seam in the Swingbyte case should be aligned with the leading edge of your club.

4) RECORD: Open the app and register for an account. Enter your age, height, weight, gender, and wrist-to-ground measurements to help Swingbyte more accurately display your data. Add your clubs to your golf bag—click “+ Add New Club.”

Choose your brand, club type, and size. Input the length, loft, lie, and flex of your club to get the most accurate data for every swing.

In the left corner of the screen, hit “+ Add Swing” and you’re ready to start recording your swings! (Remember, Swingbyte needs a point of contact to capture your swings).

(Remember, Swingbyte needs a point of contact to capture your swings! For more info, visit us at support.swingbyte.com)

How does Swingbyte compare to ______?

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:18:00 -0500

We are often asked, “How does Swingbyte compare to (insert name of any leading golf ball launch monitor or simulator here)?”

To help provide perspective, we’ve done extensive cross-testing of Swingbyte with most of the launch monitor and simulator technology available today. Our observations include:

No two launch monitors/simulators/sensors provide exactly the same numbers for the same swing every time.
A number needs context to have meaning. Is an attack angle of 9 degrees with a 5 iron good? What about a path angle of 4 degrees from the inside with a 3 wood? Because different launch monitors/simulators/sensors measure these characteristics at different points in the swing (even a difference of 1/1000 of a second is huge!), apples-to-apples comparisons are challenged. Therefore, in order to put Swingbyte data in the appropriate context, we suggest two solutions. First, what do your numbers look like when you hit a good shot? We have an app update coming shortly to help you with this. Second, what do the best players in the world look like on Swingbyte? We’ve compiled and will continue to aggregate data from many of the best players in the world. Coming soon to our internal site, this information will help Swingbyte users know “Tour” ranges for the data we present.
Most important for Swingbyte owners: Swingbyte is internally consistent. Swing to swing, if you swing faster or slower, steeper or shallower, more from the inside or from the outside, Swingbyte will reflect the appropriate directional change.

Here’s a quick video showing club head speed at impact on Swingbyte and a leading launch monitor…

Of all the data points captured by swing analysis technology, we find that club head speed at impact is one of the closest to an apples-to-apples comparison. As you’ll see, Swingbyte and the launch monitor are typically between 1-2% of each other and both are directionally consistent swing to swing.

Thanks for all of your interest in Swingbyte! Please check back often for more information on Swingbyte’s features, benefits, and stories from behind the scenes.

Thank you!

- Alex, Brian, and Nathan

It's only just begun...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:17:00 -0500

In conjunction with the launch of our first product, Swingbyte for golf, we are also launching our blog. Here, we will keep our fans and customers updated on past, present, and future developments with Swingbyte. We thought that a brief overview of Swingbyte’s evolution is in order:

March 2010

Alex, having never played a round of golf in his life, gets a great idea for a new golf training device, quits his job and enrolls in the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to help develop the business plan.

September 2010

During orientation for business school, Alex meets Brian, a former Canadian Tour player, and Nathan, a supply chain/global sourcing expert, and the wheels start spinning faster.

May 2011

With the right team in place, Swingbyte is entered in the New Venture Challenge, a business plan competition at Chicago Booth, and finishes third among over 70 entries. Brian and Nathan soon leave their stable, corporate jobs for the wild west world of start-ups.

June 2011

Swingbyte powers along, developing a fully functioning Android beta of their app, and an early prototype of the hardware and casing.

July 2011

This phase of our corporate history is affectionately known as “The Exploding Swingbyte Era”. On the golf clubs of average golfers, top 100 instructors, and some of the greatest golfers in the world, Swingbyte exhibited a tendency to start a swing in one piece and finish the swing in a dozen or more pieces scattered about the range. Needless to say, we soon moved on from that early prototype of the hardware and casing. Swingbyte spouses were less amused than the co-founders by this era.

August 2011

With a newly redesigned housing and no flying parts, amusement and spousal concern are replaced with awe at the quality of Swingbyte’s data and visual feedback.

October 2011

Swingbyte bests over forty entries to win a business competition through the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce: Clique Studios’ $100,000 Promotion To Win A Promotion Promotion. What does this mean? Look for Swingbyte on a national scale in a really cool way by the end of 2012!

January 2012

Swingbyte is unveiled to the golf world at the 2012 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, and the reception is awesome. Highlights include Golf Digest naming Swingbyte one of the “12 Coolest Items At The PGA Show”. Since then, more and more media outlets have introduced their audiences to Swingbyte, including the Chicago Tribune, Playboy, Wired Magazine, and on NBC’s nationally televised 2012 Equipment Special.

Now

Two years after non-golfing, tech-minded Alex devised a way to learn golf with his smartphone, Swingbyte is a company with locations in 3 countries, employing dozens of people world-wide, and is days away from formally releasing its initial product.

An announcement confirming exact ship date of initial orders is coming soon! Please check this blog, follow us on Twitter, and “Like” us on Facebook for more updates.

Thank you!

- Alex, Brian, and Nathan