Author: Julia Herrick

Categories
Luggage and Bags

Kashmir daypack for women totes stuff, doesn’t include lipstick slot

Finding the perfect daypack that will not only accommodate computers and expensive cameras, but also necessities for the outdoors can be a bear.

Kashmir claims to be one such all-in-one daypack. This bag features lots of pockets, straps and slots for everything from camera equipment and laptops to water bladders and extra layers. The bag is made from high quality weather-resistant materials and, as such, is completely waterproof. With an atypical torso length and shoulder and hip straps, Kashmir is designed specifically for women. The bag is black with light blue accents.

Kashmir does seem like a great all around bag, useful for many different types of outings. The claim that it’s made just for women, however, is a little far-fetched. The campaign doesn’t provide much of an explanation as to why Kashmir fits women’s bodies better than men’s. Many backers will rejoice that at least they didn’t make the bag pink. Kashmir doesn’t need to appeal only to women in order to sell this bag. In the long run, it may actually hurt their sales as most men have a problem buying “female” products even if they may also find them useful.

One daypack will cost backers $159 for delivery in May 2015. Kashmir is hoping to raise $5,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Safety Wearables

Ayefi provides personal safety in the form of a handbag, or so it claims

Most of us rely on smartphones to do everything for us, from sending e-mails to notifying us about special calendar events. However, we’re limited to apps to provide functionality and few offer options for personal safety.

Ayefi is a wearable open-source smart computer that promotes personal safety. When a special button is pushed, it triggers a message asking for help. It will take a video of what’s going on and send the video to help. Ayefi will also display images as well.

This device is, at best, very confusing. The campaign claims it has functions for education and fashion, but never really explains what that means. It claims Ayefi has a sleek look, but judging from the photos, it doesn’t. In addition, the personal safety functions don’t seem to do much more than simply calling 9-1-1 would. The campaign is selling messenger and handbags that integrate the device, but it’s confusing as to why. The handbag will go for $100 with deliver in February.

All in all, this device is trying really hard to be something innovative and cool, but it’s functions are too confusing to get excited about. Ayefi is hoping to raise a huge $79,000 goal on Kickstarter.

Categories
Camping Relaxation

Nomasoak portable hottub provides a relaxing soak wherever

There’s nothing quite like the relaxation offered by a hot tub. To own one is a luxury. Oftentimes, staying in a hotel is made even more desirable by the presence of a hot tub.

With the Nomasoak, one never has to be without a hot tub again. This product is, quite simply, a portable hot tub. Weighing 45 pounds, it’s possible to lug this thing around pretty much anywhere. All one would need is a 100 gallon water source. Nomasoak is made from 100% poly plastic and runs via a rechargeable battery. The tub is appropriate for two people to use.

Nomasoak would be like a kitty pool without some kind of heat source. Using a propane-fueled water heater attached to the tub, the water heats up by entering the heat exchanger. The heated water then rises to the top, meaning that no kind of heavy pump is needed. The heater will go for three hours on one gallon of propane.

Nomasoak is such a luxury item that it’s hard to scoff at. Sure, it’s decadent and hugely inconvenient to actually carry hot tub around. However, on a camping trip where a car is used, it may be just the way to relax with friends, or just one friend. One concern would be the quality of the water. There’s no filtration system and the campaign suggests simply using clean lake water or saltwater is fine, though that seems a little far-fetched, especially for the saltwater. One can be had by backers for $400 with an estimated delivery date of October 2015. Nomasoak is looking to raise an ambitious $350,000.

Categories
Home Pets

Termitat keeps termites in your home, doesn’t let them damage anything though

For many, termites are little creatures that slowly and silently eat houses until they crumble to the ground. Most, however, have no idea what termites look like and don’t really care because they’re associated with costly home repairs.

For the insect enthusiast who hasn’t had a bad experience with termites comes the Termitat. This small glass exhibit can be displayed at home, in the office or at school and features, you guessed it, termites. More specifically, in case anyone cares, the forest-dwelling Dampwood termite. The campaign calls this a museum-quality habitat, meaning that, hopefully, the little wood-eaters can’t get out. To feed the bugs, just drop a thimbleful of water in twice a month. Doing so will help to grow and develop the colony. An optional add-on includes a magnifier to view the bugs up close, bleh.

From the point of view of someone who doesn’t want termites anywhere near their home, this product seems a little nutty. However, insect enthusiasts may rejoice at the opportunity to keep these little foundation-miners as pets. In addition, if a visitor doesn’t know what lurks beneath, the habitats themselves are quite handsome. Either way, backers will have to donate $125 for their very own for delivery in May. Termitat is hoping to raise $5,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Sports

TorrX pumps up your sports balls, won’t burst them

Balls used in sports need constant pumping to keep them firm enough to play with. They’re constantly losing air and, if too soft, can ruin any football, basketball or soccer game. The only problem is that traditional air pumps leave you guessing. Either the ball isn’t as firm as it should be or too much air is pumped in causing the ball to burst.

TorrX is a digital air pump that takes the guesswork out of breathing new life into sports balls. To use, just turn on and select whether the ball should be pumped manually or automatically. For the manual mode, it’ll display the ball’s psi. For the automatic range, input the optimum psi and it’ll fill it to that level. TorrX is long and skinny, perfect for throwing into any sports bag.

This is a great product for any sports enthusiast, athlete or coach who constantly find themselves with weak footballs, basketballs, soccer balls or any other kinds of ball. The battery lasts long too, boasting the ability to fill up 50 soccer balls on a full charge. For their own, backers can donate $45 to receive by June 2015. TorrX is looking to raise a whopping $100,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Sensors/IoT Sleep

Smartphone-adjustable ThinkPillow measures sleep, wakes you up

Sleep is one of the most important ways to stay healthy. Sleeping resets mind, body, and soul, giving the chance for healing. However, most have trouble with their sleep patterns, either waking up in the middle of a REM cycle or sleeping for too short of a time.

