Fans of portmanteaus will appreciate the Plumen 002, the second in a line of light bulbs that take on unusual shapes. After the success enjoyed by the squiggly design of the the Plumen 001, the London-based team is taking on settings that demand a softer light — as well as a James Bond-like naming scheme — with the 002. In addition to the novel shape, the bulbs conserve energy. But instead of being based on trendy LEDs, they use compact fluorescent technology. Plumen’s campaign talks about the rock star design team that created the inspiration for the bulb, which can illuminate your setting for a pledge starting at $30 or $60 with an elegant Pendant lamp. Whole rooms full of Plumens are available for more; let’s hope they’re packed well when they ship out, which is slated to be June 2014.
Month: January 2014
Kickstarter has been something of a haven for iPhone docks ever since the Elevation Dock raised almost $1.5 million in a groundbreaking campaign. While that product featured one look and was engineered for one phone, the Varius Dock subscribes to the “flat Earth” theory both with its low-profile base and support for bearkt every popular smartphone and tablet on the planet. Product design Michael Schoening splits his campaign videos between a featured product showcase and a more personal appeal later on the campaign page. But that’s nothing compared to the no less than 12 reward tiers. Selecting one of them will get you the Varius Dock for $69, a $20 discount. But the stronger appeal is probably for people who want to charge multiple devices, which is $10 more. They are slated to start juicing up your mobile screens in April 2014.
Fans of the ABC show Shark Tank may have recently seen a product called Eyebloc. The small piece of plastic fits over laptops and iPad front-facing cams primarily to thwart those who might spy on you through your camera in order to capture passwords or compromising poses. The Spanish duo behind Taptucam do not shy from the latter in their lewdness-alluding campaign video that shows off the simple clip-like device for keeping your computer from unintentional broadcasting. Of course, a Post-It note or many other inexpensive barriers will also do the trick. But for those who want a touch of style in their stifling can pledge $7 can pick up a five-pack in May 2014.
Project creator Momo and her company HawtPaws have created the P.U.P, a “dog leash waste management system” that holds bags for cleaning up the discarded droppings of man’s best friend. At no point in the narration-free video do we learn what P.U.P stands for, although Pick Up Poop might be a good guess. The feminine-leaning handmade pooch poo pouches come in a range of six colors and serve as an alternative to plastic models sold in pet stores. P.U.P seems like a candidate for Etsy, but 12 are being made available in each of six different styles for $12 each.
“Cities are modern marvels. But getting around them sucks.” So plainly states the campaign video for the Riide electric bicycle. The sentiment comes after an excellent start to the campaign video, which intersperses shots of Riide riding with shots of Jamal May reciting an inspiring poem. But back to the product, which the creators claim to to be a (relatively) affordable pedal/e-bike hybrid. It features a battery almost invisibly embedded into a frame, high reliability and serviceability, a light weight of 35 lbs. and a speedy two-hour recharge time. If the creating team’s effort to pimp its Riide gets your pedals going, you can pledge $1,800 — a $175 discount over the final price — to pick one up. It should be available in May 2014.
The Premise. The displays on many of today’s mobile devices are very sharp, but don’t do well fighting the sun. Pretty much everything except the Kindle Paperwhite becomes very difficult to see. Unless you can find a spot in the shade, you’re not going to be able to work outside.
The Product. The lightweight, collapsible eShades offer the protection you need to be able to see your screen. They attach using a tape that sticks well but doesn’t leave any residue, and they fold flat. The phone shade can fit into a wallet. If you want, you can leave the shade on as a screen cover when not in use. The idea is not unique — another Kickstarter project called Hoodi offers a larger and more permanent shade made of fabric, foam and magnets instead of cardboard and tape.
The Pitch. The video is straightforward and showcases the product without a lot of flash. The video has simple shots of each of the shades and how they can be stored. It also shows the screen on a tablet with the shade on — and the shade only covers half of the screen (not the greatest advertising). The project creators show, with a fan, how the shade can stand up to high winds — although you’re not likely to be sitting outside with your expensive electronic device in stormy winds, but okay. There are several diagrams below the video that showcase when the shade would be good to have, and also what models and colors are currently being offered. They do go on to mention that they have the same shade in a leather option that would be more substantial.
