Hot tubs are the perfect remedy for the winter blues. The only problem is that snow and ice on the cover can make those soothing hot dips hard to access. Hot Cover gives backers the chance to get into their tubs with ease. This heated cover uses insulated coils to melt any frosty debris on the tops of hot tubs. All of that heavy snow and ice goes away easily with this battery-operated system. One early Hot Cover costs backers a $199 donation or $299 at a regular price. The Hot Cover needs to raise $20,000 in its 27-day Indiegogo campaign.
The Premise. Sharing photos is something almost everybody likes to do. Doing so should be easily and unintrusive, combining the excitement of receiving a social media notification with the surprise of an unexpected gift.
The Product. The Appnificent Eclipse is an addition to the smart photo frame market that integrates the features that users are used to applying to their photos when sharing them through social media. This way, using the Eclipse app, owners can take photos, doctor them to make them more attractive, add messages or emoticons, and then share them only to invited users via their Eclipse frames, Twitter, Facebook, and Dropbox. The frame itself connects to a home wi-fi network with a simple push of a button and can hold up to 2GB of photos for viewing as static images or part of a slideshow.
The Pitch. Appnificent Co-Founder Rod Spongberg introduces us to the Eclipse, showcasing how easy it is to connect the frame to both a wireless network and users of the Eclipse app. The rest of the campaign’s site goes over how to use each of the Eclipses features, from applying filters and sharing to adding emoticons and messaging. Appnificent wants to raise $75,000 to handle the tooling and production of the Eclipse. At $100,000 a stretch goal to double the frame’s storage from 2GB to 4GB will be unlocked.
The Perks. The Eclipse is available to backers who pledge $115 in either Charcoal Grey or Optic White. The device is also available with a custom protective travel case at the $165 level. All frames will be delivered In August of this year.
The Potential. There have several digital photo frames posted to crowdfunding sites in the past, and the most common “new” feature is the ability to wirelessly send photos securely. In that, the Appnificent Eclipse offers little in terms of innovation, but what makes it attractive is the large, high-quality display and the Instagram-like features that can be selected through the app before sending out the photo. The Eclipse is a strong choice for anyone in the market for a digital photo frame, but doesn’t quite offer enough to make consumers want to replace their existing frame.
The Premise. Most people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. This can have many causes, but the two leading reasons for back pain are bad posture and immobility. Office workers may find it hard to address either of these problems due to their sedentary jobs.
The Product. ChairBot makes sitting at one’s desk, but staying mobile with good posture, possible. The chair features a moveable seat that splits in two. The seat, either manually or automatically set by a timer, will alternate supporting each leg. What this means, is that the user stands on one leg, while sitting on the other. When the chair switches sides, the person’s weight shifts keeping them in constant motion to avoid injury caused from sitting too much. Good posture is maintained because the person is in a standing position, without actually having to stand.
The Pitch. ChairBot’s campaign video features Simon Hong, its creator, talking about the dangers of sitting too long and why it causes pain. He goes into the scientific reasons for back pain and his explanation is actually interesting and informative. Hong is aiming to raise $100,000 in his 30-day Kickstarter campaign.
The Perks. Backers looking to avoid back pain need to shell out $2,700 for the ChairBot… ouch. The top two reward tiers come with a crystal etched version of the ChairBot for super chair enthusiasts. Hong also offers a footstool specifically designed to go with his chair for $100. Reward tiers that include the product have an estimated delivery date of November 2014.
The Potential. There have been so many products aimed at fixing the various aches and pains of office worker bees. Most back support systems are attachments or accessories for existing chairs, like PostureME. ChairBot, however, really pushes the envelope with its weight switching capabilities. A couple of drawbacks of this product are that the desks of people using this product need to be at a higher position for standing and that a constantly moving chair may make it difficult to focus on actual work. The price is also very high for a powered chair. Other power or motor chairs go for around the same price or even less. Still, ChairBot’s ergonomic possibilities and well-thought out design make it a great tool for serial sitters in pain.
