1. Why such a high price? Competitors seem to range $9.99 to $39.99.
Glad you asked! We recommend looking at HieBAR compared to the competition and asking yourself how you want to use the product and what features and capabilities you consider important.
A. FLUID, HIGH UTILITY “COMPANION” ACCES: Are you okay with taking your tablet out of its case or cover and clipping and/or clamping it into a designated spot in your kitchen each time you want to use it? Or would you prefer keeping your tablet in its case or cover and staying nimble, being able to easily move it with one hand (like a mixing bowl) and having ergonomic access to it anywhere in your kitchen, both countertop or undercabinet?
B. STABILITY: Do you plan on using your tablet primarily for viewing, so a little “bounce” while entering data won’t be a problem? Or would you prefer a screen that is “hard tap stable?”
C. SAFETY: When your workspace becomes a potential “splash zone” do you want a solution that you can easily move out of the way, move up into undercabinet mode, or have stay put and stand above a mess on its minimal four-peg footprint? Do you want a solution that doesn’t require you to play a balancing game to keep your tablet from crashing to the floor when moving it?
D. CLEANLINESS: Do you prefer durable finishes, simple design, and minimal moving parts to make cleanup easy?
E. ESTHETIC APPEAL: If someone were photographing your kitchen would you want to keep your tablet access solution out for the photo, or would you hide it in a drawer?
F. COOKBOOKS: We’re pretty sure you have them. Would you like to use them?
G. DURABILITY: Are you okay with getting a gadget that will break down after a year or two? Or would you prefer a builders’ quality, functional design object that will last indefinitely?
2. Does my KMP (Kitchen Media Platform) Package come with one or two Palletts.
The KMP Package comes with ONE Pallett that can be redeployed from under cabinet mode to countertop made and vice versa. Many of the product photographs in the catalogue show the Pallett deployed both ways to highlight its versatility.
3. The product claims to be “Missing Link in the Connected Kitchen.” What is the thinking behind that claim?
We see an information exchange bottleneck endemic between cooks and where smart kitchen apps and smart appliances are going. The problem is the size and proximity of the user interface, which in most cases is a smartphone, tablet, or appliance screen. We know about “guided cooking” apps out there, like Side-chef and Innit, which combined with MATTER standard appliance interfaces like Home Connect can provide the potential intelligence and functionality to literally personalize your menu, then orchestrate and guide you through the cooking processes including managing and monitoring your appliances. The trouble is that we are trying to force all the inputs and outputs of that complex “guided cooking” interaction through either the tiny, portable screens of our cell phones, through verbal queues (like via Alexa) or we default to a “fixed workstation” approach. The fixed workstation means we commit to one place in the kitchen to return to every time we need guidance or want to update our app. Any kitchen designer worth their salt knows that there are multiple workstations in a kitchen and a truly guided cooking experience means you’ll want to interact with your app in multiple places -- places like your prep areas, stove, sink, refrigerator, small appliance stations, storage areas, and so forth. So basically, to solve the problem of interface size and proximity, the HieBAR Kitchen Media Platform gives you safe, clean, high-utility, access to a large format interface, like a tablet, anywhere in the kitchen in both undercabinet and countertop mode.
4. Is the Pallett adjustable in for tilt in Countertop mode?”
We tested content viewing with users of different heights, standing over the Pallett in countertop mode. We observed that because of the high-angled viewing position of the user, well above the viewing surface, the preferred viewing angle did not change appreciably from user to user. We therefore did not include moving parts to enable countertop titling in favor of simplifying the design, making the unit more stable, and easier to move, clean and service.
5.In undercabinet mode, when folded up, does the Pallett “hide” underneath the cabinet bottom, or can it still be seen?
When folded up with the Pallett engaged, the bulk of the application’s hardware will be situated within 1 ½ inches of the cabinet bottom. However, as the legs of the Pallett protrude downward several inches, they will most likely be visible. If you have face-frame cabinets (generally these have a recessed space under the cabinet) a good portion of the product is likely to be hidden in the recess when folded up. On European (a.k.a. frameless cabinets) the unit will be visible, as depicted in the website video and product photos. With the Pallett disengaged from the undercabinet platform hardware (Track and Ladder Bracket), the platform hardware can fold up as shown on the video.
6. What is your return policy?
We have a 90-day return policy, which means you have 90 days after receiving your item to request a return. To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. To start a return, you can contact us at hiebardesign@gmail.com. Please note that returns will need to be sent to the following address: HieBAR Design, 232 Third Street, Suite A103, Brooklyn, NY 11215 You can always contact us for any return question at hiebardesign@gmail.com
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