Categories
Running Wearables

XBand Speed Pro gives runners a personal, wearable coach

The Premise. From the 40-yard dash to the infield single, speed is a crucial element for almost every athlete. Private coaching is expensive and just not conveniently accessed every time the opportunity to train arises.

The Product. The XBand Speed Pro System is a three-component setup that can analyze runners of all ages and advise them how to get a better start at the line and how to finish with the fastest time. With a body sensor that fits arms or clips onto clothing, starting form and acceleration can be tracked even when practicing alone. The finish line module can be placed at any distance and tracks run times down to hundredths of seconds. Finally, the smartphone adapter clips in using the audio jack and interfaces with the Speed Pro app to communicate with the sensors, provide feedback, and track performance both over time and with other users. The setup requires 4 AA batteries and a CE2032 battery.

The Pitch. The XBand Sports team is quick to identify the need for quality coaching with the lack of convenient, available options. Showing off how simple and flexible the system is to set up with various distances and running styles, as well as the possibility for updates to the app down the line, it’s clear how the Speed Pro System can benefit amateur athletes. The campaign text and photos get into more technical details regarding the operation and internal components of the equipment.  XBand Sports wants to raise $150,000 to get out of the prototype phase and begin proper tooling.

The Perks. A complete XBand Speed Pro System is available in October 2014 to backers who pledge at least $100. Additional sets can be ordered at higher reward tiers.

The Potential. Considering the one-dimensional application of tracking and analysis this device performs compared to other wearable personal trainers as it applies only to running, the XBand Speed Pro isn’t going to finish first at market. It continues the trend of specialized fitness wearables that have been parading through crowdfunding sites. However, track coaches and running enthusiasts obsessed with speed will find an affordable solution that will give them real answers without hiring a trained coach to give pointers. This product looks good only in sprints – anyone wanting to do more than just run fast has plenty of other options available.

Categories
Cooking

GoCan Drainer makes fixing dinner less of a strainer

GoCan Drainer 70ad20a519fd2b41667e8cdd62cfdbd5_large[1]Getting out the colander to drain the water or juice off of veggies, tuna and fruits can seem like more of a hassle than it’s worth. GoCan Drainer offers a solution that separates food from liquid and minimizes the risk of losing half the contents to the sink. The plastic mini-strainer clips to the side of the can so your fruits and veggies can stop while the liquid goes. For $25, a backer gets them in three sizes, specially designed for a 5 ounce tuna can, as well as 15 and 27 ounce cans — a little pricey when it is possible to find small strainers for less, but having the strainers attach to the can might be useful at a picnic or other settings. Expected delivery is September 2014.

Categories
Accents Imaging

The Back-Off: Modular frames come down to a photo finish

What. The photo frame industry continues to survive, even in the digital era, by providing a physical home for digital memories. However, the proliferation of digital images from smartphones have overwhelmed the ability to keep up with framing. Two Kickstarter projects – Fotobit and Republic Frames – each have a similar take on this problem.

Why. Both Fotobit and Republic Frames have the same idea: modular frames that can be clipped together to create unique “storyboards” to tell a tale through photographs. Fotobit’s uniform squares — optimized for Instagram — look ultra-modern, like a kind of photograph Tetris that can be installed with a single nail and include a clip for a bubble level to make sure they’re straight. Republic Frames uses stainless steel and clear magnetic clips to hold photos in place and arrange them in any 3D paneling scheme. A 3-pack of 4”x4” Fotobit frames costs $30, while a 2-pack of 4”x6” Republic Frames is $79.

When. Both of these California companies launched their Kickstarters within a day of each other, and are both running 30-day campaigns. Republic Frames was first to post, but Fotobit expects its product to ship in May 2014 compared to Republic Frames’ June.

Winner. The number of options the Republic Frames setup offers is more convenient, with frames for two different sizes of photos and a host of configuration schemes that do more than rest on walls as the Fotobits must.

However, there’s something to be said about the uniformity of Fotobit when you can get roughly four times the frames for the same cost. Plus, there’s something about the way the Fotobits can still be creatively deployed, but that boils down to a matter of personal taste. In terms of price and shipping date, Fotobit looks like the winner here, but Republic Frames is a close, close second.

Categories
Home

Paca Dryers furballs speed up clothes drying times

Paca DryersEnergy is expensive these days and anyway to cut down on utility bills is always welcome. Paca Dyers are one small way to save money on energy each month. These large hairballs are made of alpaca fur, which are all natural and contain no lanolin, a common irritant for many. With porous fibers, the Paca Dryers soak up moisture, allowing your clothes to leave the dryer earlier. One set of three balls goes for $25 on Kickstarter with an estimated delivery date of May 2014. Paca Dryers hopes to raise a modest $1,500 in a 45-day campaign.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

Recoil Armband springs your iPhone back from disaster

Recoil Armband 68fcd90576cb837d7dc2c9c7fccea9e7_large[1]Armbands are a convenient way to hold your smartphone when you exercise but can sometimes make it difficult to read its display or manipulate its touchscreen. That’s not the case for an iPhone attached to an Recoil Armband. The retractable cord allows for easy access and helps to prevent the damage and expense of replacing your gadget. You can get yours for $20 with an expected delivery of August 2014.