The Perks. They seem to be reasonably priced shades — for $9, backers receive one smartphone shade, and for $11, one tablet shade. A donation of $14 will get the backers a notebook shade. The rewards go up from there, offering each shade in multiples. The product itself offers some protection from sunlight and offers some privacy.
The Potential. This type of product will definitely have a place for everyone who has suffered the plight of trying to use their smartphone or tablet outdoors. There are many of these types of items that will be offered, and more permanent options (like the leather eShades or Hoodi) will do better than the thin eShade.
The Premise. For avid outdoorsy types and those who work in nature environments, the transition between land and water can be cumbersome. Very few products actually allow a person to transition between streamlined movement in a land environment to a water environment, and footwear choices are even more limited.
The Product. The Ripflip seeks to foil flipper floundering by providing a comfortable, functional shoe and flipper combination. It is essentially a neoprene shoe with some tread and a short flipper attached to it. It has a heel strap for easily putting it on or taking it off,, a midsole for comfort and a sole that provides traction on a variety of surfaces.
The Pitch. The video was obviously shot by a professional and has a really comprehensive view of the product. It’s filled with shots of the product, including close-ups of the tread (designed by a large tread-making company), and shots of the RipFlip in aspirational action that may tip off some of the product’s compromises. For example, the video shows people rock climbing, but how do they know where they’re climbing with three or so inches of flipper hitting the rock before their foot? And how does such a small fin really increase a swimmer’s propulsion?
The Perks. This product offers a sort of hybrid shoe that would definitely protect your feet in a variety of environments and might help you swim around a bit. The tread on the shoe would help the user walk in water, for sure. In terms of the campaign, you need to donate $90 before you get a prototype of the product.
The Potential. This product seems cool at first, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. How well can you really walk in these? Even the models seem to be moving their feet unnaturally. If you wear these outside, but not in the water, what happens when your feet sweat? How would this product function from cold water to cold air? The Rip Flip may leave many unanswered questions, but would be good fit for scenarios such as beach lifeguarding or camping near a lake.
The Premise. Lots of folks love to use their skateboards but are tired of having to kick their way through town. Maybe the shock inflicted by every little crack or pebble they roll over with their existing board is too much or they want a more enjoyable means of transport. Or maybe they just love to surf or snowboard and still itch for the slopes and the surf even with no powder or waves to shred.
The Product. Meant to satisfy that itch while being super-intuitive and easy to use, the Onewheel is the latest in electric skateboards. It looks like a skateboard with a go-cart wheel sticking up through the middle of it, allowing you to put your feet on either side of, kind of like those pogo-balls from the ’80s.
The Pitch. The campaign video artistically and professionally depicts Onewheel riders rolling and carving through city streets, turning the heads of the hip, urban youth as they do. A comprehensive chart of components leads into a by a detailed breakdown of their attributes/technical specs. An extremely comprehensive shipping production chart is provided, and all pics are pertinent and professional. The campaign highlights Onewheel’s construction attributes, like its 6061 billet aluminum frame, its brushless, direct-drive hub motor, and Canadian maple deck, as well as its inventor’s and technician’s well-established qualifications. A little more explanation of how a motorized wheel’s only moving part can be the wheel seems warranted, however. Pictures of high-tech production equipment that looks like something you’d find on a nuclear sub, and terms like algorithms, gyroscopes and accelerometers, even when duly explained, can still fly well over the layman’s head.
The Perks. The Onewheel is not a toy, unless your kid is Richie Rich. One (blue) Onewheel can be had for a backing of no less than $1,299. Be prepared to shell out another c-note for the 20-min charger, and another three on top of that if you want to choose from the black or pink options. The Potential. The Onewheel provides only 20 minutes of ride time per one-hour charge (20-minute with a high-speed charger). Despite that, it still seems like it would be that must-have plaything of the cool people if it didn’t cost those cool people a few months’ worth of not-so-cool rent.
