Cats are ferocious creatures, but many are forced to remain indoors. One Fast Cat is an exercise wheel exclusively for your cat. Why should hamsters have all the fun? This large black wheel features tread and easy assembly. Perhaps in the future, the energy of the wheel could be harnessed to power the house. While an interesting concept for cat lovers, one may save a few extra pennies by simply letting the cat outdoors. One Fast Cat is going for an early price of $175 or $199 at a regular price with estimated delivery in September 2014. This feline exercise wheel hopes to raise $10,000 in a month-long campaign on Kickstarter.
Tricycles are a great way for children to enjoy cycling safely, but don’t always prepare kids for a real bike. The Dreisch Leaning Trike mimics an actual bike with the same kind of necessary leaning for turns, but still has three wheels. With this trike, young ones can ride safe while also developing the necessary skills to learn the fundamentals of bicycle riding. While not completely necessary, the Dreisch Leaning Trike has a noble aim and is a great tool for children, much like the Jyrobike. One Dreisch Trike costs $299 on Kickstarter with estimated delivery in September 2014. This leaning trike hopes to raise $10,000 in two months.
Some people would rather go without food and water for a day than have their phone’s battery run empty. There are plenty of solutions to give devices a little extra juice, but they tend to be bulky or involve wires that can tangle or go bad. MyQI takes wireless charging and applies it to powering smartphones. MyQI can be charged through any USB power source, then tucked into any pocket to power a phone just be powering on the device and setting the phone on top. Unfortunately, iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones need an accessory to use MyQI. Because of that, other options like iDAPT Modulo still look to be a smarter choice. MyQI is available for $60 and will arrive in September.
The Premise. The Internet offers so much in the way of art, but these beautiful pieces are stuck on screen. We decorate our houses with art on the wall, but must manually change them when the room’s ambience or our taste changes.
The Product. Electric Objects is a computer designed to display art. Using apps and online databases, Electric Objects owners can change the image that the product shows. The screen doesn’t look like any traditional screen, making the EO blend in with other framed paintings and photographs. The frame comes in different colors and materials, just like traditional frames. With the app, it’s possible to change the image on the screen easily via wifi.
The Pitch. Electric Objects’ campaign video shows different rooms and scenes with the product featured. It does well in showing backers how inconspicuous EO looks and how it blends right into any home without looking like technology. The creators talk about how they are partnering with museums and other venues interested in integrating EO into their collections. Logos of different blogs and news sources permeate the rest of the blog along with quotes of satisfied users. Electric Objects is looking to raise $25,000 in a month-long campaign on Kickstarter.
The Perks. Backers can enjoy the EO for $299 at the special Kickstarter price with estimated delivery in May 2015. This comes with a choice of either black or white and a wall mounting kit. The EO costs $499 at its regular price and at this tier, backers can choose between black, white and wood for the frame.
The Potential. Electric Objects has found a way for the beauty of art to meet the convenience of technology. Digital photo frames offer a way for people to enjoy their own photographs at home, but typically look conspicuous. In addition, they only feature photographed images instead of anything else. Electric Objects looks like any other frame, but has so much more to offer. With the vast gallery of images that its online library offers, this product demonstrates its amazing versatility. Its price is reasonable too, considering how much each new painting must cost. However, like most previous digital picture frames, you won’t be able to set it up too far from an outlet without getting creative with the wiring and it may be too bright at night for active use in a bedroom. All in all, Electric Objects is an excellent way for art buffs to explore different images from all around the world in their own homes.
Die-hard BBQ fans rave about the superiority of charcoal grilling. While perhaps more tasty, charcoal grills do not necessarily travel well. Charby debunks this notion as a portable charcoal BBQ. This nifty little grill is perfect for the beach, campgrounds or park and closely resembles Campfire in a Can. While normally people on the go resort to cooking over a fire, they can now enjoy an easy an convenient charcoal experience with Charby. This New Zealand-made product costs backers $50 NZD with expected delivery in October 2014. Charby is going for a $2,000 NZD goal on Kickstarter.
