Month: December 2014

Categories
Safety Sports

Rockochet makes sure debris doesn’t rock your skateboard’s world

A skateboarder’s biggest nemeses are the many rocks and random other debris that litter the floors of our cities. Unlike when we ride bikes and other modes of transports, rocks can be possible death knells for skateboarders. It completely and suddenly stops transportation, and the rider more than likely violently flies forward, sometimes into greater danger like a busy street.

The Rockochet is a small, lightweight attachment that connects to the trucks of a skateboard and acts as a miniature plow that deflects those dastardly, unforeseen rocks out of the way. The Rockochet is perfect for beginners and for those who simply cruise along rather than busting out hardcore tricks. The company stresses how out of the way its subtle design is, but pros probably wouldn’t want to add something like this on their board. For everyone else, the Rockochet deflector can be had for $15 to be delivered by March 2015. The campaign is looking for an infusion of $20,000 for production costs.

 

Categories
Maker/Development

Wizabiz business cards alight and animate when placed on a smartphone screen

Business cards are a great tool to have when networking at conferences and other social business gatherings. Wizabiz offers an opportunity to make a rather memorable impression with a business card. The translucent smart cards sit on top of the user’s smartphone and with the help of an accompanying app light up with color, animation, a short video or basic illumination, depending on preference. Then the card can be slid off the phone and handed to the prospect or new contact. The user can also take advantage of NFC to track who has viewed their business card anywhere in the world.

Given the fact that the average person spends about 1.5 seconds looking at a business card, this seems like it may have some potential to attract attention for a longer period of time and perhaps make a more memorable impression. However, the fact that the card is translucent seems like it could cause problems with contact information being visible once handed to the prospect or contact. This campaign seeks to raise $75,000. For $195, backers get 250 cards with an expected delivery of February 2015.

Categories
Winter Sports

Lumbos lets your feet rotate freely as you snowboard

For those who don’t ski or snowboard, the very thought of having your feet clamped onto boards while you careen down a slippery mountain may seem crazy. For those who do it, it’s an awesome time. Still, not being able to move your feet freely doesn’t always feel that safe.

Lumbos is a clamping system that lets your feet rotate in its bindings on any kind of boarding, including snowboards, wakeboard and kiteboards. With this kind of freedom, you’ll be able to have greater range of motion on the slopes or water. This feature is especially nice for those who ride the ski lift. With Lumbos, that awkward twisting of the ankle is gone on the lift.

While this product may be convenient when getting from place to place, for the actual sport it may interfere with coordination. Especially with snowboard where your locked legs are what steers the board. Lumbos would do well to consider a locking option on their product so that legs can swing free on the lift, but remain secure on the slopes. One pair will cost backers $175 with estimated delivery in April 2015. Lumbos is hoping to raise $15,504 with Kickstarter’s help.

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands

Wear both your heart and digital life on your sleeve with youWare QR accessories

]The youPass app by ThinkYou, Inc. has taken steps to incorporate social media accounts and other pertinent information associated with someone’s digital life, and compiled them for easy sharing. While it’s much easier to have everything centralized, it still requires a smartphone to be taken out and fiddled with just to share. As a result, the company has come up with a solution: a line of accessories dubbed youWare.

Each youWare accessory features a QR code that can be synchronized with a youPass account, so the code only needs to be scanned. Afterward, users can set what exactly another connection gets to see, so different connections can get different information. A wide variety of options, from silicone to leather to paracord to stainless steel bands, start at $5 and work their way up to $89. If the campaign reaches their $50,000 goal, backers should expect their own in May 2015.

The youPass/youWare combo is an admirable attempt at eliminating the many unnecessary steps at simply connecting with each other, but still requires a proprietary app to do so, not to mention accessing the phone to get all the info in the first place. Their stretch goal of incorporating NFC support would really transform this approach from a novelty to something truly useful, but then the company would run into the problem of lacking some smartphone compatibility. As polished as this approach may be, there are definite holes: making something like this truly accessible to all means the creation of a mobile standard, not just an app.

Categories
Safety Sensors/IoT Tech Accessories

FLASHNUB sensor tells you when the door’s ajar with a light show

The steady creep of wireless technology into homes has made the ability to stay informed less of a luxury, with home automation and sensor options becoming more commonplace as their design and price reflect the simplicity of their utility. The biggest danger with this approach is running the risk of being too simple.

Many  years ago, a device like the FLASHNUB door activity monitor would possibly turn some heads, but now can only be a lackluster idea at most. The device works by attaching a battery-powered sensor to a door that contains a contact point. Once that contact point is broken by an opening door, the device sends an alert through Wi-Fi to the connected USB-dongle that emits a three flash light.

The product itself is incredibly simple and is more of a DIY project than something to be considered a serious product, so its $60 price tag is a bit of a mystery. As such, there are other far more mature solutions for situations that require staying informed. The FLASHNUB campaign is looking for $50,000 to get the product out to backers by September 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

Shake your Polaroid picture with the SnapJet instant smartphone printer

No matter what kinds of digital advances are made in photography, instant film will always have its place in our collective hearts. Its immediate nature along with the iconic shaking necessary to dry off a fresh picture will always see people trying to incorporate it alongside new technology rather than letting technology render it obsolete. In no other product is this more true than SnapJet.

