Categories
Tools

Screener Thing won’t let your garden down

ScreenerFor green thumbers who have a rocky time working in their gardens, Screener Thing offers a solution. This nifty, sifty garden tool is basically a screen framed by wood planks that sits on top of wheelbarrows or buckets. When pouring dirt into the receptacle, the screen catches all of the unwanted rocky or chunky material that lives in the dirt. For $45, backers can rock out with the Screener Thing. The money, rather than the play, is the Thing as it needs to raise $45,000 on Kickstarter in its 45-day campaign.

Categories
Health and Wellness

PostureME has your back… in an ergonomically supported position

Picture 4Computers are great, obviously, but hunching over them all day isn’t. Good posture is hard to achieve when YouTubing it all day. PostureME offers the “most comfortable back support in the world” according to its Kickstarter campaign. This long skinny accessory for your chair offers lower and upper back support and uses ergonomics to achieve its goal without using any high-techery a la the Lumo Lift. While not as stylish as the campaign leads backers to believe, this is still looks like a helpful and reasonably compact comfort aid  for the car or office. PostureME has a goal of $10,000 in a 45 day campaign. Early backers can straighten their backs with PostureME for $30. But as cappuccino teaches us, sometimes it’s all about the foam.

Categories
Fishing

SimpliFLY the hassle when you wanna be gone fishin’

SimpliFLY 679f9e814f2fab961029ab39ae01753b_large[1]Perhaps the hardest part of goin’ fishin’ is getting ready to go fishin.’ But at least you can get the drudgery out of the way in the beginning. SimpliFLY aims to make the hardest part less time consuming and put all the most important items right at your fingertips. The octagonal box comes with three zingers, so that when you get the big one you can quickly de-hook, nip, and straighten the line. There are also plenty of spots to organize and store other important items. Though SimpliFLY will retail for $70, a backer can get one for $38 through the early-bird special, which in this case may net a fish instead of a worm. Expected delivery is October 2014

Categories
Furniture

SlatePro desk designed to accommodate modern tech products

Picture 3Desks these days get cluttered with all of the devices we carry around. SlatePro offers a desk geared towards people who own a laptop, smart phone, tablet and any other new-fangled gadget. The sophisticated workspace has air vents to cool down your laptop, docks for phones and tablets, a built-in mousepad, holes for wires, a place for pens and files and even a cup holder. One SlatePro costs backers $368 and is slated to be delivered by May 2014. SlatePro hopes to raise $12,000 in its 20-day Kickstarter campaign.

Categories
Cooking

BaKon BaKer produces porcine perfection in the oven

BaKon BaKer bbcc611fc04d6d57176d1ce96fcc3294_large[1]The maker of BaKon BaKer devotes most of his narrative to a sad tale of unfortunate circumstances. Either he cooks the bacon and cleans up the mess, or his wife will go shopping, spend all his money, and force them to move in with the in-laws because they can no longer make the house payment.  This threat is apparently what inspired the BaKon BaKer, which allows the user to cook bacon in the oven, hence: less mess, easier clean-up, and a peaceful marriage, something both partners can appreciate regardless of who brings home the bacon. For $22, bakers get one BaKon BaKer with an estimated delivery of June 2014.

Categories
Music

For those about to rock, Amperage Pedals will help

The Premise. Trying to make it in the music business is hard, that’s no secret. Besides all the shows, all the writing and the practice, there’s a physical aspect to it as well. Putting on a good show usually requires managing a lot of equipment and making audio adjustments. Without a roadie or a sound guy, that just becomes even more work to add into the mix.

The Product. The Amperage Pedal is designed to take the ease of bringing a laptop or tablet on stage with an act and give it the kind of functionality that a quality amp would. With chicken-head knobs that are easy to turn and full programmability through the StageManager program packaged with it, musicians can change the volume, tone, treble, bass, mid, reverb, or anything that can be assigned through a MIDI controller. This package of hardware and software is designed to ultimately do one thing: rock crowds.

The Pitch. The North Shore Guitar team shows off what the Amperage Pedal can do with a quick studio jam session. The demonstration is a little long for what it offers, but true guitar aficionados will see the impact, and after all that’s who this product is made for. The other campaign materials show off the Amperage Pedal’s internals, and there is also a video demonstration of the StageManager software necessary to bring the most out of the pedal. The project is looking for the oddly precise sum of $9,781 to order all the necessary parts to manufacture the pedals.

The Perks. The Amperage Pedal takes the stage in May 2014. Early backers can get the pedal and the corresponding StageManager software for $178. Musicians that want to add a little flair can have custom artwork put on their pedal at the $370 tier.

The Potential. The Amperage Pedal isn’t exactly high-tech, it’s not stylish or flashy, and it probably won’t revolutionize the small concert. But it does look extremely well-built, perfectly functional, and will probably be a giant leap forward for those that take the time to get used to how the device works and how it can improve a live performance. It’s a curious mix of effect pedal and mixing board that could become a staple for upcoming bands everywhere.

Categories
Apparel Fitness

SpyderGrip keeps your tunes source as solid as your biceps

The Premise. Working out with music is essential for most fitness buffs. A great song can kick up your energy like nothing else. Unfortunately, armbands that hold music players can interrupt instead of enhance your workout. Wires constantly get caught, yanking earbuds out of your head.

The Product. SpyderGrip is a a sensible alternative to the armband holder, holding music players on the upper back instead of on the biceps. It looks like a small backpack and sits on the upper back while looping around the shoulders. The SpyderGrip is compatible with all Apple and Android music players. The holder is completely sweat- and water-poof. Currently, color choices include black and gray or black and pink.

