Categories
Automotive

Snow Guard wraps around side mirrors for windshield snow protection

One of the things that makes winter detestable is the fact that the car has to be unburied and scraped when left outside. Snow Guard offers some freedom from all of that hassle. It is touted as being able to protect against snow, ice, frost and freezing rain. It’s made of a duel layer nylon coated material and a wireframe inner structure that creates easy installation, even in windy conditions. The side gloves protect side view mirrors from snow and ice. They also allow for automatic positioning on the windshield.

The quick installation and removal only takes about 30 seconds – way better than the 30 minutes or more that it can take to scrape off the ice from an ice storm. The similar iceScreen uses the same idea, covering a car using magnets, but has the added benefit of a reflective side for summertime. This is something the folks at Snow Guard would do well to consider adding to their own product. This campaign seeks to raise $50,000 by December 17, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $55 with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Wallets

Voye clutch is the handbag for women who like peeking at their iPhone

As we use our phones for more and more things, we need it to be readily accessible for all functions. Since cellphone belt holders are so 2002, there needs to be a better way to grab your phone quickly. For ladies, the Canadian-made Voye is the way to go. This small clutch purse also serves as an iPhone holder, letting you access your phone easily. Flip up the front flap, and your phone is right there to let you check your calendar, read messages and text whoever you want. The purse also folds out in a special way so that you can easily take a photo or video while the phone is still inserted in the bag. This fashionable black leather purse with gold accents can either be worn over the shoulder with a strap, held as a clutch or used as a wallet. Currently the product is only compatible with iPhone 5/5s which will limit its customer base. Still, the design is clever and the purse fashionable, but still basic making it aesthetically appealing to many. One will cost $139 CAD (~$123 US) for delivery in February 2015. Vote hopes to raise $150,000 CAD (~$132,200 USD) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Connected Objects Imaging

Fireside seeks to rekindle interest in the digital photo frame

With smartphones, tablets, and all of our other devices containing cameras both portable and capable enough to take quality photos and video anywhere we’d like, we’ve amassed a glut of media that we may enjoy having, but unfortunately don’t get to enjoy. As much as we’d like to go down memory lane more often than we do, finding, organizing, and displaying all of our media is a time-consuming process. Digital picture frames do exist, but they’re usually of shoddy construction and the user still has to upload everything manually.

Fireside combines smarts and beauty in order to organize, curate, and display all of your photos from disparate devices all on one slickly-designed, HD frame. The product does this by backing up photos and videos taken normally on any iOS or Android device connected with the Fireside app. Once cloud-side, they are made searchable with auto-tagging and filtering based on criteria like time, date, and age. After, algorithms and personal input are applied to show users contextually relevant content, like the birthday of a friend or family member.

Celebrating a holiday? Fireside will display previous holiday festivities.) Similar to Pandora, users can create stations based on keywords to add an element of pleasant unpredictability, giving all your content the chance to be enjoyed. Constructed from materials like chrome and glass, its minimal design can be mounted on a wall and multiples can be kept at other people’s homes to easily keep them up-to-date with users and their families. A black or white Fireside is going for $399 and includes one year of cloud service. It has an expected delivery date of June 2015 provided it hits its funding goal of $100,000.

The Fireside really backs other digital photo frames on the market into a corner. If the intelligent cloud service that supports the product doesn’t turn out to be a bust, then the Fireside will have a leg up against other frames like the Flink, Famatic, and most notably the Nixplay. Although the Nixplay can interface with every social network and also receive emails of photos from friends and family, its still manual at its core. Ultimately, the Fireside’s automation claims along with its sleek design will be impossible to ignore.

Categories
Connected Objects Music

Bullet-like Archt One wireless speaker system spreads sound around consistently

When it comes to home audio, gone are the days of complex stereo equipment, speakers mounted and positioned just so all over the room, and the treaded jungle known as “the A/V closet.” Now, people want a simple, aesthetic, solitary device to handle it all.

The ARCHT One offers just that. Despite looking more like a coffee brewer or a lava lamp, the ARCHT One delivers room-filling stereo sound despite being a single device. With compact, omnidirectional surround sound speakers, a proprietary digital signal processor and digital analog converter, and intuitive one-touch controls, the ARCHT One just needs to go where it looks best, and the speakers take care of the rest. With support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, AirPlay, USB, and auxiliary cables, the ARCHT One is perfect for any situation. ARCHT Audio’s fundraising goal is set at $70,000 to handle production and shipping, and those who want one can get an ARCHT One for $349, delivered in February 2015.

With a sense of style all its own and enough power to handle all but the most demanding home audio needs, the ARCHT One is great for entertaining guests, removing cluttering audio devices and speakers, or just enjoying sound from anywhere in the house.

