There’s nothing more annoying than realizing mosquitoes will be joining you while you try to enjoy a cool summer’s night. All we’ve ever had to protect ourselves thus far are unreliable, environmentally damaging chemicals. The DEET-free Invisaband, however, promises the holy grail of mosquito repellent with a geraniol-infused, adjustable microfiber strap that claims 120 hours of reusable mosquito avoidance. It’s a lot less bulky than the Off Clip and doesn’t need batteries. Backers can obtain their very own pack of 5 for $19 USD to avoid ever having to wake up looking like a pepperoni pizza again. The campaign is aiming for $10,000 by September 13th, 2014.
The Premise. Internet streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV offer convenient streaming of movies and music on demand to your living room. Some streaming devices can play back media on a hard drive, but they’re not optimized for large personal libraries of video files and other media.
The Product. Slice is a hard drive-based media player designed to be snappy and easy to use. It’s a minimally designed black box outfitted with an array of usual ports along with a customizable LED ring that changes color depending on its current action. This adds a unique aesthetic twist to an otherwise unassuming design. It also ships with a custom-made RF remote, giving you the flexibility to be anywhere in your home and still command Slice.
The Pitch. The team behind Slice, Five Ninjas, does a great job concisely explaining such a versatile product. The campaign features a general overview video and a video walkthrough of Slice’s interface. Easy-to-digest lists and diagrams explain the nuances of the product, and there’s a pretty robust FAQ section that actually answers many common questions. Stretch goals have included Wi-Fi, an app to control the LEDs, a bigger hard drive, a thinner design with an extra USB port, and color options.
The Perks. Slice comes in two flavors. A diskless version is expected to ship in November 2014 with a contribution of £129 . A fully loaded version requires a contribution of £169 and should ship in December.
The Potential. The market has voted in favor of less expensive media streamers that deliver movies from services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Indeed Five Ninjas’ Web site laments the loss of the original Apple TV, which stored movies on a hard drive. Western Digital has probably had the most success with its hard drive-focused living room media player since then — including one that had a built-in hard drive — but that hasn’t seen an update for a while. One of the the product’s biggest draws besides its simplicity is its openness. Since it’s built atop a Raspberry Pi and uses the XMBC software, Slice is open and hackable, allowing more creative technical individuals to do pretty much whatever they’d like that’s within the device’s capabilities. Slice will have the most appeal to those who have large collections of movies that lack copy protection or who like a bit of a light show with their home video entertainment.
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Paw Box keeps your paws off your cat’s waste
Cleaning out a cat’s litter is one of the downsides of owning a cat. Scooping out the sand almost always leads to interaction with the one part of your cat you don’t want to touch. Paw Box offers a solution to this problem. The rake lives underneath the litter. When it’s time to clean, simply lift it up from one side of the box to the other. At the far end, it traps all the ickiness making it easy to dispose of. One Paw Box will cost backers $35 with estimated delivery in September 2014. This Turkish product hopes to raise $5,000 on Indiegogo.
The Premise. The pocket-sized projector is giving the smartphone the ability to share content locally and give presentations for work or just relax with some Netflix. Now imagine that same technology with the ability to project a touchscreen environment as well.
The Product. TouchPico is an Android PC that wirelessly streams smartphone applications onto any surface quickly and easily. Additionally, TouchPico includes a stylus pen that can be used to control the smartphone the way a finger would on the projected surface, turning any wall, desk, or whiteboard into an interactive display. Because TouchPico is powered by Android, any apps from the Google Play store are immediately compatible with TouchPico for projecting and touching. TouchPico can also stream from a Mac or PC computer environment using the mouse instead, assuming the devices are all connected to a wireless-capable router.
The Pitch. In the video introduction to TouchPico, we see the creators excited for a variety of the features that the device can provide in the home, with children, at work, or at school. As the device is put to the test, the “touch” display seems quick, responsive, and accurate, as suitable for Fruit Ninja as it is for navigating a PowerPoint presentation. The developers of TouchPico are hoping to raise $55,000 for production of the device’s modules and to handle the costs of manufacturing.
The Perks. A TouchPico projector with stylus can be grabbed up for $349 in October 2014. Those who don’t have the funds to pay that much right now can put one on “layaway” for a $99 pledge, with a promise to pay $300 later. Distributors and developers who want to start selling TouchPico immediately or get to work on applications for the device can get their hands on one shipped out right now for $799 or $999 respectively.
The Potential. Projectors for smartphones are beginning to take off as a way to share the powerful computing power of these tiny devices in a way that can engage more people than just the one facing the screen. By adding a pseudo-touch display to the mix, the phone can be easily set aside, allowing for a more natural sharing of media or presentation of ideas. Everything about this device looks like it is ready for market and should perform as well as the TouchPico’s expectations.
The Premise. Reusable water bottles have become all the rage completely annihilating plastic bottles (or so we hope). Those who remain loyal to plastic do so mainly because they feel that the taste of the water is more pure. Some use filtered water in reusable bottles, but not all have access to it. Especially for those in third-world countries, water contamination is a serious threat.
The Product. The LiveWell Water Filter is a system that freshens your water just before you drink it. The bottle is filled with water and then topped with filter attachment, tablet holder and spigot. Each tablet has a different flavor (mango, pineapple coconut, apple cranberry or blueberry pomegranate) and is packed with vitamins and electrolytes. Simply screw on the cap and attachments for clean water as you drink.
