Category: Tech Accessories

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Tech Accessories Technology

Mooltipass builds on Arduino to store your passwords

Digital security is a double-edged sword. Making passwords and credentials more complicated and harder to crack means that it becomes more difficult to gain unauthorized access. On the other hand, it also makes those same credentials harder to remember. As a result, too many people use simple passwords or reuse the same passwords across multiple sites and programs.

The Mooltipass goes a step further, preventing the possibility of passwords and credentials being breached using a software-based solution. With three-step authentication, the Mooltipass protects passwords and logins like almost no other solution. First, the physical Mooltipass needs to be connected to the device being used. Second, a smart card with that user’s information needs to be inserted, and, finally, a PIN needs to be entered to authenticate access for that specific card.

The smart card method allows for multiple users to use the same Mooltipass without gaining access to each other’s accounts, and also keeps data and access secure even if the Mooltipass itself is taken. Additionally, the Mooltipass can be customized and used to create a number of different functions using the Arduino platform that can be easily accessed by more advanced users. Mooltipass has a very specific goal to reach of $109,112, mostly to fund production. A Mooltipass with two smartcards will be shipped in March to backers who pledge $140.

The Mooltipass may seem like a lot of extra technology to lug around just to login to email and social media, but those who insist on proper security measures will love the three-step secure hardware-based authentication. Businesses who require strict confidentiality and security will want to get on the ground floor of this product for its security and its flexibility.

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Tech Accessories

GoDrive lets your phone or tablet read microSD cards

The Achilles heel of most devices is their lack of storage. Even if we find ourselves in 2014 with SD cards that have incredible capacities, our smartphones and other device most likely don’t have more than 64GB — a paltry amount comparatively speaking. In addition, transferring these files from device to device is more of hassle than it should be.

The GoDrive wants to smooth that process out just a bit by offering an extremely portable USB micro SD card reader that works with your smart devices, GoPros, and even drones. To achieve this, the GoDrive is compatible with both USB 2.0 and micro USB connections so that you can easily manage up to 128GB of additional storage on-the-go.

The device’s portability will definitely come in handy, but just don’t go sticking your new toy everywhere without considering a USBCondom first. A donation of $16 will get you a GoDrive in August of 2015. Pilot Electronics, the company behind it, just needs $40,000 to get started.

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Tech Accessories

Reversible USB Adapter lets you be smug about your plug

The tyranny of the USB port has finally come to an end with the Reversible USB Adapter. There are no surprises here: the product does exactly what it says. Attach it to any USB connection to instantly tame its fickleness and reclaim the few hours out of the year spent trying to jostle those connections into place. With so much time spent trying to do such an inane task, it sure is welcome. This adapter is part of trend of making what used to be a daily headache just a bit easier to handle: just compare this adapter’s good deeds with what the Super Motor USB Flash Drive does for storage. With both of these products, the utility is certainly there — it just needs to make sure it’ll last. If not, what would be the point of purchasing one now with the advent of USB 3.0? The Reversible USB Adapter is priced at just $7, while the campaign itself is looking for $10,000 to relieve your connection woes. Backers can expect this cure-all by December 2014.

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Tech Accessories

Flio blends wood, magnets to raise your laptop’s screen

Traveling and working have become evermore intertwined in the 21st century. This means more instances in which laptops must be used in awkward positions. That’s why Flio was created. The wooden laptop stand is slim, trim and very transportable. It raises and angles the keyboard for easier typing, which, in turn, lifts the monitor to a more comfortable eye level. This helps to alleviate neck and back strain that can often come when in an improvised office or studio situation. There are small magnets that hold the pieces together during transport so that they are less likely to get lost. Laptops can come in various sizes from notebook to full sized keyboard. That being said, it’s not clear if this stand will fit all sizes of laptops out there, but it looks easy enough to assemble and disassemble, and it appears that it will fit nicely in even a standard laptop case. This campaign seeks to raise €19,000 (~$23,600) by December 7, 2014. Early bird backers get the base version for €20 (~$25), with an expected delivery of January 2015.

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Tech Accessories

inCharge loops you in to tiny, flexible charging cable

USB charging cables determine the stress levels involved in our daily lives. As we’ve become more dependent on our phones, technology has not followed, resulting in battery lives that are far too short to meet the demands of a technology-focused day. inCharge is a portable USB cable on one side and a microUSB or lightning cable on the other that folds onto your keyring. This way, you’ll always have power available to you. inCharge comes in many different fun colors, is flexible, and short enough so that it won’t get all tangled up in your keys. The one downside of this product is that it doesn’t have a wall outlet port, so you must be able to attach it to a computer or laptop for power, unlike the similar Tiny TravelBuddy wall charger. Even so, this product will soon become a must for all smartphone users who depend on their phones. The most basic form of this Italian-made product goes for a $9 donation with estimated delivery set for December 2014. inCharge hopes to raise $20,000 on Indiegogo.

