Month: November 2014

Categories
Music

Spoolee offers new spin on taming tangled earbud wires

It’s human against earbud wires in the ongoing epic battle of the tangled earbud wars. Many a determined human wrestles against a tight knots strategy only to wind up frustrated and have a lot of time wasted in the end. Then came Jedi Inventor Ray Walker.  His proposed plan? Spoolee.

The fabric finger wrap stores earbud wires in a way that tames those surly tangles and allows humans to effectively put those wild wires in their proper place. The way this weapon of cord control works is that the headphone jack gets inserted into a plastic holder on top of the Spoolee, the wires get wrapped around a finger at the ready, and the strap (which appears to be Velcro in nature) closes around it all to seal the fate of those now subdued earbuds. When it’s time to use the earbuds, just slip the product on a finger and pull for quick unraveling and fast access to those favorite tunes.

Seems like an interesting product worth looking into further. Backers might also like to check out MagClip, Mous Musicase, and D-Tangle. This campaign seeks to raise $8,000. Backers get one product for $9 with an expected delivery of February 2015.

Categories
Home

McChi lock slips over deadbolt for more security

Feeling safe while at home and traveling are important for experiencing an enjoyable quality of life. For those times when there is doubt about whether one’s present deadbolt is enough for keeping out intruders, there is McChi. No tools are needed to install it, and it takes about five seconds to attach it to the door. So not only can it be easily used at home, but it can also be used when traveling and staying in a hotel. There are apparently very few compatibility issues here given the fact that it is supposed to fit 90-95% of most household deadbolt locks. While this may not scare off an intruder attempting to come through the door, it at least gives enough time to safely make a 911 call and find a place to hide if necessary. This campaign seeks to raise $7,500 by December 2, 2014. For $35, backers get one product with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Accents

Garden@Home offers modular planting boxes to stack and save space

Living in a city has many advantages. Museums, theaters and concert halls are only steps away and everything is open late. While cultural events are ubiquitous in a city, nature is much harder to come by. Garden@Home is a small garden system for those who only have a little space in which to grow plants. Featuring poles, shelves and a support dripping system, you can have several boxes of different kinds of plants and flowers. Some boxes sit above others and their water drips into the lower plants. The basic set holds four planters, but there is also an extension set of two planters available. Garden@Home comes in a variety of color palettes.

The biggest complaint among city dwellers is the lack of nature. Many flee to parks in the spring, summer and fall, but stay in for the winter. Garden@Home is a great system for those who like lots of plants in their apartments, but lack space to house them all. If installation is as easy as the campaign claims, this would make a great addition to any tiny studio. For the smallest set coming complete with two planters, backers must donate $55 CAD (~$48 USD) for estimated delivery in May 2015. Garden@Home is hoping to raise an ambitious $115,000 (~$101,200 USD) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Food and Beverage Organization

Keep your Nespresso pods in line on your fridge with Capsule Slide

There are mornings when a good cup of coffee will satisfy and get you going, and then there are mornings when nothing but Nespresso will do. On mornings like that, the more convenient it is to get at, the better. That’s why there’s Capsule Slide. This idea gives a whole new twist to the functionality of a magnet. Why? Because it’s home to one of the best friends a working person or even a college student can have: Nespresso pods. The surface is made of moulded ABS, and part of the fun is watching the Nespresso pods run down the zig-zag design when being loaded. For those who prefer to keep their Nespresso organized in the cupboard or under a cabinet, check out the Abacus Pod Rack campaign. This campaign seeks to raise $5,500 AUD (~$4,700 USD) by December 4, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $17 AUD (~$14 USD) with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Home Smart Home

Moderno Eco-Home takes an ecological spin

With all the devices out there to make your home smarter, it’s about time that these special tools begin to pull more weight. If not, the alternative is a device full of independent devices that all need to be switched on in order to function.

The Moderno HCS1 Home Control System is a simple interface designed to combine three key aspects of the smart home: climate control, irrigation, and home security. With a single touch screen panel that can be mounted inside and access through any smartphone or tablet, the HCS1 is easy to use, adjust, and set up.

These three systems also work in cooperation with each other: for example, the HCS1 uses its security cameras to know when nobody is home and turn off the climate control system to cut down on energy. Moderno Technologies is raising $150,000 to develop, test, and manufacture the product. No reward tiers offer the actual product at this time.

One has to applaud the combination of multiple smart home functions into one device, but the lack of a physical product reaching backers and the lack of further expansion options make this kind of product one that’s better to wait until the market matures.