The Premise. On the sidewalk or especially on ice, skating can be a spectacle, with professionals donning elaborate costumes that draw attention to nearly every part of them except the usually land skates themselves. Well, imagine ice skating with a light show on your feet.
The Product. Glo-Blades are strings of high-power LED lights that attach to the bottom of ice skates or inline road skates. The lights provide a greater depth to ice skating because of the refraction of the light on the ice, and they are an added safety feature for road skaters. The skates attach to the blade using a chain and hooks (for the inlines), and then they are attached to the controller, which is a Velcro strap that attaches to the boot portion of the skate. The product developers plan to add wireless gloves that can control the lights and change the colors while skating, and to eventually connect the Glo-Blade to wireless devices so that the lights can be programmed and timed to music.
The Pitch. The Glo-Blades video won’t break any Olympic speed skating records as it shine on for eight minutes. It does feature a lot of information about the product, its development and the recognition its received. The video and text do seem to name-drop quite a bit, saying that professional skaters have loved the product. Its creators clearly have put a lot of passion, heart, and hard work into it and have have been thinking about its roadmap. However, the rest of the arrowtastic campaign page content seems like PowerPoint slides that weren’t worth repurposing.
The Perks. The product seems to be pretty pricey right now. Backers must contribute $75 for a set of the lights — a supposed 25% off target retail value. They are offering limited quantities of their first production run to their early bird backers, and one tier offers a ride in a non-underlit but nonetheless fun Zamboni.
The Potential. While this product could be fun to play around with, and will probably be pretty sophisticated later down the line, there may be a problem getting it into rinks and shows around the world. If the Glo-Blades come off, they could be a danger to skates, and many rink owners might ban them.
Official competitions want to see how well the skater can perform the move, not squint at light patches on the ice. And among recreational skaters, rinks are pretty well lit, which could reduce the impact of the glow. However, we could see Glo-Blades showing up on the skates of ice show performers, kids (an extension of the light-up sneaker craze) and skate rental shops.
The Premise. Washing clothes while away from home can be a chore. Sometimes machines aren’t accessible. When when they are, the cost usually renders the effort pointless, and most times you just don’t have the downtime to spend a few hours inside waiting for the spin cycle to loosen its grip on your unmentionables.
The Product. Designed for travel, Laundreez is a waterproof laundry bag that allows you to clean clothes as effectively as a washing machine. Featuring an outer PVC wash bag, an inner nylon mesh bag, and a screw-on filler cap, you simply fill the mesh bag with dirty clothes, insert into the outer bag and secure by folding and clipping the outer bag closed. Add water by unscrewing the filler cap, then screw back on and agitate Laundreez for a few minutes to hand wash your clothes without actually getting wet.
The Pitch. An anonymous British man presents the main pitch for Laundreez in a concise and pretty humorous video. Explaining that in addition to being able to wash clothes while on-the-go, Laundreez also allows travelers to pack less clothing. This makes travel lighter and possibly even cheaper after factoring in weight-related baggage fees popular when traveling by air. Other applications for Laundreez include use as a dry-bag when at the beach or boating, and even a convenient way to store and chill your favorite beverages during transport. The page continues past the video to explain the initial design, adjustments made and the process of getting a second prototype, which will likely not be the last prototype before initial production begins. Project goal over 35 days is £18,000, equivalent to about $30,000.
The Perks. Material rewards start at £14 which secures you one of the first 2,500 Laundreez (which one must assume is the plural). All backers will receive Laundreez for a discount, as the final product is expected to retail in May 2014 for £20.
The Potential. Laundreez looks handy, but may be used more commonly as a tote for after-swimming items — especially for vacationing families with small children. Still, it’s a practical option, especially for longer trips involving air travel where luggage restrictions seem to increase daily. The Scrubba is a similar concept wash bag developed by an Australian company, which retails today for $65 with free shipping to the U.S., netting out at a little less than double the cost of Laundreez.