Month: November 2014

Categories
Fitness

BodyBoardX tones you by stretching and swaying

Core conditioning is the foundation of most workout regimes. With a strong core, you can improve your balance and overall strength. The Bodyboard X provides you with an easy core workout. This product is committed to improving your strength, spatial awareness and planes of motion all in a low impact way. Shaped like a curved skateboard, the Bodyboard X rocks side to side on the ground with you on top of it. Straps attached to each side come up while the rider holds them with their arms stuck straight out to the sides.

While the reasoning behind this product is certainly sound, the execution is a little funky. The campaign shows a gif of a woman on the Bodyboard X rocking side to side with her arms out and she looks a little, well, awkward. Or perhaps like she’s posing for a Vitruvian Man-inspired painting. Still, for $75, backers can enjoy theirs by March 2015. Bodyboard X hopes to raise $80,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Connected Objects Television

Puck plucks all your remote controls, controls your TV setup with your smartphone

Remote controls should be considered litter with the way so many of them end up all over our living rooms. Constantly evolving home entertainment setups force us to have three to five different ones, confusing us every time we just want to turn on the TV or pop in a Blu-Ray. Since when did merely entertaining ourselves become so confusing?

That’s the question the people behind the PUCK have asked, and their solution comes in the form of a tiny attachment that acts a bridge between any component of an entertainment system and a smartphone or tablet. Once attached, its companion app will allow you to control every aspect of your entertainment system from up to 100 feet away and through walls, thanks to Bluetooth LE. Create shortcuts and make turning on your TV, lowering the volume, and starting up your Blu-Ray player a one tap process. Puck also makes channel listings searchable, and learns which ones are your favorite for easier access and with a three year battery life, there’ll be a lot to learn. The campaign is currently going for $50,000. It should attract a fair amount of attention with its lean $25 price.

Similar products now on the market have been introduced without much fanfare, probably because of the inflated price point for what essentially is simple tech. Logitech’s $99 Harmony Hub does everything a Puck can do with the addition of Wi-Fi functionality too, but does so without Harmony Smart Remote Compatibility. Another one on the market is the Griffin Beacon which rings up at a paltry $10, but the price reflects its quality: it runs on batteries, constantly needs to be coupled with your smartphone, and the software has been reviewed to be a joke. If Puck’s software can be consistent and smooth, it’ll be able to undercut competition without much issue.

Categories
Wearables

Stone Tether will help you find your stuff, even at your neighbor’s house

Technology has reached a point where networked items can find each other when lost. Locator tags are the bridge between older analog items and the digital age of today.

StoneTether is the next entry into the crowdfunded locator tag market. With a minimal, stylish design, waterproofing up to 30 feet, and the ability to be attached or clipped to any kind of item, StoneTether is meant to keep prized possessions from going missing, including kids or pets. When the registered phone goes out of range of a StoneTether tag, it pushes a notification to the phone and reports the location up to 500 feet. Additionally, if anyone else has a StoneTether tag and app combination and passes by a lost item beyond that radius, the item will daisy chain itself to the other tag and push a notification reporting the location, meaning more tags make items easier to find. StoneTether is raising $15,000 as they complete the software and start production. A StoneTether tag is just $20 and will be available in April 2015.

While this is not the first device like this, StoneTether offers a sense of simple style and strong functionality to create a worthy competitor in the field of locators.

Categories
Tools

Transforming GATR snaps up jobs of multiple yard tools

Whether it’s working around the yard, gardening or clearing some land to do some building, outdoor tools such as wheelbarrows, dollies, and four wheeled trolleys are often needed to get the job done. GATR offers a multifaceted yard work tool that is suitable for anyone from homeowners taking care of their property to those who make their living in the farm industry. Gator transporter has numerous attachments that allow it to convert easily from a two wheeled dolly or trailer trolley to a four wheeled cart, and no tools are required. Gator is able to handle light, medium and heavy loads because of the reverse grip handles, tub attachment, and duel wheeled system. There is also an attachment for moving large pieces of timer and additional attachments that are in the works, depending on how well this campaign does.

The fact that everything stores reasonably flat when disassembled could be a double-edged sword. While it does save space, some may find it too inconvenient if reassembly is needed each time. This campaign seeks to raise $10,000 by December 31, 2014. For $1500, backers get one product with an expected delivery of February 2015.

Categories
Pets

Zumby becomes a weapon in the war on dog breath

Dogs have bad breath, though research shows their mouths are cleaner than ours. Ew. Even so, dogs still get gum disease, just like humans do. Regular brushing can prevent this, but it’s unlikely that owners will get a chance to brush their dog’s teeth everyday. Playing around, however, is another matter. That’s why the folks at Zumby have created a toy that not only entertains your dog, but cleans their teeth as well. Using vague-sounding micro-current technology, harmful bacteria is killed all without the dog knowing.

According to the campaign, this technology works on humans as well. It begs the question: why aren’t the Zumby people making a human version? Still, this clever product is great for dog lovers who can’t bear to watch their pooches suffer. One Zumby will set backers back $50 for delivery in April 2015. This product is looking to met a $35,000 goal on Indiegogo.

