Month: December 2014

Categories
Organization

Elevation Rack brings added organization to smaller kitchens

Small kitchens can mean a limited mess to clean up, but they can also mean the frustration of limited counter tops for storage and cooking preparation. Elevation Rack is a modular storage unit for kitchens that can be used in a number of ways to free up precious counter space. This particular rack was designed in such a way that it can be customized to fit in nearly any kitchen, and it doesn’t need any tools for assembly–it just gets configured to fit in front of one’s existing kitchen facing. Adjustable shelves and attachments mean that users have easy access to their spices, herbs, wines, stemware, and even some citrus fruit for cooking those delectable delights.

Keep in mind that this product is most suitable for smaller kitchens. The folks at Elevation should consider broadening their vision. This campaign seeks to raise $40,000. Early bird backers get one stemware rack for $29. Larger contributions can get more rack options. Expected delivery is August 2015.

Categories
Tablet Accessories

Branch holds up your tablet, isn’t as big as a tree

The capabilities of tablets have grown more and more ever since the first tablet came out. Now they not only take wonderful photos or control our smart home devices, but also provide entertainment in the form of Netflix streaming and e-books.

The Branch tablet stand makes it possible to read or watch anything on a tablet in bed or on the couch. This stand features a long base that bends in the middle for optimum viewing angle. With an elaborate metal and rubber clamp, the tablet will be sure to stay in place. In addition, the part of Branch that attaches to the tablet can be removed, making it easy to use at a desk or table. This stand is also compatible with keyboards.

Branch’s creator claims it’s the perfect device for at home or on the go. The stand looks a little bulky to be carried around, even in its most minimal form. It doesn’t appear to fold up at all either. There are plenty of other portable tablet stands out there for those needing them. However, this is a nifty stand for at home, especially as tablets become a bigger and bigger part of daily life. Backers can have their own for £65 (~$102) for delivery in April 2015. Branch is looking to raise £19,500 (~$30,500) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Cycling

Helmetor lets your bike hold your helmet when you’re not using your head

What the heck do we do with our helmets when we aren’t on our bikes anymore? This is an issue many cyclists have faced, only to avoid even taking the helmet at all to avoid making the decision. While usually we applaud pragmatism here at Backerjack, pragmatism that puts you in danger is out of the question. This is why the Helmetor is answering the question themselves with their bike or wall-mounted helmet holder.

When attached to a wall, it’s a place to store to easily store your helmet, but the product shines when attached to the handlebars of your ride. The Helmetor is lightweight, resistant to weather, extremely durable, and most importantly out of the way while riding. Riders can even lock the helmet in place, making the option of leaving outside along with your bike a more attractive one. As much as the Helmetor promotes helmet use, this still won’t be the elixir to convince the majority of riders who don’t use a helmet now otherwise, unfortunately. In any case, the Helmetor is just £12 (~$19), and is estimated to be delivered by February 2015. The campaign is looking for £17,250 (~$27,200) for production costs.

Categories
Home

NutriTower brings gardening indoors, leaves bugs outdoors

There’s nothing like fresh veggies and herbs to compliment a much anticipated and carefully prepared main dish. Such treats are normally only available during summer and fall unless one has their own greenhouse – or NutriTower. This convenient system has special lighting that provides plants with the right amount of light for growing, so windows are not mandatory to make it work. Once water is poured in the water storage unit, the system is somewhat self-irrigating. The vertical system means minimal space is required for the garden, and it can even be installed in the kitchen for easy harvesting.

It’s not clearly indicated what special tools may be necessary for setting up and installing the system, useful information to include in the campaign. Backers may also want to check out The Herb Grower, Garden@Home, and Ecofarm campaigns. This campaign seeks to raise $30,000 CAD ($26,200 USD). For $50 CAD ($44 USD), backers get one standard seed starter kit with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Health and Wellness

UVIO skin scanner seeks out precancerous conditions

Unfortunately, the rate of skin cancer worldwide increases year after year, which is why getting a routine screening is highly recommended. Oddly enough, though, the jury is still out on how effective screenings are. Although they consist of a visual inspection by a trained physician, even trained physicians sometimes have difficulty telling the difference between benign skin irregularities and early forms of skin cancer.

One of the main reasons why it can be so difficult to positively detect skin cancers is because the signs that need to be found can exist underneath the skin, below what can be seen. Monarch Med is looking to ease the difficulties of skin cancer screening with their precancerous dermis scanner called UVIO. The product is a tube-shaped device outfitted with a camera that can take ultraviolet, infrared, and electro-optical images, a combination of imagery the company claims can greatly increase the success physicians can achieve in detecting cancerous cells. A Bluetooth, memory card, and a cabled USB version are being created in order to make the scanning technology available to a wider range of people at varying price points. The campaign is looking for $118,000 to begin production but there aren’t actual products to purchase as of yet.

 

Categories
Smart Home

Aquanta smart water heater controller quantifies savings

Many Americans are quick to turn off the lights or the air conditioner in an effort to save money on energy bills, but not many think about their water heaters as a culprit. As the second leading consumer of energy in most homes, the water tank is oddly left out of advice found on morning news segments and in About.com articles. With the rising trend in home automation pretty much everywhere, Sunnovations has taken the water heater to task with Aquanta.

