Author: Ross Rubin

Categories
Automotive Connected Objects

Truvolo plugs in to vehicle diagnostics

The Premise. Technology is fabulous. Alas, we still do not have flying cars, but if we do you can bet they’ll be connected to our smartphones. In the meantime, car manufacturers are focused on connecting gravity-bound automobiles.

The Product. Truvolo is a small device which plugs into your car’s data port along with a smartphone app that collects data from the device and sends it to a secure cloud-based platform. The device, which plugs into a car’s on-board diagnostics (OBD-II) connector can clue you in to problems, help optimize gas mileage, and send alerts for unsafe driving. Being connected, it also provides several car-related services such as regular maintenance reminders, alerts when it’s time to fill the gas tank, alternate routes when traffic is heavy and an organization system which helps account for trips for business and separate them from personal travels.

The Pitch. Jaideep Jain, co-founder and CEO lays out the need for Truvolo in a straightforward video in which he also explains that the project was inspired as his son approached legal driving age. He thinks of Truvolo as “the place to go for everything car-related.” He explains that Truvolo can help make you and a safer driver by providing feedback on driver performance in addition to location information. He claims that in the future, Truvolo will even be able to block texting while driving. Other than the video, the campaign on Indiegogo features a link to the various press Truvolo has garnered to date in addition to some partial screen shots of the app.

The Perks. This project has many, many reward tiers starting at $30 for the most basic level of support with a corresponding reward of a Truvolo tee and letter of thanks. The first 150 people to donate $89 can become either an “early bird” or “beta tester” of the Truvolo device and app, with beta testers receiving the product about two months in advance of other audiences. Other tiers escalate to increasing amounts of product and rewards which include dinner with the founders (transportation excluded) and for $6,000 you can even become a “development partner.” According to the posted project schedule, units will complete beta testing in May and start shipping to Indiegogo supporters in June 2014.

The Potential. While there’s no doubt in the potential for a new connected standard for future vehicles, the concrete benefits to a product like Truvolo remain somewhat unclear for now. Similar products like Zubie and Automatic are already available in the market and it’s difficult to see how Truvolo will differentiate itself. Most people already know how to be safer drivers — slow down, use caution, stop fully at stop signs, etc. But there’s something to be said for hard evidence. If Truvolo can’t leverage that to change driver behavior, it may be seen as just an expensive way to remind yourself to get an oil change.

Categories
Connected Objects Pets

Best Fit Friend puts more woof in your workout

The Premise. Humans and canines are alike in that we all need regular exercise. Unfortunately, today the majority of people as well as their beloved pets are not getting the amount of exercise recommended for a healthy, active lifestyle. Having a partner in exercise can make things a bit easier, but people can sometimes be unreliable.

The Product. MyFitDog is a heath and fitness company that has created a way for dog owners to get fit alongside their furry friends. The Best Fit Friend (BFF) is a pair of Bluetooth-enabled activity monitors worn like a wristwatch on the owner, with the other clipped to the dog’s collar. Using the MyFitDog app on your Android or iOS smartphone, you may track the amount and intensity of your movement and even compare data, set goals, and interact with other Best Fit Friend owners.

The Pitch. Tianyi Joe Zhu, the founder and CEO of MyFitDog, is featured in a goofball video that includes commentary from his (presumed) dog Cooper. Between the schtick that runs a bit too long, Zhu explains the consequences of dogs not getting enough exercise, which include more trips to the vet’s office and possibly an early demise. He also explains how frustrating it can be for the average person trying to get fit via crazy fad diets and intense exercise programs that are impossible to keep up with.

He concludes that the only logical way to really make a change in your (and your dog’s) daily habits is to embark (sorry, pun intended) on the journey together with Best Fit Friend. Scrolling through the page you will see images of the different components of Best Fit Friend, screen shots of the MyFitDog app and more commercials for Best Fit Friend done by the funny “Hollywood team.” If the initial product video didn’t introduce enough of Tianyi’s personality, click the Vimeo link to one of his previous pitches. The project goal is $30,000 total.

The Perks. For $99 you receive a set of Best Fit Friend devices (one for the owner, the other for the dog). For an additional $49 ($148 total) you may receive an extra device for either an additional owner or additional dog. One generous backer willing to donate $5,000 will receive a full Best Fit Friend set, an additional device, and will even have the opportunity to star in the next MyFitDog commercial.  The final product is expected to retail for between $100 and $120 with estimated shipping in May 2014.

