Engadget alum wants to laser-etch your gadgets

We're big fans of laser-etched gadgetry, and heck, we're big fans of former Engadget editor Phil Torrone, too. That's why when we heard that the two were finally coming together for fun and profit, well, we were pretty much overjoyed. According to CNET, Torrone and Limor Fried, a former fellow at the tech-focused art studio Eyebeam R&D, have joined forces to create Adafruit, a new open-source laser-etching company in New York. (It's open-source in that PT is giving away the business plan for free to all comers). For $30, they'll do up your iPod or cellphone real nice, and for $100 they'll put your laptop under the laser. Torrone said that while the service is currently limited to the Big Apple for now, he plans on expanding to San Francisco and other locations next year. And yes, that tarsier-engraved PowerBook is PT's very own machine.

[Robert @ Dec 13th 2006 10:17AM]

That poor possum won't ever get an open source nuts now! (or whatever they eat)

[Revrant2394 @ Dec 13th 2006 7:57AM]

Jiminy Cricket, bugger off friend, that was unwarranted on too many levels to count on hand!

[Revrant2394 @ Dec 13th 2006 8:02AM]

Jeeeeeeesus, I won't go insulting people, but you're dead wrong pal, in case you hadn't noticed, there just aren't other business doing this all on their own.

Why?

Expensive.

Business model to fix that?

Unknown.

See where this is going? Encouraging a new market by making a previously expensive practice more profitable, it's not something as, unbelievably idiotic as "hype", nothing involving lasers needs hyping.

[jack @ Dec 13th 2006 5:12AM]

a mars volta fan or just a tarsier lover?

[Veritas II @ Dec 13th 2006 5:43AM]

O'Reilly uses it for "Learning the vi Editor"

http://www.oreilly.com/news/lejeune_0400.html

[PJK @ Dec 13th 2006 6:14AM]

"Open sourced" business modelling is basically helping your competition to do what you do. Which is not the smartest move the make if you ask me, sounds a little like communism to me.

[Sergio @ Dec 13th 2006 6:56AM]

Thats a'one sexy laptop

[Xavier @ Dec 13th 2006 8:11AM]

This is a low quality post from Engadget...

I've seen this before, either on here or TUAW, but I know I've seen it before and I know it's old news.

[PreGHz @ Dec 13th 2006 4:20PM]

Xavier:

If Reuters reports on a new war in Sudan, that means that my local paper shouldn't cover it?

Come on.

And besides, it's not about the laptop, it's about the brand new business that the laptop owner has started.

[Ian @ Dec 13th 2006 8:18AM]

It's only a matter of time before the first goat.se etched MPB shows up

[Matt B @ Dec 13th 2006 9:33AM]

As cool as it is, wouldn't it void your warranty? When I worked at VZW, any defacement of you hardware voided the warranty.

[pt @ Dec 13th 2006 3:24PM]

a sticker voids a warranty?

[Curtis @ Dec 13th 2006 10:03AM]

If it's anything like the GPL, then anyone else who uses the idea will have to open source as well. It's still a license, just opposite terms to most.

[johnnycash @ Dec 13th 2006 1:37PM]

I don't understand why they aren't making this a postal service.

You get UPS or Fedex to turn up at your door, collect your laptop, take it to the laser engraver and they send it back when its done.

Its all insured if anything goes wrong in the mail.

Thousands of laptops are delivered in this way on a daily basis, so whats the problem with you removing your battery (for weight) and mailing it?

As far as I know it doesn't void any warranties as its the same as putting stickers on your laptop. It doesn't burn deep enough to heat anything nor lazer through plastic/aluminium so you should be fine.

[pt @ Dec 13th 2006 3:19PM]

etchamac does that, we thought it would be more fun to teach people how the laser works.

[Brian @ Dec 13th 2006 2:46PM]

Marketing hype, sure. Of course the core concepts of the business already are 'open.' But, they need to promote both their service and develop a market for and interest in a novel consumer business concept. Providing open, detailed information on their business serves both ends while embracing the essence of open source projects.

[pushlatency @ Dec 13th 2006 3:55PM]

With 100 bucks burning a hole in my pocket, I'll play benefactor just to see goatse.cx etched on the cover of someone's Macbook Pro with the apple symbol in place of the on-ramp to Hershey highway.

[krusher_00 @ Dec 13th 2006 4:11PM]

Wouldn't mind one of these in Oz..

Mind you I do personally like the Open Source business Idea.. its like if McDonalds started selling the information they'd gleaned on creating a successful business, to people who wanted to do the same thing.. its not so much competition as offering advice and a solid business model for someone to start with.