As everyone walks around constantly glued to their mobile devices, paper still remains relevant. Drawing on a tablet just isn’t the same as drawing on paper. To combine the convenience of digital with the functionality of paper, try out Blerline. These iOS-optimized sticky notes adhere to your iPad or iPhone and allow you to trace the image on your device onto the paper. It’s perfect for recreating a photograph, copying down notes or composing music. One pack of 25 notes for the iPhone 5 only costs backers $4 with estimated delivery in August 2014. Blerline hopes to raise $9,000 in a 41-day Kickstarter campaign.
Exercising just got a new focus. Besides being good for one’s health, it is now a means for charging phones, tablets and other wireless devices. Go Kin hooks up the user via a couple of wires that stretch from either a fanny pack or backpack and attach to ankles via ankle bracelets. So when the user is wired and goes for a walk, their wireless devices can be charged anytime, anywhere; whether in the great outdoors, concrete jungle, or in the suburbs. For $295 CAD, backers get the fanny pack version with an expected delivery of November, 2014.
It’s happened to all of a us. Enjoying a nice time with friends is usually stunted by the inevitable round of phone checking that happens every ten minutes. If you’re looking to have fun in the moment with your friends without cellular interference, try BLOCK. This bulky candle holder burns down a typical tea light, while also jamming the signal to cellular devices to prevent distraction. It has adjustable jamming ranges and can simply be stepped away from when phone time is necessary. One of these high-tech Dutch candles costs backers €19 for delivery in September 2014. BLOCK hopes to raise €30,000 in a month-long Kickstarter campaign.
The Premise. Ever hear of that hoax involving a TV station claiming to transmit scent through a product called Smellovision? And hundreds of people claimed to smell it? It seems that these folks really wanted a way to smell scents through their devices.
The Product. Introducing the oPhone DUO, a new way to send scents along with text messages to give your friends a full sensory experience. It is an iPad sized device with two pillars that raise up a diffuse scent to the receiver. Using several oChips that work together, the device is able to produce over 300,000 unique aromas. With its accompanying app, the user can take a photo of a place, food, drink, etc., choose different scents to pair it with and send it off to the recipient. From their phone, the recipient can open the image and scent and use the oPhone DUO to smell it.
The Pitch. The stylish campaign video oozes Parisian style and sophistication, but offers no smells. In the remainder of the campaign, different photos show oPhone DUO users smelling the device, which looks a little funny. The creator also explains different attempts at smell-transmitting devices in the past that have failed, which doesn’t exactly evoke the sweet smell of victory. This odorous product hopes to raise $150,000 in its month and a half long Indiegogo campaign.
The Perks. For $199 backers can enjoy the oPhone DUO along with a set of different smelling oChips. Higher tiers offer more smell varieties. Reward tiers reach up to $20,000 with an estimated delivery date of April 2015. Stretch goals set at $300,000, $2,000,000, and $5,000,000 are set for more scents, a smaller oPhone DUO version and an aromatic camera.
The Potential. Other products have tried and failed to produce scent to accompany pictures and sounds. For instance, the iSmell operated under the same concept as the oPhone, but failed miserably in its attempt to work. It seems a little strange to want to send someone else smells. And the device begs the question, does it deal in bad smells as well? Still, if aromas are your game and you’re looking for a way to connect on an olfactory level with a loved one, what better way than to do so with the oPhone DUO?
The fascination with drawing in the air and the 3d effect that makes art seem to come to life has been an amazing journey. From the not so distant days of heated plastic and 3Doodler, to the slimmed down Lix pen that could function with either heated or cooled plastic, to today’s CreoPop that is wireless and uses only cooled plastic, it’s been an exciting development. So how does this wireless art tool allow the user to create their masterpieces? By the use of photopolymers that are solidified using UV light. This means there is no bad smell, and that there are a multitude of color options available, some of which even glow in the dark. For $89 plus $15 for shipping, backers get a starter kit and expected delivery of March 2015.
