From eBay to Etsy, people are making money by selling small or unique items,. But when sellers have a whole catalog to choose from, taking quality, consistent photos can be challenging. Similar in concept to the Foldio, the Lightcase is a fold-out housing that can be used to take quality, well-lit pictures from above or in front, and then can be folded down into something size of a sheet of paper. Using frosted polypropylene, the Light Case takes natural light and diffuses it evenly, resulting in a sharp, clear photo. The hole at the top of the Lightcase is lined up with a smartphone camera so the phone can lay flat and take the picture with stability. Online sellers and everyone else can get a Lightcase in June 2014 for $36.
Author: Michael Radon
A fever is never something to be ignored, and for children they can be especially dangerous. With that kind of importance in mind, the iTherm armband was designed to keep an eye on a sick child without disturbing anybody’s sleep patterns. With the iTherm, parents can set their phone to watch for temperature outliers and send an alert to wake them up if a child reaches that temperature. This way, prompt care can be given and little risk is taken while providing maximum rest. Parents who want to stay in the know during fevers can get an iTherm for $34, arriving in September 2014.
Wearable fitness and activity trackers are becoming something that active people insist on using all the time, so it’s no surprise that more and more are popping up. More like the Misfit Shine than a Fitbit, the Goccia is an impressively small, constantly worn fitness tracker that can monitor both activity and sleep. With a battery that lasts for two weeks and a housing the size of a coat button, the Goccia easily syncs up with a phone simply by placing it on top of the screen. Then the data is stored in the cloud for users to look at and monitor their levels of activity. The Goccia can be had at a discount for Kickstarter backers at a pledge of $60, and will be delivered in May.
The smart pen was a technological step forward that came with multiple steps backward. Touchy sensors and weird behaviors turned something that could have been a game changer into a novelty at best. Like major competitors Livescribe and its close technology cousin Equil, the Mimoto Smart Pen is a refinement on the smart pen that offers it additional functionality. By clipping a screen frame and changing the tip of the pen to something that won’t leave permanent damage, the Mimoto Smart Pen can be used as a stylus on non-touch screen displays, and the demo in the pitch video makes it look like an exceptionally good stylus at that. One key will be creating integration with popular apps as Livescribe has done with Evernote. The prototype version is available in August for backers who pledge $129, and more advanced models are also available.
Welcome to The Back-Off, where Backerjack contributors weigh in on two or more products being crowdfunded concurrently.
What. Smart lighting is becoming a regular craze in the smart home community. What is already out on the market doesn’t always do the job right, and so those who want to simplify their home through technology have a couple new options to consider. Both Bluegic and iOn have a new take on changing the most basic electric necessity of any home.
Why. Bluegic’s solution to home lighting is similar to some other crowdfunding projects, using Bluetooth as a way to control lighting even while away from home, using a mobile device to set timers as well as turn on and off lights. The inclusion of a push-button light switch alternative is also a unique personal touch of the Bluegic system. iOn on the other hand is more like traditional light-switches in the sense that one has to be in proximity to the switch itself to control it, but is anything but traditional beyond that. Using a capacitive field, iOn panels can be installed behind art, behind walls, and can be completely out of sight. Users then make a motion within that field, or place a capacitive item in the field that can be touched to turn lights on or off. Bluegic switches range from $54 to $69 depending on how many buttons are on the switch, iOn switches start at $40 a piece.
When. Both projects were launched on March 25th and have the same funding goal of $100,000, but Bluegic’s campaign is running 45 days instead of iOn’s 30. Bluegic also plans to ship in June, while iOn switches won’t reach backers until August.
Winner. In terms of what they offer, the Bluegic system is more flexible, but other options are out there that do the same thing. iOn is a much more refreshing take on the modernization of home lighting, and while it certainly could have its faults in terms of accidentally tripping the lights, would be more cost effective to put into a home and not require any other devices. iOn gets the edge here for its innovation and cost.
The Premise. There’s something about a shower that brings out the inner rock star in people. Whether it’s the acoustics of a bathroom or the resemblance between showerheads and microphones, who doesn’t like a little music in the shower?
The Product. Speaker Creatures are fun, shower-safe Bluetooth speakers that sync up with devices up to 30 feet away to bring the whole band into the shower. With suction cups, the Speaker Creatures (thematically shaped like an octopus and a snail) can stick to any surface and play music for approximate 6 hours of battery life before it needs recharging. Better yet, the speaker itself has a control panel allowing owners to play their favorite songs without having to track water through the house. A built-in microphone is also available to take any incoming phone calls — a dubious proposition in the shower, but one that is blissfully free of video capability.
The Pitch. Speaker Creature developer OnHand embraces the cute, fun design of its creatures for its campaign video, breaking up a showcase of the speaker’s features with a little stop-motion animation of the speakers themselves. OnHand also shows off some early design ideas and even how Speaker Creatures can be used as a phone stand outside of the shower, thanks to its universal suction cup design. OnHand wants to raise $15,000 to prepare its inventory for launch and to create the special mold required for the device.
The Perks. Backers who want a snail-shaped speaker can get one at $25, while the octopus is currently only available for $30 pledges. These speakers will be blasting out tunes by May 2014.
The Potential. A lot of people would probably love to have a little accompaniment to rock out with while singing in the shower. Waterproof speakers like these are nothing new, but the fun design and built-in music player controls certainly give Speaker Creatures an edge. The less said about being able to answer phone calls while taking a shower, however, the better. Speaker Creatures are fun and sure to be well-liked by children and adults, but based on the technology and the price, audiophiles will probably be passing.
