Month: March 2014

Categories
Toys

Curiositoys takes tikes beyond gift boxes and wrapping paper

The Premise. You know how at Christmas or on their birthday, kids often play with the box in which their new toy came and the wrapping paper more than the toy? Although, it does seem that they eventually get around to the toy that came with all of that. Even when parents get a new appliance, the kids will play with the box for days, sometimes even weeks.

The Product. If it’s boxes they want, then The Curiositoys can arrange for boxes to be what they get. The one drawback to the boxes that come with the toys or appliances is that they break down pretty quickly. The Curiositoys are touted as being much more durable, and that they are white encourages kids to tap into their artistic abilities and draw on them…rather than your home’s walls. However, it’s not indicated what materials are used to make The Curiositoys more durable. The toys are also supposed to be environmentally friendly. Items presently a part of the campaign include a small geometric figure, mailbox and curio pod.

The Pitch. The video for the $130,000 campaign makes some interesting claims. The Curiositoys are something of a kid magnet that allows parents to actually have friends over without multiple interruptions because the kids are fully preoccupied with their toy. Don’t video games do that? Oh, right. This gets them out from in front of the TV. Curiositoys is made of recycled materials; it is also supposed to inspire creativity – kind of like those empty boxes in which their digital and electronic toys come.

The Perks. There are a whopping 17 tiers from which backers may choose. The first level that includes a full-size Curiositoy, the Curiositoy Mailbox, is $34. Expected delivery is June 2014. For $68, a backer gets the Curiositoy curio pod and expected delivery of September 2014.

The Potential. Kids who enjoy arts and crafts or who mom and dad just think need some time away from their gadgets will be ideal for this toy. It’s also possible that grade school teachers, preschool teachers, daycares, and faith-based organizations that cater to children may also be interested in these items. Can’t wait? An item that is somewhat similar to the curio pod and  would be the Box Creations Corrugated Play House, which comes with markers.

Categories
Pets

Tidy Dog Bin trains dogs to put away their toys

The Premise. Dogs make wonderful pets, but messy housemates. Before long, dog toys strewn about the house become tripping hazards and make for some awkward décor. Just like children, it’s difficult, but not entirely impossible, to get dogs to clean up after themselves.

The Product. The Tidy Dog Bin is a multi-purpose training tool for your dog. Its unique sensors allow it to detect its own weight. When the dog adds a toy to the bin, it dispenses a treat, rewarding the dog. The bin is small enough for more compact pooches, but sturdy enough for dogs that look like horses. The product is also smart enough to know the difference between a toy and the dog’s own weights, so it won’t dispense a treat unless an actual toy has been added. The bin looks like a simple dark brown storage box, sleek enough to blend into any standard living room.

The Pitch. The Tidy Dog Bin’s Kickstarter campaign shows the creator’s cute dog using the Tidy Dog Bin in the video, proving that the bin actually does work, at least for a sample of one. The rest of the campaign goes through the prototyping process as well as the manufacturing schedule for the bins. Tidy Dog hopes to raise $20,000 during its Kickstarter run.

The Perks. Tidy Dog offers backers two early-bird specials. The earliest backer can get the Tidy Dog Bin for $49 and the kind of early backer can get it for $69. The later bird can donate $99 for the Tidy Dog Bin. Reward Tiers go up to $129 with an estimated delivery date of November 2014.

The Potential. The Tidy Dog Bin would make Pavlov proud. Who would of thought that cleaning up would make anyone salivate? The pet accessory market offers a slew of toy bins for dogs and cats, but most feature bone or paw print decals that can be tacky and stand out at home. None automatically dispense treats helping to train dogs. It is certainly possible to train dogs to put their toys away, but the Tidy Dog Bin offers a constant, if expensive, reward system that may help ensure the maintenance of this neat habit. Now if only dogs could clean up after some of the other things that they leave behind.

Categories
Cycling

Fietsklik lets you snap accessories onto your bike

FietsklikWhen it comes to bikes, the Dutch are most certainly the experts. Fietsklik, a new product hailing from Amsterdam, is a platform to affix to the back of your bike. It’s unique structure allows you to attach or click different accessories to it such as several different types of bags, crates and child seats. Fietsklik fits on most bikes and makes cycling all the more versatile. A full viewing of this bike tool’s accessories can be found on the Web site, along with a lot of information in Dutch. For $99, backers can get one of two basic packages of the platform itself along with a crate or any bag of choice with an estimated delivery date of July 2014. Fietsklik is looking for $40,000 during its-57-day campaign12.

