For those who prefer lounging in the shade with some cool lemonade rather than getting a tan at the beach, Cabreezy Beach Cabana has the solution. The creator boasts of the product being more portable and safer than beach umbrella and shelter alternatives, but it appears to take some effort to set up and doesn’t appear to give off as much shade as its seven foot and eight foot alternatives. Nevertheless, backers can get theirs for $50 with an expected delivery of September 2014
It’s been said that there is a black hole in every washing machine into which one sock always falls, breaking up most every set. While Sock Slide may not reveal the location of past socks, it does solve potential future mysteries. It also comes in six different colors so that each family member can have their own color, and similar sets can be easily told apart. Seems like a great idea for adults, and $7 for five Sock Slides seems like a pretty good deal. However, getting kids to follow through with this seems like it may be a rather daunting challenge. Expected delivery on this is September 2014.
Most people use their phones to snap pictures of everyday life. It’s easy because the phone is always there, but the camera isn’t always at the ready resulting in lost opportunities for cool photos. EvolvButton is a camera shutter button that attaches directly to your phone. It always you to take photos wherever, whenever no matter what you’re up to on the phone. The campaign is a little unclear about how this product works although from the looks of it it may not be more than an extgra bit of padding around the iPhone’s Volume Down button. Even more curiously, EvolvButton’s campaign doesn’t actually offer the product in any of the reward tiers which go up to $1,000. This convenient shutter button hopes to raise $40,000 on Kickstarter.
Cookouts just got simpler, and it’s all because of Burger Master. The durable food grade thermoplastic elastomer presses eight patties into quarter pound delight for chopped steak satisfaction. It will also store uncooked patties airtight and protect them from freezer burn. The project owners owners chose to accommodate eight patties to match the number of buns typically included in a package.
Though $35 seems a bit pricy, it may be worthwhile for those who have a sizable family or often host a large crowd given the fact that it appears to be the only multiple burger press out there for full sized burgers. And their hexagonal shape will certainly make for some unique dinnertime conversation! Expected delivery is August 2014.
The Premise. Aside from the stubborn curmudgeons and the technologically impaired, people need more than a keyboard and mouse these days. Touch screens and mobile devices have brought about simpler, more intuitive methods of controlling a computer. Now it’s time for those controls to become part of all computing experiences, including the desktop.
The Product. Motus may look like a tablet, and may control like a tablet, but it certainly has some new tricks up its sleeve. Connecting to computers over Bluetooth 4.0, Motus sits well on the side of the keyboard opposite the mouse, giving users the ability to use gesture controls in the space above the Motus itself to pan, zoom, rotate, scroll, and more. Motus is designed to be comfortable, intuitive, and allow three-dimensional concepts to find their way into the computer control scheme. Motus also has 15 touch capacitive buttons that owners can customize and program to do any functions that they may need quick access to.
The Pitch. Motus is an attractive piece of tech with an exciting feature set, and Ideas Un Limited knows this, so their campaign video focuses on the excitement of using the device and the sleek look of the product itself. A good portion of the campaign itself covers the design process of the Motus and the tech that goes inside of the device, with some tutorial and introduction videos sprinkled throughout. Ideas Un Limited needs $128,000 CAD to make using a Motus a reality for most consumers, and also has a stretch goal in place at $250,000 CAD for some different colors for the device.
The Perks. In order to get their hands on and above a Motus, backers will need to pledge $149 CAD and wait until November 2014. Developers who want to push the abilities of the device can get one of the very first devices available and have open access via phone and email with the hardware developers for $600 CAD.
The Potential. The personal computer is long overdue for an overhauled control scheme, but a big hurdle that needs to be overcome is designing an operating system with new controls in mind. Windows 8 took a big step in this direction, and the programmability of the Motus should make it flexible to handle any task with enough setup, but until a device like this is big enough to get native integration to a popular OS, it might be more of a struggle to get it working properly than it is to just stick with a keyboard and mouse for now while devices like this and Motix (sense a “mot“if?) try to find a lasting foothold in the PC market.
The Premise. How many times has showing a video to a co-worker or friend turned into a fifth or sixth replay of the video as more and more people enter the room and wonder what’s so funny? Or needed to give a presentation and didn’t want to haul a laptop to the conference room or deal with the potential formatting hiccups of sharing it and running it on a different machine? The solution is finally here.
