Gramofon, Spotify Integration Campaign Launched on Kickstarter

By

Fon Wireless Ltd. is a company that operates a system of dual access wireless networks, with one of the largest Wi-Fi networks in the world. In July 2013, Fon had over eight million hotspots; today, that number has risen to almost 13 million around the world.

Members, whom the company calls "Foneros," agree to share a part of their bandwidth as a Wi-Fi signal, so that they can connect to other members' hotspots. Consumers that choose not to share their Internet connection can buy Wi-Fi access passes or credit from Fon. Fon members whose hotspots are used to access Wi-Fi by a paying customer can receive part of the revenue.

So the essence of Fon is people sharing Wi-Fi with each other, basically making it crowdsourcing Wi-Fi. Crowdsourcing is the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.

On April 16, Fon started a Kickstarter campaign hoping to boost its popularity even more with the Gramofon, a Wi-Fi router that integrates music streaming. The first service that will be available through Gramofon is Spotify, a commercial music streaming service that provides digital rights management-restricted content from record labels.

A statement from Fon states that in this same tradition, “We want to crowdsource a new product we have been working on for over a year, the Gramofon. We are so excited to unveil the Gramofon directly to all of you through Kickstarter.”

Fon is able to create these Wi-Fi hotspots by using a special router that creates two separate signals. One of the signals provides a private hotspot while the other a public one. Its next product, the Gramofon, is the latest compatible router. If the Kickstarter campaign is successful, shipping should be set for July. The device will cost $30.

Gramofon competes with audio and media streamers from companies such as Sonos and Roku. By simply connecting the Gramofon to the Internet with an Ethernet cable or wirelessly over Wi-Fi, you can establish a connection to your smartphone and start choosing tunes in an iOS or Android app. The router will also ship with a 3.5 millimeter audio cable and an RCA adapter for connecting it to a stereo system.

The Kickstarter campaign has only just begun. As of this posting, there are already 1,613 backers pledging $73,130. The goal of the campaign is to reach the $250,000 mark. If that happens, then you can expect to see Gramofon sometime this summer.


Edited by Rory J. Thompson
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

TechZone360 Contributing Writer

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

How to Protect Your Website From LDAP Injection Attacks

By: Contributing Writer    3/12/2024

Prevent LDAP injection attacks with regular testing, limiting access privileges, sanitizing user input, and applying the proper encoding functions.

Read More

Azure Cost Optimization: 5 Things You Can Do to Save on Azure

By: Contributing Writer    3/7/2024

Azure cost optimization is the process of managing and reducing the overall cost of using Azure. It involves understanding the resources you're using,…

Read More

Massive Meta Apps and Services Outage Impacts Users Worldwide

By: Alex Passett    3/5/2024

Meta's suite of apps and services are experiencing major global outages on Super Tuesday 2024.

Read More

The Role of Technology in Shaping the Future of Affiliate Marketing

By: Contributing Writer    3/5/2024

In the current rapidly growing digital world, affiliate marketing is still one of the most effective ways for businesses to increase their visibility …

Read More

The Steps You Can Take To Improve Customer Service For Your Business

By: Contributing Writer    3/5/2024

When you're in a competitive market, providing exceptional customer service is crucial for the success and growth of your business. Good customer serv…

Read More