Categories
Music

IGI Smart Guitar links directly to your smartphone

Smart GuitarRecording equipment can be quite expensive for amateur musicians. Now, all you need is a smartphone. The IGI Smart Guitar plugs directly into your smartphone to record music, add effects or process sound. The adapter normally needed for such a thing is built right into the guitar, cutting out the middle man. One IGI Smart Guitar goes for $450 with an estimated delivery date of May 2014. Smart Guitar is hoping to raise $15,000 in its 57-day campaign on Kickstarter but there are  other ways to connect an existing guitar to an iOS device. The Facebook page offers fun guitar facts and even funnier pictures of John Mayer.

Categories
Food and Beverage Kids/Babies

Sip Saps stretch to turns nearly any cup into a suppy cup.

Sip SapsSippy cups are jus tone more thing to drag around in the endless paraphernalia of kids’ stuff. Sip Sap offers a much simpler way to get your kids the hydration they need without having to clean up a huge mess. Conforming to almost any cup, SipSnaps are kid-friendly cup tops that stretch to fit the size of glasses you already own. These fun lids come in many different colors with a traditional sippy cup top or a straw top. For $20, backers can enjoy a set of three SipSnaps for delivery in August 2014. Sip Sap hopes to raise $28,000 in its 32 day run on Kickstarter.

Categories
Personal Transportation Sports

Kuberg Free-Rider gives electric bikes the power to play

The Premise. Gas powered motorcycles are becoming harder and harder to use for pleasure, due to rising costs and environmental restrictions, while their electric counterparts are mostly made only for young children or to cruise at low speeds.

The Product. The Kuberg Free-Rider is different. With a weight of 84 pounds, and a 2 kW BLDC motor, the Free-Rider can get up to 34 MPH for about an hour supporting a rider twice its weight. With quality forks, suspension, and brakes, this bike is meant for catching air and enjoying the thrill of the ride.

The Pitch. Kuberg learned how to make a quality electric motorcycle by first offering children’s sizes and models. Now realizing that the next step is to apply the same technology for teenagers and adults, they show off the Free-Rider in action as it hits off-road trails, gets some lift off of jumps, and does some trial riding both indoors and outdoors. This bike is not meant to necessarily replace the performance of a gas-powered alternative, but rather supplement it for training and in places where the exhaust could be harmful. Kuberg needs $100,000 strictly for materials and manufacturing costs, as they operate their own proprietary factories.

The Perks. Hitting the trails on a Kuberg Free-Rider takes a pledge of $1,999, nearly half the retail cost. A stronger-motor model, the RACE, is available for $2,999, and the TREX model, which is a lightweight trial bike, is available to backers in a preproduction model for $4,999. Other bikes are available at a discount for backers starting at $599 for the basic Trial E model that includes mechanical brakes and no seat kit. Additional battery packs are available at the $599 level, as are quick chargers that will recharge batteries in less than 30 minutes. Most rewards are expected to be delivered in September of this year, while the prototype TREX should reach backers in July 2015.

The Potential. These electric bikes have already been popular with younger, smaller riders, so the decision to make more grown-up models makes perfect sense. Aside from their entertaining aspects, electric bikes like the Kuberg Free-Rider could be the next breakthrough in urban transportation, and it helps that this company is paying attention to things like performance and design, not just trying to make an upper-end children’s toy.

Categories
Kids/Babies

Quix baby bottle makes parents twist, quiets baby’s shout

The Premise. Powdered baby formula and being mobile just don’t go together very well. Of course, there’s always the premade canned stuff that’s far more expensive. Leave it to prolific parents to come up with a much more workable solution for busy parents and baby caregivers.

The Product. The Quix baby bottle claims to reduce stress and mess by offering a baby bottle that keeps powder and water separate until the demand to blend arises. The two components are stored in one convenient baby bottle container, but are separated by a closed valve. Before rushing out the door with baby, powder goes in the bottom portion, water in the top portion, and ring, nipple and plastic cover seal the top. Then when you’re on location and baby decides that it’s time to eat, mom, dad, or perhaps a helpful sibling opens the valve, shakes, and baby gets the easily digestible version of bone apatite. Aaah, hear that? Peace and quiet for all involved.

The Pitch. The cost of a music license is likely all that kept the old 1961 Twist and Shout song written by Bill Medley and Bert Berns  out of the campaign vid/eo. Maybe some major company will pick up on that if this product makes it out of the crowdfunding stage. Anyway, thiere is nothing quixotic about the Quix. In fact, it’s so user friendly that, uh, yes, a child could do it. So, a great deal of detail really wasn’t needed to explain this product to viewers.

The Perks. There are 11 tiers from which backers may choose. For $25, backers get one Quix baby bottle and a guarantee of radically reduced crying…until it’s time to change the diaper anyway. Expected delivery for Quix is October 2014.

The Potential. As new parents are tirelessly reminded, breastfeeding is best, but there’s still a huge market for baby formula. The Quix seems to uniquely solve a problem common to many parents of babies, a group that’s always looking for a little extra help wherever they can find it.