The Pitch. SpyderGrip’s Indiegogo campaign shows how many prototypes the product went through until it was ready for the market. The video shows a buff gym rat having trouble with his armband while working out and then how much easier using the SpyderGrip is. The creators of this fitness accessory hope to raise $10,000 in their campaign. As addicted to crowdfunding as some of their customers might be to the gym, the creators of SpyderGrip have run two previous campaigns on Kickstarter. The first was unsuccessful in June 2013, but the second reached its goal in December 2013.

The Perks. Two early-bird specials make SpyderGrip available to backers at the discounted prices of $29 and $32 with a choice of either gray or pink. At a regular price, the grip goes for $39. Reward tiers go up to $99 with an estimated delivery date of April 2014. The campaign details several stretch goals which include $17,000 to include an inner pouch and $15,000 to make pink more readily available. The video talks about adding a Bluetooth remote to make volume adjustments and song changes possible, but no stretch goals have yet been set for that addition.

The Potential. Anything that makes a workout look more suave is always welcome. It’s such a pain to be fiddling with earbuds when you’re trying to get your sweat on. Currently, there are few armband alternatives out there, giving SpyderGrip an edge on the market. The added Bluetooth remote will be especially intriguing since the only drawback of SpyderGrip is that changing music is difficult when your iPod is behind you.

Categories
Toys

Curiositoys takes tikes beyond gift boxes and wrapping paper

The Premise. You know how at Christmas or on their birthday, kids often play with the box in which their new toy came and the wrapping paper more than the toy? Although, it does seem that they eventually get around to the toy that came with all of that. Even when parents get a new appliance, the kids will play with the box for days, sometimes even weeks.

The Product. If it’s boxes they want, then The Curiositoys can arrange for boxes to be what they get. The one drawback to the boxes that come with the toys or appliances is that they break down pretty quickly. The Curiositoys are touted as being much more durable, and that they are white encourages kids to tap into their artistic abilities and draw on them…rather than your home’s walls. However, it’s not indicated what materials are used to make The Curiositoys more durable. The toys are also supposed to be environmentally friendly. Items presently a part of the campaign include a small geometric figure, mailbox and curio pod.

The Pitch. The video for the $130,000 campaign makes some interesting claims. The Curiositoys are something of a kid magnet that allows parents to actually have friends over without multiple interruptions because the kids are fully preoccupied with their toy. Don’t video games do that? Oh, right. This gets them out from in front of the TV. Curiositoys is made of recycled materials; it is also supposed to inspire creativity – kind of like those empty boxes in which their digital and electronic toys come.

The Perks. There are a whopping 17 tiers from which backers may choose. The first level that includes a full-size Curiositoy, the Curiositoy Mailbox, is $34. Expected delivery is June 2014. For $68, a backer gets the Curiositoy curio pod and expected delivery of September 2014.

The Potential. Kids who enjoy arts and crafts or who mom and dad just think need some time away from their gadgets will be ideal for this toy. It’s also possible that grade school teachers, preschool teachers, daycares, and faith-based organizations that cater to children may also be interested in these items. Can’t wait? An item that is somewhat similar to the curio pod and  would be the Box Creations Corrugated Play House, which comes with markers.

Categories
Pets

Tidy Dog Bin trains dogs to put away their toys

The Premise. Dogs make wonderful pets, but messy housemates. Before long, dog toys strewn about the house become tripping hazards and make for some awkward décor. Just like children, it’s difficult, but not entirely impossible, to get dogs to clean up after themselves.

The Product. The Tidy Dog Bin is a multi-purpose training tool for your dog. Its unique sensors allow it to detect its own weight. When the dog adds a toy to the bin, it dispenses a treat, rewarding the dog. The bin is small enough for more compact pooches, but sturdy enough for dogs that look like horses. The product is also smart enough to know the difference between a toy and the dog’s own weights, so it won’t dispense a treat unless an actual toy has been added. The bin looks like a simple dark brown storage box, sleek enough to blend into any standard living room.

The Pitch. The Tidy Dog Bin’s Kickstarter campaign shows the creator’s cute dog using the Tidy Dog Bin in the video, proving that the bin actually does work, at least for a sample of one. The rest of the campaign goes through the prototyping process as well as the manufacturing schedule for the bins. Tidy Dog hopes to raise $20,000 during its Kickstarter run.

The Perks. Tidy Dog offers backers two early-bird specials. The earliest backer can get the Tidy Dog Bin for $49 and the kind of early backer can get it for $69. The later bird can donate $99 for the Tidy Dog Bin. Reward Tiers go up to $129 with an estimated delivery date of November 2014.

The Potential. The Tidy Dog Bin would make Pavlov proud. Who would of thought that cleaning up would make anyone salivate? The pet accessory market offers a slew of toy bins for dogs and cats, but most feature bone or paw print decals that can be tacky and stand out at home. None automatically dispense treats helping to train dogs. It is certainly possible to train dogs to put their toys away, but the Tidy Dog Bin offers a constant, if expensive, reward system that may help ensure the maintenance of this neat habit. Now if only dogs could clean up after some of the other things that they leave behind.

Categories
Cycling

Fietsklik lets you snap accessories onto your bike

FietsklikWhen it comes to bikes, the Dutch are most certainly the experts. Fietsklik, a new product hailing from Amsterdam, is a platform to affix to the back of your bike. It’s unique structure allows you to attach or click different accessories to it such as several different types of bags, crates and child seats. Fietsklik fits on most bikes and makes cycling all the more versatile. A full viewing of this bike tool’s accessories can be found on the Web site, along with a lot of information in Dutch. For $99, backers can get one of two basic packages of the platform itself along with a crate or any bag of choice with an estimated delivery date of July 2014. Fietsklik is looking for $40,000 during its-57-day campaign12.