Month: October 2014

Categories
Running Wearables

Universole steps up to measuring pressure tracking in your shoes

For most readers of this site, it will have been decades since learning to walk, and most would probably consider it a skill that they’ve mastered. UniverSole is a smart shoe insole that houses several pressure sensors to point out the ways in which one can improve their walking, running, or sitting to prevent strains or injuries. The sensors in UniverSole are paper-thin, and the feel of the insole is comfortable and familiar, preventing users from walking differently while using the product. Also because the design is so thin, UniverSole fits virtually every kind of shoe available for sale.

By acting as the point of contact for tracking, UniverSole offers more accurate data than a wrist-worn activity tracker, while also not advertising to the world that you use a gadget for fitness. With a Bluetooth 4.0 module built right in, data about weight balance, stride, and distance are all tracked and transmitted immediately to any smartphone or tablet.

UniverSole is looking to collect $75,000 in donations to finalize moldings and start production. Backers can run out and get a pair for $200 in November 2015. It’s a great way to discreetly track fitness data, and is a great addition to the new wave of sole trackers we’ve seen recently, joining similar products like the runScribe that tracks while you go.

Categories
Connected Objects Cooking

Ricewise is the connected rice cooker of your sushi-making dreams

Most everyone can agree that there’s really nothing like a freshly cooked, warm bowl of rice. Unfortunately, with our lives as rushed as they are, we sometimes can’t find the time to clean and cook the rice, leaving us to confide in the powers of a rice cooker. A staple in many kitchens for over 50 years, rice cookers are always useful, but haven’t really caught up to our modern age quite yet.

Enter Ricewise, the connected rice cooker you send a text to. You don’t send it to have a chat, though: a text message starts the process of cooking rice stored in its three kilogram chamber. With the capacity to also hold five liters of water, Ricewise can cook rice for up to 18 people without having to add anything else, leaving you to worry about everything else. If it is low on either rice or water, it will also remind you to refill it too. Interested backers will have to possibly consider charging for meals: the Ricewise’s campaign price is $492, saving $457 off the final retail price. If enough people can stomach that price without seeing a prototype, the company’s $25,000 goal should be piece of rice cake.

Categories
Camping

Chair-Pak lets you take a load off and sit on it

chair-pakCamping, hiking and general wilderness-wandering is done by carrying around the least amount of stuff as possible. This usually means making some sacrifices. Chair-Pak is a combination backpack and chair that means you won’t have to sit on the ground. The chair folds out and the pack is then located on the back of the chair. With a stable looking seat and lightweight metal, this seems like a great way to tote around a chair and cargo at the same time. One will cost backers $95 with estimated delivery in March 2015. Chair-Pak hopes to raise $39,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Technology

Pixxio home network drive lets you store, share all your digital stuff

The Premise. Media professionals in all sorts of industries are routinely inundated with tons of files from their many projects. This overwhelms either their desk with a mountain of unorganized hard drives, or their wallets with crazy expensive computers or storage solutions that are more complicated than they’re worth.

The Product. The team at pixx.io is presenting their product, the aptly named pixx.io box, as the solution to these woes. The relatively pint-sized box packs a serious punch, housing a quad core Intel Celeron J1900 processing running two mirrored 1TB HDDs at 2.42GHz. What exactly is that power for? It’s so that you won’t ever have to worry about processing large batches of media files at once using their proprietary media management software, which directly converts high resolution files into small JPG copies for you to work on. Optimized for images and graphic files, you can quickly share those files with others, adding watermarks, adjusting resolution, or setting restrictions or expiration dates before you do. It’s also possible to integrate galleries onto a website and even collect files via e-mail or Web upload — all need to do is connect it to your network and it’s able to be used with any device.

The Pitch. The campaign’s two videos are slickly made and cover the product’s general use and more specific capabilities, respectively. The campaign’s textual information clearly informs you of each of the features the pixx.io box has, is accompanied by a massive FAQ section that leaves you with no doubts, and even comes translated in German.

The Perks. The early bird special for €449 EUR for a single unit saves backers some moola, while the opportunity to nab a pixx.io box for the slightly higher premium of €569 EUR. If that too passes you by, drink away the regret with a trip to Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest with the pixx.io team and save all the pictures to your brand new pixx.io box for a cool €2,999 EUR.

