Categories
Smart Home

Smoke Audio smoke alarm sends alerts around home with Bluetooth

It’s a given that everyone reading this has a combination carbon monoxide/smoke alarm in their home. Likewise, it’s also a given that most of the time it does nothing at all. Does its potentially life-saving capability give it a pass? That’s the question the team over at Smoke Audio asked themselves, and, as a result, have set out to give the humble smoke alarm a makeover.

Smoke Audio’s take on the nondescript alarm combines it with Bluetooth audio capabilities so that user can stream audio from smartphones, tablets, and PCs. The product can work with existing wiring or already installed alarms, allowing it to be easily placed in any home. To all those who think a music-playing carbon monoxide/smoke alarm jumps out as irresponsible, the team made sure that all music functionality is switched off the moment anything strange is detected, ensuring users will hear the alarm when they need to. All those interested in the product can grab one for $90, 30% off the retail price. Smoke Audio is looking for $50,000 by November 2014.

Smoke Audio’s basic premise is an intelligent, if simplistic, one. By just adding Bluetooth audio capabilities, something that is required in all our homes becomes that much more engaging. The fact that it’s also attracts as you’ll never have to change out the battery. Smoke Audio also bills their device as a low cost alternative to multi-room wireless systems. While installation is probably much easier than those systems, its cost might still prohibitive for many. With each unit flaunting a retail a price of about $130 each, even having to purchase two for a product that isn’t portable by nature will be a hard sell. Its one talent may end up being a one trick pony, too, something Smoke Audio is sure to address with future iterations. We’ll see if their campaign will need their own alarm come mid-November.

 

Categories
Pets

The Watchdog lights up the leash

It doesn’t take long for savvy parents to refrain from asking, “Whose turn is it to walk the dog?” and just draft one of the kids to do it. The Watchdog may very well change all of that. With flexible, cable light technology exclusive to the company, The Watchdog is a strong, illuminated leash that also offers functioning as a steady or flashing stream of light, which makes night walks safer for pet and owner. The principle behind the 360º cable light technology is similar to neon, except that cable is very flexible. The item must be kept charged in order to function properly, but this is done easily enough with the included USB cord. Pet owners will likely rejoice at their new disco leash, but may be a little halted by the price tag. Backers get one product for $100 with expected delivery in March 2014. This campaign seeks to raise $70,000 on Kickstarter for the chance to give pet owners more enthusiasm to walk their dogs.

Categories
Cooking

The Egg boiler tells water it can go to shell

We love eating eggs and there are a million ways to prepare them: boiled, sunny side up, scrambled, over easy, and the list goes on. However, eggs are delicate and to get a hard boiled or soft boiled egg, it’s difficult to tell how runny the inside is without cracking the egg open. The Egg is a portable egg-boiler. Set up to four eggs inside, close the lid, and hit the button. When it’s done, you’ll have perfectly soft boiled eggs. The Egg comes with size and temperature monitors for the eggs, runs on ion battery and allows the owner to calibrate how cooked they want their eggs to be, much like a toaster. The Egg can be used anywhere from picnics to camping trips because it doesn’t require water to use. This British product will cost backers £75 (about $121) on Kickstarter with estimated delivery for April 2015. The Egg is looking to raise £50,000 (about $80,000) in its campaign.

While a little steep in price, The Egg offers a cool kind of convenience unthought of before. Not only is it useful that The Egg soft boils eggs to perfection, but it’s also portable, a nice feature. The Krups Egg Cooker boils eggs in a neat, little package as well, but plugs into the wall and requires water. In order to up its game in future models, The Egg may want to consider adding more slots for more eggs. Even so, for quick, easy, albeit expensive egg-cooking, consider donating to The Egg.

Categories
Nutrition/Hydration

Intlishake bottle lets you mix it up with a secret stash

The common quandry among healthy lifestyle enthusiasts about where to stash stuff while exercising is addressed again, this time with Intlishake. Remaining hydrated is important while working out, so why not create a water bottle that holds more than just water? This unique item has two dry storage compartments that are big enough to hold a mobile phone, small wallet, keys, and other small necessities that people often feel they need to take with them when they go to the gym or wherever their favorite exercise location happens to be. For those who like exercising at night, or perhaps before the sun is up, Aqualight can provided added safety, just like the Empowerment Bottle can.  Prefer flavored water? LiveWell Water Filter makes water cleaner and tastier. This campaign seeks to raise $20,000 by November 13, 2014. For $18, backers get one product with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Kids/Babies

