After a short run, the lauded Navdy HUD for the automotive aftermarket seems to have reached the end of the line of corporate success. As reported by TechCrunch and DigitalTrends, Navdy has sent out a letter of Assignment to the people they owe money to. This is a legal step in the proceedings to close the company down. While they still trying to sell the company, this seems less and less likely now.
The Navdy HUD uses the smartphone as the source of content including the navigational part. It was basically an extended screen for the smartphone in front of the driver and came with a steering wheel mounted control knob. We reported on the device in a Display Daily back in 2014. (A Heads Up on Automotive Display Applications – apologies, images from the older Display-Central site are not available any more) According to Digital Trends, the unit may stop working within the coming weeks as the company shuts down. This may indicate that the functionality was at least partially driven by a connection to the Navdy servers.
All in all, this is bad news for the consumers who invested a significant amount of money (roughly $500) into this device.
Looking at the Navdy website shows that this is still up and running and even their automatic pop up to capture your contact information is still up and running. Trying to buy the device tells you that they are sold through their partners Amazon and Best Buy. Following the links brings you, in the case of Best Buy, to a dead link and, in the case of Amazon, to the sales page where you can snatch up this soon to be paperweight for mere $449.
Failing companies are typically more involved with lawyers in the case of liquidation than with up keeping their websites. Nevertheless, it should be at least made clear that there no more sales.
In many cases of failing startups it is often that the product concept and execution does not match with the consumer’s expectation. This may not be the case here though. Many hardware blogs gave the device a high rating and thumbs up. To no avail as it seems. The reviews on Amazon range from one to five stars. Some reported severe hardware issues and others loved the whole concept and execution. All in all, pretty average product reviews considering that all electronic hardware is subject to failure (and that those with a problem are more likely to leave a comment, I think – Man. Ed.)
If we consider for a moment that the concept was worth while pursuing, why were they unable to sell the concept to other after-market suppliers? Was there an issue with the hardware and software or more with the management, as one Amazon review seems to indicate. Maybe they ran into an issue with their financing as it may be a stretch to generate enough money from device sales after the first release. Crowdfunding and initial investors were not enough to keep the company going financially. Now start searching for the real reason, we may never know.
RIP Navdy.
Navdy Website still up and runningThis raises a more fundamental question though. As retail channels are under more and more pressure from on-line sales outlets, one would expect that it is much easier for a brand new idea to find a following online these days. The Navdy website seems pretty decent and marketing activities were noticeable and on target. With notable endorsements one would expect it to be easy to enter the market successfully or at least sell the concept to some other company in the market.
Nevertheless it didn’t work out. So much for what we think should happen and what does.
It seems the idea to come up with a great innovation and build a successful company received anotherestr blemish in the consumer electronics market. (NH)
