There's so much going on at Konekt Labs between our Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/konekt/konekt-dash-cellular-dev-kit-free-global-data-plan/), recent funding announcement (http://www.forbes.com/sites/benkepes/2015/02/19/arise-yet-another-iot-connectivity-platform-konekt-raises-1-3m/) and platform development that we sort of feel like this right now.

Spongebob goes crazy!

That being said, we're very excited about "all the things" and also, about this thing, our blog, which debuts today in all of its glory. And yes, we were totally prepared for that, obviously.

Here's what's on deck

In the very near future you can expect to see lots of great stuff here.

• Resources like tutorials and case studies to help you get better use of Konekt
• Guest posts from our amazing community members to inspire you
• Roundups of the best IoT and M2M news from around the web to keep you informed

Will there be even more than that? Certainly.Get ready for downloadable resources, surveys, infographics and regular product updates too. In the next few weeks our editorial calendar is packed with articles featuring:

• Growth tips for IoT/M2M startups
• Security and the Internet of Things
• Facts about cellular connectivity vs. wifi
• Practical uses for the Konekt API
• Updates on our product and Kickstarter

In the meantime, take a peek at something our team has been working on diligently from behind the scenes for a while now?

Check out the new Konekt web portal

Log in (https://konekt.knkdt.com/frontend/?_ga=1.117798281.1616783411.1426603432&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog&utm_content=post_1&utm_campaign=post_1#/welcome/login) to your account (or create one (https://konekt.knkdt.com/frontend/?_ga=1.117798281.1616783411.1426603432&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog&utm_content=post_1&utm_campaign=post_1#/welcome/signup) if you don't have one and would like to) and let us know what you think.SPOILER ALERT: you can expect...

• Better UI
• Smoother ordering and activation process
• Better usage data

And there's more where that came from. Look for more updates from our development team right here on the Konekt blog as we roll them out.Oh yeah... and did we happen to mention that there's a Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/konekt/konekt-dash-cellular-dev-kit-free-global-data-plan) going on?

Konekt Dash Kickstarter stretch goals

At the time this post is being written, we're currently 280 backers strong with a grand total of $33,720 in funding.Since we're already more than 3x passed our initial funding goal of $10,000 we've decided to add some cool rewards for stretch goals we aim to hit. With your help, the one that's currently closest to fruition is to reach $100,000.If we can hit that goal we'll give all of our backers 12MB of free global data for six whole months. That double the 6MB of total data usage we're currently offering. Yowza.If you're interested, you can check out the rest of the stretch goals from the Kickstarter below.Now, if you'll excuse me I need to wrap up this post before I'm forced to update the number of backers and funding again.

And finally, we'll leave you with some info on cool stuff going on in our industry, and our city.

The Internet of Things in Chicago

We're proud to say that it's not just Konekt that's making IoT news in Chicago these days. Here are a few articles from around the web making mention of the windy city's emerging IoT community.

• Chicago Makes Another Step Toward IoT Dominance (http://www.iotconnectivitysolutions.com/topics/iotconnectivitysolutions/articles/400481-chicago-makes-another-step-toward-iot-dominance.htm) via Ken Briodagh , IoT Connectivity Solutions
• ITA Internet of Things Council aims to make Chicago a connectivity hub (http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/originals/chi-ita-internet-of-things-council-bsi-20150324-story.html) via John Carpenter , Chicago Blue Sky Innovation