Categories
Food and Beverage

Pricey SolarCooler uses light, irony to keep your cold ones cold

The Premise. If there’s anything that can ruin a trip to the beach, it’s a cooler full of warm beverages or or water-logged sandwiches. It’s a scenario that most people have found themselves in at least once or twice, yet it seems unavoidable unless you want to keep running back and forth between the beach and an ice machine. After all, even the best coolers start to lose their cold temperatures after sitting in the sun for a long enough period of time.

The Product. The developers behind the SolarCooler are billing the product as “the world’s first solar-powered refrigerating cooler.” Converting energy from that great gaseous giver of life, the cooler maintains a low temperature throughout the entire day, perfect for keeping drinks and food cold and ready to consume. It even makes its own ice. In addition, the SolarCooler can be used to charge cell phones and other USB-powered devices, making it somewhat of an all-purpose beach workhorse.

The Pitch. The TechCrunch video posted on the SolarCooler’s campaign page does a decent job of explaining what the device is capable of, but it would’ve been nice to have seen a more “produced” video that shows how the device works. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but it makes the SolarCooler team appear a bit less professional than they could. One interesting aspect of the pitch, though, is that the SolarCooler is being touted as a solution to keeping vaccines at the perfect temperature for transport. This makes the product a bit more viable than it would be if it were only used to keep beverages cool.

The Perks. Sunlight may be free, but the SolarCooler is anything but. An “early bird” special price of $950 (delivered in June 2014) may seem exceptionally high as it is, but the cooler will actually be retailing for $1,200. One look at the price is enough to send people running away in a sweat no chilled beverage can aid. But, as the project owners point out, the SolarCooler’s features extend beyond recreation to include the transport of potentially life-saving vaccines. Indeed a $5,000 pledge will allow philanthropists to “adopt” a full vaccine SolarCooler.

The Potential. The price, bulkiness and overall novelty of the SolarCooler makes it less than ideal for those who are looking for a simple solution for keeping drinks cold on a hot day. If there’s any market for this product at all, it could potentially be for vaccine transport. Still, at about 40 times the cost of your average chiller, it’s tough to see demand for the SolarCooler heating up.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Input Tablet Accessories

Bpen makes a stand with a stylus

The Premise. Touch screens devices are all the rage these days. The only problem? You have to touch them, leaving behind messy fingerprints on every phone and tablet. Also, as smartphones and tablets become capable of more and more, it’s become increasingly necessary to prop them up. It’s much easier to Skype, play games, send e-mails and many other things if both hands are free and the tablet or phone is upright.

The Product. Bpen really is much more than a pen as its slogan claims. It’s a multi-use tool that works for almost every smart phone and tablet out there. Bpen is a regular pen, a stylus that can be used on touch screens, and a stand for tablets and smart phones. It may just julienne potatoes as well. It’s made out of aluminum and comes in six different colors. The pen comes with the option of buying a base to help it function better as a stand (though the base isn’t entirely necessary outside of the car). Part of the pen folds out and plugs into the headphone jack to provide stability as a stand. In addition, Bpen’s creators have come up with a mini Bpen, lightweight enough to attach to a keychain.

The Pitch. Bpen’s Kickstarter campaign shows a video of the Bpen in action, displaying its wide range of uses. The rest of the campaign details how the idea for Bpen was conceived, as well as how the idea was developed. Lior Avrahami, Bpen’s creator, is looking to raise a modest $5,000 on Kickstarter for his product in a 40-day stretch.

The Perks. A minimum of $15 will get the backer two of the mini keychain Bpens. From there, an early bird special of a $25 donation is rewarded with two Bpens. Going up to $50, the backer will receive a set of Bpens and two bases as well. With each tier, the backer can choose which color their Bpens will come in. In addition, some tiers have the added perk of getting ink refills for their pens. Avrahami predicts that pens will be received by backers in April, which, given his experience with the factory he uses, is realistic.

The Potential. There are a lot of styli and stands out there for smartphones and tablets. Other dual stylus/pens exist, such as the lovely Wacom Bamboo Stylus Duo found here, but none quite so Batman that they also act as stands. One drawback of Bpen is that when the stand is in use, it renders the headphone jack unusable. Other than that, Bpen should be a handy accessory to draw upon.

Categories
Aerobics

Tread Pad sucks out the whimsy from a Dance Dance Revolution workout

The Premise. Home gym equipment can cause more headaches than it’s worth. Between the bulkiness, awkward shapes and price associated with home machines, sometimes getting that daily exercise is best left going to an actual gym. As technology is advancing at an alarming rate, however, new equipment is hitting the market all the time, some of which seems to be an excellent alternative to the issues that have been associated with home gym machines ever since they first came out.