The Little Globetrotter bib rolls up for travel, won’t rock your world

Any new parent knows that it’s astounding how many time they must change a baby’s clothes over the course of one day. Little Globetrotter aims to bring a bit of cleanliness and a potentially diminished laundry load to moms and dads. This bib not only features a wider shoulder design, but also an optional snap together pocket to help catch spills – or allow baby to hide those yucky Brussels sprouts and asparagus until he or she is able to learn from siblings the more effective and smoother way of passing that stuff off to the dog when mom isn’t looking. The stain-resistant material is a nice touch considering how quickly a bib can start looking pretty nasty. When it comes time for mom and baby to hit the road together, the bib can be rolled rather than folded – which is probably a plus for those who really, really hate folding stuff, or just have an issue with crease lines in bibs. This campaign seeks to raise $4,000 by November 2014. For $30, backers get one bib with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Arts

Wooden Moku block rolls out paper for your creative pursuits

Drawing is one of those pleasures in life that provides creative release and spawns unique ideas. Such is the case with Moku. While the creator of this product loves art, he also apparently loves trees. So this product is designed to allow the user to manage their artwork in such a way that paper waste is minimized by choosing the proper size of paper for every work of art. Such kindness toward nature means that more awesome works can be created in the future without fear of using up too many trees for the paper. Since Moku is made of wood, it is a constant reminder to the artist of where their paper comes from (Who’s your mama?) just in case the paper itself was not a strong enough reminder. Moku is a great tool for creative types who routinely draw up blueprints, design furniture or doodle. It is not only simplistic, but as useful and convenient as a Saran wrap dispenser. This campaign seeks to raise $3,200 by November 3. For $66, backers get one 12” Moku in their choice of wood. Larger sizes are available at higher reward tiers. Expected delivery is currently set for November 2014.

Categories
Organization

Untitled Rail makes a name for its space as a portable clothes rack

Living in a small dwelling can having its advantages, however, one of the drawbacks is always lack of closet space. Untitled Rail not only solves that issue, but also offers ease of portability for those who change locations frequently. Made from 2mm thick carbon steel, Untitled Rail still has a nice appearance because of its powder coating paint finish. It also comes in two sizes: the smaller measuring H150 x D32 x W40cm (59×12.5×15.7in), while larger is H150 x D32 x W82cm (59×12.5x32in). The larger one is recommended for use as the main hanging rail. Both items lean against the wall, and hopefully stay upright better than it appears that they would. When it comes time to wash those clothes, backers might want to consider DryAway vertical hanging rack for drying them. In the meantime, The Untitled Rail campaign seeks to raise £3,500 by November 3. For £99, early bird backers get a rail in their choice of a black or blue, and may choose either the smaller or larger options. Please keep in mind that this product will ship in four parts to minimize shipping costs.

Categories
Chargers/Batteries Lighting

The Phantom toots its horn as a desk light and wireless charger

Here we have something for art deco lovers that doubles as a desk light and wireless phone charger. The fact that Phantom is shaped like a horn may make it especially appealing to musical types. In addition to wireless convenience, there is still a USB port charger available so that more than one device can apparently be charged at a time. Phantom seems to be primarily compatible with Nokia 1520 and LG Nexus5, though it appears it may be able to be adapted for several Samsung and Galaxy products and some iPhones.

In a similar vein, check out Granola Strolla for something more eco-friendly in nature. The Phantom campaign seeks to raise $2,900 by October 30. Early bird backers can get one product for $55, which is half off of the anticipated retail price, with an expected delivery of January 2015.

Categories
Apparel

Zubits keep your laces in magnetically held places

Shoe-tying is learned early on in life… for the fortunate. For those who don’t like laces, slip-on shoes and Velcro are always options. Zubits lets sneaker enthusiasts use magnets to secure their shoes. The laces are woven through two small magnets that secure together in the middle. The magnets used are extremely strong for maximum security. Zubits are compatible with many different types of sneakers as long as they have laces. One pair will cost backers $20 with choice of color and size for estimated delivery in January 2015. These sneaker fasteners hope to raise $29,000 on Kickstarter.

People love anyway to make their lives easier. ZIPPED uses the same concept, but turns laces into zippers rather than magnets. Zubits are easier to use and less gaudy-looking than ZIPPED. Although, Zubits will need to over more color and design choices to really excite backers. Still, the alternative fastening technique’s convenience may prove too much for backers to resist.

Categories
Furniture

Zestdesk portable desk works while you stand, travels where you walk

One of the hardest parts about having a desk job is sitting for eight hours a day. The lack of movement tends to make muscles and joints feel tight and a bit stiff after a few hours. The creators of Zestdesk have come up with a solution that lets you stand up and work at the same time.  It’s made of anodized aluminum, offers adjustability for a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and is lightweight. While it appears that raising and lowering the legs may mean clearing off one’s work station first, it does offer the convenience of folding up and a carrying handle for maximum portability. Another campaign offering an easily storable workspace is Refold, but this item is made of cardboard. Other portable desk options include StorkStand, Frey Desk, and StandDesk, but not all of these offer the same adjustability and durability as the Zestdesk. Zestdesk seeks to raise at least $10,000 by November, and early bird backers can get in on this Australian product for $337 AUD with an expected delivery of April 2015.