The Pitch. LiveWell Water Filter would do well to add a video to their campaign. However, they do a good job of explaining what their product does and have a fun graphic showing each part of the bottle they offer. In addition, the creators have lofty goals of offering tablets in the future that will radically improve sight, skin, muscle recovery, immune function, endurance and assist in managing weight. LiveWell also provides detailed nutritional facts for each table it currently offers. This multi-faceted bottle hopes to raise $15,000 on Kickstarter.
The Perks. For only $15, backers can enjoy this bottle that comes with a seven-pack of flavor tablets as well as a three month supply of filters. Higher tiers offer different tablet flavors, more bottles, more filters, and even custom design of the bottles. Estimated delivery is currently set at an ambitious October 2014.
The Potential. Water bottles with built-in filters are definitely available to consumers. Brita offers such a product and boast BPA plastic and dishwasher safe bottles. The LiveWell Water Filter system doesn’t mention either of these features, but does offer flavor. While everyone may not want their water to be flavored, it’s a safe bet that one can just forgo adding the table to have pure filtered water on-the-go.
This item may be the dream of every father and mother of a teenage or college-age daughter. Slip Me Not is an interesting device that makes drink spikers keep their naughty little deeds to themselves. The product is made of a clear, adhesive film that fits over the top of various sized glasses, keeping anything nefarious away from the beverage. A straw can be inserted if preferred, or simply poke a hole in the same area. Seems like clear plastic wrap could function in much the same way as this product if one always pours their own drink, but attending a party with plastic wrap tucked under one’s arm might look a bit strange. For $10 AUD backers get two packs of products and an expected delivery of February 2015.
We’ve seen many smart watches lately, but most people don’t appreciate the inconvenience of having another device to look after. If such a smartwatch charged wirelessly, that might be another story. StopMee is a wrist wearable that offers helpful reminders relating to hygiene, incoming phone calls, and even health, all powered by Wi-Fi signals in the area. The campaign video is flashy, colorful, and promises a great deal about the device, regrettably without showing the device working in the real world. Backers beware, this little band may be too good to be true, but those who can keep the faith may want to pick this up. StopMee will launch for $250 to ship in August 2015.
And what kind of stuff might Flip Clip assist its owners with carrying? Pretty much the sky is the limit on this one. Whether it’s a pair of shoes at the beach, a baseball cap, book, keys, grilled cheese sandwich or a combination of all of these, this handy-dandy carrying apparatus promises convenience whether working on the run or hanging out in the sun. Flip Clip does seem like it would make many of the little things in life easier where being hands-free is concerned. And the video is definitely worth watching for several good belly laughs to boot. Backers can begin their very own hands-free life adventure for $8, with an expected delivery of January 2015.
The Premise. Creative types know that getting the most of the digital side of their work takes a very specific build of programs and hardware to make the most of them. A simple desktop or tablet may not be enough, and in those cases a little extra firepower comes in handy.
The Product. The Modbook Pro X is essentially a reconfiguration of the beloved MacBook Pro, turning a versatile laptop into an even more capable tablet that offers the functionality of a dedicated artist’s tablet with a vibrant HD screen that uses mind-boggling high resolution. By tearing apart a MacBook and fitting it into a new case with touch-screen display that offers 2,048 levels of pen sensitivity, the Modbook Pro X gives users the flexibility of a device that can run OS X or Windows, all the apps that any MacBook can run normally, and adds ease of use and an experience tailored to artists and designers to the package.
The Pitch. Modbook Pro X isn’t for everyone, and the pitch video doesn’t try to pretend otherwise. Focusing on those who require the full output from programs like Photoshop and Illustrator, the Modbook team showcases almost exclusively the ways in which their device can make the lives of those in the graphic arts that much easier. Modbook needs $150,000 almost entirely for manufacturing costs.
The Perks. Getting a functional Modbook Pro X is going to take a little bit of coin. For $1,999, an existing, owned MacBook Pro with a 15.4-inch Retina display (from no later than late 2013) can be sent to the developers, who will tear the device down and reassemble it as a Modbook Pro X. The Keybars on the back of the device are added at the $2,299 level, while those who pay $2,689 will also get the Keyboard Stand. Anyone without an existing and compatible MacBook Pro can get a complete package for as little as $3,999, going as high as $5,689 for a top-end system with all the bells and whistles. The base perks won’t ship until March 2015, while the higher-tier items will be out as early as December 2014.
The Potential. A Retina display combined with pen controls has never been attempted before, and for some people this will be the kind of dream machine that will be pinned to their corkboard as a sports car of rigs for work and play. The high price point and requirement of owning a MacBook Pro at lower levels will shy away all of the potential backers who might just be looking for some new tech to play with.
Some people have a sixth sense for knowing when somebody is over their shoulder, reading their incoming texts or snooping on their app usage. iSpy is a new solution that mixes both low-tech and high-tech ideas into offering users a tablet that ensures their privacy. To the naked eye, iSpy looks like a bright white screen, but with the special glasses that come with the tablet, a regular display is revealed. Additionally, a special case made of the same material as the lenses can be put around the tablet to make it suitable for sharing. While the technology here is very cool, it may have been better as an accessory for existing tablets rather than a tablet of its own. iSpy is out in December 2014 for $99 with a campaign goal of $50,000.