Categories
Fashion

Maii folds up reading glasses into a slick pocketable package

Once you gets to the point where you’re willing to admit that reading glasses are necessary, you then must face the issue of how inconvenient they are and how frequently they end up getting lost. Maii is attempting to take the “old” stigma (but not the astigmatism) out of needing reading glasses by attempting to make them not only somewhat trendy, but also fold up in such a way so that a case is no longer necessary. The titanium frames will certainly last if they don’t get lost. While these glasses can be worn like a necklace, so can standard reading glasses. However, the average person usually doesn’t have the desire to do that. Nowadays, there are many styles of reading glasses available in many different stores, and they are very inexpensive, but admittedly, the frames are not made of titanium and are not flexible. This campaign seeks to raise €100,000 (~$124, 600 USD) by December 20, 2014. Early bird backer get one product for €299 (~$373 USD), with expected delivery in June 2015.

Categories
Connected Objects Food and Beverage

B4RM4N connected cocktail market uses its smarts to make others stupid

Although a bartender’s tricks and talents can seem pretty easy to us inebriated folk, the truth is that it takes quite a long time to perfect the skills necessary to mix drinks that won’t make us grimace while we sip them. Worse yet, when most of us try our hand at making a drink or two for family or friends, the end result is a drink that doesn’t look great and the realization that we really don’t know what we’re doing at all.

To become presentable to the public again, you could buy a bunch of books or plunk down the cash for a mixology course, or you could grab a B4RM4N and let it do all the work. The device is a modern mixologist in a three-piece shaker, comprised of a stainless steel that encloses a Bluetooth LE antenna, an accelerometer, and LED lights all in a one, high-tech package. Pair it with your smartphone, select a recipe with the B4rm4m companion app, the number of servings, and it will lead you step by step in the process of creating the perfect pour. It even tells you how long to pour ingredients and shake them all together. With over 110 recipes and counting, there will never be a lack of ideas. You can even have the app suggest recipes to you based on what’s currently in your fridge, and if that egg vodka mint actually ends up tasting good, you can share it with the B4rm4m community so that anyone can make it. The B4rm4m is currently going for an early bird price of $99, jumping up to $199 upon release. Backers can expect theirs in July 2015 if the campaign achieves it funding goal of $100,000.

The similarly titled Barman is a campaign in the past that is very similar to the B4RM4N. Both have similar features, but the B4RM4N goes about things in a more compact way, while the Barman uses an external scale to help you create your drink. All in all, the B4RM4N is a svelte device that will look good in many scenarios and its social features make it not only useful but very fun, too.

Categories
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.

Categories
Sleep

Sleep Sensei is a teacher that actually wants you to fall asleep

There are quite a few studies out there that report the importance of making sure that people get enough sleep each night. But there are some nights when sleep just seems impossible. For those who struggle with rest on a regular basis, Sleep Sensei is an alternative option that allows you to enjoy sleep without having to take any type of medication or prescription. The electronic gadget works with a pattern of LED lights that shine on a person’s closed eyes, and coaches them to sleep. There is a timer that lets you determine how long you want the session to last. It’s not clear whether the device is battery operated or requires electricity to function, however it seems like a great idea that will be appreciated by many who have sleep issues. This campaign seeks to raise $25,000 by December 16, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $20, with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Cycling Maker/Development

Bamboobee lets you build your own bike from bamboo

There’s a certain satisfaction from building things on your own that is unfortunately absent from an economy that wants us to buy everything pre-made and brand new. That experience doesn’t do much for us, so instead of going to your local bike shop and riding one out the door, why not make your own? The Bamboobee lets you do just that with a package that includes all the parts necessary to build your own bike frame from bamboo. Termed a BIY (build it yourself) bike, the Bamboobee makes it easy to assemble your own cross-country frame in just three days by giving you the instructions to do so along with a platform to do it on.

At this point in the campaign, the inventor is also offering a kit with everything but the wheels for an additional $139 so that you can be 99% at the end of the third day. The combination of beautiful materials and the excitement of riding a bike of your own making will have many interested in such an unique product. They’ll just need to be careful their assembly is up to snuff as it could lead to potential accidents. All in all, the Bamboobee’s customization options sure attract as does its $179 price tag. Backers can expect delivery of the bamboo bike in Februrary 2015. The campaign is hoping to raise $15,000.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

Stand-Pod slips a phone stand and mini-tripod into your wallet

For those times when a person wants to use their iPhone for a selfie or be in the photo or video they are making with friends, the only way to do that is to have a stranger hit the button for you. That’s why Stand-Pod was created. The small phone mount allows the user to position their phone, set it up in an ideal location and use their delay to create those photo or video memories. Stand-Pod is compatible with a wide range of phones. It appears to fold flat when not in use and is made of high resistant polypropylene plastic, so it should be pretty easy to tote around. Stand-Pod should provide some hardy competition for ClearShot, which is now on the market. This campaign seeks to raise $45,000 CAD (~$39,900 USD) by December 12, 2014. For $16 CAD (~$14 USD), backers get the single pack Stand-Pod with an expected delivery of March 2015.