Categories
Accents Pets

AquaSprouts put your fish to work growing herbs

The Premise. In the ocean, fish and plants seem to live together without too much need for intervention. However, growing plants in the home can be tedious. Constant feeding and watering can fall the wayside resulting in sad or even dead vegetation. Similarly, owning a fish can make for a fun companion, but tank cleanings and constant maintenance of the aquarium can become annoying.

The Product. An ecosystem in a box, AquaSprouts offers the best of both owning a fish and growing plants in your home. AquaSprouts’ product is basically a fish tank with a place to grow plants on top. The waste from the fish is pumped up into the plants and acts as their food source. In this way, the plants keep the tank clean so that you don’t have to. The clean water is then released back down into the tank. Simply feed the fish and the rest takes cares of itself. The tank looks very sleek and simple, but with lush vegetation growing on top. Options for fish include goldfish, betas, tetras and guppies and these fish can support growing lettuce, basil, garlic, mint, cilantro and a slew of other herbal delights.

The Pitch. The video shown on this Kickstarter campaign shows the tank’s creators talking about their passion for aquaponics. They also explain how they have teamed up with experienced product designers in order to make their tank even more sophisticated. In order to continue, however, they need funding in order to make the manufacturing process more efficient. AquaSprouts hopes to raise $100,000 in its 31-day campaign.

The Perks. The reward tiers are where AquaSprouts falter a little bit. There are several early-bird specials, but none seem to offer both the garden and the tank. For $139 backers receive just the garden and for $149 backers only receive the tank. It isn’t until $179 that backers actually receive both together. Presumably, the other tiers offer more of a DIY alternative, but an expensive one. Reward tiers go all the way up to $10,000 with an estimated delivery date of August 2014 for the product itself.

The Potential. AquaSprouts is certainly a very cool concept and an attractive implementation. The idea of having one’s very own ecosystem in their home is appealing to many. However, there are very similar products out there for far cheaper. Back the Roots offers the smaller Aqua Farm for $60. AquaSprouts offers a bigger variety of fish and plantlife, but for triple the price. Still though, the concept is interesting and does offer a fun and functional addition to animal/plant life enthusiasts.

Categories
Connected Objects Music

Aether Cone smart speaker trades control for couture

The Premise. Without a full-home wireless sound system, listening to a variety of streaming music personalized to each listener’s taste requires a lot of bulky transportation and set-up. Between the device that can connect to streaming audio and the kind of speakers necessary to fully enjoy the music, the process is cumbersome at best.

The Product. The Aether Cone is a minimalist but powerful artificial jukebox of sorts. It can wirelessly connect to streaming music, internet radio, and even podcasts for up to 8 hours. By turning the outer dial, the speaker turns on and begins streaming music. The center of the speaker can be tapped to pause, or held to ask for something specific. Adventurous listeners can spin the dial again like a radio to find suggestions of a different genre. The device is extremely light and portable and boasts dual tweeters, a 3” woofer, and a 2.1 20w amplifier.

The Pitch. The full-screen integrated video for Aether’s Cone is slickly produced, pain-stakingly trendy, and explains absolutely nothing. The entire site is like this, with the “How it Works” and “Details” pages offering only the slightest bit more information. It isn’t until the actual product page that viewers learn what it costs, when it will be available, and the technical specs. As of right now, there is no specific funding goal listed on the page, and potential pre-orderers can only put their name on a waiting list for the time being.

The Perks. The Cone is expected to retail at $399, and it is unknown at this time if pre-ordering customers will receive a discount or additional perks. The initial run will ship out in early Summer.

The Potential. Modern and attractive, the Cone is the iPod shuffle of of connected home audio . However, the price seems steep for what it offers. The statement Aether is making about simplicity is clear, but it would be nice to have the capability to tap into playlists so as not to be at the mercy of shuffle, and with support only for devices running iOS 7+ or Mac OSX 10.9+, the user base becomes even further reduced. If music fans already have that kind of tech, they can probably better get by with a high-end Bluetooth speaker that offers the same level of convenience with more direct control and compatibility, albeit maybe not as much style.

Categories
Luggage and Bags

PBX promises to protect your luggage

PBX 20140220082703-012[1]Aaargh! Nothing like the deep annoyance of lost or damaged luggage by those airport goons! In what seems to be a too-good-to-be-true scenario, PBX boasts of being an easier-to-use-system for luggage handlers, thereby simplifying things for both handlers and travelers. As long as you register your luggage with the PBX system before boarding, you’ll be able to access a direct connection to carriers via your mobile at the last airport where your luggage was scanned. And if your luggage doesn’t show up at your final destination, you can start the tracking process through your mobile. For $25 and a bit of good fortune that theindustry adopts the scheme, backers get two luggage tags with an estimated delivery of June 2014.