We’ve all been there. When our tablets won’t stand upright we use folded up socks, staples or any bulky item to try to prop them up. The Canadian-made Scööb — not to be confused with Shaggy’s nickname for his favorite dog — alleviates this problem. This plastic product is a tablet stand that is foldable and portable. It has two settings for either viewing or typing on a tablet and comes in several different designs. One plain Scööb costs backers $3 CAD or, for customized design, $4 or $5 CAD by September 2014. For only $6 CAD, Scööb will donate one stand to students from a school in Kenya who have recently received free tablets from Qualcomm. Scööb hopes to raise $5,000 on Kickstarter in its 45-day campaign.
Category: Cell Phone Accessories
Keeping track of who said what in a phone call just got easier for both the average Joe and professionals. The Recap USB is an audio adapter that plugs directly into a smartphone on one end, and then into a Mac or PC on the other, which will recognize it as a new auto input device. Phone calls can then be stored in the computer. They can also be edited using Audacity or GarageBand programs. This is the third go-round for the Recap team on ‘Kickstarter, which seems to keep developing new takes on the call recorder as soon as the previous version ships. For $79, backers get one product with an expected delivery of December 2014.
The Premise. File storage is something one can never have enough of. Whether it’s for music on the go, apps, or taking extensive photos and videos, it’s important to know that running out of room is never a concern for any device.
The Product. Fitting in the palm of a hand and offering up to 256GB of storage, the MBLOK is a portable storage device that can sync to any device using a traditional fold-out USB connection or via Bluetooth. The USB port is also used to charge the device’s 300-hour battery, while still allowing it to transfer files. Files can be moved at speeds up to 24 Mbit/s and can store any kind of files to be moved from phone to PC, or tablet to tablet, all wirelessly.
The Pitch. The MBLOK’s campaign mirrors the device itself: urban, fast-moving, stylish. The man-on-the-street interviews with people about the device paint a common picture of a device that is portable, useful, and attractive. MBLOK creators Kwelea Inc. are looking for $120,000 CAD to produce components and give the storage an interface for iOS and Android devices. Numerous stretch goals are offered to provide native audio and video output at $300,000, and official support for many more devices after that: $500,000 for Blackberry, $700,000 for Windows, $900,000 for the Pebble watch, $1,100,000 for Kindle Fire HD, and $1,300,000 for the Neptune watch. At $1,500,000, a final stretch goal is unlocked to create a smart shuffle algorithm for playing music through the MBLOK.
The Perks. A 128GB MBLOK is available in either emerald green or sapphire blue for $189 CAD. The 256GB model will cost backers a pledge of $279 CAD. A stylish wood-faced model is only for those who kick in $499 CAD to the campaign. All rewards will ship out in January 2015.
The Potential. This is the natural evolution of the thumb drive — something pocket-sized that can easily share files between any USB or Bluetooth device without the need for complex bridges or file sharing setups. MBLOK isn’t the first to attempt this, with storage big shots like Kingston and Seagate offering the Wi-Drive and Wireless Plus devices in the market already, but MBLOK looks like the first to do so via Bluetooth, offering a week of battery life as opposed to the mere hours offered by the competition. Add to that the even smaller body and the MBLOK looks like a great way to move files around painlessly and easily across any compatible devices.
One little-known risk when it comes to phone security is that an often-unlocked touch screen may have smudges showing the security code needed to access the device. SUNZs is a buckle for any wristwatch that has an NFC chip inside that can be tapped on the screen to unlock the phone, access key features, and can be programmed as a quick launcher for up to eight apps. The product is pitched in an infomercial style, and claims to be “the coolest and most useful tool ever,” which may be overstating things a bit. Of course, since it requires NFC, the iPhone is out for now. SUNZs is available in six colors, and will ship out in August for backers who pledge $13.
Phones and tablets have a multitude of accessories designed to make them more powerful when used together, so why not be able to control all of that when you’re not holding the device? The GoRemote is a Bluetooth Low Energy remote that is durable, waterproof, and has a battery life of two years. With wristband and car or bike mount attachments, the GoRemote controls all iOS devices with the ability to activite the camera shutter, activate Siri, or move through audio or video files. The small design and durable production make this an ideal control for those with active lifestyles. The GoRemote will be out in October of this year for $35.
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nflight entertainment often leaves much to be desired. Those with smartphones will often opt out of watching Spiderman 3 for the eighth time in the air and instead watch something on their own device, but holding a phone during a long flight isn’t comfortable. Standmio is a cardboard stand designed to hold your smartphone up. It folds into tray tables, car seat headrests or acts as a simple stand anywhere. Standmio comes with several different odd design options like a picture of a woman or crabs on a beach. This product costs backers only $3, making it a no-brainer. This phone stand hopes to raise $3,750 on Indiegogo.
With the number of crowdfunded solutions to lost objects out there, it’s surprising to think that anything is still lost. FIND 2.0 is another keyring solution that works in tandem with a smartphone app to alert users when they are leaving the vicinity of belongings, or through a reverse notification, the phone itself. Where FIND 2.0 falls short is in its manual search, where the FIND vibrates instead of the app using proximity detection like its competitors, but the ability to crowdsource a truly lost item and have anyone with a FIND app privately ping its location back if it is moved past is a great addition that would make this invaluable if widely adopted. FIND 2.0 is available for $17 and ships in June.
