Losing lens caps is a part of any photographer’s life. Some caps attach to cameras with a string, but these can be intrusive when trying to capture a cool shot. The Hack x Tack made out of steel and wood uses magnets keep lens caps from getting lost. This small clip attaches to your clothes or bag and grabs onto the cap with a magnet that adheres to the front of the lens cap. The magnet is entirely device safe and goes for $24 CAD with an estimated delivery date of August 2014. The Toronto-made Hack x Tack has a $25,000 CAD goal over 31 days on Kickstarter.
Athletes who enjoy running or cycling outside constantly face the problem of where to put their keys while exercising. They either run the risk of being uncomfortable or of putting their keys in an unsafe place. KeyClip is a small magnetic pouch that holds your key securely while you jog. It then clips directly to your clothing for safekeeping. The strong magnet ensures it will stay put, much like the Nunchuk clip. One of these clips goes for a $20 pledge with an estimated delivery date of October 2014. KeyClip hopes to raise $15,000 in a 45-day stint on Kickstarter.
Ask a cyclist and they’ll probably all say there’s no such thing as too much bike safety. For every ridiculously shaped helmet and strobe light, there’s still a dozen drivers on the road going too fast and not paying attention. Continuing the trend of shiny apparel accessories, Veglo’s Commuter X4 light is designed to create a brighter, more eye-level light that will keep traffic more aware of cyclists. With a design that fits over shoulders and backpacks alike, the bright fiber-optic light is customizable to blink or beam a constant red like the taillights of any motor vehicle. Urban biking enthusiasts can get a Commuter X4 for £25, complete with charger, in September 2014.
When the carabiner made the jump from mountain climbing tool to everyday accessory, it seemed like the garment clip industry had pretty much reached its zenith. Now comes the Qlipter, a small and mighty device that looks like a standard carabiner but is capable of so much more. Made out of aircraft-grade aluminum, the Qlipter has a rotating hook built into its design, meaning that anything clipped can be hung and allowed to swivel freely. The clip is also magnetized to help keep it securely shut for towing or hauling smaller items onto larger ones. Backers can get a Qlipter of their very own to hang onto for $20, delivered in August.
With flat-panel TVs getting ever thinner and cheaper, it’s no wonder that their audio quality leaves a lot to be desired. Speakers on these televisions are pointed at the ground, so the sound goes down instead of out towards the viewer. The SoundVerter is a simple product that sits directly below flatscreen’s speakers and directs sound towards viewers. This accessory uses the basic rules of acoustics to improve sound quality on televisions, much like Ears does for the Surface. One pair SoundVerters costs $75 with an estimated delivery date of June 2014. This product needs to raise $20,000 in a 60-day Kickstarter campaign.
Wood paneling isn’t just for the 70s, especially when it’s done tastefully and aesthetically. The use of authentic, quality wood can really make a home or office pop with freshness. Wallure, a set of real wood panels that can be used to decorate any wall have arrived to make unique hardwood walls a simple reality. Made from walnut and oak, the surface and finish of the wood is customizable to create 12 different options designed to fit any design motif. The backs of the panels are polystyrene, making affixing these panels uniformly easy. Right now backers can pledge £50 to get a sample pack in May of one of each of the 12 varieties.
Ever notice how when the cleaning your pump sprayer doesn’t work quite the way it should when the liquid gets low? And it never lets you use up everything in the bottle. That would be the primary difference between SprayMo pressure sprayer and other pump sprayers. A couple of squeezes lets you spray a continuous stream to your hearts delight, which also means your hand doesn’t get so tired so fast. In addition, its wide mouth lets you easily transfer the product from store bought sprayers. For $25, backers get one bottle and an expected delivery of December 2014.
The Premise. Everyone’s had a moment where they meet someone new and everyone pulls their phones out and circles up to swap information and add a new contact or two. It’s more convenient than it used to be, but interrupts socializing for much longer than a simple pass of the business card used to do.
The Product. Looking to bring back that elegance and seamless networking is PIE (Personal Interactive Experience), a smart band that users wear on their wrist to interact with the world around them. PIE can take advantage of its proprietary protocol called FLEX to interact with other PIE devices. However,, for the foreseeable future, it will have to interact with other products using NFC and Bluetooth 4.0. PIE can be used to make purchases at any contactless terminal, trade information with other PIE users, and download any data from NFC hotspots. With a simple shake of the hand, potential employers can get a copy of a resume, or simply swap contact information.
The Pitch. In the extremely clever campaign video, we see a bearded PIE user go through his day, mostly through his eyes and perspective. While out and about, he does what people do: networks, enjoys company, meets new people, and engages in business, but does so with the assistance of the slim band on his wrist. Because the video is largely artistic in its narrative, the rest of the campaign goes over exactly what PIE does and how. PIE needs to raise $150,000 for pretty much the entire process, from materials and design to packaging and shipping.
The Perks. A PIE unit with all features, diary app, and charging base can be had by the end of this year for $110, plus $20 outside of Europe for shipping. A limited Indiegogo version is available for $165, a 2-pack for $200, and for those that can’t wait, a developer tier is available for $345 that will ship in August.
The Potential. The PIE is kind of a neat idea that’s just a little too late. Because it operates entirely on NFC and Bluetooth, there’s no reason that this kind of functionality can’t be employed on a smartphone or other smartwatch or band, either by hardware or by app. It doesn’t do enough to supplant any form of human interaction, and potentially could only be brought to its full potential by other PIE users, meaning early adopters will have a hard time getting the most out of the device, let alone explaining to a store clerk that they can just tap their wrist on a POS terminal to make a purchase. There’s more here in theory than there seems to be in practice, making the hopes of this product rather “PIE in the sky.”
Ever want to glam up your garage door, but don’t think a flag will do the trick? Try GarageSkins, panels designed to stick to your aluminum garage door to make it look like it’s made out of wood. These overlays use real wood with different finishes and designs to class up your doors. Best of all, they’re easy to install and only take about an hour to apply. A one-car garage system goes for $395 and a two-car system goes for $700 with an estimated delivery date of May 2015. GarageSkins hopes to raise $75,000 in its 45-day Indiegogo run.
Between their functionality and they’re minimalist modern design, iPads look at home anywhere shy of a log cabin. Juice, a new breed of charging dock for iPads takes that idea and runs with it. With hidden wiring, the Juice is a sleek, efficient on-wall dock that holds and stores an iPad 2-4 (with Air supported via stretch goal). The iPad is fully functional while charging and can be set up as a smart home control center or just a temporary photo frame. Of course, it’s up to you to figure out a way to get the juice to juice through the wall. With support for both Lightning and 30-pin connectors, Juice will be available in August to those who pledge at least £39.