SnapJet is a high-quality, open source printer that produces Polaroid images with the help of any smartphone. It’s extremely slim and therefore portable, and above all easy to use. Simply navigate to the desired picture on the smartphone, place it screen down onto the printer, and SnapJet will do the rest — no app, wires, or connection of any kind necessary. The only thing a user will need is widely available Polaroid 300 or Fuji Instax film. When the analog nature of a Polaroid won’t cut it, send high-quality prints using LifePrint instead. In any case, the $129 SnapJet is expected to ship in November 2015 if the campaign behind it reaches $155,000.

Categories
Tablet Accessories

Clamp Hero keeps tablets hanging to help prevent nagging neck pain

Well, the claim that it is the first tablet holder suitable for planes, trains and busses is hardly a correct one, but it is another tablet holder looking to find its spot in a marketplace that is quickly gaining momentum in that area. Clamp Hero creators claim that the product can be used in most planes, trains and busses with most any smartphone, tablet or e-reader because of its unique clamping system. It hooks on the back of the seat in front of the passenger, and adjusts to fit the desired mobile device. It also folds up when not in use for easy transport and is available in many colors.

Interested backers might also want to check out Stand-pod, F2, Plinth, and Must. This campaign seeks to raise €6,000 (~$7,400). Early bird backers get one product for €21 (~$26) with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Food and Beverage

Spot-Not ensures your wine glasses are clear, saves you cheap detergent embarrassment

When hosting a dinner party or holiday get-together, glassware with water spots can be an embarrassment at an elegant soiree. That’s why the Spot-Not drying system was created. The glassware dryer has a multi-petal core that fits into any size wine glass. A microfiber towel dries up to 15 glasses and can be washed and reused. The magnetic decanter dryer includes a drying cloth with two embedded magnets for conforming to the inside of the decanter, and a drying mitt with embedded magnets for the outside. As the outside drying mitt is moved around, so is the inside drying cloth.

Spot-Not may also have a place in the restaurant industry because countless servers often have to spend lots of time polishing glasses for patrons. Wine-loving backers might also want to check out the Sonic Decanter campaign. This campaign seeks to raise $8,000 CAD (~$7,000 USD). Early bird backers get the complete system for $40 CAD (~$35 USD) with an expected delivery of January 2015.

Categories
Lighting Smart Home

BeON deterrent lighting system allows you to be on alert 24/7

Home security has seen a resurgence in the past few years thanks to how easy it has become to install and use smartphone and tablet-based systems. As such, the ubiquity of low-cost hardware and Bluetooth connectivity along with smart devices have made home monitoring a largely automated experience that relies on video and motion sensing to set off alarms. As effective as these approaches are, most companies have forgotten that deterrence is the first line of defense in protecting the home, an idea the BeON burglary deterrent system is based on.

The one thing common to every household is the humble lightbulb, maybe a little bit too humble. The BeON system takes lightbulbs to task injecting them with smarts that allow a combination of Bluetooth LE, microphone, sound processor, and rechargeable battery to protect your home. The BeON bulbs installs like standard bulbs and simulate a full home when users are gone by learning lighting habits over time. Constantly shifting lights give off the impression of an occupied, so burglars will think twice before trying to break in. Doorbells also activate the lights when users aren’t in, making it seem like someone is stirring within.

Its four-hour backup battery inside allow its lighting and security features to work through a power outage and that, along with its 20 year battery life, ensures a user’s peace of mind. The companion iOS and Android app will also let users enable Away mode, set lighting patterns, or teach BeON to hear their doorbell, all while still softly lighting a home with 60W of power. A three pack of BeON lightbulbs goes for $229 and is expected to ship in April 2015. The campaign is looking for $100,000 to make it happen.

A connected lightbulb isn’t anything new, but the BeON does far more than others like the AirBulb or even Philips Hue. Its modular nature will eventually allow users to add on functionality, which extends its utility. That said, it is pretty wasteful to randomly turn on lights but that won’t be a convincing point for those who treasure their security.

 

Categories
Running Wearables

Gaiteye tracks 15 measures to realtime running feedback

There’s nothing like going out and enjoying a good run in the morning in order to clear out the cobwebs and get the day started right. Of course, running at the end of the day can be a great stress reliever. Either way, Gaiteye helps those who enjoy running to learn the biomechanics of how their run can improve. The foot pad sensor measures key gait performance metrics such as the way the foot strikes the ground, stride length and cadence and several other factors. This way, they can learn what they’re doing right and continue optimizing their jog.

This product seems like a great way for runners to watch how they are improving and use that information for self-motivation, especially if they are able to use it in conjunction with a personal trainer. Similar to the runScribe, it takes information from feet instead of wrists to measure key running metrics. This campaign seeks to raise kr100,000 (~$13, 500) by December 19, 2014. Early bird backers can get one product for kr 940 DKK (~$127), with an expected delivery of March 2015.