The Premise. Power cords are almost always dysfunctional. They look messy and can’t fit too many plugs at once. It’s almost impossible to find a power strip that is actually well-made or useful without several big drawbacks.
The Product. TwistVolt provides a “new twist on the power strip”. This clever product twists and turns so that each plug doesn’t sit right next to the other if desired. Using several triangle formations, each outlet is accessible and the strip can be used to its full potential. In addition, fancier versions of the TwistVolt come with USB ports. LED lights are also featured in this product, making it look very cool. Part of the allure of TwistVolt is that it is a power strip that you won’t want to hide.
The Pitch. This is not TwistVolt’s first time at the crowdfunding dance, having had a campaign at Dragon Innovation last November. The video for this revamped power cord shows how it stacks up against its competition and also how many different devices can be plugged into it. The rest of the campaign features the various ways that TwistVolt can be configured, including hexagonal and zigzag shapes. Michael Schroeder, the Bostonian creator of this product, has set a whopping $125,000 goal for this product in his 30-day Kickstarter campaign.
The Perks. For $49, backers can enjoy the TwistVolt standard which includes five outlets and an integrated circuit breaker. One TwistVolt with two USB ports and LED backlit side panels goes for $89. Two other TwistVolt versions with four USB ports and eight USB ports costs backers $99 and $129 respectively. Reward tiers go all the way up to $2,900 with estimated delivery dates of December 2014.
The Potential. Without a doubt, one of the main competitors for the TwistVolt would be the crowdsourced PivotPower by Quirky, that company’s greatest success story. There have also been other solutions to the challenge of wall wart proliferation. Particularly with its LED lighting option, TwistVolt truly looks cool, even with a bunch of cords sticking out of it, and the way it bends makes traveling much easier. While a little expensive particularly for the high-power USB versions, the TwistVolt could make up some of ithave USB s expenses because they customers may not need to buy a USB-to-wall outlet converter. All in all, this product combines the best parts of functionality, design and innovation in an item that we use every single day.
The Premise. Lighting is the most important aspect of photography; without light, there’s no picture. Capturing an image with ideal lighting can be a challenging exercise for most new photographers, but using an external flash can help make it easier and can also be an inspiring catalyst for creativity.
The Product. FlashQ is a wireless flash trigger designed to work with external flashes for mirrorless and DSLR cameras. The transmitter attaches to your camera via hot shoe and using a radio signal it connects to the receiver which is attached to your remote flash either by hot shoe or sync cord. Three LED lights indicate whether the product is operating, triggering the flash, or pairing the devices. The FlashQ system can support up to eight receivers on remote flashes as long as they are paired with the transmitter. Small in size, but packing a big punch, FlashQ’s specifications state you’ll trigger your flash more than 100,000 times on the life of one battery.
The Pitch. Anita Yim introduces herself in a female-centric campaign video as an engineer and inventor of FlashQ. She explains that she was frustrated with other wireless flash triggers on the market because they were either large in size or looked ridiculous when using with her compact system camera. The rest of the campaign page focuses on additional accessories like a cold shoe adapter and a compatibility list of all camera manufacturers who use the standard size hot shoe that FlashQ employs. You will also see the variety of colors that FlashQ will be available in, including Midnight Black, Snow White, Macaron Pink and Knight Blue.
The Perks. For a $30 pledge, early-birds can receive a FlashQ in any of the four colors. Regular birds will be able to obtain a FlashQ for $39, once the early-birds have claimed all. If you’re willing to pledge $129, you will receive a custom FlashQ with your signature printed on the devices. If the project is funded, estimated delivery of FlashQ after initial production is September 2014.
The Potential. Use of the off-camera flash is a key way to create better lighting in your photographs, but using many of today’s systems can entail a steep price and learning curve. FlashQ could broaden the appeal of similar products such as PocketWizard and RadioPopper that are more popular with pros. but the product’s unique design and significantly cheaper cost may sway consumers to give it a shot (pun intended).