Soccer is a great sport that is enjoyed by many all over the world. However, running around on a piping hot field can get pretty sweaty. The PractiGOAL is a typical soccer goal that converts easily into a shady spot for players and parents alike. This 65 lb heavyweight goal comes with seats to rest out of the sun. It is made out of aluminum and folds up for portability. One of these goal/shades will set backers back a whopping $400 for delivery in February 2015. PractiGOAL is looking to raise $35,000 in its 45-day run on Kickstarter.
The Premise. As summer approaches, there are dangers that we must deal with that are related to heat. Cars heat up extremely quickly when left out in the sun. Many parents absentmindedly leave their children behind in hot cars, resulting in dangerous conditions for the child.
The Product. Babeep is an alert device that reminds parents, guardians and babysitters to check their cars before locking up and walking away. This Israeli product plugs directly into the car’s outlet and even has a USB port on the side for charging phones. When the car starts, the Babeep flashes green. When the car is turned off, it flashes red and plays a prerecorded baby sound to remind the driver that a baby is onboard.
The Pitch. Babeep’s campaign is riddled with terrifying facts of child neglect and death rates. It even features a news story of one such incident. The campaign video shows a dramatization of this occurrence that makes the vignettea little bit more horror than informational. Still, the campaign does a great job in creating a sense of urgency for this product in parents and guardians. Babeep is looking to raise a huge $300,000 in its month and a half long Indiegogo campaign.
The Perks. Early backers will receive the Babeep for $35 or $38 at a regular price. Higher tiers offer multi packages for families with several cars. The highest tier at $15,000 promises to donate 500 Babeeps to new moms in hospitals across the country. Lower tiers have an estimated delivery date of March 2015.
The Potential. As the campaign explains, there are several ways that parents have tried to battle the leaving-the-kid-in-the-car problem, but none are effective when the driver is distracted. Some are simply tags that the parent is supposed to remember to use, like the Baby Bee Safe, but how is a parent going to remember a piece of plastic if they can’t remember their own kid? Others are more high tech like the ChildMinder which senses if a child is in the back and then beeps if the child separated by the parent by more than 15 feet. The Babeep seems to be the simplest, most effective of these options. It requires little action and works automatically which is perfect for the kind of parent or guardian who might accidentally leave their child behind.
In any decent beer chugging battle, one must rely on their eyesight to determine the winner, which isn’t always reliable. To really discern which chugger is the fastest drinker, use the Chugometer. This simple, Canadian device gauges the amount of beer in the beer bong and how fast the beer is emptied. Neat, eh? It attaches right to the bong to help you figure out which of your friends is going to land in an AA meeting first. One Chugometer costs beer drinking backers $47 CAD with a ton of early bird specials for delivery in December 2014. This frat bro-in-heaven product hopes to raise $50,000 CAD on Kickstarter.
Photography enthusiasts who like to whip out their iPhone camera when on wilderness excursions or outdoor adventures will appreciate the C-Lens experience. These little gadgets let phone photographers capture still life magnified up to 10 times its actual size. Of course, it works for other items one finds in nature, too. So taking photos or videos of creepy crawlies and grossing out friends and family is now possible not only when visiting with them, but also by posting it on their social networking sites. The iPhone photo lenses fit all iPhones and work with nearly any case. For $35, backers get one set with an expected delivery of October 2015.
What to do with wet clothes when camping in the great outdoors on an extended stay? While tree branches or packing a clothesline are options, The Clothes Tree offers a cleaner option than a branch and doesn’t require clothespins. The heavy-duty plastic and fiberglass coat rack type contraption is portable, so when the family gets home, it can be put back in the kids’ rooms in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, they will actually hang up their own clothes without having to be told someday. In the meantime, for $55 parents can build it and then insist that the kids hang up their clothes on it. Expected delivery is August 2015.