The Polish Olympic champion swam. His gadget turned out to be a shell

Kacper Tomasiak has permanently entered the history of Polish sport, and more broadly, also Olympic sport. It caught the attention of millions of people and immediately sparked questions like: what’s next? There are forecasts, but also expectations, which usually do not favor athletes. That’s why we will leave the teenager who took the hill in Predazzo by storm and wish him further success.

This time we will focus on another Olympian. And an idea that can still make you smile today.

Polish Olympic champions take various paths after the end of their careers. Some stay in sports and, for example, work in unions, others try their hand at politics, and it sometimes happens that they are accused. Some people are looking for a place in business. An example from the latter shelf is Mateusz Kusznierewiczwho tried his hand at the training and tourism industries. However, one of the most interesting, and perhaps strangest, projects associated with the legendary sailor is Zoom.me.

Fall 2014 brought us an interesting premiere on the consumer electronics market. And it’s interesting for several reasons. Domestic companies were involved in the project, the event generated a lot of buzz, and one of the most recognizable athletes became its face. And in the end it turned out to be a big… percussion cap. However, let’s not anticipate the facts.

Zoom.me was presented as a device for sharing photos with family. The latter were to be presented on a 7-inch display, communication was to be provided by a Wi-Fi or 3G module, and power was to be provided by a battery and a cable that also served as a stabilizing function. In addition, an application for leading mobile platforms (this was the time when the application was prepared not only for iOS and Android, but also for Windows Phone), used to transfer photos from a phone to a device. The whole thing is available for several hundred zlotys. Alternatively, for a few zlotys, but included in the subscription package.

Someone will ask: is this a description of a digital photo frame? I will answer: yes. But also no, because the creators tried to avoid this type of comparisons. In their narrative, it was supposed to be more than a simple gadget from China that could be easily purchased at that time. In addition, philosophy was added. And references were made to economic patriotism. Because that’s what the Polish company got involved in Goclever (a few years later it will cease to exist), but also the creators of the cube Dice+which became famous in 2012. He joined in the cooperation T-Mobileand the face of the charge was the already mentioned Mateusz Kusznierewicz.

Yes, you see it right (some of you probably remember it): this rather powerful team was trying to sell a digital photo frame. Both by the operator and in electronics stores. At the end of 2014. And convincing them that it is something new and necessary. Because grandparents will be able to see photos of their grandchildren at home. In fact, there were reports that The mentioned team spent several million PLN on this idea. Or even dollars…

Of course, there may be voices like: “we don’t just need quantum computers, a good photo frame will also be useful.” Totally agree. The problem was that this project gained a legend similar to the creation of Apple in a garage in Silicon Valley.. If a band without the company of a vuvuzela came out and said: “Hey, we have such a frame. You take a photo with a smartphone, send it via an app directly to a device in your loved ones’ living room. It works automatically, grandma or grandpa don’t have to be programmers.” There probably wouldn’t be a loud groan of disappointment.

Unfortunately, in this case someone revived an old idea, inflated the “expectations” balloon, argued that it was a revolution and expected oohs and aahs. Malicious people will say: maybe that’s why Goclever failed, Dice+ was lost, and Mateusz Kusznierewicz didn’t try to conquer the market with a digital cookbook, an electronic fridge magnet or an innovative wall calendar…

How did this beauty sell? I have no idea. The last time I heard about him was in the fall of 2014. Based on this, I can assume that it was not a hit. Not in our reality. Surprisingly though the company behind this project is still operating. What’s more, there is also an active website promoting the gadget. It may soon turn out that only my house isn’t there Kusznierewicz frames. Sorry: Zoom.me.