Premise. If videos of babies on tablets teach us anything, it’s that mass adoption of electronics knows no age limits. While digital pets have grown more sophisticated since Tamagotchi days, it’s not easy keeping up with today’s twelve-year-old.
Product. Drops are real-life stuffed animal characters, each with a different name and very unique fun facts to accompany it. Using an app and augmented reality technology, Drops become digital pets that kids can interact with from an app on their smartphones or tablets. Regular sized Drops are plush and can fit in the palm of your hand, so they’re “easy to sneak into class” – a very attractive trait for the average middle-schooler.
Pitch. A witty and charming pitch video features inventor Lenay Dunn explaining that she was inspired to create Drops as a child when she’d imagine her stuffed animals were really alive. She envisions Drops becoming this generation’s digital pet, joining the ranks of Tamagotchi, Furby and Gigapet. So far there are seven drop characters, many additionally available in “super size” – about the size of a basketball. Among the more creatively named Drops is Meowseph, who has whiskers and also, parents that compromised on combining “Meow” and “Joseph” when naming him. The campaign is looking to raise $80,000 in a flexible funding over 30 days which will go toward creating an initial concept for Drops. Specifically, the augmented reality pieces including design and animation will be worked on, and once Drops has a solid proof of concept they will go to investors to raise the remainder of the money needed to “drop” Drops in the market.
Perks. For $9 plus $2 shipping within US, you can back Drops and receive your choice of Firework, Vampy, Dropula, PB & Drop, or Mewoseph. For $12, you can choose to be surprised or you can reserve Corny. For a $15 pledge, you may reserve a Diamond Drop. Drop perks continue on up to a $10,000 donation which allows your voice to be used as one of Drops’ final “noises”, plus you will help name and design. If $10,000 is too steep, consider donating $2,500 for the “DROPelganger” package – get Drops for you and two friends with your name, likeness, personality and voice – best-named perk ever.
Potential. While the pitch video references Furby as a toy of the past, the 2013 holiday season proved that this little guy has upped his game. Today’s Furby Boom toys come in all patterns and colors and work with an app where kids collect, hatch and raise their Furblings. Unlike Drops, there is an electronic element in that Furby requires batteries and has a certain amount of responses it can provide. Still, depending on start-up costs, Drops has the potential to be much cheaper than Furby and can provide a very similar experience. Drops’ inability to speak back or make noises may not even be seen as a disadvantage to kids, as you can argue they are mostly going to be engaged in the activities possible within the app.
Many people own a memory stick that lives on their key chains to carry around their files with them. The GoKey is like that, but on steroids. This small keychain has memory storage, a USB to charge your iPhone 5, Android or Windows phone, and Bluetooth capabilities to help locate your keys. One drawback is that, due to its small size, you’ll only be able to eek a couple of hours out of its charge. The Stiktag also helps people locate their keys, but this is a much more versatile product. A GoKey costs backers $39 at a base price; the developers seek $40,000 in a 31-day Indiegogo campaign.
The Premise. Mobile devices open up the possibility to communicate and collaborate from any location, any time. However, the need to move the keyboard to a touch screen has also reshaped communication down from the blog post and the email to the tweet. What can be done when a full-length message needs to be sent on the go?
The Product. BestBoy is a chorded keyboard that attaches to the back of mobile devices and offers six buttons that users can press to type any characters they should need in communicating. The device operates on Bluetooth Smart technology and offers Braille support, buttons for gaming, and a web-based app is even available for users to get used to how they can type with the keyboard. With practice, using the BestBoy will offer desktop keyboard-style typing speeds and reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury.
The Pitch. The primary video for the BestBoy campaign is literally all talk, with no sign of the product itself. A video is then shown from an older prototype from 2011, with a bit more of a comedic angle. It shows off how the product would look in action and also gives viewers an idea of how long this keyboard has been in development. The explanation of the campaign goes into what steps that journey required, and how the development of Bluetooth Smart has given it new life. BestBoy wants to raise $50,000 to pay for the prototype and production phases.
The Perks. BestBoy is offering its unique brand of control for those that pledge $23 to their campaign. Larger quantities are available from two to 40 keyboards ranging in price from $53 to $699.
The Potential. Will we see the BestBoy at Best Buy? Probably not any time soon. As the developers admit. the chorded keyboard is nothing new, with the Infogrip BAT serving a niche for years now. The solution isn’t extremely advanced or innovative like Grippity, but the company is wise to point out less obvious applications of this device. The idea of having a functional, fast keyboard for mobile devices is one thing, but if it takes learning, one might as well learn Braille while they’re at it. Having real physical buttons to press during mobile gaming is attractive as well, but in a lot of ways, it seems the market has spoken when it comes to keyboard redesigns, especially when two-in-one mobile devices offer such sleek, portable full-size keyboard options.