Categories
Tablet Accessories

Ears augment Surface’s sound, match its covers

EarsNeed a boost to your Surface’s sound without buying crazy expensive speakers? The iPad has had a number of silicone speaker enhancements and now the Surface has a stereo answer of its own. Ears offers a simple solution to your quiet woes. This product pair attach to the Surface tablet’s speakers on each corner to amplify the sound that comes out. Ears are designed to direct the sound to the user in front instead of towards the back. This nifty product comes in seven colors  to match Microsoft’s colors and is available for the Surface 2 or Pro 2 for $10 with an estimated delivery date of June 2014. Hopefully in the future. Ears hopes to raise $5,500 on Kickstarter in its 30-day campaign.

Categories
Connected Objects

MEG lets your iPad monitor a miniature greenhouse

The Premise. For all that humanity has learned about growing and harvesting plants, botany still tends to be something of an inexact science for the average person. Instead of attributing a plant’s success to whether or not one has a green thumb, one company wants to offer a more precise method of understanding plants.

The Product. The Micro Experimental Growing system, or MEG for short, is an indoor greenhouse that looks like a tricked-out gaming PC, but is really a connected, totally customizable platform for growing almost any plants. Connecting to tablets and mobile devices, this Arduino-based device can control temperature, humidity, ventilation, light intensity and cycles, and even soil pH levels. The device will be completely open-source and only requires about as much power as a modern television. Additionally, it includes a social platform allowing users to share their data when they understand the right settings to make a plant flourish.

The Pitch. Italian developer Yradia is excited to geek out about MEG in its video and it’s easy to see why. In addition to looking sleek and very modern, MEG looks simple to use once it’s running. The campaign photos explain the different components of MEG, how the social aspect will work, and covers the daunting, customizable reward tiers. Yradia wants to raise £98,000 to develop the online aspects and get started with manufacturing. It has also set up a stretch goal at £350,000 to begin a beta testing program, having users grow three plants under a variety of conditions to compare results.

The Perks. Though the individual pieces and peripherals are available at lower tiers for those who already have a botanical setup, a complete MEG kit isn’t available until the £2,800 tier, at which point the device arrives disassembled. For those who are better working with plants than they are technology, a fully assembled unit is available for £3500. The components will ship in September, the pre-assembled units follow in October, and the DIY kit after that in November.

The Potential. There is a ton of potential here for home growers, botany enthusiasts, and especially for scientists. By being able to perfectly control and replicate the variables involved in growing a plant, laboratories on different continents can contribute to the same experiment. It is likely more involved than the average hobbyist will want to take part in, but anybody who wants to grow the best plants will need a MEG, or something like it, before long.

Categories
Cycling

Singular Rooster: adopting the 29+ tire size one ride at a time

SingularRoosterSurly Bikes introduced the 29+ tire size to the world in 2012 and up until now were the only manufacturers of the light, fast, high-grip off-road bikes that used them. Now, Singular Cycles is announcing its own model, the Singular Rooster, designed from the start to handle these new versatile tires.  The video introduction is short and sweet and the campaign description will satisfy any cycling junkie’s appetite to learn more. Singular Rooster bicycles will be available in three different sizes, will ship in July, and with a very limited run for backers outside the European Union, they can be had for £450.

Categories
Cooking

Foodini makes you the the prints of food design

editors-choiceThe Premise. Who doesn’t get excited at the revolutions being made possible every day by advancements in the field of 3D printing? And who doesn’t want a personal robo-chef to crank out elegantly designed plates with no effort whatsoever? Here’s what happens when these two exciting ideas are combined.

The Product. Designed to make healthy eating easier and revolutionize the home cooking process once more, the pun-tastic Foodini is a consumer-grade 3D printer that is meant to bring out the best in fresh ingredients. Using a series of reusable capsules that food can be mashed or pureed into, and then after selecting a recipe and design, the Foodini goes to work. For those worried about how to operate a 3D printer, the Foodini has a touch screen panel on the front that connects to its own site where templates can be downloaded and used, recipes can be bookmarked, and even uploaded and shared. From there, Foodini says what to put in when and handles the rest.

The Pitch. Co-founder of Natural Machines Lynette Kucsma introduces us to the Foodini and initially shows that it can make something that looks like farmer’s market baby food, but as the video goes on, and through the campaign photos, it’s quickly mouthwatering just what can be made with this printer. Anxieties about learning a new kitchen tool are also laid to rest with simple diagrams outlining how easy it is to operate a Foodini. Natural Machines needs to raise $100,000 to put together the community site and begin mass production.

The Perks. Unsurprisingly, a Foodini will set backers back $999, $300 off the retail price, and can start impressing everybody else by January of 2015. Those who don’t want to wait can pay extra for an earlier production run, the earliest being available October 2014 for backers who pledge $2,000.

The Potential. It’s impossible not to be excited about the idea of having a 3D food printer in the home. While it’s still a ways off from replicating an Irish breakfast or even downloading pizza rolls, Foodini takes all the convenience of eating out of cans and boxes and brings it to fresh, healthy ingredients. The price point is enticingly low, especially considering that a microwave cost over $10,000 in today’s dollars when they hit the market. It may seem extravagant now, but this is a clear sign of a new era for stomachs everywhere.

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands

Steel Connect adds personality to your Pebble

SteelConnectThe Pebble Steel smartwatch is an early contender in the exploding field of smartwatch options, but the two included leather and steel bands leave a little something to be desired. Steel Connect is an affordable solution, available in black matte and brushed aluminum to blend in with both Pebble variants, that allows owners to swap out the band for any 22 mm watch band. With such a wide variety of bands available, owners can make the Pebble Steel more stylish, more comfortable, or better suited to physical activity. The campaign photos show off a variety of band ideas that can work with the Steel Connect system. Steel Connect is available to backers who pledge £15 (add £3 outside the UK) and will be available by May.