Categories
Home Lighting

LightFreq uses Wi-Fi, lets your house get its freak on

The Premise. “Smart lighting” has become one of the latest trends to hit homes and offices. In the past, choices were limited to light bulb style and wattage – usually dictated by a lamp’s requirements. Luckily for us, light bulbs have fast-tracked it to evolutionary nirvana.

The Product. LightFreq is a multi-color, energy efficient LED light bulb with built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and HD Audio controlled by a smartphone app. LightFreq gives consumers and business owners the ability to turn lights on, control dimmers, colors, and other unique abilities. For consumers there is a built-in “follow me” feature which will turn lights on and off as you enter and leave the rooms in your house (as long as your smartphone is with you). The same can be set for audio if you choose to listen to music. Different lighting motifs can be turned on so that LightFreq chooses the colors, which colors to change to, and how fast to change them to the beats of your tunes. Similarly you can set your LightFreq to flash in different colors when you receive a social media notification, text message or phone call. LightFreq also allows you to play God in a neat way with an intercom feature allowing you to speak into a specific LightFreq in another room OR into all LightFreqs in your house at once. LightFreq even works as a morning alarm turning on light, music, or both gradually until you are bopping around in a fresh new day.

The Pitch. LightFreq’s video showcases the many utilities of having the product in your home or business. Devon, Founder of LightFreq, presents his concept of putting sound and light together into one product. The video also features Colin and Rob, chief designers, who explain the importance of putting the best technology into the smallest space to create a powerful speaker. One screen even boasts better sound quality than Beats Pill, but there is no reference data source. Later down the page, Devon hosts a few demos of the product and there’s even a LightFreq soundtrack you can sample. The campaign is looking to raise $50,000 over 30 days on Kickstarter.

The Perks. For just $55 Early Birds can secure their own LightFreq, but a pledge of $70 will take care of late-comers. If you’re interested in the KickStarter special edition, there is a $30 premium for black matte and KickStarter green logo. For $10,000 the founders will come to your business and set up 60 LightFreqs at your office (travel costs not included).

The Potential. Smart lighting has become a very popular concept in the last few years and LightFreq should be able to capture a lot of interest. Backerjack featured a similar product, Whome, with a slightly different design but almost the same functionality as LightFreq. One major difference between the products is that Whome does not use Bluetooth, which could be one of the reasons that the project was ultimately not funded, besides an unnecessarily technical campaign page.

Categories
Cycling Kids/Babies

Follow Me Bicycle Handle wrangles kids on family outings

Follow MeAhhh, yes. The giggles that come with teaching the kids to ride their bikes. That is, until they race ahead or lag behind or aren’t paying attention and run into a tree. Follow Me Bicycle Handle lets mom, dad, or other caretakers take smaller kids out on their bikes, and still maintain some control over where they go and what they do. And if all goes well, maybe mom and dad can have an almost romantic evening walk – romantic only goes so far when the kids are in tow. Backers willing to push this product forward with at least $50 can get a voucher for 50% off once the product hits the market. Expected delivery is July 2016 with a campaign goal of $150,000.

Categories
Organization Tablet Accessories

Padroo backpack lets you use your iPad on the go

PadrooSometimes those text messages and other electronic errands just can’t wait! So Padroo lets iPad users safely get things done while walking, riding the subway, waiting in line, or wherever busy iPad users happen to be. The instant and portable surface system and multi-functional case can be used in five different modes, which are effective in many on-the-go situations. One big plus here is that the system minimizes the risk of users dropping their iPad and cracking the screen, or worse, rendering their mobile device useless. For $79, backers get a basic product. Larger donations mean more product benefits. Anticipated delivery is October 2014.

Categories
Kids/Babies

Snugababy keeps baby asleep from cuddle to crib

SnugababyYes, sleeping babies are adorable. But perhaps even more precious is a good night’s sleep! Some parents are blessed with babies that are sound sleepers. For those who wish that they were, Snugababy may be the answer to the heart’s cry of a new parent. The specially designed blanket keeps sleeping baby feeling like he or she is still snug in Mom’s or Dad’s arms as baby gets placed into the crib. Backers willing to pay some bucks for said relief can get one product for $50, with an expected delivery of January 2015.

Categories
Connected Objects Maker/Development Toys

Droidles join with each other to attack your robot soft spot

The Premise. Kids get tired of even the most engrossing toys, forcing parents to spend money on video games, smartphone applications, or even more toys to keep them entertained. Most of these options become expensive quickly and lack the tactile benefits attached to interacting with real-world objects.

The Product. Droidles are small, spry little robot toys with tons of personality and charm for both kids and adults. Each Droidle has its own social media page detailing the evolving exploits of its everyday life. Each robot learns on its own through interaction with the environment around it, whatever behaviors you choose to program it with using the free companion iOS/Android app, or even other Droidles. Absolutely no programming language is needed to make a Droidle sing, dance around, follow other Droidles, or simply wander around.

