Categories
Food and Beverage Wearables

BitBite tracks your chews to help you lose

It seems like for most, diets live in a perpetual revolving door. Most are started with the greatest of intentions, but it isn’t long before the rigors of daily life make it so that the easily accessible, unhealthy food is chosen every time. As such, maintaining a diet can be an extremely difficult test of willpower. A helpful companion, like the BitBite, can be a huge help in changing damaging habits.

Although other diet helpers like the HAPIfork or the Smart utensils have been introduced as ways to help you eat slower and better, the BitBite takes the technology and makes it a wearable that you place in your ear instead. The hybrid Bluetooth headset is compatible with iOS and Android, and is voice-activated so you can tell it what you’re about it to eat. When that’s done, the device tracks the number of bites you’ve taken along with the pace of your meals. By combining all of that information, your dietary habits are gleaned so as to improve it on the fly with real-time suggestions. Not getting enough calcium? It’ll suggest you eat a yogurt instead of that donut you’re craving.

Smart food suggestions are what make the BitBite a valuable ally in your overall goals. You won’t even have to carry an extra set of silverware everywhere you go. A BitBite can be had for $119 with an estimated delivery date of June 2015. The campaign is looking for a $60,000 infusion.

 

Categories
Connected Objects Food and Beverage

Arist connected coffee maker promises a bespoke brew

Once upon a time, it used to be enough for people just to have an old, red-handled, glass coffee pot filled with basic black brew. Now, there are more ways to customize a cup of joe than there are days in the year, and everyone has their personal favorite.

Arist is an all-in-one connected coffee maker like those already on the market that attempts to recreate the gourmet, barista-brewed coffee experience any time and every time. With storage for beans, an internal cooler to keep milk fresh, a temperature regulator, and self-cleaning functions, all that needs to be done to get a cup of perfect coffee is tap on the app.

What’s more, the same app can recommend new recipes based on what kinds of coffee beans are being used or purchased, download the latest recipes from renowned baristas, and be customized ever so slightly across nearly a dozen brew steps to get the coffee perfect every time. Arist needs $120,000 to start the day, and coffee lovers can grab theirs for $349 in July 2015.

Arist is the perfect gift for true coffee lovers, opening up a whole world of new coffees, or just the comfort of the perfect cup every time. This is sure to be a must-own on many holiday wishlists.

Categories
Cooking

Tim3 Machin3 cooks rice quickly, makes time to prepare other foods

Rice cooker on steroids: that’s what comes to mind when considering the multifaceted uses for Tim3 Machin3. The 900 watt heating element is 250 watts more than the average rice cooker, so it can cook faster. The inner pot is manufactured thicker than that average pot, and coated with a long-lasting non-stick spray so rice doesn’t stick to the bottom or burn. A detachable cord means easier storage, but may get lost amongst loads of other kitchen accessories. Besides rice, Tim3 Machin3 also cooks quinoa, oatmeal, yogurt, and can even multitask by cooking rice and steaming veggies and fish at the same time.

Perhaps the best feature of this product is that it can be programmed to cook oatmeal and other foods the night before so that they’re instantly ready to eat in the morning. This campaign seeks to raise $10,000 by December 10, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $58, with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Imaging Tech Accessories

Infinity Arm offers a variety of ways to mount your GoPro or other camera

Small mountable cameras like the GoPro enabled action sports enthusiasts and other filmmakers to take the craft to brand new angles and locations. The Infinity Arm tackles two of the biggest problems that GoPro accessories have. First, the Infinity Arm is lightweight and easy to mount on virtually any sturdy surface, creating even more opportunities for creative filmmaking. Second, the arm is incredibly sturdy, not breaking apart while being shaken or put under even the harshest conditions.

To make this an even better product for filmmakers, Infinity Arm works equally well with DSLR and other professional movie cameras. What this creates is a tool that anyone shooting a movie from amateur to professional will want to have on hand at all times. Infinity Arm has interchangeable mounts that are quick and easy to swap out without compromising the structural durability of the arm itself. Made out of aluminum and steel, Infinity Arm is tough enough to handle any assignment and turn out great, eye-catching shots in any and all environments. Creators 27Notch are asking for $50,000 to finish off the last bit of necessary funding to bring their product to market. Interested consumers can grab an Infinity Arm for $179, with an estimated delivery in February 2015.

 

Categories
Tablet Accessories

Tab-Legs are the spindly appendages that chase us in nightmares

Tablets are amazingly convenient when on the go when people don’t want to be bothered with toting a bulky laptop. The one place they fall short, though, is that they lay flat without help. Tab-Legs offers a solution that makes those extended periods of usage for things like watching movies, browsing online and checking e-mail much more comfortable. The product’s flexible, spindly legs almost look like something out of a Disney movie, allowing a tablet to hang from sofas and chairs, or tuck the legs in between the cushions. It’s flexible enough to fold up and fit in any travel bag, and can hang from an upright table tray on the plane.

The campaign doesn’t make it clear what the product is made of or how long the legs are, but it comes with one renewable sticky pad to attach the legs, two magnetic disks, and one air caddy. Other tablet stands backers may want to check out include Dutchman and MUST. This campaign seeks to raise $500 by December 14, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $29, with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Health and Wellness Music

RealLoud heaphones protect your ear from cranked-up tunes

Our parents always warned us about listening to our music too loudly, but the rebels within all of us never listened, preferring to instead crank it up to the max to enjoy our music. Loud music that crackles in your ear and almost hurts is good after all, right? Well, as much as we might have enjoyed the albums of yesteryear, the increased use of earphones due to the MP3 revolution has clearly shown the auditory consequences of these practices. Unfortunately, the headphone industry has responded to this criticism with larger, louder, and bassier headphones that compound the problem.