ThinkPillow is a smart pillow that is fully adjustable in height and firmness. It is designed with special technology aimed at fixing any kind of spinal pain. Not only does it come with comfort, however, but it also tracks your sleep patterns. With this data, the accompanying smartphone app can choose when to wake you so that you’ll feel alert and refreshed instead of bedraggled and exhausted.

ThinkPillow’s smartphone app charts sleep patterns over time and, as such, can be useful to physicians if something goes wrong. In addition, it lets the user track what they’re doing three hours before bedtime and can make suggestions based on those habits. For instance, if the user isn’t getting enough sleep, but drinks coffee every night, the app will tell them to cut it out. ThinkPillow also spies on family members and lets users see the sleep patterns of mom, grandma, dad or whoever else uses the device.

Getting the right amount of sleep can be truly difficult. They say you should get out of bed when you initially wake up in the morning, but if that’s too early for some, they’d rather get another half an hour of sleep. It’s great that ThinkPillow can tell when the person is actually asleep, not just when they intend to be asleep, and uses that to wake them up in the morning. While well-intentioned, the family sharing feature may get a little annoying to some. Though it is good for elderly family members who are too far away to check up on. One ThinkPillow can be had for $102 NZD (~$79 USD) for estimated delivery in April 2015. This product hopes to raise $50,000 NZD (~$38,800 USD) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

Pico eases time lapses with or without a smartphone

Photographers have many tricks up their sleeves. One of the best is using time lapses to create beautiful images. This consists of taking lots of pictures within a short or long amount of time to capture shooting stars, thunder storms, sunsets or any other very quick or slow moving eye-catching event.

Pico makes it easy to create customized time lapses. The device plugs into your smartphone and then the free app makes it possible to schedule the number, frequency and exposure of desired shots. In addition, the app allows for bulb ramping which makes it possible to change the light for shots going from day to night. Once that’s done, plug Pico into the camera which will obey the program.

If a program is unnecessary, you can use Pico as a simple intervalometer. To do so, press down on Pico and count the number of beeps. Each beep equals one second. When that’s finished, the camera will continue shooting at the desired interval until Pico is unplugged.

Pico plugs into the camera with different cables available that are compatible with 300 different camera models. Plugging into the headphone jack means that Pico is compatible with any iOS or Android smartphones running current or recent software. In addition, this product has a battery life of eight years.

Many cameras have interval options available, but all are difficult to use. Photographers are forced to use little screens and buttons to make their programs, with few options available to them. Pico makes programming a cinch and is small enough to live in the camera bag all the time. It’s unclear if the app saves past programs. If it doesn’t, the creators may want to consider adding such a feature. Backers will need to donate $50 for this product with an estimated delivery date of July 2015. Pico is hoping to raise $100,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Home

GreenVase keeps indoor plants watered for up to three weeks

Studies show that having plants in the home can improve productivity and mood. Plants are a welcome addition to any room, but like any other living thing, require some maintenance. Without the proper amount of water, plants will wilt and die.

With GreenVase, watering is no longer a worry. This vase consists of three parts, a soil pot, a water tank and a rope. With four settings, it will keep the plant watered for up to three weeks. Plants that need tons of water get it on the highest setting, while more finicky plants won’t get over-watered with the lower settings.

It’s interesting to see a product like this that doesn’t involve Bluetooth or a smartphone app. The rope is what distributes the water to the soil. It’s incredible that the GreenVase can keep plants watered for up to three weeks. It must be said that smart planters, like the Daisy si, can monitor moisture levels and distribute water accordingly. However, if the plant never moves and the temperature remains relatively stable, there’s really no need for manual watering. GreenVase may not be as accurate as smarter waterers, but it doesn’t really need to be.

Backers can have their very own for a donation of $29 for estimated delivery in May 2015. GreenVase is looking to raise $101,000 by mid January on Kickstarter.

Categories
Lighting

Method Lights stick to the ceiling; illuminate your Picasso’s

Those who invest in an art collection know that the only way to display it is to use good lighting. Without the proper illumination, beautiful paintings and photographs can get lost on the wall.

Method Lights are one such way to light artwork. These lights feature control over dimming, temperature and timer. Best of all, these settings can be controlled with a  remote, making it easy to adjust from around the house. The battery runs for up to 200 hours. In addition, installation is easy, involving a peel and stick method to the ceiling. The product itself is white and features a single beam of light that goes as bright as 800 lumens.

The campaign calls this product the “perfect picture light”. While it’s certainly a good picture light, it doesn’t really stand out from other lights. Though its easy installation is a nice plus for those who don’t want to put holes in their walls. One goes for $125 for delivery in February, provided Method reaches its $2,000 Kickstarter goal.

Categories
Home Tools

Toilet strainer prevents kids from flushing jewelry

Kids have a tendency to destroy things like valuables and happiness. Okay, maybe not happiness, but certainly priceless family heirlooms.

iGuard is a solution to this problem, straining out items from the toilet. Ew. Okay, yes it sounds disgusting, but the creators claim it’s the only way to prevent clogged toilets. The small plastic mechanism hooks onto the side of the toilet bowl. There’s a round piece that goes into the toilet with holes in it to strain. This way, it’ll catch unwanted items from going down the pipes. The only question that remains is, what about those things that you want to go down? iGuard comes in a case that opens with tap of the foot so touch is unnecessary. One is going for $50 on Kickstarter with an estimated delivery of April 2015. iGuard is looking to raise $20,000.