Categories
Organization Travel

AirSafe Carryon neatly organizes your goop to get past the snoop

For those who are still willing to tolerate airport patting, petting, scanning and being otherwise treated as though they are one step above being a convicted felon, here is a product that aims to keep travelers in compliance with that three ounces of liquid rule. AirSafe Carryon is basically a toiletry bag that lets travelers tote their favorite products without the worry of running into issues of leaking at high altitudes. It uses small hexagonal compartments made out of plastic for liquid storage. If one is only going to be gone for a couple of days or so, this is a great idea.

Otherwise, it seems that it makes more sense to carry larger portions of those products in checked luggage, or better yet, just buy necessary items upon your arrival. Still, one of the foremost worries of liquid travel is leakage, so AirSafe Carryon may be just the ticket for those unwilling to have their clothes smell like perfume forever. This campaign seeks to raise $10,000 by November 19, 2014. Backers get one product for $48, with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Travel

Back to the Backers: The Purrch

Your favorite chair/stool alternative is back! It’s the Purrch, people, and it’s back in the crowdfunding scene and back on Backerjack. This stool-like people-holder-upper that features essentially a bike seat on top of a curved stick ran an unsuccessful campaign on Indiegogo this past February. They did not reach their $75,000 goal, but were able to raise just over $2,000 and got to keep it, thanks to flexible funding. Now, Purrch is on Kickstarter with a $50,000 goal. The product looks to be the same as on the first campaign with the same prices. One of these people-sicles goes for $70 or $77 if you want the matching Strrap too (get it?!). A product like Purrch makes sense for people who work on their feet or who are disabled in some way and can’t stand to stand for long. Unfortunately, even with the Strrap, the Purrch doesn’t seem too portable, which is the whole point of having it, to be able to sit anywhere. It goes against all of this sitting-hating we’ve seen lately, but, hey, every now and again you may just need to cop a squat.

Categories
Safety Travel

Winks is one of the least awkward airplane sleeping aids

Even if one can get past the noise, sleeping on a plane can be nearly impossible because of the awkward positioning of the seats. The 40 Winks travel pillow aims to change that. This unique design supports a person’s head by using opposing pull from the user’s own body in order to offer optimum support and comfort for the head from either side or from behind.

The pillow must have proper pressure distribution in order to work effectively, which means that the arms of the pillow must be wrapped wide and flat around the user’s body so that pressure is evenly distributed over a broad surface. This provides that necessary counter balance action and a nice way to get some much-needed rest while traveling. For those interested in checking out other travel sleep aid ideas, Forward Front Face Pillow Cushion, BoosterPalz, JQ Headrest, and Sky Tent may be of interest. For $29, early bird backers get one pillow with an expected delivery of February 2015.

Categories
Automotive Travel

Arctrike puts some power into lying down on the road

The Premise. With rising gas prices and a suffering environment, people are looking to new ways of transportation. Many choose bicycles or public transport, but for those who need a little power and privacy behind their ride, electric is the way to go.

The Product. The Arctrike is a recumbent three-wheel vehicle. The rider sits back and relaxes while he cruises down the road. It’s electric for extra power with pedals as well. A handle makes steering a breeze and front suspension ensures a smooth ride. Behind the back of the rider, the motor stays out of the way and is concealed. The trike itself looks sleek and rugged at the same time.

The Pitch. In the campaign video, the creators explain the advantages of a trike over a moped or car. It shows a man cruising around in the trike and his ride really does look quite smooth. The rest of the campaign goes into the trike’s specs along with the prototyping process. Arctrike’s creators really pushed their product to the limit in testing to ensure a great ride for all. This recumbent bike hopes to raise $65,000 CAD on Kickstarter.

The Perks. For $1,800 CAD, backers will receive the frame kit which includes most of the materials to assemble the trike by oneself, leaving out the battery, motor and other items. For $2,950 CAD, backers get the kit again, but including more materials, though still leaving out any kind of power. For $5,000 CAD, backers get the Arctrike and for $5,400 the better quality version of the trike.

The Potential. This recumbent bike seems like a blast to ride. It’s great for those looking for a fun and unique way to get around, at least in the warmer months. The creators claim that it’s safe, but stress that a helmet is needed to ride. One would also think that, being so low to the ground, being run over by a Mack truck might not be out of the realm of possibility. We’ve seen other trikes like this, such as the Horizon, which is designed to be a bit more accessible to people of all levels of ability than Arctrike. Still, Arctrike is a cool, fun, energy-efficient way to zip around town.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Travel

Navdy lets drivers stay connected without taking their eyes off the road

The Premise. No matter how many advantages a smartphone can have in terms of communication, navigation, and information, all of these things can become dangerous while operating a motor vehicle. Hands-free sets and dashboard mounts only fix part of the problem: using them still requires taking eyes off the road.

