What tool takes a good camping trip and makes it great? A quality camping saw, of course! Boreal21 is a folding bow saw that takes some of the complication out of finding wood for a fabulous campfire. While searching may still be necessary, cutting through those larger pieces so that they can be more easily brought back to camp and used for fuel just got a little easier. The 21 inch blade even comes with the option of a case so gear doesn’t get damaged when in transit and for easy toting. For $77, early bird backers get multiple blade options with an expected delivery of November 2014.
The world can be a dangerous place and it’s always nice to have extra piece of mind when traipsing around alone at night. The Safelet is a bracelet from the Netherlands that interacts with your smartphone. It lets you choose “guardians” to alert when danger is present. The wearer simply pushes two buttons simultaneously to call for help from guardians, other Safelet wearers in the vicinity or the police. Once the buttons are pushed, the bracelet lets the receivers know the location of the wearer and the bracelet begins recording. Many safety bracelets have come to the market recently like the stylish Cuff and the 1Decision Bracelet for kids. One Safelet costs backers $199 USD. Safelet is looking to raise $40,000 in its Indiegogo campaign.
For those who are organized, disorganized or anywhere in between, losing stuff is inevitable for all. Everyone has longed for a way to conveniently keep track of their items, but nothing has been done about it. TrackR Bravo offers a simple solution in the form of a thin, lightweight tracker that connects with your smartphone. The app lets you locate your laptop, keys, wallet etc. and the TrackR Bravo can also be used in reverse to find your phone. One of these simple devices only costs backers $29. TrackR hopes to raise $20,000 in its Indiegogo campaign.
Smartwatches are the next must-own mobile accessory, and already the market is full of enticing options. For those that like the look and feel of a classic mechanical watch but still want to be notified of important phone calls, there’s Modillian. Modillian is a strap replacement for a standard watch that can be used with its own app to set alerts to discreetly vibrate if certain people call or text, or even at a certain time, so nobody feels as if they’re less important than a phone. Just don’t leave that wrist on the table when a notification comes in, or all that effort to be discreet might be wasted. Modillian beta straps and apps are ready to go in January 2015 for $99.
Managing a daily task list and staying on top of everything can be difficult. Doing that for an entire family is almost impossible. HomeE is a flat-screen, wall-mountable display that syncs tasks from all smartphones registered to the device and provides a group to-do list that everyone can keep track of. With the inclusion of group messaging, it becomes easy to delegate tasks and have everyone on board if plans ever change. Interestingly, the goal is for HomeE to be free as it is supported by local ads, so interested parties only need to sign up on the website to receive a free device.
Carrying items on a car roof rack is convenient when a pick-up truck isn’t an option, but pricy if the driver forgets that the cargo is up there and zooms through a height restriction warning. Such was the case for a couple of hungry cyclists whose focus was overcome by their growling stomachs and the restaurant that was just up ahead. Hence: the invention of RoofScope. The mountable mirror acts as a constant reminder for the driver to mind height restriction warnings, and also provides for a quick and easy glance to make certain that cargo is remaining secured. For £30, backers get one product and an expected delivery of November 2014.
The Premise. As a culture, we’ve all seen the negatives of hunching over our smartphones all the time. We’ve realized that it’s nice to live in the moment, but work, kids, friends and other obligations keep us checking our phones constantly.
The Product. Ringly is a smart, stylish ring that connects to your smartphone. With five different vibration patterns and discrete colored lights on either side, it lets you know if you’re receiving a call, text, e-mail, tweet, any Facebook notification or event that you have in your calendar. The vibrations, colors and contacts who are important enough to reach the ring are all completely customizable from Ringly’s Android/iOS friendly app. It also comes in four different colors with fancy names, but to the layman they’re known as purple, light blue, green and black. In terms of materials, the ring is fashioned from 18K matte gold three micron plating and semi-precious stones.
The Pitch. Foregoing a typical Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign, Ringly is running its pre-order special directly from its own website. The site goes through the product’s different capabilities and shows the various color options available. In addition, it shows on which sites this vibrating ring has already been featured including Elle and Brit + Co.
The Perks. The site offers Ringly for 25% off of retail price at $145 for the black, purple and light blue versions and $180 for the green option. Shipping begins in Fall 2014 and currently Ringly only offers sizes 6, 7, and 8.
The Potential. Ringly is a great solution for business women, moms and students alike. Its ease of use and customizability make it one of the more competitive pieces of smart-apparel that we’ve seen lately. MEMI is a stylish, smart bracelet that functions much like Ringly, but is much bulkier in size making it slightly less convenient. Ringly, while maybe not everyone’s taste, is certainly stylish enough for younger busy bees. If its alert lights aren’t too garish and distracting, Ringly will be one of the coolest ways to keep in touch with one’s responsibilities while still enjoying life in the moment.
For those who’d like to learn to play the guitar “just for fun” and only like to practice when the mood strikes them, Finger Friendly Guitar Company Keyboard may be the ideal option. Created by a guy who didn’t like dealing with pains in his fingertips and frustrated by learning which fingers go on what strings to form the chords, this gadget allows the casual player who thinks playing the guitar is a great idea, but working at it is not, a way to be the life of the party on a whim. Alas, aspiring female guitarists still won’t be able to grow out their nails. For $75 backers get one product with an expected delivery of January 2015.
For the person who seems to have everything but is still easily amused, Project NESM will likely bring hours of…um…staring. Whether or not that will be all in one day may depend on whether the Never Ending Slinky Machine is kept on a desk at work or taken home for the weekend. In addition to inspiring creativity and deep thinking, perhaps it will also act as a convenient exercise buddy for treadmill users. For £35, backers get one product with an expected delivery of September 2014.
With today’s pace of technological advancements, it’s reasonable to expect everything to connect with one another cleanly on a unified network. With a smart hub, beacon tags, and power strips, oort is aiming to be the link that binds all smart devices together. By functioning over Bluetooth Low Energy, oort can allow connected users to control the items in their home, locate pets or keys, and even get business recommendations as they move through the city. The sky’s the limit for oort, though in order to be successful, it will take a nation of adopters. Backers can get an oort hub with beacon in September for $199.