The Potential. The pixx.io box is a very full featured product with a user-friendly bent that will attract all manner of interested parties. A standard user’s vacation photos, family events, and everyday happenings will all find their way onto the product easily, while professionals will applaud the ease in which the pixx.io automates many common necessities. Although devices like the MBLOK offer a level of portability along with the capabilities of wireless transfer offered by the pixx.io box, the product’s biggest differentiator is the way in which it handles its files — even some of the best prosumer NAS units don’t offer this level of specification towards files. If potential backers can look past the pixx.io box’s lack of customization options, true memory expansion, or more enterprise-level features, then this might be their cup of tea.

Categories
Health and Wellness

Restopresto introduces your new friend, mat

It seems that as the seasons change, it can be warm toward the beginning of the day, and cool toward the end – or vice versa. But if one doesn’t get the chance to check the local weather report before heading out for the day, Restopresto, or RP for short, has you covered – literally. This multifaceted mat can be sat on, worn, or even function as a makeshift umbrella. When it’s no longer needed, just roll it up and throw it back in a tote, clip it to a handbag, or store it in the car. The fastener system is fairly extensive and cleverly designed. Other than that, RP’s main claim to fame is its “smushability.” Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fans may connect it to the popular expression, “Always carry a towel.” For $40, backers can always be prepared for the unexpected demolishing of planet Earth, and hopefully, that the building of the galaxy superhighway won’t begin in our galaxy prior to January of 2015. Be sure to check the library basement to find out.

Categories
Automotive Connected Objects

Bluetooth tire pressure management system lets you know when your tires are low

The Premise. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, under-inflated tires are at the root of some of the most common issues related to fuel efficiency and safety while driving. If a tire remains under-inflated at just 1 psi over its lifetime, its tread life decreases by about 800 miles, and for every 2.96 psi of under-inflation, fuel efficiency is reduced by 1%. With 26% of all passenger cars on the road under-inflated by at least 25%, that’s a lot of miles of tread life and liters of gasoline needlessly wasted. These factors also contribute to the almost 80,000 crashes that occur annually in the US due to flat tires or blowouts — some fatal.

The Product. The team behind the FOBO Tire wants to bring tire pressure management systems, or TPMS’s, into the modern age. Theirs is an iOS/Android compatible, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy enabled system that always keeps a user informed about the tire pressure of their vehicle, with an in-car unit as well to use in the absence of a smartphone. Integration with smartphones allows for a tiered alert system, theft detection for the system, the ability to share the FOBO Tire’s information with friends and family, and even monitor up to 20 different cars. There’s also a separated edition for two and three-wheeled vehicles called the FOBO Bike up for grabs.

The Pitch. The video featured on the campaign is professional, chock full of information, and really demonstrates just how useful the FOBO Tire can be, going as far as to show how quick and painless installation is and introducing potential backers to the team itself. The product’s many features are clearly laid out in text form, with large, clear pictures to back them up.

The Perks. A single set of FOBO Tire will run you $90, which includes four sensors and one in-car unit, saving backers $59 off the $149 retail price. Similarly, the FOBO Bike can be had for $65, shaving $25 off the $90 retail price. The option for more sets of FOBO Tires or Bikes are also available, at price points ranging from $110 to $1050.

The Potential. Making pretty much any current dumb product idea smart immediately adds utility to it, so the combination of a TPMS with the smartphones that drive our lives is one of those no-brainers that takes some time to think up. As tire pressure is a very real and serious concern, its applicability to pretty much every driver will ensure this product becomes some sort of success. It improves on products like the TireMinder with its ease of installation, use, and the many benefits that come from smartphone integration, making this product many will be on the look out for.

Categories
Technology

Tablet PC builds in projector to show the big picture

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Note: Our friend Brad Linder at Lilliputing has tipped us off that this product actually launched in 2012 and so the campaign is likely a fraud. Brad further notes that if you’re interested in this product, you can obtain it for less.-Ed.

Recently, projectors have enjoyed an existence outside of the movie theater and occasional home or two. Set to keychains or guest starring as iPhone accessories, there have been more than a few attempts to make them more mainstream. Enter the Projection Tablet PC from creator Dominic Li. Billed as a revolutionary product, but with a lack of video proof or information in general, all we’re going off is an idea. The only thing that sets apart this otherwise ho-hum tablet is that it’s a projector, so it better work well. Potential backers can grab an early bird version for $499 and start talking to walls in October 2014.