The Potential. Best Fit Friend will be tasked with drumming up supporters who need to be motivated enough to start a fitness plan for themselves and their pets. While tracking the intensity and amount of exercise is a solid way to measure exercise, it seems challenging to set a pace which would achieve goal rates of intensity for both you and your pup simultaneously. Still, it addresses a common problem that many Americans and their dogs face today – how to stay motivated to incorporate exercise into a daily routine. While Voyce is aiming at a more comprehensive set doggie data for you to analyze, Whistle is another activity monitor and (iOS-only for now) app for dogs (not people) which is available today for about $130.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Tablet Accessories

eShades provides outdoor readability on the cheap

The Premise. The displays on many of today’s mobile devices are very sharp, but don’t do well fighting the sun. Pretty much everything except the Kindle Paperwhite becomes very difficult to see. Unless you can find a spot in the shade, you’re not going to be able to work outside.

The Product.  The lightweight, collapsible eShades offer the protection you need to be able to see your screen. They attach using a tape that sticks well but doesn’t leave any residue, and they fold flat. The phone shade can fit into a wallet. If you want, you can leave the shade on as a screen cover when not in use. The idea is not unique — another Kickstarter project called Hoodi offers a larger and more permanent shade made of fabric, foam and magnets instead of cardboard and tape.

The Pitch. The video is straightforward and showcases the product without a lot of flash. The video has simple shots of each of the shades and how they can be stored. It also shows the screen on a tablet with the shade on — and the shade only covers half of the screen (not the greatest advertising). The project creators show, with a fan, how the shade can stand up to high winds — although you’re not likely to be sitting outside with your expensive electronic device in stormy winds, but okay. There are several diagrams below the video that showcase when the shade would be good to have, and also what models and colors are currently being offered. They do go on to mention that they have the same shade in a leather option that would be more substantial.

The Perks. They seem to be reasonably priced shades — for $9, backers receive one smartphone shade, and for $11, one tablet shade. A donation of $14 will get the backers a notebook shade. The rewards go up from there, offering each shade in multiples. The product itself offers some protection from sunlight and offers some privacy.

The Potential. This type of product will definitely have a place for everyone who has suffered the plight of trying to use their smartphone or tablet outdoors. There are many of these types of items that will be offered, and more permanent options (like the leather eShades or Hoodi) will do better than the thin eShade.

Categories
Apparel Aquatics

Ripflip bridges fin-to-foot evolution in one piece of footwear

The Premise. For avid outdoorsy types and those who work in nature environments, the transition between land and water can be cumbersome. Very few products actually allow a person to transition between streamlined movement in a land environment to a water environment, and footwear choices are even more limited.

The Product. The Ripflip seeks to foil flipper floundering by providing a comfortable, functional shoe and flipper combination. It is essentially a neoprene shoe with some tread and a short flipper attached to it. It has a heel strap for easily putting it on or taking it off,, a midsole for comfort and a sole that provides traction on a variety of surfaces.

The Pitch. The video was obviously shot by a professional and has a really comprehensive view of the product. It’s filled with shots of the product, including close-ups of the tread (designed by a large tread-making company), and shots of the RipFlip in aspirational action that may tip off some of the product’s compromises. For example, the video shows people rock climbing, but how do they know where they’re climbing with three or so inches of flipper hitting the rock before their foot? And how does such a small fin really increase a swimmer’s propulsion?

The Perks. This product offers a sort of hybrid shoe that would definitely protect your feet in a variety of environments and might help you swim around a bit. The tread on the shoe would help the user walk in water, for sure.  In terms of the campaign, you need to donate $90 before you get a prototype of the product.

The Potential. This product seems cool at first, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. How well can you really walk in these? Even the models seem to be moving their feet unnaturally.  If you wear these outside, but not in the water, what happens when your feet sweat? How would this product function from cold water to cold air? The Rip Flip may leave many unanswered questions, but would be good fit for scenarios such as beach lifeguarding or camping near a lake.

Categories
Winter Sports

Glo-Blades put the glow in the glide

The Premise. On the sidewalk or especially on ice, skating can be a spectacle, with professionals donning elaborate costumes that draw attention to nearly every part of them except the usually land skates themselves. Well, imagine ice skating with a light show on your feet.

The Product. Glo-Blades are strings of high-power LED lights that attach to the bottom of ice skates or inline road skates. The lights provide a greater depth to ice skating because of the refraction of the light on the ice, and they are an added safety feature for road skaters. The skates attach to the blade using a chain and hooks (for the inlines), and then they are attached to the controller, which is a Velcro strap that attaches to the boot portion of the skate. The product developers plan to add wireless gloves that can control the lights and change the colors while skating, and to eventually connect the Glo-Blade to wireless devices so that the lights can be programmed and timed to music.

The Pitch. The Glo-Blades video won’t break any Olympic speed skating records as it shine on for eight minutes. It does feature a lot of information about the product, its development and the recognition its received. The video and text do seem to name-drop quite a bit, saying that professional skaters have loved the product. Its creators clearly have put a lot of passion, heart, and hard work into it and have have been thinking about its roadmap. However, the rest of the arrowtastic campaign page content seems like PowerPoint slides that weren’t worth repurposing.