Categories
Cycling Imaging

INDIGLO saves handlebar space by doubling up action cam mounts

Bicycles are fast becoming the favored mode of transportation in large, urban cities. With this increased favor comes the inevitable support of both larger companies and DIY crowd in making their ride more effective and useful. In particular, the glut of GPS devices and action cameras like the GoPro have offered riders ways to make their rides more efficient and plain fun but at the cost of handlebar space — there can only be so many attachments!

With their dual handlebar mount, INDIGLO is letting you reclaim your handlebar space and get back to riding comfortably. The mount is installed without much fuss by just using the flexible clamp bands; the top being compatible with a wide-range of Garmin GPS devices and the bottom compatible with GoPro, Garmin Virb, and Shimano Cameras. Users can also install the INDIGLO5, the company’s own flashlight as well. What the INDIGLO dual mount does, it does simply. The campaign is hoping to raise $5,000 AUD (~$4,300 USD) for success. The product is going for $50 AUD with a ship date of February 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Connected Objects Music Tablet Accessories

CuBund bridges your smartphone to home receivers

Taking music from portable players and phones to cars and home audio systems usually requires specific hardware or lots of messy, tangled cables.

Cubund is a simple USB device that plugs into a car or home audio system’s USB port and receives high-quality Bluetooth audio streams from phones, laptops, or tablets. It allows for complete control using the remotes or onboard controls of the larger device. This allows for quick installation and even faster access to music when moving from public to private areas or from the home to car and vice versa.

Cubund can also handle incoming or outgoing calls from a phone and push them through to the car’s audio or home stereo, allowing for safer, hands-free communication even in the middle of blasting the volume on a favorite song. An additional USB port is added to Cubund to allow the charging of other devices. Cubund needs $20,000 for materials, assembly, and licenses, and can be purchased for delivery in February for $89.

The right kind of equipment or settings handles pretty much everything Cubund does already, but in lieu of buying new phones, new audio equipment, or even a new car, this is a simple, cheap way to bring older equipment into the present.

Categories
Health and Wellness

Clamp-like EnerQi offers DIY accupressure

Acupuncture has long since been recognized as a great way to treat pain and relieve stress. It’s difficult to find the time to make it to the acupuncturist, however, and it seems a little frivolous to go for every ache and pain. That’s why the folks at EnerQi have come up with a way to get that same relief no matter where you are. This product is a clip that can be used to target those pressure points for relief. The pressure it puts out is adjustable and, best of all, it doesn’t use any needles. In addition, EnerQi uses different rubber covers for a range in size and hardness.

Many people need quick ways to lower their stress levels so they can continue to work or do whatever else that causes them anxiety. EnerQi is a great way to get that relief no matter where you are. While they look a little silly when worn, and look like a torture device in general, this is a great way to calm down. To get the EnerQi, backers will need to donate $25 with an estimated delivery date of March 2015. This product is looking to meet a symmetric goal of $8,888 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Organization

Allin combo poker chip and drink holder helps keep you high and dry

Poker is one of those games that resonates with those who are competitive, good at reading people, and enjoy the excitement of risk and thrill of victory. But nothing can make a game go bad faster than when someone spills their beer all over the poker table. That’s why Allin was invented. The combo poker chip beverage holder allows players to not only keep their chips organized, but also keeps beer from flying across the table. The product holds up to 100 chips and can hold a standard, individual sized can or bottle of one’s beverage of choice. Consolidated table space means more room for munchies, and more importantly, keeping score – although with all those organized chips, everyone will probably pretty much know who is winning whether the scorekeeper is accurate or not. And when the night is over, or has turned to morning, holders can be stacked up and stored until everyone who lost has gained enough money to gather again later. This campaign seeks to raise $8,500 by December 1, 2014. Backers get one product for $12, with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Automotive Connected Objects

Drivebot joins the car diagnostics club

It’s interesting to see the types of emotions we harbor towards the vehicles in our lives. We silently appreciate their hard and diligent work taking us where we need to go everyday until the day comes where they breaks down, where we then proceed to generate a maelstrom of foul language and intense hatred for forcing us to spend ridiculous sums of money to fix them.

Although having a car is heavy financial responsibility, with the Drivebot it doesn’t have to be so expensive. Billed as a Fitbit for your car, the Bluetooth-enabled dongle connects to your car’s On-Board Diagnostic II port and continuously monitors problems in their earliest stages before they become worse, ballooning in cost. It also helps by reminding you of maintenance requirements and analyzing your driving patterns to save you time, gas, and money. Onboard flash storage stores two months of trip data which can be exported as documents to claim taxes on, tacking on the savings. For $75, the Drivebot can be yours in February of 2015. The campaign is attempting to reach a $35,000 goal.