![Nearbud, nearbuddy 8081d1194ae408bbad661b322e724a82_large[1]](http://rossrubin.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nearbud-nearbuddy-8081d1194ae408bbad661b322e724a82_large1-300x200.jpg)
It seems that even if you do find a good place to store your earbuds, you’re still stuck with the annoying task of untangling them out before using. Hearkening back to the magnetic back that was one of the better features of the Zune premium earbuds, Nearbuds and Nearbuddy are small clasps that attach to the standard apple earPods to keep the gangly appendages better organized. When not in use, you can hang them up by sticking your earbuds to pretty much any metal surface. The product provides similar benefits to the Zipi, but are a lot more compact and let you hang your earbuds to the wall (for when you want to listen to some cool tunes, one would suppose). For $20, backers get a complete product with an expected deliver of August 2014.
Tag: magnetic
![Gravity Link 91e255aa08693af344c9207e3fe137b6_large[1]](http://rossrubin.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Gravity-Link-91e255aa08693af344c9207e3fe137b6_large11-300x219.png)
You won’t find any sign of Sandra Bullock or George Clooney here. But the concept for Gravity Link is combines a shirt pocket with magnetic force that allows you to lock your mobile in place so it doesn’t fall out of your pocket. You can also stick it to the outside of your pocket for hands free phone conversations, listening to your favorite songs on your music app, or recording your friends attempting to dance as a live band jams while you’re all hanging out at the local pub. Pop the iPhone in upside down to get easy access to Siri. Unfortunately, the Gravity Link is linked to its own shirt so it won’t work with yours unless you’re Audi-driving, sunglasses-wearing developer Coal Kolivas. For $50, backers get a T-shirt with the specialized pocket with an estimated delivery of May 2014. Higher reward tiers should net long-sleeve shirts and other apparel.
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Screw Grabber makes tricky projects behave
![Screw Grabber d94bc2cfe931ca94706b9e8cedca61e7_large[1]](http://www.backerjack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Screw-Grabber-d94bc2cfe931ca94706b9e8cedca61e7_large1-300x186.jpg)
One little, two little, three little screws dropped! Nothing more aggravating than trying to get a screw balanced on the head of a screwdriver because of a project that calls for it in one or two awkward spots. Screw Grabber aims to solve that problem. The transparent, tapered, rubber sleeve slides onto the screwdriver and holds screws of any size in place, giving you the needed stability for getting screws properly placed within tricky angles. Its ability to work with plastic screws provides a bit of an edge over magnetized screwdrivers. And for $7, backers can be the judge by receiving a set of four Screw Grabbers with an expected delivery date of June 2014.
The Premise. Aaah, vacation time! The car is packed, hotel booked and route preplanned in your favorite mobile. But one question looms as you seek to keep your smartphone’s maps available at a glance. Can’t anyone make a mounting device that’s at least a halfway decent and also provides easy viewing? Ananda Svarupa Das of Bunglejungle has had a very similar thought – only he likely believes that his solution is well beyond halfway decent.
The Product. The Neutron S offers quick attachment or removal and works with nearly any phone or tablet whether in its case or not. Machined from solid aerospace aluminum, bead-blasted and anodized, it complements even top Apple and Android devices. The mounting mechanism consists of shielded permanent neodymium magnets that won’t lose their hold and are hindered by neither burger grease covered fingers, the sweat of sultry summer days, nor frigid winter nights. The magnets offer easy mounting: a metal surface or the supplied 3MVHB tape, which is apparently similar to duct tape in effectiveness — only less bulky and no fun colors for adventurous types. Neutron S itself, however, comes in sleek matte black or attention-grabbing silver.
Its slim attachment disk is about the diameter and depth of a penny and has the really cool Bunglejungle palm tree logo etched on it. The attachment disk goes on the backside of a mobile device or case for easy flaunting and potential prompting from friends and passers-by of, “Hey, what’s that really cool silver disked palm tree thingy stuck on your mobile’s backside, dude?”
The Pitch. The video for the $10,000 campaign was designed with showing and not telling in mind. The upbeat music is cleverly coordinated with the click of various mobile devices attaching to their corresponding mounts. On the few occasions that written phrases clarify a point of importance, the print could be darker so that the words are easier to read. It’s notable that no magnetism passes through the Neutron S to mobile devices, making it safe for all mobile devices. Bunglejungle has had campaigns on Kickstarter before and Ananda Svarupa Das indicates that he and his colleges have learned a great deal from that. They seem to be well suited and organized to follow through with the project.
