Author: Julia Herrick

Categories
Fitness

coreXtreme offers a rock hard core, lets you plank on planks

Strengthening the core is one of the most important ways to get in shape. Core strength helps your posture and assists with back pain.

Coming to the core scene is the new coreXtreme, a core strengthening fitness device. The product lies flat on the ground and is designed with two long planks and a series of multi-colored fitness bands. Each color indicates a different resistance in the bands, making each workout customizable. Using this product, fitness buffs can plank and workout their arms, legs or abs.

CoreXtreme joins scores of other fitness devices we’ve seen on Backerjack like the STABALLIZER and the BodyBoardX. While this product may offer great fitness training, it’s a very awkward shape and doesn’t fold up like many other devices do. In addition, it seems a bit limited in its capabilities. One will cost backers a donation of $1,000, woah, for delivery in February 2015. This product is hoping to raise a ridiculous $1,000,000 goal on Kickstarter—good luck with that.

Categories
Food and Beverage

Brewover 2.0 coffee maker makes it cold or hot for you

Coffee is not only a great way to start out the day, but pretty much mandatory for any caffeine fanatic. There are lots of different ways to make coffee, but some are better than others.

The Brewover 2.0 combines three different methods for making coffee: the ever-popular filter method, the pour-over method and the cold brewing method. With its copper design and hourglass shape, this brewer does it all—or at least does three.

The lesser known pour-over method involves pouring hot water through a filter and directly into the cup for super fresh coffee. For those who like iced coffee there’s the cold brew method. This technique is known for producing much more flavorful iced coffee than simply putting hot coffee over ice. It involves brewing coffee with cold water over a 2-10 hour period.

There have been lots of coffee brewers recently on Backerjack, such as the Evolve 3.0 and Cafflano. What sets the Brewover 2.0 apart, however, is that it provides cold brew, something that few coffee makers can offer. One will cost backers $60 AUD (~$49 USD) for estimated delivery in May 2015. Brewover 2.0 hopes to raise $35,000 AUD (~$28,800 USD) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Food and Beverage

Evolve 3.0 offers three ways to brew coffee, not just in theory

There are lots of ways to brew coffee and even more devices that go with each brewing method. French presses, espresso machines, Keurig machines, coffee makers and more clutter our homes all in the name of brewing that perfect cup of coffee.

The Evolve 3.0 is a three-in-one coffee maker. This simple product allows the user to make coffee using either the stovetop method, pour-over method or plunger method. With different parts, it makes it possible to enjoy a cup in three different ways depending on your mood or time constraints.

With each method, the Evolve 3.0’s kettle design makes it easy to serve the coffee. Best of all, this device doesn’t require any kind of paper filter as it uses metal filters of its own. This product is stovetop and dishwasher safe.

The Evolve 3.0 offers three great options for coffee lovers. However, in the morning the last thing anyone wants to worry about is boiling water, which the Evolve can’t do on its own. Perhaps with an integrated water heater, the Evolve will truly be unstoppable. One will cost backers a large donation of $300 NZD (~$234 USD) for delivery in October 2015. Evolve 3.0 is hoping to raise a whopping $160,000 NZD (~$124,800) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Health and Wellness

GiftAir portable air purifier cleans air around you

The air we breathe isn’t always clean. There’s lots floating around in our homes and outside, especially for those who live in cities. Air pollutants can cause serious health complications and send us into illness.

GiftAir is a portable air purifying device. It’s not just for the home, but can be carried around. Its campaign boasts that the product cleans the air within a 22 inch radius, blocking harmful toxins using air-ion technology. Running on battery, the device uses solar panels to charge up quickly and efficiently. It is white and made of bio-plastic manufactured from plants. Best of all, GiftAir features a strong clip so that it can be attached to strollers to protect young ones from the air. With no filter, it’s easier to clean and blocks out more gunk from the air, including pollen for those allergic to just about everything when the season hits.

It’s always a bit suspicious when a product claims to do something that pretty much can’t be measured. And the human race has gotten this far breathing in this horrible air. Still, data shows that the air is becoming more dirty and it’s especially important to make sure children stay healthy. This would be a great gift for those traveling to new places where the air quality is so bad it can cause illness to those not used to it, like Hong Kong. GiftAir’s portability is what really sets it apart from similar products. However, it doesn’t provide smartphone feedback like the Table Air, something GiftAir should consider adding in the future. Backers can have their very own by March 2015 for a $129 donation, provided GiftAir can reach its $30,000 campaign goal on Indiegogo.

Categories
Food and Beverage

Cafflano combines full coffee shop in one mug; brews java on the go

Coffee is far and away the most popular way to start out the day all around the world. There are a million different ways to prepare it, but those who want their java just so must either do it themselves at home or hope that a barista knows how to make their preferred beverage.

Cafflano is an all-in-one coffee maker that brews fresh coffee anywhere. Cafflano features five parts: a grinder, drip kettle, filter, dripper and tumbler. While it looks like just a regular travel thermos, it actually packs quite a punch. With this product, its possible to enjoy the freshness of newly ground beans without having to pay the price either in time or money. Made from stainless steel on the inside and silicon on the outside, this product is durable and sure to keep coffee hot.

This is one of the fancier travel mugs that Backerjack has seen. Most opt for a K-Cup type model, like the Hey Joe travel thermos. Cafflano offers freedom from cartridges, though may take more time and effort to prepare coffee with. One will cost backers £36 (~$56) for estimated delivery in February from London. Cafflano is hoping to raise £1,000 (~$1,500) on Kickstarter this time around as it was unable to find success in July 2014.