The Product. Odin is a smart projector, not any larger than some phones, that can be connected to tablets, smartphones, or even game consoles to display video like any traditional projection display. On top of that, the Odin also comes with Bluetooth speakers, meaning no extra devices need to be connected, just the home of whatever file needs to be shared in a group environment. The quick set-up and utilitarian features make Odin work just as well under professional environments as it might for throwing a killer house party. Powered by Android, Odin can communicate with devices through Wi-fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, and USB.
The Pitch. Odin creator Dos Owls make a strong first impression with a pitch video that’s youthful, confident, and well-directed if not for a curious lack of lighting probably caused by the need to replicate conditions where the device would function best. Still, the development process for this product have led to a great number of videos and explanatory images outlining the many ways and situations in which Odin can prove useful. Dos Owls is projecting a need to raise $10,000 on Indiegogo following a much larger campaign on Kickstarter to get Odin out into the real world.
The Perks. The Odin can be picked up for almost half the retail price for $445, with shipping expected in December.
The Potential. Projectors have been a suitable audio/video display solution for decades, and this seems like a great way to have something with that same kind of power but is pocket-sized portable and pairs easily to most modern devices without having to do any complex wiring and tweaking. Odin looks like the right tool for the job of converting the powerful processors of mobile devices into something that can be used for demonstrations or parties. The flexibility and capabilities of Odin make it a fantastic accessory for any phone, tablet, or other device.
Every truly legendary party needs an in-house DJ, but transporting all that equipment and setting it up, or even just learning how to use it properly can be a major hurdle. Tuna Knobs combines the accessible, portable world of digital applications on touch-screen devices like tablets with the tactile, precise knobs of a physical device. These knobs can be affixed to a screen and twisted like the real thing to offer a more realistic feel. Tuna Knobs will be a great pickup for the casual music enthusiast, but those who are serious will scoff at this stopgap in lieu of a real deck. Tuna Knobs are €9 and launch in November.
The Premise. The smart home may not be as smart as inventors have led people to believe. Sure, it can detect various data and respond to it whether it’s temperature, motion, light, or network connectivity, but are these devices really learning, or are they just trained? The real smart home revolution is about to begin, and it’s starting with a clever bit of climate control.
The Product. The aptly-named Monolyth is a device that can control air conditioning units based on set times, temperature and humidity sensors, air quality, or manual control over Wi-Fi or infrared. What makes the Monolyth different is that it detects the presence of users and begins to build its own schedule around what it learns, turning on based on thermostat levels to keep the air cool, but setting the appropriate temperatures based on if anyone is around to enjoy it or how cold they want it.
The Pitch. The first look at Monolyth gives a strong first impression based on what it’s capable of. With its own sense of personal style and ability to learn, the excitement for this device carries through to its campaign as well. Monolyth wants to raise $50,000 for tooling, components, and packaging.
The Perks. The Monolyth system can be picked up for just $79 and will arrive in January 2015, which is great news for those in the Southern hemisphere and in the middle of summer. Higher tiers include multiple units to control additional air conditioners.
The Potential. We’ve already looked at a few smart air conditioning units in the past, like Sensibo and tado°, but Monolyth really challenges the idea of what a smart device should be. By learning usage patterns and building an automated schedule, Monolyth does more than just look for a phone or tablet within range before starting up, it adapts to its users and expends only the energy it needs to in order to create a climate control system tailored specifically to its users. Sure, it can be overridden as needed, but the idea of a device that anticipates a customer’s needs rather than react to them is something that could really push the entire smart home market forward and will no doubt be picked up by complements and competitors moving forward.
The house tends to feel sadly incomplete without the presence of a family pet. Sometimes for companionship, other times for home security, a pet can be a great friend and a great responsibility. The curious iCat is a little robotic pet that emulates pet ownership without the messy cleanups, odors, and costly food purchases. With touch sensors and a camera, iCat will be content to roam the house, or can function as a long-distance home monitor on kids or against intruders. While the little robotic pal is cute, most people will probably want more traditional home security methods/pet options. iCat is headed to homes everywhere January 2015 for $59.
Digital security is too big and too serious a problem to ignore. There have been several attempts at finding new ways to keep files and accounts safe, but nothing’s as readily available and effective as biometrics at this point. FiDELYS gives security-minded tech adopters more than just a way to keep things safe. Operating as a fully functional smartwatch with features like activity tracking and notifications, FiDELYS also includes an iris camera that can scan a user’s eyeball to grant access to any number of websites or applications. The details of the watch are a little glossed over in favor of the iris scan technology, but with something that incredible and flexible, it’s easy to understand why. FiDELYS is out January 2015 to backers who pledge $199.