Categories
Organization Travel

Passport Protector keeps your papers protected in plastic

Passport-ProtectorWhile traveling abroad is exciting, it’s an unfortunate fact that things don’t always go as planned. Going from place to place can take its toll on important items such as passports – especially if it happens to be raining or snowing. The Passport Protector is roomy enough for not only a passport, but also other travel essentials such as credit and debit cards, cash, a flight itinerary, and even a smart phone. It also appears to be at least somewhat water resistant. For the $35 early bird special, backers get one product with an expected delivery of November 2014.

Categories
Kids/Babies Nutrition/Hydration

Sleevely uses Bluetooth to bracket baby’s bottle binging

The Premise. Babies aren’t the best communicators. Parents can get a general idea of a baby’s mood, but beyond that, the reasons for that mood are hard to come by. Any insight a parent can have to stop the crying and fussing is extremely welcome.

The Product. Sleevely is a device that goes around a baby bottle and solves one of the mysteries of parenthood: has the baby eaten? By monitoring the amount of milk or formula in the bottle and when the contents are consumed, Sleevely reports to its app how much a child has eaten or if they’ve eaten at all. That data is all recorded so that parents can monitor their baby’s feeding throughout the day whether they’re at home, work, or anywhere else. With the correct data input to the app, Sleevely can even notify parents when a baby’s meal is going bad and needs to be replaced.

The Pitch. Inventors and cousins Ike Ofner and Dan Gilai have a lot of fun in their introductory video, and it’s hard to not to smile as the product is explained whether viewers are parents or not. For those that want to know the how more than the why, the campaign information discusses which bottles are compatible, how the Sleevely transmits information using Bluetooth, and how the patent pending sensors detect the amount of fluid in the bottle.Sleevely needs $85,000 to move from prototype to production.

The Perks. A Sleevely will set backers back $29, and parents-to-be can look forward to this product’s due date in December. Blue and pink variants are available at $39, Sleevely can be personalized with a baby’s name at $49, and a bodysuit is added in at the $60 level.  A baby shower gift package that also includes a compatible bottle starts at $70. All perks beside the basic white model should arrive January 2015.

The Potential. At first glance, it’s hard to see what the market would be for a beer (formula?) koozie for a baby bottle, but once the app is brought into the picture, the Sleevely is a very attractive, affordable option for parents. Raising infants is an imprecise art that requires extreme care, so any product that can help take the guesswork out of the process is highly appreciated. It’s hard not to like the Sleevely or the people behind it, and the parenting market will probably eat the product up. Though the prototype is iOS-focused, future Android compatibility due by the product’s launch will be a welcome addition.

Categories
Toys

Lambda Top invites you to take it for a very lengthy spin

Lambda-TopFor those who have some time to kill, here is an item that might bring some amusement for a while. The Lambda Top is a unique toy for the child in everyone. The body is made of brass and aluminum, but the tip is a perfectly smooth sphere that’s made of ruby. Its measurements and the ruby sphere tip enhance its spinning action, making it remain in motion for significantly longer than even the most impressive BeyBlade. The Lambda Top creator’s unofficial record is a 10-minute spin, and he posted the video on his campaign site. He offers backers a challenge to make theirs spin longer, record it on video, and submit it through the campaign site. Lambda tops out at $65 with an expected delivery of September 2014.

Categories
Cooking Sensors/IoT

SCiO spectrometer sniffs out the composition of food and fauna

SCiOIn science fiction, the idea of a handheld analyzer that can report on details of an environment, creature, or substance have been around for decades. SCiO, a pocket spectrometer and molecular sensor that works with the cloud, is bringing those ideas to life. With a flexible development environment, SCiO ships with apps for scanning food, medicine, and plants, but more functions may arise over time. In terms of food scanning, the SCiO is reminiscent of what was promised by the TellSpec, though hopefully this project is more on the level, without the tricky editing and the production backpedaling. SCiO is available for $179 and will ship out by the end of the year.

Categories
Safety

Universal Clamp and Universal Sun Shade keep the sun on the run

Universal-SunShade2Everyone loves to get outside into the sunshine, but too much sun is harmful. When hanging out outside, the shifting sun means that you constantly have to move around to remain in the shade. The Universal Sun Shade was designed to be flexible, portable and versatile. The shade folds up and the Universal Clamp allows it to move into any funny position it may need to in order to block out the sun. For the clamp, backers can donate $25 or $60 for the clamp and shade for delivery in August 2014. The Universal Clamp and Universal Sun Shade hopes to raise $29,000 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

Lunecase has your iPhone’s back, displays notifications on it

lunecaseThe smartphone accessory market is constantly at odds with itself trying to create devices that protect phones and offer new features while also trying not to sacrifice the design of the phone itself or become too bulky. The Lunecase from Concepter is a thin, no-power iPhone case that secures the phone and uses electromagnetic waves to display notification icons on the back of the phone. Once attached, the Lunecase can immediately notify users of incoming calls or text messages with bright, rich icons that appear on the back of the case. Lunecase is launching at a price of $39 and will be ready in August of 2014.

Categories
Kids/Babies Smartwatches/Bands

Tinitell is a wrist-worn locator and phone for the pre-iPhone set

The Premise. Parents who want to keep track of their kids almost always resort to giving them cell phones nowadays. But a cell phone for a child is a lot of responsibility and risk. Kids are hard on phones and may even lose them as they go out to play and explore the world.