The Aquanta is a smart water heater controller that works over Wi-Fi and instantly raises the IQ of the water heater in most people’s basements. The product is able to learn the usage patterns of the tank in question and use the resulting information to automatically control its heating element to best use energy. The option for users to do it themselves is also available as well, an attractive route considering the level of information its companion app provides about every aspect of a home’s energy usage along with the suggestions it offers too. The app also alerts users to malfunctions and leaks to prevent them from getting out of hand. The $99 Aquanta will be on backer’s doorsteps by July 2015 provided Sunnovations meets their $75,000 goal.

The Aquanta is a very polished smart water heater controller when compared to another, more low-tech option in the Jul Bujh. However, its installation is somewhat involved and the product doesn’t work with older, mechanical models of water heaters that may be in the minority but are still owned by many. In that way, the Aquanta is a little too smart, but ultimately a solid option for those with whom this is a good fit.

Categories
Cooking

FAB cuts cooking fat, lets you control taste

When people see or hear ‘reduced fat’, it often translates as reduced taste. FAB (Fat Absorber) reduces the fat in the skillet as the food is cooking and the fat is hot, and gives the user control of how much fat gets absorbed, impacting the taste of the food. The triangular device is made of FDA approved cotton that soaks up the fat and works with most any meat. FAB can absorb a whopping 20-25 grams of fat (equivalent to 150-200 calories), and works best when moved around in the skillet and dabbed on the meat to absorb excess fat. Another nice benefit to this is that it saves cleanup since there’s less fat left in the skillet. Once food is cooked, the item can be pitched in the trash.

In all of its eco-friendliness, too bad it’s not reusable. One will also really have to use this product in order to see if it really works, but the description sounds a little dicey. This campaign seeks to raise £45,000 (~$70,500). For £10 (~$16 USD), backers get two packs of 10 FABs and an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Smart Home

Tiny NUZii smart device micro-manages so you don’t have to

By no fault of their own, most of our homes are dumb. As a result, hoards of companies offer all-in-one solutions to take advantage of the opportunities that technology has to offer. Over the years, these smart home hubs have evolved from merely being control points for other connected objects to adding utility themselves. With all those additional features, though, their cost has gone up as well. The NUZii flips this idea on its head by offering a tiny smart device that not only helps automate the home, but also helps make the rest of a user’s life easier.

NUZii is small, really small. At four inches tall, the product is impressively packed with all sorts of functionality that will make most wonder how it’s all possible. The 2MP camera, air and humidity sensors, and Bluetooth connectivity all complement the device’s home automation functions, syncing up to other connected objects, learning the user’s habits, and setting custom profiles depending on the time of day. Apple TVs, Roku streaming boxes, VUE light bulbs, Jawbone activity trackers, and many other popular connected devices are all fair game.

NUZii can also connect to external storage with its two USB ports and, with the help of a Wi-Fi network, users will always have the ability to use that storage however they want from wherever they are with the help of an integrated download manager. NUZii is a triple threat in that it can also connect to your modem and offer VPN and Tor support to provide users with complete anonymity on the Internet, something that is becoming increasingly valuable as time goes on. The device clocks in at just $99, and provided the campaign reaches its $65,000 goal, backers will receive NUZii in June 2015.

NUZii isn’t the first of its kind nor is it the last, but it certainly makes a good impression. Similar products like the pēq, SherloQ, and the Neoji may execute some aspects of the NUZii much more successfully, but none offer its level of versatility, especially for its price or even size. The product’s app store stokes excitement as well, serving up the potential for vastly different uses than what the inventors have intended. Look for the NUZii to make a dent if properly funded.

Categories
Health and Wellness Travel

Sphynx razor packs along water and moisturizer to escape hairy situations

Traveling means making lots of little sacrifices in what to bring. Perhaps a smaller toothbrush or leaving behind that expensive moisturizer is necessary for extra bag room. Either way, it can be hard to stay fresh while out on the road.

For those who need to shave constantly to remain looking professional, try Sphynx, yes named after the hairless cat. This is an all-in-one shaving product for travelers on the go. Sphynx features a water sprayer, razor and soap so that not even a sink is necessary for shaving. This round product is small enough to fit into any purse, briefcase, or even pocket. It is round and, when opened, requires rotation to enjoy each feature. First spray, then rotate and lather, then rotate and shave.

The soap used is non-stick so that it comes off cleanly after the shave, a definite bonus. However, it’s unclear if the razor can be changed or not. If not, once the razor becomes dull the whole thing has to be thrown out, not good. Sphynx is really only marketed to women, but could definitely benefit men as well. For those looking to stay clean-shaven, one can be had for $16 by March 2015. Sphynx is hoping to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Music

Guitar Throne provides blended home for instrument and musician

The amount of gear that has to be packed up for a live gig can be daunting. So when a quality product comes along that allows for two or more items to be rolled into one, the average musician will sit up and take some notice. Guitar Throne blends a guitar holder and stool into one. Flip it up for the stand, and down to take a seat. There are also plenty of options: plain Baltic Burch so artists with painting and/or drawing skills can create their own graphic and perhaps use it to advertise their band at live gigs, stained model (backer chooses their preferred stain color), hardwood model (cherry, mahogany or walnut), or custom shop model for which preferred graphic and wood is chosen by the musician.

The measurements for the stool are not noted, but it is featured as a one-size-fits-most type of situation which has been field-tested. Interested backers may also want to check out the Bnd stand, Klin, and SoulPedal campaigns. This campaign seeks to raise $25,000 by December 19, 2014. For $150, backers get one Guitar Throne with the natural finish. Estimated delivery is currently set for December 2014.