Author: Julia Herrick

Categories
Sports

Challenger tennis aid tracks speed and impact, makes players better with the ball

Every sport out there has become smart. With golfing aides and fitness rings, it’s now possible to examine every way a player can improve their game.

Enter Challenger, a tennis racket attachment that measures various aspects of a tennis player’s swing. This nifty little gadget attaches directly to the strings of a tennis racket. With Bluetooth, it communicates various metrics to the accompanying app. The Challenger is impact-resistant, weather-resistant and features a highly visible touchscreen display with four hours of battery life.

The app measures the speed of the swing, impact points on the racket and spin of each ball hit. It also keeps track of play time, types of swings, and how long the strings of the racket last until they need to be restrung. The app provides individualized profiles of players, gives tennis tips, and tracks progress over time.

Challenger offers lots of data that will certainly be helpful to tennis players looking to take their game to the next level. All it’s missing is a way for the app to interpret that data to provide feedback on how to improve, like the similar runScribe for runners. However, it’s feature of connecting the user with different players in their area is a nice plus. One can be had for $150 with delivery in January 2015. Challenger hopes to raise $75,000 in funding.

Categories
Personal Transportation

Marbel may be the first electric skateboard to pass for a standard one

The Premise. Skateboarding and long boarding have become popular ways for urbanites to get around. Bicycles are great, but don’t allow riders to easily take the subway between rides if need be. Skateboards are generally more portable, but don’t always offer the power necessary to get where we need to go in a hurry.

The Product. Marbel is an electric skateboard that claims to be the most sophisticated in the world. Coming in at 9.9lbs, it is super lightweight and can travel up to 20mph. It comes with an iOS or Android app that allows the rider to customize and design their ride by setting the top speed and acceleration rate or the rider can use a handheld remote to control speed. The app shows a map with a range on it so that the rider knows how far the lithium battery will last in the board’s 10+ mile range. Marbel‘s battery charges from empty to full in 90 minutes and uses a universal charger. The deck is made of carbon fiber and kevlar to protect the battery in all conditions while also remaining lightweight. 

The Pitch. The campaign video shows the creator talking about creating Marbel as well as his goal for creating a sustainable form of transportation. Footage also shows the board zooming around the streets of Tampa, Florida and how smooth of a ride it provides. The rest of the campaign goes through the tech specs of the board as well as shows screenshots of the very sophisticated app in use. Marbel is going for a $90,000 goal in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. Marbel offers two early-bird specials for the board at $999 and $1,099 for estimated delivery in October and November 2014 respectively. The regular price is set at $1,199 and offers backers the basic package of the board, remote and app with delivery in January 2015. For a fully customized board, backers can choose the $1,999 tier which gives the backer choices of color for the wheels and deck also with delivery in January 2015. Tiers go up to $5,000.

The Potential. Marbel is indeed as sophisticated and sleek as it claims. It provides great speed, control and portability for those who like boarding about. We’ve seen similar electric skateboards recently, like the Baja Board. The Baja Board boasts speed and power, but looks very clunky, and mountain bike-like for a board. Marbel is much sleeker, discreet and lighter making it a very cool option for urbanites looking for new ways to get around.

Categories
Home Safety

Slipguard sprays on the traction to keep you out of traction

SlipguardSlipping on a rug can be truly dangerous. You can purchase sticky under mats for rugs that keep them in place, but they always find a way of peeking out unattractively. Slipguard is a non-slip rug grip in a can. It sprays on the bottom of a rug and grips the floor. To protect the floor underneath for spills on the carpet, another coat can be applied as well. For the Slipguard kit backers can donate $50 and will also receive a t-shirt and one hands free cellular device for estimated delivery in July 2014. This product from Washington hopes to raise $18,000 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

Categories
Camping

TorchGlo simulates a warm campfire, won’t prevent hypothermia

torchgloGoing camping is one of the highlights of summertime. For light, warmth and cooking, most opt to make a fire to enjoy at night. If firewood is too hard to find or a fire is hard to light, backers can use TorchGlo. TorchGlo is an orange orb that your headlamp goes inside. It provides a nice, warm light and can be used outside in lieu of a fire or inside of the tent for some not-so-harsh light. One TorchGlo costs $20 at an early special price or $30 at a regular price with estimated delivery in September 2014. This lighting product from California hopes to raise $14,000 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

Categories
Fashion

Portocchiali are shoulder-bound aids to keep track of your shades

PortocchialiMost people with sunglasses either keep them on top of their heads when not in use, or lose them in their bags. It’s a shame to lose or break your sunglasses especially during the summer. Portocchiali is a strap that clips to the back of your collar and loops around with a place to hand your glasses from or a thinner strap that reaches up to the arm of the glasses. For this purposefully conspicuous product, the creators only offer one reward tier at €69. Portocchiali is a Belgian product that has a €30,000 goal for a month-long campaign on Indiegogo.

Categories
Health and Wellness Wearables

Upright poises to perfect your posture

The Premise. Poor posture can lead to a slew of health problems as people get older. Those who hunch from time to time in their youth will end up hunching over permanently in old age. With the amount of sitting that people do from day to day, it’s difficult to maintain good posture all the time.

The Product. Upright is a small device that attaches to your lower back. When your posture is poor, the product vibrates, alerting the wearer that they need to straighten out. Multiple sensors allow Upright to detect when the wearer is sitting, standing, running or walking. The accompanying app receives information about your posture habits from the device via Bluetooth technology. Upright is small, white and attaches to your back with a sticky substance.