The Premise. From the 40-yard dash to the infield single, speed is a crucial element for almost every athlete. Private coaching is expensive and just not conveniently accessed every time the opportunity to train arises.
The Product. The XBand Speed Pro System is a three-component setup that can analyze runners of all ages and advise them how to get a better start at the line and how to finish with the fastest time. With a body sensor that fits arms or clips onto clothing, starting form and acceleration can be tracked even when practicing alone. The finish line module can be placed at any distance and tracks run times down to hundredths of seconds. Finally, the smartphone adapter clips in using the audio jack and interfaces with the Speed Pro app to communicate with the sensors, provide feedback, and track performance both over time and with other users. The setup requires 4 AA batteries and a CE2032 battery.
The Pitch. The XBand Sports team is quick to identify the need for quality coaching with the lack of convenient, available options. Showing off how simple and flexible the system is to set up with various distances and running styles, as well as the possibility for updates to the app down the line, it’s clear how the Speed Pro System can benefit amateur athletes. The campaign text and photos get into more technical details regarding the operation and internal components of the equipment. XBand Sports wants to raise $150,000 to get out of the prototype phase and begin proper tooling.
The Perks. A complete XBand Speed Pro System is available in October 2014 to backers who pledge at least $100. Additional sets can be ordered at higher reward tiers.
The Potential. Considering the one-dimensional application of tracking and analysis this device performs compared to other wearable personal trainers as it applies only to running, the XBand Speed Pro isn’t going to finish first at market. It continues the trend of specialized fitness wearables that have been parading through crowdfunding sites. However, track coaches and running enthusiasts obsessed with speed will find an affordable solution that will give them real answers without hiring a trained coach to give pointers. This product looks good only in sprints – anyone wanting to do more than just run fast has plenty of other options available.
What. The photo frame industry continues to survive, even in the digital era, by providing a physical home for digital memories. However, the proliferation of digital images from smartphones have overwhelmed the ability to keep up with framing. Two Kickstarter projects – Fotobit and Republic Frames – each have a similar take on this problem.
Why. Both Fotobit and Republic Frames have the same idea: modular frames that can be clipped together to create unique “storyboards” to tell a tale through photographs. Fotobit’s uniform squares — optimized for Instagram — look ultra-modern, like a kind of photograph Tetris that can be installed with a single nail and include a clip for a bubble level to make sure they’re straight. Republic Frames uses stainless steel and clear magnetic clips to hold photos in place and arrange them in any 3D paneling scheme. A 3-pack of 4”x4” Fotobit frames costs $30, while a 2-pack of 4”x6” Republic Frames is $79.
When. Both of these California companies launched their Kickstarters within a day of each other, and are both running 30-day campaigns. Republic Frames was first to post, but Fotobit expects its product to ship in May 2014 compared to Republic Frames’ June.
Winner. The number of options the Republic Frames setup offers is more convenient, with frames for two different sizes of photos and a host of configuration schemes that do more than rest on walls as the Fotobits must.
However, there’s something to be said about the uniformity of Fotobit when you can get roughly four times the frames for the same cost. Plus, there’s something about the way the Fotobits can still be creatively deployed, but that boils down to a matter of personal taste. In terms of price and shipping date, Fotobit looks like the winner here, but Republic Frames is a close, close second.
The Premise. For all that humanity has learned about growing and harvesting plants, botany still tends to be something of an inexact science for the average person. Instead of attributing a plant’s success to whether or not one has a green thumb, one company wants to offer a more precise method of understanding plants.
The Product. The Micro Experimental Growing system, or MEG for short, is an indoor greenhouse that looks like a tricked-out gaming PC, but is really a connected, totally customizable platform for growing almost any plants. Connecting to tablets and mobile devices, this Arduino-based device can control temperature, humidity, ventilation, light intensity and cycles, and even soil pH levels. The device will be completely open-source and only requires about as much power as a modern television. Additionally, it includes a social platform allowing users to share their data when they understand the right settings to make a plant flourish.
The Pitch. Italian developer Yradia is excited to geek out about MEG in its video and it’s easy to see why. In addition to looking sleek and very modern, MEG looks simple to use once it’s running. The campaign photos explain the different components of MEG, how the social aspect will work, and covers the daunting, customizable reward tiers. Yradia wants to raise £98,000 to develop the online aspects and get started with manufacturing. It has also set up a stretch goal at £350,000 to begin a beta testing program, having users grow three plants under a variety of conditions to compare results.
The Perks. Though the individual pieces and peripherals are available at lower tiers for those who already have a botanical setup, a complete MEG kit isn’t available until the £2,800 tier, at which point the device arrives disassembled. For those who are better working with plants than they are technology, a fully assembled unit is available for £3500. The components will ship in September, the pre-assembled units follow in October, and the DIY kit after that in November.
The Potential. There is a ton of potential here for home growers, botany enthusiasts, and especially for scientists. By being able to perfectly control and replicate the variables involved in growing a plant, laboratories on different continents can contribute to the same experiment. It is likely more involved than the average hobbyist will want to take part in, but anybody who wants to grow the best plants will need a MEG, or something like it, before long.
Surly Bikes introduced the 29+ tire size to the world in 2012 and up until now were the only manufacturers of the light, fast, high-grip off-road bikes that used them. Now, Singular Cycles is announcing its own model, the Singular Rooster, designed from the start to handle these new versatile tires. The video introduction is short and sweet and the campaign description will satisfy any cycling junkie’s appetite to learn more. Singular Rooster bicycles will be available in three different sizes, will ship in July, and with a very limited run for backers outside the European Union, they can be had for £450.