The Product. The Tread Pad is a new kind of workout device that utilizes touch pad technology that is operated entirely by foot. It resembles the appearance and functionality of the dance pad for the game Dance Dance Revolution, but the flashy graphics and sound of that game have been replaced with some sterile red LEDs. This likely helps conserve battery life. The device allows for continuous tracking of calories burned, distance, average speed and number of steps. Perhaps the best thing about the Tread Pad, though, is that it only weighs 10 pounds and measures in at 24”x30”, making it semi-portable and easy to store.

The Pitch. If there’s anything that hurts the Tread Pad, it’s the campaign video. It feels dated, and as serious as a heart attack it seeks to prevent. The product is being billed as a customizable, easy-to-use device that could potentially replace the type of exercise equipment we use today.

The Perks. There are only a handful of different tiers to choose from with the Tread Pad. Entry level sits around $150, which would be very reasonable for a true treadmill substitute. However, despite its billing, the Tread Pad doesn’t offer the full leg extension that a treadmill can. Also, the reward’s description as “pre-retail” leaves it unclear as whether the device itself would be a late prototype of if you’re simply getting the final version before it’s available at retail.

The Potential. The Tread Pad seems like a product destined to show up on late night infomercials but for its price. It could be helpful to have a versatile aerobic aid that can travel fairly well and store easily. And the device’s different exercise modes may help routines stay reasonably fresh. Unlike with the original Dance Dance Revolution game, though, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of joy in using it, something the campaign points out all too well.

Categories
Tech Accessories

Hive Airdesk offers the holey grail of laptop cooling

Hive AirdeskThe new hotness is not so welcome when it gets uncomfortably warm in your lap. The designers of the Hive Airdesk agree with this sentiment, which led them to create an aerated surface for setting down your imperfectly engineered hottie and a few of its accessories. The Hive Airdesk uses a “solid surface material” that supposedly performs better in dissipating heat. One can say with certainty that does a better job of dissipating your money compared to cheap versions with vulnerable fans. Early birds can pick one up for a cool $68 CAD while late birds will find their laptop-cooling worm jumps to $118 CAD. Add in another $25 CAD to ship outside of Canada. Or you could put that money toward upgrading from your 7 lb. Pentium 4. The Hive Airdesk is slated to go from buzz to product in March 2014.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Imaging Video

Moment strives for new heights in mobile pics with add-on lenses

Moment LensAn early Kickstarter success story was the olloClip, a nifty add-on lens kit for the iPhone that earned more than four times its campaign goal in 2011. Since then we’ve seen other successful lenses.  But for the Moment, one team is using its cinematic lens design chops to devise a 2x telephoto and wide-angle lens that it claims will offer unparalleled quality. Alas, their output and perhaps honor has been tragically degraded by Kickstarter. As one might expect, they’re starting off with the iPhone but are working on a Galaxy option as well. Other phone users are out of luck as the right match of size and weight was paramount in the design process, according to the interview-centric pitch video. With great quality comes great aversion to cheapness. The lenses could be improving your iSight by February 2014 at $49 for either or $99 for the set.

Categories
Food and Beverage

JugLug gets a handle on Hydro Flask bottles

JugLug

Inspired by adulation for the Hydro Flask bottle that has helped him kick the soda habit, Hawaiian Chad Burch has developed the a handle adapter for the the container. There’s no hinge in order to keep the bottle swaying vertically as it’s carried, but it gets the job done as the product’s slogan enjoins you to “handle your jugs”; you see what he did there. The reward tiers are nearly as simple as the accessory itself, starting at only $3 for a JugLug. It is expected to ship in March 2014.

Categories
Sports

Throw Glow could turn your next touchdown dance into a rave

Throw GlowWho wants to play some football? Unless you’re on an organized team in a league, you may not have the privilege of battling for the gridiron on a lit-up field. Throw Glow seeks to make your nighttime pigskin escapades more enjoyable via an iridescent condom that envelops nearly all of the football. A side benefit, according to the humor-attempting video, is that the surface is supposed to make the spheroid easier to grip. Throw Glow covers take about 30 seconds to stretch over the ball and inventor Chris Pike has designs on attracting licensed graphics to adorn the covers. If you’re ready to toss out about $12 to the campaign, your football may be ready to rule the night by April 2014.