The Perks. The product seems to be pretty pricey right now. Backers must contribute $75 for a set of the lights — a supposed 25% off target retail value. They are offering limited quantities of their first production run to their early bird backers, and one tier offers a ride in a non-underlit but nonetheless fun Zamboni.

The Potential. While this product could be fun to play around with, and will probably be pretty sophisticated later down the line, there may be a problem getting it into rinks and shows around the world. If the Glo-Blades come off, they could be a danger to skates, and many rink owners might ban them.

Official competitions want to see how well the skater can perform the move, not squint at light patches on the ice. And among recreational skaters, rinks are pretty well lit, which could reduce the impact of the glow. However, we could see Glo-Blades showing up on the skates of ice show performers, kids (an extension of the light-up sneaker craze) and skate rental shops.

Categories
Tools

Laundreez gets clothes clean without the machine

The Premise. Washing clothes while away from home can be a chore. Sometimes machines aren’t accessible. When when they are, the cost usually renders the effort pointless, and most times you just don’t have the downtime to spend a few hours inside waiting for the spin cycle to loosen its grip on your unmentionables.

The Product. Designed for travel, Laundreez is a waterproof laundry bag that allows you to clean clothes as effectively as a washing machine. Featuring an outer PVC wash bag, an inner nylon mesh bag, and a screw-on filler cap, you simply fill the mesh bag with dirty clothes, insert into the outer bag and secure by folding and clipping the outer bag closed. Add water by unscrewing the filler cap, then screw back on and agitate Laundreez for a few minutes to hand wash your clothes without actually getting wet.

The Pitch. An anonymous British man presents the main pitch for Laundreez in a concise and pretty humorous video. Explaining that in addition to being able to wash clothes while on-the-go, Laundreez also allows travelers to pack less clothing. This makes travel lighter and possibly even cheaper after factoring in weight-related baggage fees popular when traveling by air. Other applications for Laundreez include use as a dry-bag when at the beach or boating, and even a convenient way to store and chill your favorite beverages during transport. The page continues past the video to explain the initial design, adjustments made and the process of getting a second prototype, which will likely not be the last prototype before initial production begins. Project goal over 35 days is £18,000, equivalent to about $30,000.

The Perks. Material rewards start at £14 which secures you one of the first 2,500 Laundreez (which one must assume is the plural). All backers will receive Laundreez for a discount, as the final product is expected to retail in May 2014 for £20.

The Potential. Laundreez looks handy, but may be used more commonly as a tote for after-swimming items — especially for vacationing families with small children. Still, it’s a practical option, especially for longer trips involving air travel where luggage restrictions seem to increase daily. The Scrubba is a similar concept wash bag developed by an Australian company, which retails today for $65 with free shipping to the U.S., netting out at a little less than double the cost of Laundreez.

Categories
Toys

Snaak is not your child’s building block toy

editors-choiceThe Premise. Lego lovers, rejoice! This new interlocking toy is going to be one of the coolest inventions of this century. Legos have held their place in the toy-building history, but it’s time to develop something new for a generation of kids who live on computers.

The Product. The Snaak is made up of 64 interlocking transparent cubes that can be arranged in thousands of different shapes. By twisting and turning each cube, you can create almost infinite designs, and transform the blocks from one shape to the other very easily. They used the number 64 because it is the first number that is both a perfect square (8×8) and a cube (4x4x4). This leads to the many, many possible combinations of shapes. They supply the mathematical forum that tells the user how there are more possible combinations of this toy than there are atoms in the universe.

The Pitch. This Kickstarter video is made entirely out of stop-motion, which is essentially a series of still photographs run together very quickly. This really shows off a lot of different shapes, and because it is a black background with just the product and the hands, it really showcases the Snaak. However, the photos move very fast, so it’s difficult to tell exactly how you would move the pieces to configure the shapes. That being said, it does make you want to get your hands on one and play with it.

The Perks. Beyond the $25 early bird special, you can donate $45 and get a multi-colored Snaak (and pick the order of the colors), and for $100, you receive five of the Snaak sets. This toy is complex enough that it will entertain kids who are used to playing computer games, and you won’t be losing all of the pieces. This is also great for adults who like to do Rubiks’ Cube type toys that love the complexity and kinesthetic properties of toys like this.

The Potential. Snaak has broad appeal and even some potential prototyping functionality beyond its entertainment value. It’s easy to see it showing up in a wide range of retailers from Brookstone to Toys R Us. One gets the sense that once people get a taste of Snaak, they may be back for seconds!