Campers or hikers look for products with various uses to lighten their loads when they’re enjoying the great outdoors. The WorkingStick is more than just a walking aid, it’s a phone-holder, picture-taker, and quad-pod for holding your various camping accoutrements. The stick folds out into a teepee shape, has a screw for digital cameras and a slot to hold phones. Each stick has extender capabilities and can reach up to 60”. Early-bird-watchers will receive the WorkingStick for $55 or for a regular price of $59 with an estimated delivery date of June 2014. WalkingStick has a low $2,000 goal in its 29-day Kickstarter campaign.
People often travel with valuables in their car, but rarely have peace of mind about the safety of their things unless they use a clunky and heavy safe. Doughnut Safe takes advantage of space you already have in your car by turning your spare tire into a strongbox. The 4” x 12” product is reinforced and made out of steel to ensure that your valuables stay safe. One of these hiding-in-plain-sight products with two keys goes for $180 with an estimated delivery date of November 2014. The Doughnut Safe hopes to raise to raise $9,000 on Kickstarter in its 31-day campaign.
The Premise. The decades-old debate of “keyboard vs. gamepad” rages on as strongly as ever, with things like Steam Big Picture adding native gamepad support to bring the console experience to PC gaming. It still causes sacrifices to be made, and a better solution surely still exists.
The Product. The Aimpad is a device for gamers that offers PC keyboard-like control using analog keys for a better variation of movement. Whether sneaking around a corner or making that perfect race-track turn, Aimpad’s infrared sensor keys let gamers push their movement down with all the precision of an analog stick on a familiar keyboard style controller. When paired with a mouse, this allows for full analog control in any game that supports it. The device is fully programmable to allow macros and key remapping thanks to an included license of Pinnacle Game Profiler.
The Pitch. Aimpad is clearly serious about its gaming, showing off admitted limitations of playing highly popular, AAA games using a standard keyboard. The same games are then played using the analog keys of the Aimpad, and the difference is immediately noticeable in terms of control and performance. This kind of technology is surprisingly largely absent from the hardcore gaming market, and so Aimpad wants to change that with its dedicated keyboard controller. Aimpad wants to raise the oddly specific total of $159,999 to refine the design and enter the manufacturing phase.
The Perks. The Aimpad is available at the $119 pledge level, ready to go in February 2015. For the gamers that simply can not wait, an early prototype beta model is available in July 2014 for $799, and an earlier prototype will ship in May for backers of $1,999 or more.
The Potential. There is a lot of potential here for gamers who prefer PC, specifically for keyboard and mouse control. While it does allow for a greater variety of control schemes, the lack of analog control has been missing for far too long. The developers admit that the current design is a little lacking, so it remains to be seen what they do with the finished model, but for now, the mere promise of analog keys is enough for some people to put their money up. The simple integration of just this single feature means not having to learn a whole new control scheme (such as with the King’s Assembly). A device like this will be a great companion for the Steam Machine as well.
If it seems that your kitchen space has somehow been taken over by the clutter of food and beverage boxes, Stick n Store may very well help you to regain control. The storage units mount easily to the inside of a pantry and cabinet doors via industrial mounting tape. While the kitchen decluttering pods may give you multiple ideas for what they could hold, the company specifically had coffee pods and K-cup boxes in mind when designing these tools of organization. For $18, backers have to postpone their jitter lifters with an expected delivery of October 2014.
So you’re on vacation, getting ready to climb into bed and realize that you need to charge your iPhone. You don’t want to leave it in the car and risk vandalism and theft, but your hotel room’s outlets are either too near to the floor or way to close to the bathroom sink for your comfort. That’s where Chargearoo comes in handy. A slightly more evolved and customized version of this generic, throwaway promotional item, the charging gadget safely holds your phone in a built-in pocket that keeps it out of harm’s way. For $10, backers get their choice of white, red or green with an expected delivery date of May 2014.