The new hotness is not so welcome when it gets uncomfortably warm in your lap. The designers of the Hive Airdesk agree with this sentiment, which led them to create an aerated surface for setting down your imperfectly engineered hottie and a few of its accessories. The Hive Airdesk uses a “solid surface material” that supposedly performs better in dissipating heat. One can say with certainty that does a better job of dissipating your money compared to cheap versions with vulnerable fans. Early birds can pick one up for a cool $68 CAD while late birds will find their laptop-cooling worm jumps to $118 CAD. Add in another $25 CAD to ship outside of Canada. Or you could put that money toward upgrading from your 7 lb. Pentium 4. The Hive Airdesk is slated to go from buzz to product in March 2014.
Month: January 2014
An early Kickstarter success story was the olloClip, a nifty add-on lens kit for the iPhone that earned more than four times its campaign goal in 2011. Since then we’ve seen other successful lenses. But for the Moment, one team is using its cinematic lens design chops to devise a 2x telephoto and wide-angle lens that it claims will offer unparalleled quality. Alas, their output and perhaps honor has been tragically degraded by Kickstarter. As one might expect, they’re starting off with the iPhone but are working on a Galaxy option as well. Other phone users are out of luck as the right match of size and weight was paramount in the design process, according to the interview-centric pitch video. With great quality comes great aversion to cheapness. The lenses could be improving your iSight by February 2014 at $49 for either or $99 for the set.
Inspired by adulation for the Hydro Flask bottle that has helped him kick the soda habit, Hawaiian Chad Burch has developed the a handle adapter for the the container. There’s no hinge in order to keep the bottle swaying vertically as it’s carried, but it gets the job done as the product’s slogan enjoins you to “handle your jugs”; you see what he did there. The reward tiers are nearly as simple as the accessory itself, starting at only $3 for a JugLug. It is expected to ship in March 2014.
Who wants to play some football? Unless you’re on an organized team in a league, you may not have the privilege of battling for the gridiron on a lit-up field. Throw Glow seeks to make your nighttime pigskin escapades more enjoyable via an iridescent condom that envelops nearly all of the football. A side benefit, according to the humor-attempting video, is that the surface is supposed to make the spheroid easier to grip. Throw Glow covers take about 30 seconds to stretch over the ball and inventor Chris Pike has designs on attracting licensed graphics to adorn the covers. If you’re ready to toss out about $12 to the campaign, your football may be ready to rule the night by April 2014.
The Premise. Technology has evolved by putting more power directly at the tips of our fingers, but there hasn’t been much breakthrough in the way we input information since the first iPhone and Kinect came out. Touchscreen devices and motion sensing appliances put control directly into our hands, but there hasn’t been a gadget that’s been able to unite these devices until now.
The Product. Fin allows you to take control of your entire digital world with a small ring that transforms your palm into a touchscreen of sorts. One edge of it flips up like a hairdo with tips. Small taps and finger swipes control the functions of Bluetooth devices such as smartphones, smart TVs, smart homes, and cars all through one sleek and handy (pun fully intended) device. Fin uses low amounts of power while also being both dustproof and waterproof, so it’s a practical way to make technology more ergonomic in the way that we interact with the world.
The Pitch. There’s a sentimental aspect connected to using our fingers for everything, and Fin’s video does a good job of capturing it, even campaigning for it as a fashion statement. Fin’s creatoors show how adaptable it can be by using the awakening the sense of touch to improve the quality of life, and end the video by urging the user to “wear the world.”
The Perks. The price seems a little steep for such a small device at $99 for the early bird price. The technology that it packs is worth it, but they won’t deliver it until September 2014. There are different packages for more Fins, but one is more than enough to get you started as the technology of it continues to develop and improve.
The Potential. Right now, there simply aren’t enough devices that the Fin can effectively control. It definitely has the potential to be a device that can control the way we interact with technology, but it will need more developer support. They also still haven’t completed their design and the nine-month waiting period before shipment gives cause for pause. If you want to get your digits dancing on the cusp of technology, it could be worth pledging.
Mae West never inquired as to whether a gentleman admirer had a drone in his pocket. But anyone of her time would be happy to see this multicopter with a footprint smaller than that of an iPad. The Pocket Drone is not only small but mighty, powerful enough to hoist aloft a video camera to capture some impressive videos shown off by the campaign page. According to the project creators, though, the power won’t come at the price of complexity as they note they’ve been through “dozens of iterations to create the perfect drone product that can be used by everyone.” Those wanting to test that claim will need to pledge just under $500 and wait until June 2014, at which point they can command their drone to “go up and see me sometime.”
The Premise. You’ve watched what you’ve eaten, been walking the dog regularly, and re-repurposed that dusty, laundry rack back into a treadmill, but your weight loss has hit a plateau and you’re ready for the next level. Fitness charts, daily journals, progress analyses and beach body, here you come! On second thought, you’ll just buy a piece of equipment to handle all that stuff for you… except for the actual exercise part.
The Product. Atlas is a wrist-worn fitness tracker that can track time, heart-rate, reps, and even evaluate your form. It achieves this through 3-D tracking and a bank of (potentially, by the time of release) over 100 exercises. It can differentiate between exercises like squats and deadlifts, double curls from alternating curls, learn new exercises, and even discount exercises that aren’t done with proper form… so don’t try to cheat. It does not require dedicated software, is compatible with Fitocracy, MapMyFitness and other fitness programs, and allows you to create your own apps using its open API. Atlas is waterproof down to one meter, employs standard USB charging, has enough battery life for seven long workouts, a 30x15mm display screen, offers replacement bands, and is even left/right hand compatible.
