Ever wanted a bracelet that had your DNA code laser-engraved on it? No? Well, either way you can now buy one. DNAME is offering a completely customized bracelet that contains the DNA code of you, your loved one, or your stalking target. While it may be expensive to get your exact code, they’ll invest the time and effort to get those sequences on a clunky piece of silver jewelry for you to wear always. The only answer to why someone would want one of these is, “Why not?” One of these Italian-made DNAME bracelets will cost early backers £79 with a regular price of £89. DNAME hopes to raise £15,000 in its 30-day stint on Kickstarter.
Author: Julia Herrick
The Premise. Perfecting the one-handed shot in basketball is essential to honing a player’s game. It’s difficult to learn this shot, however, and most make the mistake of using two hands which can mess up the accuracy of the shot.
The Product. The Shoot Natural Glove is a basketball shooting training tool that allows players to feel what it’s like to shoot a proper one-handed basket. It is simply a glove that shapes the hand in the correct way for a one-handed shot by eliminating “thumbing”, one of the biggest problems in basketball shooting according to the campaign. The glove is black, fingerless, reversible and keeps the thumb rigid with a piece of built-in plastic.
The Pitch. Shot in a gym and accompanied by a number of demos as well as a cameo by a former NBA pro, the video for the Natural Glove tells the story of how the creator came inspired to create the glove. After breaking his thumb and ignoring doctors’ orders about staying off the court, he discovered that his cast helped his game. It was this incident that gave him the idea for his product. This shooting aid hopes to raise a relatively modest $5,000 in a 30-day run on Kickstarter.
The Perks. One Shoot Glove goes for $30 on Kickstarter with an estimated delivery date of June 2014. Reward tiers go up to $250. A stretch goal of $15,000 has been set to allow for more options for glove colors in the future.
The Potential. Other products don’t seem to offer the flexibility that the Shoot Natural Glove does. For instance, the J-Glove isn’t ambidextrous like the Natural Glove is and can only be bought either for the left side or right side. The Shotloc aid is quite rigid and doesn’t really teach the player what a good shot feels like, but only really works when worn with few lasting effects. It seems that the Shoot Natural Glove is one of the few out there that focuses on the guide hand alone, teaches muscle memory and doesn’t constrict the hand like other aids do. In addition, the price isn’t bad either, especially for a glove that fits onto both the left and right hands.
Ever ride around on a bike in a cute skirt only to end up flashing the world when a gust of wind blows your honor away? Try KATCH, a magnet that keeps your skirt in place when on the go. The metal cuff can be worn as a bracelet or honor-preserver by weighing short skirts or dresses down so nothing is revealed. This clever product may be just the thing for pedal-pumping women unwilling to compromise style for functionality. KATCH comes in different styles and colors and one goes for only $10 with an estimated delivery date of May 2014. KATCH hopes to catch $5,000 from backers in their 30-day run on Kickstarter.
The Premise. Keys, bags, phones and other things are essential items for leaving the house. Most people opt to use a special bowl or shelf for their varied accoutrements, but their items tend to get messy when all thrown in the same place. Other storage systems that hang on the wall keep those important accessories in place, but can also make them difficult to access.
The Product. Geco Hub offers a way to keep your accessories handy, but organized at the same time. As the campaign refers to it in a way that tugs at the heartstrings, it is the “home for things without a home.” Using a series of rubber pegs and circles, the hub holds your stuff without poking holes into anything. The shelf is easily assembled and can be adhered or screwed into the wall. This organizational accessory comes in different sizes and colors including black, blue, green, pink and white.
The Pitch. Geco’s campaign starts with a video showing the different ways the product can be used and configured to make different patterns with the colors available. Simon Lyons, the British creator, is a little bland if charming enough in the video. The rest of the campaign shows different design possibilities for the wall fixture and details exactly what the reward tiers offer. Geco hopes to raise £35,000 in their 35-day Kickstarter campaign.
The Perks. One Geco Hub, which is a 5×5 unit, goes for £25 with an estimated delivery date of October 2014. Other perk levels offer different sizes of the hub up to a 15×15 unit for £269. Reward tiers go all the way up to £540.
The Potential. Other products out there have attempted to solve the whole key and letters by the door problem. Most approach it from a more direct stance like the InterDesign Key and Mail Rack that has hooks and a shelf specifically meant for key rings. The Geco Hub is more versatile in what it can hold and, according to the campaign, can hold a great deal of weight. This nifty product is also great for tools or even bathroom accessories making it valuable all over the house. While a little expensive, the Geco Hub is a cool and multipurpose addition for any home.
