Categories
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.

Categories
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.

Categories
Fitness Smartwatches/Bands

Avid is a cheap fitness watch with a Pebble-like button layout

We’re definitely in the era of the smartwatch, but the sad part is that they pretty much all do the same things. The Avid Multi-Sport Smart Watch adds to that massive list by being a watch you’ve seen before with a different name. It has a bevy of features for sports, including auto-course recognition, distance to the green, and scorecards for golfers, or calories burned, distance ran, and route tracking for runners. When you’re not out on the green or trying to best the time for your favorite path, the watch can control music on your smartphone and activate the shutter on your smartphone. In addition, its native push support can keep you up-to-date — it just won’t look too stylish doing it. The campaign is seeking $150,000 CAD (~$134,000 USD), with the opportunity to get your own Avid watch for just $99 CAD (~$88 USD).

The little things usually do count, but not when products like the inWatch Z are capable doing just the same with the addition of an HD camera, but even that watch didn’t hit its funding goal. The Avid would have been better served being a more focused product like the Zoi running system. Because it isn’t, the Avid suffers because it’s doing too many, already explored things at once.

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
Health and Wellness

Da Vinci bodyboard makes you Mona Leaner

Having the ability to workout at home or take workout gear on the road is nice, if one is self-disciplined enough to stick with a workout routine. Da Vinci Bodyboard is designed as an opposing tension system. The high intensity workout combines muscle groups, which is supposed to get more oxygen pumping through the body than with a typical workout. Perhaps one of the most attractive aspects is that it is touted as only taking 20 minutes to get enough of a workout for a noticeable difference. The materials to make this product come from organic natural plant fibers and resin, as opposed to oil. While this seems like a great workout idea, most people need the extra support of fellow exercise enthusiasts or even a fitness coach that they meet with regularly. But for those rare individuals who seem to have the self-discipline to push themselves, this seems like a great idea for getting in shape and staying that way. This campaign seeks to raise $30,000 by November 19, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $225, which is about $110 off of anticipated retail. Expected delivery is January 2015.

Categories
Chargers/Batteries Wearables

Ampy charges from your movement, brings us one step closer to The Matrix

The ultimate first world problem is a dead smartphone. Since it usually occurs at the worst possible time, finding an outlet nearby usually isn’t easy. That feeling of having to be tethered is one of the biggest drawbacks of current battery technology, especially because more and more are experiencing very active lifestyles that involve lots of movement.

Ampy is aiming to take all of that movement and put it to good use. The product is a small box that houses a 1000mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery charged from kinetic energy. So, every hop, skip and jump you take not only takes you where you need to be but also generates power for your smartphone or any other USB-powered device. An accessory kit ensures that no matter how you move, Ampy will be able to come along for the ride, and a companion app tell you how much energy you’ve generated doing so. The portable battery market is drowning in options and Ampy makes great strides in separating itself from the pack with its eco-friendly aims, even if the solar-powered Granola Stroller costs $30 less and doesn’t exactly require you to break a sweat. Ampy is currently slated for a June 2015 delivery with an $85 contribution as the campaign has achieved success, currently sitting at $258,000.

Categories
Food and Beverage

Tray Bien makes for a steadier serve if your glassware fits

Ahhh, yes. There’s nothing like the need to pay off student loans for stoking the fires of creativity to make that happen. And so a couple of college students in the engineering field who may even have a bit of experience serving drinks in a restaurant setting to help pay their way through came up with a way to improve the drink tray, calling it Tray Bien. (They apparently studied a bit of French, too.) Anyway, this serving tray appears to hold six glasses, stemware or otherwise. Specific measurements aren’t noted for glass compatibility, but it appears that most glasses will fit the carved slots, which lower the center of gravity and make glasses more stable. The tray has a mahogany wood finish on one side, a cherry wood finish on the other and is dishwasher safe. As for those who want something especially unique at their next party, consider checking out the Ozz illuminated smart mixed drink mixer. The Tray Bien campaign seeks to raise $10,000 by November 19, 2014. For $30, backers get one tray with an expected delivery of January 2015.

Categories
Cycling

Piston Pedal Power compresses air to help climb that hill

In parts of the world, bicycles are the foremost method in getting from A to B. Europe is particularly famous for this, while the US is beginning to embrace bicycles with bike friendly initiatives designed to get people out and about. For the most part, it’s relatively easy to get around in these cities, however biking obstacles such as hills can be a challenge. Without a bulky electric bicycle to help, sometimes hills can make a short ride into one filled with burning thighs and sweaty faces.

Inventor Alex Baldwin’s Piston Pedal Power marries the lightweight design of most bikes with a pneumatic air canister to give riders small assists whenever they need it, turning it off whenever they don’t. The addition adds 6.5 pounds to the weight of a bicycle which isn’t too much, but still enough to be noticeable unless the product takes away the sense of the extra weight. In any case, he is still refining the design which is why he is asking for $15,000 to complete a third prototype and obtain a patent. A donation of $20 gets you 20% off the final price, estimated to be a saving of $240 — pretty pricey compared with other electric solutions like the ion Smartscooter which costs $399.

Categories
Pets

Droppi dispenses time-release absentee love to your pets

It’s an horrid feeling leaving pets home because of the demands of daily life. They have to spend long stretches of time alone, an obvious detriment to their mental and physical health. Fortunately, there have been a surge of products that promise to feed or even entertain your pet while you’re away. Now you can add Droppi to that list.

Droppi is a gadget designed with a tray that drops small treats or toys at a pre-determined time from above. You can attach to the wall anywhere in your home. With the help of speakers, users can always be sure the reward will be found with the use of pre-recorded sound messages to lead the way. Stretch goals include features that should already be baked into the product, including a night light and a backlit display. Ultimately, though, it simply doesn’t do enough especially considering it’s limited to one drop a day. Other products like the Odin or Pawly add puzzle and remote play aspects to the device instead of limiting it simply to whatever happens to be on the tray. Knowing how fickle most pets are, they’ll still end up being bored! There are other products that do much more, better. One Droppi is going for $45AUD (~$40USD) with a delivery date of June 2015. The campaign is seeking $40,000 to make this product a reality.

Categories
Pets

Pet Potty lets dogs and cats do their business in an air conditioner-like window box

For those who don’t live in a palatial house with ample space for beloved pets, here is a space-saving idea that may just solve the question of where to put the kitty liter box. Katio and Dogio allows owners to discretely stow the kitty liter box in the window. At least it’s pretty discrete on the inside. On the outside, not so much. And for those who don’t like to be bothered with walking the dog at odd hours of the night or the wee hours of the morning, there is also a version for the family dog that comes with a ramp – provided Fido can fit in a space slightly smaller than the size of a window. For older cats that don’t jump so well anymore, a ramp can be purchased separately. This campaign seeks to raise $250,000 by November 24, 2014. For $250, backers can get a cat unit, or $300 for a dog unit. This is a $50 savings off of anticipated retail. Expected delivery is April 2015.