The Product. Tinitell, the smallest mobile phone ever created, is a cell phone that is worn on a child’s wrist. First of all, this device is water- and sand-proof, making it perfect for children. It comes in different colors equipped with GPS tracking, voice recognition, Bluetooth capabilities, a long battery life and call forwarding. This wrist-phone comes in many different fun colors and only has three buttons that operate it, making it simple enough for the smallest of children to use. The phone’s preferences and contact list are managed from the Tinitell iOS/Android app or website.

The Pitch. This Swedish product’s video shows a delightful scene which effectively displays how easily children can get lost while battling monsters. The children in the video use the device easily, reinforcing Tinitell’s asserted childlike simplicity. The rest of the campaign outlines each of the phone’s unique features as well as the back story of what inspired Tinitell. This tiny phone hopes to raise $100,000 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. Early backers can enjoy the Tinitell for only $99. The exclusive Kickstarter price is $129, while standard retail price is set at $179. Reward tiers climb from there to $5,000, offering the product in different colors and packages. Each level offering the product has an estimated delivery date of April 2015.

The Potential. Tinitell seems like a good solution for keeping track of your kiddies while they go out and explore. This is not the only product out there, however. The hereO GPS watch tracks children but has a shorter battery life and no call function. Similarly, FiLIP offers the same peace of mind to parents in a wristband package with calling abilities, but only allows five numbers on the contact list. On the other hand, or wrist, FiLIP offers an emergency response system that Tinitell would do well to add. Unlike FiLIP, however, which is currently tied to AT&T in the U.S., Tinitell allows you to add your own SIM for more carrier and coverage flexibility. All in all, Tinitell is a clever device at the right price, but could definitely elaborate on its original design to result in an even better product.

Categories
Arts

SketchyNotebook blends blank pages with templates for precise creations

SketchyNotebookFinding just the right sketch pad can be one of the bigger challenges of being an artist. And a computer at a desk can seem confining and even inhibiting to the creative flow that comes with just kicking back and propping up one’s feet when dreaming up an idea in the rough draft stage. That’s where SketchyNotebook comes into the picture. It’s nearly 200 pages, lays flat, eliminates cumbersome spiral binding and rings and comes with up to six templates to help give precision to those great ideas. More templates come with a bigger contribution. Expected delivery is October 2014.

Categories
Health and Wellness

Squizmo allows the frugal to reuse travel toothpaste tubes

SquizmoFor those who like to pinch their pennies until they scream for mercy, there is now a product that can refill travel toothpaste tubes in the works. Squizmo has two uses: it works to completely squeeze out a standard tube, but it was also created with the traveler in mind who would rather refill their travel toothpaste tube than spend a dollar to just replace it. Perhaps its ability to reseal used tubes is what sets it apart from a considerably less expensive squeezer. However, it will take about seven trips in a year for backers to get their money’s worth out of this item since it costs $6. Of course, for those who like the sound of screaming pennies, there is the option of self-assembly for less. Expected delivery is July 2014.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries

Other power bricks don’t stack up to the iDAPT Modulo

The Premise. The more devices people keep on their person as they go about their day, the more likely it is that they’ll need to recharge at some point. Of course, with everyone facing the same dilemma, finding a public outlet can be increasingly difficult. Portable charging solutions are readily available, but rarely ideal.

The Product. Winner of the Best of Show Award at CES 2014, the iDAPT Modulo is a portable recharging solution that is flexible in terms of compatibility and in how much power it can output. As its name implies, the Modulo can be paired up with other Modulos to offer more charging capacity, and more ports to connect devices too, allowing users to share power and keep more devices powered without the use of outlets. The Modulo is about the size of a current smartphone, so it fits almost any pocket, and works with thousands of different devices.

The Pitch. iDAPT’s promotional video for the Modulo takes us through the device’s functionality on an average day. A woman and her friend are charging a phone and tablet respectively over breakfast when she gets an invite to go to lunch. Hopping on her bike, she stuffs the Modulo in her pocket and uses it to keep her phone alive and keep her connected to the online social world. Modulo’s campaign itself is almost entirely comprised of pictures, but they combine to tell the full tale of the device and what it’s capable of. iDAPT wants to raise $30,000 to get through the initial production of the Modulo. Stretch goals are available starting at $50,000 to enable wireless, solar, dual-cable, and crank-operated models.

The Perks. Backers can get a Modulo for $25, complete with cables, skin, and Smart Attach to keep it stuck to a phone if desired. At the $60 tier, backers can get 3 Modulo with 2 cables, 1 Smart Attach, and 3 skins. Additional cables and adapters are available a la carte as well. All rewards expected to arrive in July.

The Potential.  iDAPT already has plenty of experience with the device charging market, and so the Modulo is a natural progression for them. As a standalone, the Modulo’s full smartphone battery charge should get even the most tethered user through the day. By combining chargers, the Modulo could be a great way to enhance off-site collaboration or save a study session even if the stack can get a bit awkward and thick. While most people who need thousands of milliamps will probably go for something with more capacity up front, the idea to charge the packs through other means could be a stronger differentiator than stacking per se.