The Product. Navdy is a dashboard-mounted device, it’s true, but instead of being mounted in the center of the car’s console, Navdy goes behind the steering wheel. From there, it projects an image onto a mirror which reflects it back onto a windshield at a simulated distance of a few meters away, offering access to data about speed, direction, navigation, and incoming texts and calls without ever taking eyes off the road. Navdy is controlled with a mixture of voice recognition and hand gestures, allowing drivers to safely talk, text, and even tweet in a way that is arguably safer than any other alternative.

The Pitch. Navdy’s pitch video is an instant classic, and fans of videos for apps like Summly and Push For Pizza will recognize the humorous, casual style of the video in this introduction as well. The Web site for Navdy is standard pre-order fare, with lots of quality information and large, stylish images. The layout fits the content so well because the video does such a supreme job of entertaining and making visitors curious enough to scroll all the way through the data down to the ordering page.

The Perks. Navdy can pre-ordered at a discount, costing supporters just $299, with an expected shipping date early in 2015.

The Potential. Potential for Navdy is huge, both for its success and for future devices to reverse engineer it and add a feature here or a different UI there. Still, this feature set, the well-designed interface and interaction via voice and motion, and the combination of utility and safety will make Navdy a huge hit from soccer moms all the way up to commercial drivers. If Navdy only offered navigation tools, it would be useful enough to be a niche product, but by offering a complete front-end for any smartphone experience, there probably isn’t a single driver on the road who couldn’t make use of Navdy in their daily lives. Even better that it does all this without cluttering or obscuring all those other drivers out in the real world.

Categories
Travel

SeatSnoozer holds heads still to help nodding off in planes

SeatSnoozerMost people will admit that trying to sleep on a plane is nearly impossible. The creators of SeatSnoozer were no exception. So after a particularly bad flight and during the course of several beers at the bar, they began working on a solution. It says something that this is actually one of the less ridiculous looking plane sleep aids we’ve seen. Plus, it can be used with headphones. Plane engines (and sometimes the cabin) are noisy. So listening to music can be relaxing, help a person to fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer. At an early bird special of $23 plus a bit if your dignity, it will likely be a worthwhile investment for those who travel frequently. Expected delivery is October 2014.

Categories
Travel

Lolli-Simone umbrella contains the rain for dry floors

Lolli-SimoneUmbrellas keep rain off of us, but that same repelled rain sticks to the umbrella and then ends up on the floor when we find shelter. Lolli-Simone eliminates dripping after a storm and comes in a variety of fun colors. The lightweight umbrella has a hard case that, when removed, attaches to the handle so that it doesn’t get lost. Once out of the wet and cold, the umbrella folds and rolls up back into the hard case which is contained so there’s no dripping. Cases get lost all the time and wet floors are a big problem during the rain, so Lolli-Simone fixes two common problems in a clever way for the rare group of umbrella early adopters. Lolli-Simone will cost backers $35 with a campaign goal of $10,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Food and Beverage Travel

Mojoe satisfies the need for mo’ joe on the go

MojoeFor most, when mid morning hits, it’s necessary to get a caffeine fix. For those who don’t have access to a coffeemaker, a trip to the local café is the only option, which can get costly and time-consuming in the long run. For on-the-go brewing, try Mojoe, a portable single serving coffee maker. Simply load up the filter with your own coffee and put sugar and cream in on the other side for a fresh cup of java. Mojoe is similar to the Hey Joe Coffee Mug, but has the added benefit of letting the drinker use their own coffee, making it more cost-effective and convenient. One Mojoe costs $89 for delivery in December 2014. This portable brewer hopes to raise $50,000 on Indiegogo.

Categories
Travel

Smash Cup makes life more convenient for coffee drinkers

Smash CupMobile java might be the primary reason why corporate America is able to begin its day at around 8am or so.  But what to do with that travel coffee mug when the black gold that it contains is all gone? Likely inspired by travel cups designed to help with the consumption of drugs other than caffeine, Smash Cup suggests putting it in one’s pocket or purse. The leak-proof treasure trove shrinks from 5” to 1.75” and comes in multiple colors. It’s compactness and dishwasher-friendlinesse may be appealing to many coffee drinkers, but the inventors will have to prove the $15 value to those who rack up the points on their Starbucks app. Expected delivery would be October 2014.

Categories
Travel

Laptop Mate lets you lighten your laptop’s load

Laptop MateStaying connected to work and home while on-the-go is something that is becoming easier and easier with each new generation of gadgets that hit the market. Laptop adapters, however, would be one exception — until recently. Laptop Mate reduces laptop adapter bulk, and at 100-240V is compatible with 90 percent of name brand models. While this might make for a bit more room in the laptop case, keep in mind that the length of 180 centimeters is significantly shorter than what one might be used to with their original laptop adapter. Upon additional investigation, one might also notice that it’s an obvious knockoff of the Dart adapter. Nevertheless, for $59, early-bird backers get one product with an expected delivery of November 2014.