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Organization Tech Accessories

Cablestop is a small cylindical weight to tame your cables

Desks are notorious for wires shooting out all over the place making a messy work environment. It’s hard to keep them all organized as we continue to add more devices to the mix. Cablestop is like a paperweight for your wires. It’s small and discreet, using little slots to slide the wires through. This product comes in several different colors. In addition, Cablestop doesn’t use any type of magnet or adhesive so it can be adjusted easily. To use, simply snake through one or two wires.

Each Cablestop only holds up to two wires, which is good from an organizational perspective, but not so great from a financial perspective. The typical backer with a cluttered desk will probably need at least two to tidy up. One will cost backers $21 AUD (~$18 USD) for delivery in April 2015 from Australia. This product is looking to raise $29,000 AUD (~$25,000 USD) on Kickstarter. Some backers may opt for a more do-it-yourself approach to the wire situation by using binder clips as wire holders. For the less creative, however, Cablestop is a nifty little solution to your clutter problems. 

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Displays Tech Accessories

Minimax packs in the pixels in an add-on USB display

Anyone who has spent too many late hours leaned over a laptop screen knows the toll that the quality of the display can have on the eyes. Sencha Electronics have created the MiniMax to combat this very problem. The MiniMax is a portable, flat, lightweight 13” external display that is powered by USB and can plug into any device to offer higher quality visuals. With a 2560×1700 resolution and 239 PPI, the MiniMax is brighter and clearer than most standard laptop screens, meaning happier eyes for all. The Plug and Play feature isn’t device specific either, as the MiniMax functions with all Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms with a free USB slot.

The LCD screen is easy to pack up in a laptop bag or backpack and comes in a stylish clear housing to protect the display from scuffs and scratches. Sencha Electronics need $30,000 for assembly, quality assurance, and fulfillment costs. Interested consumers can get their MiniMax fully assembled for $329, delivered in February 2015. There are a lot of great options for additional portable displays, but MiniMax offers quality to put it above the competition. The only knock against it is that it may be a little late now that Apple’s Retina displays and the Microsoft Pro 3 offer built-in high DPI displays.

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Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries Organization Tablet Accessories Tech Accessories

Z-Charge keeps your phone and tablet bedside so they won’t hog the blanket

For those who can’t bear to be parted from their gadgets to the point that they even sleep with them, there is now an option to allow owner and gadget to share the bed…sort of. Z-Charge is a cloth-looking unit that stretches across the bed under the mattress. Velcro strips and the mattress on top help to hold it in place. Three pockets hang over the bed on either side, allowing for up to six gadgets to be charged at once via USB ports, and the entire unit simply plugs into the wall to power the chargers.

It appears to be fairly universal overall, with pockets of multiple sizes on each side to accommodate a total of two eReaders, two tablets and two iPhones. This campaign seeks to raise €40,000 (~$50,000 USD) by November 20, 2014. For €44 (~$55 USD), backers get one product with an expected delivery of March 2015, and a Christmas postcard stating that it is on the way for those who may want to use it for a gift.

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Tech Accessories

Nimbus light brightens up when dark clouds surface

The only real light source we constantly have on us is the LED on the back of our smartphones but that’s not entirely reliable as there are so many more parts of the phone constantly requiring precious energy to function. NIMBUS wants to become your go-to light source instead. The USB-powered light stick can be mounted on the edge of a book or the lid of an open laptop to give you the light you need to do what you need to do.

One could also take it along with you for those impromptu photo shoots, but the glaring lack of even the smallest of internal batteries will keep what should be an extremely portable product pretty useless unless you have a portable battery pack. At that point, though, it comes full circle — you might as well use your smartphone. NIMBUS just doesn’t do enough and what it does do, it doesn’t do too well. The $25 gadget is estimated for a December 2014 delivery.

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Tech Accessories

Ledge takes the edge off the front of your MacBook wrist rest

Typing on the MacBook’s keyboard is surely a joy. The steps Apple has taken in order to produce a keyboard that is comfortable, clicky, and just plain fun to use have always hid a darker side to it — a side your wrists all about. It may be something that isn’t talked about, but those sharp edges on MacBooks can be a little uncomfortable. While it obviously isn’t a deal breaker, it can still be annoying to feel its edge pushing into you simply because you’re typing. The folks at Applied felt the same way and what started out as a personal solution quickly became something they decided to make for everyone.

Their product, Ledge, is an aircraft-grade aluminum attachment for MacBooks of all sizes that adds a round corner to the laptop’s edge. It’s an extremely simple solution that maintains the MacBook’s form factor and weight while adding a marked change in comfort. Its $39 price point places Ledge firmly in impulse purchase territory for now before it jumps back up to $60 on release; expectant backers will wait until April 2015 for this one. Until then, Applied hopes enough people make the jump to fund their $12,000 campaign.