The Perks. There are eight tiers from which backers may choose. The $15 early bird offers backers a complete product; if it’s exhausted, though, the $20 level will still offer about a $10 discount from the expected retail price. Estimated delivery is April 2014 for most of the levels.
The Potential. Neutron S will be useful to anyone who has a recent metal iPhone and and wants to enjoy the convenience of hands-free availability. Of course, those with plastic phones — and there are many — will either have to stick to adhesive or find some metallic case or plate attracted to magnets. There are other magnetic mounts and holders on the market, but the Neutron S is considerably smaller, convenient and attractive.
The Premise. You have a cable connecting your music player to your car’s stereo. The fear that it will somehow manage to electrocute you has become intolerable, yet you refuse to replace it because the amount of dough you’ve coughed up for aux cables has already reached unacceptable levels. No more shall be spent on another just for it to become lost or ruined like those before it! Just jiggle it a little, sound quality be damned!
The Product. The MOS Spring is a high-quality audio cable meant to be a permanent replacement to all those cheap cables. It has woven cotton shrouding, and a coiled metal wire where the cable meets the jack, just like you would find on a pro-grade audio cable. The MOS Menos is a discreet base for keeping your Mos Spring cable safe and at hand. It mounts to your car, and employs strong magnets to keep any wayward cables in check.
The Pitch. The combined practicality of the Spring and MOS Menos are demonstrated with a video depicting the standard cable drama: cable lost in car, guy damages cable while retrieving, guy plugs in his phone to hear music, music rendered inaudible by cable’s crappiness. The day is saved by the Spring, with its woven cotton, anodized aluminum and electroplated steel construction, its black, red, or teal color options, and its lifetime warranty. The MOS Menos lends its super strong neodymium magnet, satin body, and options of permanent adhesive, or semi-permanent suction mountings to the fray. It is also worth mentioning that the MOS Menos is the scaled-down version of the original MOS, which Kickstarted in Winter ’12 and is now selling in Apple stores.
The Perks. The Spring and Mos Menos are slated for availability in late March ‘14. Sold individually, they are moderately priced at 10 dollars, or a mere 15 bucks (just 11 for early backers!) for the combo.
The Potential. While there are other woven cables out there for as little as 99 cents, they can also range as high as $40. Moreover, one is hard pressed to find cables that have the Spring’s coiled wire joint reinforcement. So combined, the Mos Spring and Menos can relieve all your electrical apprehensions, musical frustrations, and organizational headaches, for what you might spend on any other decent-quality cable. Take the Spring’s lifetime warranty into account, and you find a sound audio investment.
The Premise. If you’re not up for cuffing or hemming your jeans and alternate between heel lengths, your pants can drag, resulting in rips that can make your spirits drag so as well. There are a number of non-surgical approaches to addressing the losing battle that pants bottoms face when taking on rough sidewalks. These include double sided tape or clips that hem pants.
The Product. Rip Clips seeks to up the ante and your pants hems. The idea is to attach a clip to your shoes and the pants that connect via powerful neodymium magnet.Alas, there are compatibility issues and the product works only with Vans and Converse shoes for now.
The Pitch. Designers Chris Hackler and Nick Durantes take us through the a montage of lifestyle shots visits to an alterations shop, and the inside of the world’s most organized drawer complete with exquisitely spaced Rip Clips in explaining that their design will save you time and trouble in addition to tearing. Trips to the alternation shop, they note, can cost up to $26 and take up to five days. Invoking the classic infomercial refrain, they note, “There’s gotta be a better way!”
The Perks. Rip Clips depend on the attachments being on both the shoes and pants, but that may require some mixing and matching. As such, you may need to buy different parts separately. The project owners offer pants plates starting at $7 but a full set comes in at $13. That’s half of what they claim hemming can cost and the price might drop if the designers can scale up production.
The Potential. Rip Clips addresses an everyday issue. but many teens and young adults likely aren’t too concerned with ripping their jeans. It may be more tempting to market to those who would make the investment for work clothes, but these are the folks for whom alterations may not represent a lot of time and effort.