For those among us who are more technologically inclined, the 100% open platform allows for much creative freedom in creating behaviors for these playthings that will ultimately be shareable on the the company’s Web site. The fun doesn’t stop there, though:

The Pitch. Hurley Research is eager to push Droidles to the masses to take advantage of the rich amount of information each will be able to sponge up from the world around them. To convince would-be backers, its pitch video talks up Droidles’ openness as a platform, versatility as a robot, and sheer uniqueness as one of the first internet connected toys along with a detailed list of all the Droidles’ components so you know exactly what you’re getting. $50,000 is the magic number for Droidles to go into production and continuing growing as a platform.

The Perks. Owing to their penchant for swarm intelligence, Droidles are meant to be used in crowds and the campaign’s perks reflect that. You can grab one Droidle for $89

The Potential. Most other robotic toys are either solely focused on entertainment or education. Droidles, on the other hand, manages to bridge that gap by encouraging active participation, a novel form of engagement, and plenty of imagination from all age ranges. Its open platform is compelling for all kinds of tinkerers as well, opening up many doors to experiment with computer intelligence on a much larger scale. Provided Droidles can charm its way into the many homes it will need to be in, we may very well have one of the first Internet of Things phenomenon on our hands.

Categories
Kids/Babies Wearables

TrackForce lets you chip loved ones so they never go missing again

trackforceMissing people are no joke, whether very young or very old, and the ability to find those who are lost is invaluable. A wearable tracking device that can be attached to clothingcan help address the problem. TrackForce is the idea in question, using multi-colored, water-resistant tracking “chips” to allow caretakers and parents to locate a missing person using GPS. A security layer will allow only those with the password to access the GPS data. While this project’s heart is in the right place, this has been done before, and it’s certainly been done better already. Backers can track down a TrackForce for $150 in December.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Input Tablet Accessories

FlyShark chomps into the need for typing on the go

The Premise. Although smartphone and tablet keyboards are generally acceptable for writing in short bursts, more involved work ultimately requires the physicality of a Bluetooth keyboard. Unfortunately, many of these keyboards are just badly designed leading to unnecessary typing mistakes, and even the more responsive ones can be bulky, even if they fold.

The Product. Flyshark is a Bluetooth keyboard compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows 8 platforms that keeps a slim profile when folded. When unfolded, each full-size key retains that clicky and tactile experience people expect when they type on a physical keyboard, with a life of an estimated five million button presses per key.

An aluminum alloy shell joined together by composite aerospace plastic makes the keyboard extremely sturdy without adding unnecessary heft to the final 130g product. Flyshark also touts a low power Broadcom Bluetooth chip inside the unit giving it a standby time of 60 hours. With white, black, silver, and gold color options along with the choice of a laser engraved set of words or picture, each Flyshark Keyboard is extremely customizable to suit anyone’s needs.

The Pitch. Flyshark’s Kickstarter page is full of detailed information that can veer into the confusing. The video of the product, although certainly not the best, does a great job explaining what the product is and, more importantly, comparing the Flyshark to other competing products (most notably Microsoft’s Surface keyboard). In the video, you also get the chance to check out the build quality and exactly how impressively small it is. Flyshark is aiming for an influx of $30,000 to both mass produce and market the product.

The Perks. Flyshark is offering the retail product in exchange for a contribution of $55. Increments of $10-$15 give you the choice of different color and engraving options. The product is due to ship in September, which would be a contrast to the painful two-year wait backers of crowdfunded Jorno keyboard have endured.

The Potential. Although foldable Bluetooth keyboards are nothing new, Flyshark’s blend of minimalism and materials looks like a strong alternative to what’s out there. Its size and aluminum alloy construction come together in a slim design that will certainly attract those hankering for a comfortable typing solution on the go without having to entertain novel ways to type.. Travelers, businesspeople and students will have their eye on this one.

Categories
Camping

FreeBreezy blocks wind to get your lighter burning

FreebreezyWhether it’s starting a campfire, lighting up the grill or trying to enjoy a smoke, a windy day can make getting a fire going a challenge. That would be the purpose behind FreeBreezy. The idea is to create a kind of windshield for disposable lighters, which seems like a promising concept, but this campaign seems like it needs a bit more fleshing out than what is presently being shown. For $30, backers get one product, but the anticipated delivery is not indicated.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries

NomadPlus lets your Apple charger work away from the wall

nomadplusAll of the portable devices in the world could all use a little boost when it comes to battery life. The NomadPlus is a convenient housing for any Apple USB wall plug with its own USB port on the front that can plug devices in and charge them but also charges itself to act as a portable battery charge. A stylish battery indicator on the device’s front displays the NomadPlus’s status and level of battery charge. Because it utilizes USB, this is a great tool to take the proprietary headache of many Apple devices and make them utilitarian to any USB-powered device. NomadPlus is available for pre-order for $39 and ships out November 30th.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

Linkmount is a versatile phone leash for the screen smasher in your life

linkmountTaking a concept as simple as preventing people from dropping their phones and turning it into a versatile smartphone accessory is no easy feat. The Linkmount is such a device, offering a reusable, sturdy system to keep phones from being damaged. The phone accessory offers a detachable leash that can be tied to any belt loop or worn around the neck in addition to a ring that slides out and can be worn around a finger or used as a stand. A phone stand is one thing, but a device like this that has so many great features is a simple must-own for anyone dedicated to getting the most from their smartphone. Backers who pledge $20 can get their Linkmount in December.