While we are *still* waiting on the Bing v2.0 prototype, I’d like to take a quick moment to announce the launch of GoGreenInStyle.com.  The site features tips, suggestions, and stories about greening your wedding.

My fiancee and I have teamed up to bring the site to a)help other people that are interested in infusing sustainability into their wedding planning, and to b) entertain! Expect to hear about escapades of my fiancee and I as we plan and execute our green wedding.  

On the Bing front, look for new news this week… fingers crossed!

There you go.  Now you too have the Steve Miller Band stuck in your head. Unfortunately, you don’t have a Bing stuck on your bra.  And neither do I.

Thank you to all the folks who are checking in today to hear about the much heralded and extremely delayed fully functional Bing prototype.  Don’t give up hope.  We will have another week or so of waiting, but it will be here soon.

These latest delays are not major diversions from the time table and not that significant in the scheme of things.  *deep breath* These are the sort of things that are completely expected.

(And for those of you who are eager to make a humorous comment about the intro to this post, no, I’m not wearing a bra.  Although if it will help get Bing to market and move units…)

This just in: the boards for Bing V2 are over the Pacific at the moment… schedule for arrival tomorrow.

These are just the base for the boards – they will still need to be assembled/populated.  But it is an exciting and encourgaing thing to know that the elements are coming together.

Be advised: we will likely miss the Nov 19th date, but not by much.  Bing will soon be born!

With the V2 prototype less than a month away it is time to pick up the certification topic again.  There are (to my knowledge) two certifications I need to clear for mass production of the Bing Personal Alert.  

In order to use the technology and the branding of Bluetooth, the device must be registered and approved by the Bluetooth SIG.  The certification protects the brand value of the technology and insures interoperability.  And also raises money for the organization, of course.  When I began examining technologies for Bing I recall the price for Bluetooth certification coming in around $7,500.  Not cheep for a bootstrapper.  Since then the price has gone up to $10,000.  Ouch.  

But wait!  The good folks at the Bluetooth SIG introduced a program for new businesses!  Qualified businesses can get their first qualification for $2,500.  Sold.  At the moment, things look good for Bing to meet the qualifications… hazzah!  There are other costs on top of the Bluetooth SIG for the certification folks to submit the correct paperwork.  Initial forays to price this element hit roadblocks.  I’m hoping this next round is more fruitful.

The second certification Bing will need is FCC certification.  I’m somewhat surprised that there isn’t closer integration with the Bluetooth certification, since a Bluetooth device must transmit by definition, but there may be something I’m missing.  

The results of the certification planning will help me answer the 64 million dollar question – can I get to market by bootstrapping or is it time to raise funding?

Once again the Apparel Mart in Atlanta has come and gone, and Bing *still* has yet to make its debut.  Not to worry – it will happen soon.

I stopped by the show today to check in on Cathy at Smarty Pants.  Cathy and I met earlier in the year at an event hosted by SCORE and AMEX Small Business.  We both were in product development at the time and aiming for distribution through fashion channels.  Since then Cathy has successfully launched her product and has been actively selling at several shows this year.  We’ve created our own support group, helping each other maintain some degree of sanity and offering help with each other’s business where we can.

For Bing it has been great to participate in the show and get a leg up on the feel of the shows.  For those who haven’t had the pleasure of attending “the mart”, I’ll offer one of my first impressions – and entire showroom floor filled from end to end with shoes.  One entire level.  It can be overwhelming.  I can only imagine how overwhelming it is on people for whom shoes are a passion…

It is too early to write a check for a booth, but late January is circled on the calendar as the possible Bing debut!

Yes, things have been quiet.  Bing has been back burnered while version 2 is in development.

Well things are progressing.  We have a date.  Not a written-in-stone date, but a target date.  November 19th.  

It is probably a bad idea to publish a soft date, but it is a target to work towards and worth sharing.  Stay tuned for new developments!

With this round of The Big Idea behind us focus has returned to the business of actually getting the business going. While version 2 is in R&D we are going to follow a two pronged approach.

Prong one: reassess. This time is a great opportunity to take a fresh look at the financial model and build a revised schedule. MBA classmates are great mock investors. Or is that mocking investors? No money, but a lot of hole poking. I love the honesty and despite jokes about it, it is a great thing to have bright, educated and enthusiastic folks do their best to tear you a new… plan.

Prong two: reduce the bleeding. Even though the monthly cash burn rate is fairly low, supplementing savings with project income is great. I am actively pursuing contract/project work with the specific aim of at least covering the monthly draw. A few projects are already scheduled and more are on the way. I’m actually excited about the diversity – the chance to do something very different for a day or a week. The time away helps recharge the batteries emotionally as well as financially.

So while I cross fingers about the turn time for version 2, at least there are benefits that come out of the time…

The phone rang at 10:45.  It’s Tyler Sims from ForeMan.

“Hey.  Did you know you’re on TV again?”

“Heh… no, I had no idea.”

Apparently they were running a clip show tonight on The Big Idea and pulled my interview as one of the segments.

Yes, that’s right.  CNBC’s answer to Joe Biden – Sean Mahoney’s Business Blunders.

A fellow entrepreneur was on The Big Idea with me – Tyler Sims of ForeMan – http://www.productforeman.com/. We struck up a wide ranging conversation and quickly jumped into the details of how each of us could offer suggestions for the other’s business. Tyler and I shared some of the same themes – especially the feeling of being disconnected and in a completely different place than most co-workers in a traditional work environment. There are enough travelers on this path that find each other from time to time. If you are one of those people, keep looking. We are out here.

There are several ad hoc groups that have formed in Atlanta around the life and needs of the entrepreneur.  One such networking event is organized by one of my Emory classmates, Sanjay Parekh.  Open Coffee is exactly that – an open invitation to fellow start-up folks who are looking to chat with like minded folks… drinking coffee.  The next one is later today from 2 – 5 at Cafe Intermezzo in Dunwoody If you are in the area, certainly stop by.