The increasing number of both teens and adults with mild to severe hearing loss caught audio legend Stephen D. Ambrose’s attention and he, along with his company Asius Technologies, has created RealLoud Technology as a result. The product reduces harmful pressure experienced by wearing ordinary headphones using bio-mimicry, or the imitation of nature through technology, to include a built-in secondary eardrum to absorb them for you. As a result, louder, more complete sound is produced by eliminating the pressures associated with unnecessary noise, even if actual volume is technically quieter overall. This is the crux of the RealLoud Technology, and the key behind the entire series of 1964|Adel headphones.

Three lines of headphones incorporate the RealLoud Technology. The Ambient line is for casual audiophiles and features up to 12 drivers, the U-Series is an over-the-ear headphone with up to eight drivers, and the A-Series feature up to 12 drivers and are custom to your own ear impressions. With price points ranging from $100 to $1,600, there are options for everyone, all estimated to be delivered between February and May of 2015. The campaign has a funding goal of $200,000.

It’s about time solutions are created for the problems caused by the consumer market itself, and although the 1964|Adel headphones have a pretty high cost of entry, their development is a sign that the technology is being thought about. Soon, they’ll trickle down and hopefully become standard across the board. The cheek is too often turned in the name of profits, and although here profits are still had, at least it’s propped up by actual innovation.

Categories
Displays Tech Accessories

Packed Pixels adds extra displays to your sadly single-screened laptop

Extra monitors at a workstation seems like the height of excess at first glance, but once a second screen has been added for work or play, going back to a single-screen setup is like riding a moped. Unfortunately, laptop users have to deal with this situation every day on the road, unless they pick up Packed Pixels. Packed Pixels is a combination of quality technology and good old-fashioned simple rigging. Using brackets and an elastic strap, Packed Pixels wraps around the back of any laptop screen. From there, the included screen can be mounted and plugged in on either side of the device’s existing screen.

A third screen can be added as well if the laptop supports it, creating a sort of cockpit effect of one main screen flanked by two smaller screens. The displays themselves use the same technology as Apple’s retina displays and are up to the task of streaming video or even playing games. Packed Pixels is created by Dovetail Technology, who is asking for £60,000 (~$94,000) to attract suppliers and handle moulding and testing. Supporters in need of an extra screen can strap one on for £120 (~$194) in May 2015.

Categories
Virtual Reality

Open DoVision creates VR using open components

When Oculus Rift was bought by Facebook, many interested parties suddenly found themselves without that passionate interest in the device. Thankfully, companies like DotLab are working on alternatives, like the Open DoVision; a fully open-source VR headset that is easy to connect and use. By simply connecting the USB cable and the display output cable of choice (HDMI, VGA, A/V), Open DoVision can display any content right in front of the user’s eyes, with head-tracking features by moving the mouse cursor with accelerometers.

Because Open DoVision is open-source, DotLab encourages users to get their hands into the code and create new features and functions for the device. Additionally, a few parts can be interchanged in the headset to create a simple head-mounted display for use in games that don’t natively support VR headsets or for movies or other media content.

DotLab needs $20,000 AUD (~$17,000 USD) to release Open DoVision, and backers can get their head in the game for $99 AUD (~$85 USD) in January 2015. The presentation is a little lacking, and gamers shouldn’t expect direct support for the Open DoVision for a while, but at this price tag, this is a VR headset worth looking into.

Categories
Cycling

Dual Drive Total Fitness bike lets you pedal with your hands

The idea of a bike has remained relatively unchanged, which is a testament to its utility. Even through the removal and addition of wheels, seats, and weight, it has always laid atop the foundation of foot powered pedals. Why is it that the pedal is so sacred, though? Hasn’t everyone wished they could pedal with their hands, t00? Apparently, inventor Ken Haan does and created the Dual Drive Total Fitness Bike to do so.

Born out of the sun and surf of Fort Lauderdale, the Dual Drive Total Fitness Bike not only has foot pedals but chain-less handlebar pedals as well. The inventor claims that the combination of both gives a rider a truly full-body workout by strengthening all major muscle groups. The bike isn’t all about toning those mirror muscles, though. By using your hands, 30% more power is added to your speed with the handlebar pedal, getting you to your destination faster.

As novel and imaginative as the Dual Drive Total Fitness Bike is, it wouldn’t work as much in an urban environment because it’s built to be a coasting bike. As such, its target audience is pretty limited. The bike is currently going for $499 if you’re local or $699 if it needs to be shipped, cheaper than the $999 MSRP. The $100,000 campaign promises backers their very own bike by December 2015.

Categories
Luggage and Bags

Versatile FUGU luggage expands from suitcase to large boxy roller

People love buying souvenirs when they travel. Bringing home gifts for friends and even items for yourself are great ways to remember your trip. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to remember that you can’t come back with more than you went with unless you have a bigger bag.

That’s where FUGU comes in. This suitcase looks like an average-sized rolling carry on bag. However, it zips out and more than doubles in size. In one step, this bag transforms from the maximum carry on bag size to the maximum checked bag size. This way, you can take home a lot more than you started out with if you’d like. FUGU also boasts utility as a table. When stood up, the top zips off to reveal a hard surface that you can use for a variety of things. It also comes with a removable laptop case for all those business trips you may have to take. In addition, FUGU saves space in your home. Most large suitcases are bulky and take up a lot of room, but not FUGU. Depending on what backers vote, FUGU will come in four different colors, still to be determined.

This beefed up bag is a great concept, to be sure. The space-saving aspect of the suitcase makes it great for anyone with limited storage. Otherwise, FUGU really only makes sense in a situation where one would bring back a lot of stuff from a trip. Backers can get their very own for a donation of $295 by August 2015, provided the Kickstarter campaign hits its goal of $50,000.