Shades of Star Trek the Next Generation have hit the watch industry. In what way? Ritot allows its users to project the time as a sort of holographic image. A miniaturization of the projection clock that wowed us in the 1970s, the time piece offers an option of either a bracelet or sporty band style and projects either 12 or 24 hour time in over 20 colors. It also offers a phone app that projects notification of incoming calls, text messages and more. It may be a way to overcome the limited real estate of watches or simply a way to impress friends, neighbors, and coworker. However, it seems like overkill for those who rarely let their phone out of their sight or hearing range. It also seems a bit pricy at $100, even if this is $60 off the anticipated retail.
Mobile java might be the primary reason why corporate America is able to begin its day at around 8am or so. But what to do with that travel coffee mug when the black gold that it contains is all gone? Likely inspired by travel cups designed to help with the consumption of drugs other than caffeine, Smash Cup suggests putting it in one’s pocket or purse. The leak-proof treasure trove shrinks from 5” to 1.75” and comes in multiple colors. It’s compactness and dishwasher-friendlinesse may be appealing to many coffee drinkers, but the inventors will have to prove the $15 value to those who rack up the points on their Starbucks app. Expected delivery would be October 2014.
Ever tried to play a game on a phone that wasn’t optimized for touch-pad controls? The experience can be compared to trying to eat soup with a fork. Game Pad is a simple silicone sleeve that slides over and iPhone 4s and up and sits on top of the on-screen controls for GBA4ios, an app that allows users to play Game Boy Advance games on their iPhone. The problem is, since this only works with one app for a few different models of phones, most customers won’t see a use here. Serious mobile gamers are better off with a dedicated controller, the likes of which are multiplying. If this is all one needs, Game Pad is at least an economical £8 and launches in October.
Here’s an idea that gives a whole new meaning to floating on a breeze. Air Hammock takes the idea of an air mattress and ties it between two trees. It offers single and double wide options, but perhaps the coolest selection is the tent hammock. This item includes a removable rain cover and insect netting for those who like to take their hammock camping. All of the hammocks are light weight, tear proof, nylon cotton blends that breathe, are easy to clean and water resistant. This seems like a great improvement on a popular classic, especially in regard to the tent hammock. $30 gets a backer the single person option with an expected delivery of August 2014.
The Premise. The primary necessity for any home situation is adequate lighting. Plain light bulbs are so 20th century. Why not have customizable, smart light bulbs that can stream audio throughout the home?
The Product. Whome is a Wi-fi enabled system of LED light bulbs that can be controlled using a proprietary app. Designed for customization and sharing, each Whome supports 256 LED bulbs to fine-tune the color and intensity of the light to fit any room, mood, or social situation. Additionally, each bulb also comes with a built-in speaker, and audio can be streamed to the Whome to provide a whole-home output for party music or ambient backgrounds for relaxing in bed. The app allows users to set timers that will change the bulb’s settings for different times of day and allow easy management of all networked lights in the home, no matter which room.
The Pitch. Whome is a trendy idea, and so Whome developer WaveBomb has framed its product as young and fashionable in its campaign video. Viewers get a glimpse of the product in action from friends watching a soccer match in proper team lighting to a suggestive bedroom encounter complete with mood lighting and appropriate soundtrack. The Whome’s ease of use in on full display, with simple examples of controlling the light in real-time through the app and connected the bulbs to streaming audio featured. With a goal of £20,000 in place, WaveBomb is hoping to raise the funds necessary to begin mass production and get all the necessary certifications.
The Perks. A single Whome is available for £60, set to launch October 2014. Those who want more than just black or white can get a two-pack in any color for £155. Additional tiers offer quantities of five or seven bulbs.
The Potential. Similar products have been introduced already, either taking the smart light bulb route or the music-powered light approach. Whome feels less like a novelty because it tackles both of these concepts in one device. The design makes the bulbs look a bit like ultra-modern salt and pepper shakers, but being able to stream audio and control lighting color and intensity using a phone and being able to program it to act as a much more pleasant form of morning alarm make this a very appealing product for those that have an easier time rising and shining to their favorite music.