Categories
Imaging Tech Accessories

Foldio 2 mini photo studio gets great shots, even better than the original

The digital camera is slowly dying out as smartphone cameras become more and more powerful. Now, it’s possible to take great photographs with an Android or iPhone. However, nothing can replace the perfect photographing conditions of a professional studio.

The Foldio 2 is a portable set for taking photographs. When folded up, the Foldio 2 looks like a large flat folder with handle for ease of traveling. To set up, simply unfold and assemble using the accompanying magnets. Foldio 2 is made from lightweight white plastic. With bright LED lights, this little studio packs quite the punch and provides tons of light to make any subject pop.

The creators behind Foldio have found success on Kickstarter before with their original product, the Foldio. Now, they’ve improved upon the original design by making it twice the size. They’ve made up for portability by adding the above mentioned handle and have added an adapter for the lights so that they last twice as long.

The Foldio 2 is certainly an improvement on an already cool product. Amateur photographers have flooded social media sites, especially the popular Instagram, and this is a great product for just such a person. One will cost backers $65 by March 2015. Foldio 2 has already smashed its original $50,000 goal, raising over $350,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Kids/Babies Wearables

FixSit fixes kids sitting in a W shape; prevents pain later on

As children grow and develop, their habits can have major consequences for the future. For instance, children who W-sit, meaning sit on their butts with both legs bent and splayed out awkwardly, are at risk for back issues later in life.

FixSit hopes to prevent such issues. Designed for children, this product is a wearable device that affixes to both ankles. It can detect when the child is W-sitting. When this behavior is detected, an alarm is sounded. This way, children are provided with instant feedback about their position and can adjust accordingly.

Best of all, each FixSit looks like a toe-less sock. Made of black stretchy fabric, this product will work great on children because it’s not a bulky piece of tech, like other wearables.

One concern about this product is the use of a loud alarm to correct behavior. However, the campaign states that the creators are adding a vibrate mode so the little nose-miner won’t be disturbed at school by the alarm, smart. For their very own, backers can donate $300 for one “production unit” or pair for estimated delivery in October 2015. FixSit is hoping to raise $75,000 with the help of Kickstarter.

Categories
Home Tools

Quack Vac cleans your pool; campaign offers eye candy

Having a pool at home is a luxury, but one that requires a lot of maintenance. In order to keep the pool clean, chemicals must be balanced and dirt and leaves vacuumed out.

The Quack Vac is a pool cleaning system that can be stored outside of the pool. When it’s ready to be used, wheel the system to the edge of the pool and submerge. Quack Vac hooks up with any existing vacuum and filters out dirt and silt at 3,200 gallons per hour. This system is cordless for ease of use and runs on a 12V rechargeable battery. It’s claim to fame is that it can clean any pool faster than existing vacuums can.

While this product does seem perfectly fine with its fast capabilities, its campaign is lacking. First of all, there are few clear pictures of the product itself, but backers will get an eyeful of some bikini-clad babe. Clearly the creators buy into the whole “sex sells” theory. In addition, there are no reward tiers offering the actual product, a definite mistake. Still, for those who want to help, QuackVac needs to raise $48,000 on Kickstarter by mid-January.

Categories
Home

POD 2.0 electric laundry machine washes unmentionables, saves water

One of the worst things about dorm or apartment living is the common lack of a washing machine. There’s nothing worse than having to scrounge up the right kind of coins in order to wash your delicates under the close scrutiny of other laundry-doers. It’s also a huge waste of time having to wait for clothes to wash due to fear of leaving clothing unattended.

The POD 2.0 is an electric washing machine for anyone without their own laundry facilities. To operate, put one and half gallons of water and one teaspoon of detergent in the POD. The wash cycle can be adjusted between zero and 15 minutes. When it’s finished, drain the water and replace with clean water for a rinse. After that, drain the water and hit “spin” for the spin cycle.

POD 2.0 boasts water savings and energy efficiency. It’s capacity can take either 20 pairs of underwear, three business shirts, six t-shirts or two pairs of jeans. When finished, just hang the clothes to dry on a drying rack.

This product is incredibly convenient for those lacking a washing machine. It’s hard to say that it can really replace a washing machine, however. The capacity is a bit small and better for washing delicates or trying to get the stain out of something immediately. Still, for a single college student, this product definitely saves time and stress, and is reasonably priced too. One will cost backers a $99 donation for estimated delivery in May 2015. POD 2.0 is hoping to raise $100,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Lighting

LIVING room lamp moves around at will, boasts presets and dimming power

Lighting can make a huge difference in any household. Great furniture and fixtures are lost when there’s not enough light to illuminate them.

Most households use lamps to provide that bit of extra light, but don’t move them once they’re in place. As we move around and use our rooms in different ways, light may have to move as well. That’s why the LIVING room lamp is a pivot lamp with integrated Bluetooth technology. It syncs up with any Android smartphone for complete control over the light’s position. Either move the light around at will or take advantage of the preset timed options available.

The light looks like a typical silver pivot light and reach up to six feet and ten inches. In addition to its height, it also boast a rotation of up to 120 degrees. There’s little information on how bright the light gets or what kind of lightbulb it calls for, but it is able to be dimmed. The creators hope that they’ll soon integrate iOS into the lamp as well.

As an added bonus, the LIVING room lamp is made up of modular parts which can be replaced easily if necessary. The creators of this product may want to consider adding some kind of detector that will prevent the light from smashing into walls if its preset demands it. This light is going for a donation of $850 (!) for delivery in November 2015. The LIVING room lamp is looking to raise $80,000 with the help of Kickstarter.