Categories
Music Wearables

Soundglass builds bone-conducting sound into a pair of shades

The next big thing in headphones is to offer extra functions, certain styles, or increased audio fidelity. These features are welcome to those who love to have sound and music with them wherever they go, but it doesn’t really change the fundamental technology.

The Buhel SOUNDglass SG05 is a step in a direction so far out of left field that it’s a complete shot in the arm to headphone technology. It’s a pair of sunglasses that only touches the ears to hold the glasses. Buhel SOUNDglass uses Bone Conduction Technology, a means of audio amplification that sends vibrations through parts of the skull to give users the same kind of sound quality they expect while keeping their ears free and available to hear the world around them. Atellani, the creators of the Buhel SOUNDglass SG05, are trying to raise $110,000 to fund tooling and production. Supporters can get a pair for $165, shipped out in February of next year.

This is a product so revolutionary that it’s easy to get excited over. However, few people have had the opportunity to hear audio through Bone Conduction Technology, and it may be hard to take the risk. This is a truly innovative product however, and could open a whole new product space for future headphone/glasses combinations.

Categories
Smart Home

airBell connected doorbell alerts you to shenanigans via Wi-Fi or phone call

In this day and age of drone deliveries and comet landings, physically knocking on a door and waiting for someone to open it can seem a little dated and, frankly, boring. Even missing deliveries seems like something that really shouldn’t happen anymore, but for most people, it can be a commonplace occurrence.

With airBell, you can rest assured that you’ll always know exactly who’s at your door at any time and be able to promptly react. The connected doorbell sports a 3.5″ touchscreen, a motion sensor to detect guests, and can call you, send you an SMS or a push notification, or even facilitate a video chat using the onboard camera with your Wi-Fi or GSM connected smartphone or tablet. This means that you won’t have to rush anymore to open the door or miss anymore packages as you could direct the deliveryman accordingly. An alarm sounds if the airBell senses a suspicious presence and a one-touch SOS gives you the power to call proper authorities based on unexpected emergencies too. The campaign’s $25,000 goal aims to get the $159 airBell into backer’s homes by December 2014.

Although the airBell serves up a multitude of functionality and can be occasionally useful with the wayward package every now and then, its biggest problem is the fact that smartphones exist. Why buy a completely separate device that can basically do what a smartphone already does? Just because something can be automated doesn’t mean it deserves to be, but at least the product will serve as a great a conversation starter for all those home automation fetishists out there.

Categories
Food and Beverage

Congelato makes sure your food keeps its cool while you serve it

Keeping food on ice so that it has a pleasant and fresh appearance for presentation and also stays safe to eat at parties is something of a hassle. The makers of Congelato wanted to find a better way. Their idea is to use icepacks and stainless steel pans to keep food cold when it is time to take it out of the refrigerator and enjoy the meal. Food will stay cold for up to 24 hours, but icepacks must be placed in the freezer for 2-4 hours in advance.

Congelato can also be used to keep food hot if the packs are placed in boiling water for about 15 minutes, but food only remains hot for about 90 minutes, so the product seems to be much more oriented toward cold dishes. If one can prep by freezing the packs to use this product, then it seems like a great way to keep food cool. This campaign seeks to raise $200,000 CAD (~$176,400 USD) by December 14, 2014. Early bird backers get one basic product for $85 CAD (~$75 USD) with an expected delivery of May 2015.

Categories
Food and Beverage Travel

Espro Travel Press presses together three different brewing methods

Here is an item for coffee and tea connoisseurs who are typically too busy to wait for that perfectly brewed cup of caffeinated delight. Espro Travel Press blends brewer, travel mug, and thermos in one. This revamped travel mug includes a filtration system so that hot water can simply be poured over coffee or tea leaves. But it also has a function for those who prefer to use the coffee press or tea press methods so those aromatic oils can be enjoyed, and the double micro-filters mean no grit to interfere with one’s enjoyment.

The double lid prevents leaks in backpacks, purses or briefcases, and since extraction is automatically stopped and the container is made of vacuum insulated stainless steel, coffee or tea stays hot for hours. It appears that the mug will fit the average cup holder in a car, though the circumference is not specifically stated. Still, the Espro Travel Press offers versatility and convenience to anyone who really values their morning beverage. This campaign seeks to raise $15,000 by December 21, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $35 with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Camping Chargers/Batteries

KaliPak soaks in the sun to create a powerful generator

When those dark and stormy nights blow through and there is no power available, everyone wishes that they had a good generator. KaliPak is a solar powered generator that is intended to provide power to individuals when the grid is down. Though the solar panel itself is not immediately available, it can also be charged via a 12V car-lighter socket or, when the grid is up again, using a regular electrical outlet. It appears that the only items that can be charged are those that are typically charged via a USB cable, since electrical outlets in conjunction with this item aren’t showing in the photos. However, there may be KaliPak adaptors available for purchase that can change that. The KaliPak app along with Bluetooth capabilities are required to determine the specifics on how much power the generator has left. The battery itself is a 39amp battery. As for mobile gadgets, keep in mind that in a natural disaster or emergency, Wi-Fi connections and cell phone towers will probably be as unavailable as electricity. This campaign seeks to raise $250,000 by December 29, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $398 with expected delivery in August 2015.