The Pitch. Upright’s campaign video features several different slouchy people straightening up in situations where confidence is needed, such as an interview or date. Testimonials from users and experts on the benefits of good posture round out the video’s narrative. The rest of the campaign goes through the technology involved in the product as well as detailing the mobile training app that the product comes with. The Swiss-made Upright hopes to raise $70,000 USD on Indiegogo.

The Perks. For an early special price, Upright will cost crooked backers $69. At a regular price, the Upright goes for $79, both with estimated delivery dates of March 2015. Reward tiers go all the way up to $1,725, aka the company pack for any company that wants its employees to sit up straight, not a bad idea. 

The Potential. Posture is definitely a problem for most nowadays. We always seem to be hunched over our computers, books, or phones. Similar to Upright, the Lumo Lift also reminds wearers to sit up straight while tracking activity and posture using an accompanying app. Lumo Lift is a a similar price as Upright, but is worn on the lapel instead of directly on the back. This likely makes it a bit more comfortable if conspicuous. All in all, Upright is a clever product and, if it can stay attached to the skin all day, it will certainly enjoy great success for those looking to alleviate back pain. 

Categories
Cycling Safety

Cycle Guardian alerts riders to motorist threats

The Premise. As people choose to ride their bikes more and more, car on bike accidents have been on the rise. Sometimes cars don’t realize how close they get to bikes and vice versa. Accidents like this can be deadly for the cyclist.

The Product. Cycle Guardian is a cyclist protection system. This product attaches to the seat pillar of the bike, just below the seat itself, and emits a sound when the bike is too close to a car. The sound can be just a regular tone or can be programmed to play the cyclists favorite tune. Either way, it acts as a warning for those on the road to keep a safe distance.

The Pitch. The Cycle Guardian video features a short cartoon dramatization of the product doing its job. The rest of the campaign talks about bicycle safety as well as the creator’s passion for cycling. It would be helpful to see an actual photo of the product, instead of just drawings which is all the campaign shows. This British product has a goal on Indiegogo of £30,000. 

The Perks. For the product, backers have a choice of only one tier that offers a first production-run of the Cycle Guardian at a donation of £49. This product will be available before the official product launch and is characterized as a “limited edition” product.

The Potential. Bike accidents happen all the time and are one of the few drawbacks of cycling instead of driving. Helmets can only do so much when an accident occurs, but the Cycle Guardian takes the interesting approach of attempting to prevent accidents. It is unclear from the campaign if the tone emitted will be urgent and loud enough to warn drivers who may not have their windows down. The Bright Bike system uses bright LED lights to alert drivers, which is effective, but mostly only at night, but being able to detect threats seems to be the wave of the future.

Categories
Automotive Tools

QuickTrick SL/SLX helps keeps your tires aligned

The Premise. Out of whack steering can be scary when you’re driving. Bumps, potholes, hitting curbs or everyday wear and tear can mess up your wheel’s alignment over time. It can be costly and time-consuming to bring your car to the mechanic in order to have the alignment checked.

The Product. The QuickTrick SL is a wheel alignment diagnostic system. The product attaches easily to your wheel on the ground, so no lift is needed. It comes with a digital reader that uses arrows to alert the user whether or not the wheel needs to be realigned. The product is made of metal and is about the size of a tire iron, making it easy to store in the car itself if needed.

The Pitch. The campaign opens with a high-quality video showing the QuickTrick being manufactured as well as narrative from the creator about the inspiration for the product. She goes on to explain in detail how to use the product. The rest of the campaign shows testimonials for people who like the QuickTrick and different statistics about the U.S.’s high rate of tire use. QuickTrick hopes to raise $28,250 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. Early backers can nab a first production-run QuickTrick SL for $145 with an estimated delivery date of July 2014. Later backers will receive the QuickTrick for a $195 donation in August 2014. The highest $5,500 reward tier offers a trip to Alabama as well as accommodations. The creators plan to use the money from the stretch goal toward attending and competing in a large automotive venue new products competition.

The Potential. While the Internet offers a slew of “home remedies” for diagnosing alignment problems, all depend on feeling instead of hard data. The QuickTrick SL is a great way to save a trip to the mechanics by doing a simply diagnostic all by yourself. The reliability of the instrument is unknown, but if it is completely accurate, the QuickTrick will no doubt enjoy success on the automobile accessory market. 

Categories
Tech Accessories

Featherweight Pillar makes notebooks less of a pain in the neck

PillarConstant laptop and computer use force people to hunch in unpleasant ways while they’re working. A more upright posture is necessary for avoiding that dreaded hunchback look during old age. Pillar is a laptop holder that keeps your laptop up while also maintaining your straight spine. It is extremely lightweight and folds up for optimum portability, but you’ll have to tote along a second keyboard to maintain good ergonomics. Ventilation measures are taken with this stand and a pleasing angle is used to make laptop work even more comfortable. This Icelandic product costs backers $18 at an early price or $20 regularly. Pillar hopes to raise $22,000 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign. 

Categories
Connected Objects

QLEEK seeks to recapture physical display for digital media

QLEEKPeople love to display their records, CDs, DVDs and other acronym-identified digital files in their apartments or houses, but not all are nice to look at. The French-made QLEEK offers a way to store digital files onto little cool looking wooden hexagons called Tapps. Different designs for each Tapp are available online to make them look however you want. Tapps present a cool decorating opportunity for those wanting to display them. To play the Tapp’s file, simply place it on the QLEEK device that connects via USB to any computer and the computer will automatically play the video, song, podcast, photo slideshow or any other kind of file the Tapp contains. For early-birds, the QLEEK device and five Tapps only costs $179 or a regular price of $249 with estimated delivery in December 2014. QLEEK is striving for a $70,000 goal in a 31-day campaign on Indiegogo.