Categories
Furniture

Attiture puts balcony-friendly furniture design on the table

The Premise. Living in a small space can make arranging furniture difficult, and having a small balcony only adds to the challenge. Many outdoor tables have larger dimensions that are designed for those with more copious decks.

The Product. The Mercury Table is specifically created with tiny balconies in mind. From the tabletop to the legs, this little table will help you make the most of a small space. The tabletop isn’t symmetrical, but rather offers a rounded edge that slopes at an angle. In addition, the top is outfitted with holes that will keep the table from flipping in high winds. The legs are slender and curve inwards, which allows for chairs and their occupants to fit comfortably.

The Pitch. The video on Kickstarter is a little odd. The video content is viewed exclusively on a simulated old-school television frame. This leaves a lot of blank space on the sides, which is strange but not terrible. The film is narrated by the developers and relies mostly on drawings and one mock-up of the product. They are raising money to start production at local companies in Minnesota. They also included lots of diagrams about the product, both in the video and in the text description. The campaign is striving to raise $48,000.

The Perks. One challenge for the campaign of this pleasant enough little table is the reward tiers. Backers don’t receive a product until $359 for an aluminum version due in March 2014; that represents a supposed $60 discount versus retail. This seems to be a ridiculous price for a small, collapsible table until one sees that the stainless steel versions cost nearly $540 and up.

The Potential. The Mercury Table addresses a legitimate issue and does it in thoughtful style, but there’s nothing proprietary about making a small table, and for significantly less. It’s somewhat surprising that Attiture didn’t at least consider offering matching chairs. Perhaps the campaign will inspire makers of outdoor furniture will become more creative in their smaller table designs.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

Gerp Grip takes a stand, gets a handle on your tablet

The Premise. Anyone who owned a tablet or an iPad knows that these rectangular electronic devices aren’t exactly easy to hang on to. And it’s not a good idea to drop something that costs hundreds of dollars, either — especially when the screens are prone to cracking.

The Product. The Gerp Grip combines a suction cup with what looks like a computer joystick or pistol grip. It has a locking mechanism similar to those used in many windshield mounts to ensure your device doesn’t go flying. The Gerp pulls double-duty as a handle and a stand, and it can balance on softer surfaces like couches and beds.

The Pitch. The video features some bad dubstep as intro music, a “fishbowl” effect on some of the scenes, and the narrow screen (suggesting it was filmed on a cell phone). Bad editing aside, though, it does a great job of explaining and demonstrating the product. The name of the item is a bit of a mystery and is never explained although we can assume it’s a play on a vastly misspelled version of ergonomic grip. In any case, the pitch really showcases the product and explains why someone would need it.

The Perks. Your admission ticket to the world of Gerp ownership is $25. It goes up from there, with higher donations coming with colored Gerps, and multiple Gerps.

The Potential. There are other products that can act as both a stand and a hand grip for a tablet. But while the Gerp is a bit bulky (or perhaps ergonomic), it can work with just about any smartphone or tablet that has a smooth surface. The product offers a simple solution to a common problem. Until these Gerps catch on, you might look a little awkward walking around with your tablet on a stick.

Categories
Connected Objects Sensors/IoT

A little Birdi whispers life-saving things to your smartphone

The Premise. Everyone has those annoying fire alarms in their home, but many people let their batteries die or unplug them because they continue to beep for no reason. Because their notifications are so annoying, many folks aren’t too diligent about checking their battery levels. Or aren’t too disappointed when they get too low. Plus, even when they’re working, most budget smoke alarms can’t do much to save your home when you’re away.

The Product. The Birdi is a connected multi-use home alarm set to compete directly with the Nest Protect. It connects via WiFi to alert you of smoke, carbon monoxide, and 10 other variables such as humidity and air quality. It sends the user alerts when there are elevated levels of smoke or carbon monoxide, but if it detects sufficient levels of these dangerous elements in the air, it will dial out the fire department. Birdi can even notify you via smartphone when its batteries are low and automatically order replacements (although the standard AAs wouldn’t be too difficult to find at any nearby store.)

The Pitch. The inventors of the Birdi make their case well for a smarter alarm in a two-minute campaign video that features lots of shots of the product and families. They also note that they’re working with PCH International’s Highway1, an accelerator that helps take projects from prototypes to projects and may help increase their chance of success.

The Perks. After selling out the $89 early bird, the Birdi is now offering a $99 Indiegogo special for its flexible funding campaign. Units are due to be delivered in October 2014.

The Potential. The humble smoke alarm is one of the many things around the home that companies are looking to turn into connected products. Obviously, everybody needs one. And many can probably justify even a significant premium for a device that can not only automatically contact the fire department when you’re not home, but do so with no subscription fee. There’s cause to be more skeptical about Birdi’s interesting neighbor-notify feature, though, since that would likely require a very large installed base.