The Pitch. Atlas’ developers worked with professional trainers, fitness gurus, and their local fitness community to keep in touch with customer needs, and develop criteria of proper exercise form. The campaign page shows off the “exercise fingerprints” it has devised, which are snapshots of the Atlas’ graphic analyses. The page also includes a FAQ section that addresses everything from international shipping to metal allergies. The well-produced video consists of the company’s CEO walking through a gym, delivering the essentials of the written pitch.
The Perks. The Atlas will run $160 ($130 for early backers), including a free six-month trial of fitness software. Perks become much more complicated, including a $900 six-pack for trainers, a $1,500 option that entitles you to preload a custom exercise to be included with every shipment, and a “developer model,” Atlas.
The Potential. Other wireless activity trackers can be had for as little as 60 bucks, on up to about $180, but none with the capacities or versatility of the Atlas. And with technology sophisticated enough to differentiate between swimming strokes, track exercises as vague and obscure as rope-climbs and battle-rope work, and help you anticipate and overcome plateaus, the Atlas may be a bit toward the pricier side, but may be the exercise tracker that workout enthusiasts have been looking for.
In theory, the wedding ring is something that should never be taken off. But the reality is that life often provides situations that demand jettisoning the jewelry. In fact, it can be a regular occurrence in many professions such as the chef and dental hygienist endorsing the RingSafe Solo, a way to securely keep your ring on your key chain or a necklace. Unlike other options, the RingSafe allows the ring to lay flat against your chest. While a version is in the works that can accommodate a ring up to 11.5 mm wide, the standard stainless steel version can accommodate rings up to 7 mm. It is slated to become available to backers in June 2014 for $25, a small sum to help protect that which lends dazzle to your digits. The project creators will also make versions available in sterling silver ($250) and solid gold ($2,000).
Organization products don’t come much simpler than stuckToIU. With a name that sounds like it came from an ’80s pop single, the magnetic disc is affixed to your wall ready to hang your keys or other small metal object like an Old West outlaw. The video for the modest $3,500 campaign begins with a jerky slow-mo shot of keys literally being flung at the the stuckToU, which catches them neatly despite the clattering aftershocks from impact. After a $12 early bird, the reward prices shoot up to $45 for a “once in a lifetime” custom magnetic disc. The better course is to use a bit more of that lifetime to wait until the thing ships and pay $15 for it if you miss the early bird. StuckToU is slated to adorn the walls of backers in June 2014.
The Premise. Humans and canines are alike in that we all need regular exercise. Unfortunately, today the majority of people as well as their beloved pets are not getting the amount of exercise recommended for a healthy, active lifestyle. Having a partner in exercise can make things a bit easier, but people can sometimes be unreliable.
The Product. MyFitDog is a heath and fitness company that has created a way for dog owners to get fit alongside their furry friends. The Best Fit Friend (BFF) is a pair of Bluetooth-enabled activity monitors worn like a wristwatch on the owner, with the other clipped to the dog’s collar. Using the MyFitDog app on your Android or iOS smartphone, you may track the amount and intensity of your movement and even compare data, set goals, and interact with other Best Fit Friend owners.
The Pitch. Tianyi Joe Zhu, the founder and CEO of MyFitDog, is featured in a goofball video that includes commentary from his (presumed) dog Cooper. Between the schtick that runs a bit too long, Zhu explains the consequences of dogs not getting enough exercise, which include more trips to the vet’s office and possibly an early demise. He also explains how frustrating it can be for the average person trying to get fit via crazy fad diets and intense exercise programs that are impossible to keep up with.
He concludes that the only logical way to really make a change in your (and your dog’s) daily habits is to embark (sorry, pun intended) on the journey together with Best Fit Friend. Scrolling through the page you will see images of the different components of Best Fit Friend, screen shots of the MyFitDog app and more commercials for Best Fit Friend done by the funny “Hollywood team.” If the initial product video didn’t introduce enough of Tianyi’s personality, click the Vimeo link to one of his previous pitches. The project goal is $30,000 total.
The Perks. For $99 you receive a set of Best Fit Friend devices (one for the owner, the other for the dog). For an additional $49 ($148 total) you may receive an extra device for either an additional owner or additional dog. One generous backer willing to donate $5,000 will receive a full Best Fit Friend set, an additional device, and will even have the opportunity to star in the next MyFitDog commercial. The final product is expected to retail for between $100 and $120 with estimated shipping in May 2014.
The Potential. Best Fit Friend will be tasked with drumming up supporters who need to be motivated enough to start a fitness plan for themselves and their pets. While tracking the intensity and amount of exercise is a solid way to measure exercise, it seems challenging to set a pace which would achieve goal rates of intensity for both you and your pup simultaneously. Still, it addresses a common problem that many Americans and their dogs face today – how to stay motivated to incorporate exercise into a daily routine. While Voyce is aiming at a more comprehensive set doggie data for you to analyze, Whistle is another activity monitor and (iOS-only for now) app for dogs (not people) which is available today for about $130.