Many home accessories that make life a little easier forget design and succumb to functionality only, much like the U-Hook. Ziggy — not to be confused with the comic strip character (even though it resembles the detail on Charlie Brown’s shirt) — is a functional hook with a little bit of interior design added on. One Ziggy looks simply like the top of a triangle, but when put together, these hooks look like zigzags. Items either hang off or rest on top of this nifty hook system and sizes are easily customizable. One of these Australian-made hooks goes for $15 AUD with a black or white option and an estimated delivery date of August 2014. Its creators hope to raise $10,000 AUD in their 30-day Kickstarter campaign.
Working long hours at a computer can be hard on your back, wrists and sometimes soul. It’s easy to forget that even while not in motion, you may not be taking care of your body. Mousebar is a product designed to be ergonomic and friendly to the human wrist. It is long, comes in several different colors and supports your arm from elbow to wrist on the side that you control your mouse from. While slightly clunky, Mousebar is great for compulsive computer-ites and goes for $19 early or $29 regularly on Kickstarter. Mousebar’s creators hope to raise $11,000 in their 30-day campaign.
Home improvement could use some improvement with more universal solutions to everyday problems. U-Hook offers backers the chance to hang up their clotheslines, suits, picture frames, and more with one simple product. With several different mounting options including a peg or hook option, this nifty, albeit slightly unattractive, product comes with dozens of hanging possibilities. One of these German-made household items goes for a steep £49 on Kickstarter with an estimated delivery date of June 2014. U-Hook’s creators hope to raise a very low £1,000 in their 31-day campaign.
Cycling is a hot sport, made even more so by helmets. KoldRush is a cooling system that delivers water from a bottle directly to a cyclists head via their helmet at the touch of a button. It basically sweats more for you, so that you can ride to your heart’s content. Concerns that the extremely short-range rain could interfere with your vision are dismissed by noting a sweatband will keep the extra moisture form interfereing . This cool(ing) product goes for $200 with an estimated delivery date of July 2014. KoldRush is looking to raise $50,000 in a 45-day run on Kickstarter.
The Premise. Phones and other essential items take up valuable space in pockets and purses. They also cause for a messier lifestyle with everything floating around willy-nilly.
The Product. Snap offers a better way to keep your life organized. Snap is an accessory for your phone, tablet or any other portable device that attaches to other essential items such as money clips or earphones. This nifty product can even be used as a mount to put on bicycles or the backs of car seats. Using a male/female connector system, one side sticks to the device using a strong adhesive while the other side clicks into place.
The Pitch. Snap’s snappy video is silly and fresh, making fun of “too cool for school” campaigns. The creators are smart and use the rest of the campaign to articulate problems they’ve encountered with other mobile accessories and say how their product solves those problems. They really emphasize the fact that Snap isn’t the type of accessory that changes with each new device, but that it is universal and adaptable. Pictures towards the end of the campaign show different ways to use the product. These creators from Utah hope to raise $40,000 in a 45-day run on Kickstarter.
The Perks. Snap keeps it simple with only four reward tiers. Right now, Snap’s creators are only offering the wallet and earbud attachments separately. Both go for early-bird prices of $10 and later-bird prices of $12 with estimated delivery set at May 2014.
The Potential. Snap presents an efficient way to organize your life with tons of different possibilities. Lately, lots of other products have been trying to do just that. The Sinch is a small accessory that keeps your earbuds untangled, but can only be used with earbuds. The Nerd Herder gadget wallet is a more elaborate, feminine item that can hold a phone, earbuds, money, credit cards and other things all together. Snap seems to be the most compact of these attachment accessories, but one drawback may be that only one attachment can be used at a time. Still, its universality is welcome in the mobile accessory market where most items are expensive and can only be used with one type of device.
As bike safety becomes more and more of a concern for car-haters, the market has become filled with safety lighting devices for riding at night like Revolights. Lumen puts a spin on safety lighting and offers a completely reflective bicycle that glows at night. This retro looking bike offers style, function and safety in one product. For a single-speed Lumen, backers must shell out $1,245 with an estimated delivery date of July 2014. These San Franciscan creators offer multi-speed bikes at higher reward tiers. Lumen hopes to raise $15,000 in its 30-day Kickstarter campaign.