Categories
Wearables

Fin rings up a versatile approach to wearable gestures

The Premise. Technology has evolved by putting more power directly at the tips of our fingers, but there hasn’t been much breakthrough in the way we input information since the first iPhone and Kinect came out. Touchscreen devices and motion sensing appliances put control directly into our hands, but there hasn’t been a gadget that’s been able to unite these devices until now.

The Product. Fin allows you to take control of your entire digital world with a small ring that transforms your palm into a touchscreen of sorts. One edge of it flips up like a hairdo with tips. Small taps and finger swipes control the functions of Bluetooth devices such as smartphones, smart TVs, smart homes, and cars all through one sleek and handy (pun fully intended) device. Fin uses low amounts of power while also being both dustproof and waterproof, so it’s a practical way to make technology more ergonomic in the way that we interact with the world.

The Pitch. There’s a sentimental aspect connected to using our fingers for everything, and Fin’s video does a good job of capturing it, even campaigning for it as a fashion statement. Fin’s creatoors show how adaptable it can be by using the awakening the sense of touch to improve the quality of life, and end the video by urging the user to “wear the world.”

The Perks. The price seems a little steep for such a small device at $99 for the early bird price. The technology that it packs is worth it, but they won’t deliver it until September 2014. There are different packages for more Fins, but one is more than enough to get you started as the technology of it continues to develop and improve.

The Potential. Right now, there simply aren’t enough devices that the Fin can effectively control. It definitely has the potential to be a device that can control the way we interact with technology, but it will need more developer support. They also still haven’t completed their design and the nine-month waiting period before shipment gives cause for pause. If you want to get your digits dancing on the cusp of technology, it could be worth pledging.

Categories
Connected Objects

Pocket Drone springs skyward from your pants

PocketDroneMae West never inquired as to whether a gentleman admirer had a drone in his pocket. But anyone of her time would be happy to see this multicopter with a footprint smaller than that of an iPad. The Pocket Drone is not only small but mighty, powerful enough to hoist aloft a video camera to capture some impressive videos shown off by the campaign page. According to the project creators, though, the power won’t come at the price of complexity as they note they’ve been through “dozens of iterations to create the perfect drone product that can be used by everyone.” Those wanting to test that claim will need to pledge just under $500 and wait until June 2014, at which point they can command their drone to “go up and see me sometime.”

 

Categories
Connected Objects Health and Wellness

Atlas carries the weight of exercise knowedge on its shoulders

editors-choiceThe Premise.  You’ve watched what you’ve eaten, been walking the dog regularly, and re-repurposed that dusty, laundry rack back into a treadmill, but your weight loss has hit a plateau and you’re ready for the next level.  Fitness charts, daily journals, progress analyses and beach body, here you come! On second thought, you’ll just buy a piece of equipment to handle all that stuff for you… except for the actual exercise part.

The Product.  Atlas is a wrist-worn fitness tracker that can track time, heart-rate, reps, and even evaluate your form.  It achieves this through 3-D tracking and a bank of (potentially, by the time of release) over 100 exercises.  It can differentiate between exercises like squats and deadlifts, double curls from alternating curls, learn new exercises, and even discount exercises that aren’t done with proper form… so don’t try to cheat. It does not require dedicated software, is compatible with Fitocracy, MapMyFitness and other fitness programs, and allows you to create your own apps using its open API. Atlas is waterproof down to one meter, employs standard USB charging, has enough battery life for seven long workouts, a 30x15mm display screen, offers replacement bands, and is even left/right hand compatible.

Amiigo
The Amiigo was another Indiegogo fitness tracker that claimed tracking of specific activities.

The Pitch.  Atlas’ developers worked with professional trainers, fitness gurus, and their local fitness community to keep in touch with customer needs, and develop criteria of proper exercise form.  The campaign page shows off the “exercise fingerprints” it has devised, which are  snapshots of the Atlas’ graphic analyses. The page also includes a FAQ section that addresses everything from international shipping to metal allergies.  The well-produced video consists of the company’s CEO walking through a gym, delivering the essentials of the written pitch.

 The Perks.  The Atlas will run $160 ($130 for early backers), including a free six-month trial of fitness software.  Perks become much more complicated, including a $900 six-pack for trainers, a $1,500 option that entitles you to preload a custom exercise to be included with every shipment, and a “developer model,” Atlas.

The Potential.  Other wireless activity trackers can be had for as little as 60 bucks, on up to about $180, but none with the capacities or versatility of the Atlas.  And with technology sophisticated enough to differentiate between swimming strokes, track exercises as vague and obscure as rope-climbs and battle-rope work, and help you anticipate and overcome plateaus, the Atlas may be a bit toward the pricier side, but may be the exercise tracker that workout enthusiasts have been looking for.