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+++ en:blog [2025/03/01 17:08] (current) – darkgrue
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 ====== Blog and News ======
+===== March 1, 2025: TailControl Love Is in The Air! =====
+{{ :en:tailcontrol20250208.jpg?400 |}}
+==== Welcome Tailer Community ====
+Welcome back to another blog edition! First up, is some new branding:
+"TailCoNTROL" is now "TailControl", and the [[https://docs.thetailcompany.com/doku.php?id=en:dev:tailcontrol-command-protocol|documentation]]
+and references have been updated to reflect it. My typographical artistry was
+just too far ahead of it's time, clearly...
+Also, EarGear, is now a Registered Trademark! This joins the Crumpet the Fox
+logo, and MiTail and is a big step forward for the business to establish its
+name and branding, especially as a business trading internationally.
+==== Even-more Unified Firmware ====
+The first blog posting was the announcement of the unified firmware system,
+that brought all the tail hardware-based products (MiTail, FlutterWings, and
+MiTail Mini) under the same banner. But one product had yet to be brought into
+the fold, and that's the EarGear.
+I can finally announce that EarGear is now under TailControl... control!
+This means the ears will benefit from TailControl's advanced move system, move
+easing, and other features and bugfixes. I've also worked behind the scenes in
+the code to continue to organize and improve the code organization and
+stability, which all the products will benefit from.
+==== New Moves ====
+The ears now have new moves, and are much more energetic and lifelike now. Ear
+twitches are much more twitch-like. Previously, all ear moves took the same
+amount of time to execute: 1000 ms, or 500 ms, depending on whether "be
+excited" was selected. Obviously, this didn't allow much flexibility in move
+design. With the TailControl EarGear firmware, the fully-parameterized move
+system is now available, and the ear move set has been redesigned to take
+advantage of that new flexibility.
+==== Conference Mode ====
+In the previous blog posting, I talked briefly about the Midwest FurFest 2023
+BLE spam attack and plans to address issues around those sorts of problems.
+[[https://docs.thetailcompany.com/doku.php?id=en:dev:tailcontrol-command-protocol#conference_mode|Conference Mode]]
+is now implemented in both TailControl and The Tail Company app. This mode
+establishes a BLE Bond and protects your Tail Co device from unauthorized
+connections, replay attacks, and encrypts over-the-air communications.
+Practically speaking, this means that only you will be able to connect and
+command your Tail Company devices, and it will prevent anyone else from
+interfering in your tailing experience.
+It comes coupled with a factory reset function
+([[https://docs.thetailcompany.com/doku.php?id=en:dev:tailcontrol-command-protocol#unbinding|described in the Unbinding section of the protocol reference]]),
+to reset the device back to factory settings, in case the bond gets lost and
+can't be reset - or any other persistent setting causes issues. Back to
+factory-fresh, with the press of a button!
+Conference Mode is available to try out now, but we'll continue to adjust and
+develop this feature in response to customer feedback to make it more
+user-friendly and functional.
+==== App Updates ====
+The Tail Company App continues to get new features and updates, and has seen
+several releases in this time. Be sure to check out the new version, if you
+haven't already!
+==== New Products ====
+There's a new accessory for tails that's recently come out for those who want
+to hang their tails vertically: [[https://thetailcompany.com/product/the-verticalizer/|The Verticalizer]].
+This is an optional adapter that fits between the tail and the D-clip on your belt
+and gives you a new option to wear your tail!
+In celebration of the new ear firmware, there's a new EarGear product! Complementing the
+[[https://thetailcompany.com/product/eargear-cosplay-ears-creators-edition/|EG Creators Edition]],
+The Tail Company is adding the [[https://thetailcompany.com/product/eargear-headphones-edition/|EarGear Headphones Edition]]
+to the EarGear lineup! Ears... on your headphones! 'nuff said!
+The Tail Company is always on the move - just like our products! New stuff is
+already in the pipeline in different stages: prototype all the way up to
+coming out soon, there's stuff to look forward to!
+==== What's Next? ====
+Firmware development never stops. There are still new features being explored,
+and new products that are upcoming or being considered. Firmware development
+will continue to bring more value to existing and future customers of The Tail
+Company!
+Watch for the wag!
+Your Friendly Lurking Horror,
+Dark Grue
 ===== May 3, 2024: Dawn of the TailCoNTROL! =====
+{{ :en:img_20230703_154415_158.jpg?400 |}}
@@ Line 29: / Line 134: @@
-==== Code Security and ConFURence Mode ====
+==== Firmware Future: Code Security and ConFURence Mode ====
 The entire team, whether it’s Tail Co staff or community volunteers, seeks to make the best animatronics we can. And the quality of the firmware is indispensable to that. Faulty firmware can mar the customer experience, or in the worst case, put a tail out of commission, and to that end, we’re performing functional and security testing to make sure that the firmware is quality, and will work as expected, as well as characterize risks and hazards to drive development priorities.
@@ Line 66: / Line 171: @@
 I hope everyone’s excited about the new features that they’ve seen go into the products over time, and what’s coming to make the products you already enjoy even better! It’s been my privilege and pleasure to work with The Tail Company and the tailer community, and I look forward to continue to do so.
-Your Friendly Lurking Horror,
+Your Friendly Lurking Horror,\\
--Dark Grue
+**Dark Grue**