Categories
Pets

Pawly shows that the cats will play when the owner’s away

The Premise. Pets are like children for most cat or dog owners. Leaving them to go to work can be heartbreaking and some pets don’t do well on their own all day. Some opt to keep the radio on all day just so their pets don’t feel alone.

The Product. Pawly is an interactive toy for pets to play with. It connects to the owner’s iPhone or Android and allows them to have fun with their pet remotely. With the app, they can control the movement of Pawly, shoot out treats and even take photos or videos. Pawly itself has four all-terrain wheels and is about the size of a laptop. It’s covered by an orange rubber shield to ensure its durability through rough play.

The Pitch. This campaign video tugs at the heartstrings of pet owners watching, showing cat and dog owners leaving their home in the morning. Never fear! They get to play with them from their office desks. If you want to see a rundown of features as well as the bone that tracks the fundraising status, check out the rest of the campaign. Pawly is looking to raise $80,000 on indiegogo.

The Perks. Watch out backers, your pet can be treat-blasted at with this Canadian product for $399 USD if you’re early enough or $449 USD if you’re on the slower side. Reward tiers climb up to $10,000.

The Potential. Remote pet care is nothing new. We’ve seen a ton of products on Backerjack that handle this very same thing like PetPal and Kittyo. Neither of them move like Pawly, but have more practical functions like feeding the pet while you’re away. In addition, Kittyo comes with a laser for cats to chase around. Also, both have speakers so that they can talk to their pet as well as videotape them. Pawly’s mobility is cool, however it has limited function compared to these other two products. In addition, the price is somewhat obscene for a glorified pet watcher. For those who are really concerned about their pets’ burgeoning loneliness, a paid sitter might be a cheaper option.

Categories
Health and Wellness

Earscanner checks where you hear for gunk

20140918073103-storyEars are a source of unparalleled mystery for those who refuse to regularly check up on them with a swab of a cotton bud every now and then. For those who don’t and for the rest who are just curious to see what’s going on in there, there’s the Earscanner. The product is created by combining two plastic molds and positioning a mirror inside, resulting in an angle that allows you to check the status of your ear with the aid of another mirror. Many of those who love using cotton swabs have been warned by their doctors to take it easy on the Q-Tips. Earscanner is a great option for those who have been invading their ear canals too much. Never again fear the dark recesses of your auditory canal for just $29, with delivery slated for late 2014.

Categories
Home

Cleandicator solves the mystery of dishwasher load cleanliness

The Premise. Those who detest doing the dishes often see an automatic dishwasher as one of the best inventions since electricity. While it’s no longer necessary to stand at the sink and do the washing and rinsing, it’s still necessary to load and unload the dishwasher. And as busy as life gets, it can be easy to forget when the dishes are clean verses when they are dirty.

The Product. Cleandicator is a device that lets the user know when the dishes in the dishwasher are clean and when they are dirty. Basically, a bright blue floatation devise rises up into the clear cover when the dishes are clean, creating an easy-to-notice visual for the user.  The flotation device remains down when they are dirty. The device activates when water from the dishwashing cycle gets inside of the gadget. It appears to require a reset after each use.

The Pitch. While one might initially question how Cleandicator can actually be manufactured with only the requested $500 goal, backers may want to keep in mind that the only material that presently seems to be needed to create this product is the plastic. The injection mold is already built and the creators seem to have the support of the Metcalfe company. It is also unknown to what other resources the product creators may have access that will help with the creation of the product.

The Perks. This campaign doesn’t offer as many tiers as most, but backers are able to get one product for $15. Expected delivery is December 2014.

The Potential. If this product is as effective as it appears is should be, certainly any household with an automatic dishwasher would find it useful. It appears that the product fits most commercial dishwashers in the consumer marketplace. The product seems like it is easy enough to use and able to be quickly and easily observed in regard to whether or not dishes are dirty or clean. Perhaps the biggest challenge will be for whoever empties the dishwasher to remember to reset the product once a new wash cycle is started. That being said, it’s unclear if this particular product is going to be any more effective than using magnets or sticky notes, or in some cases, the built-in mechanism that many of the newer models have for helping users to remember whether or not the dishwasher has been run or not, but it does seem to have some potential.