When 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.
Tag: accessory
![SwitchWood fa60bbc5bb8261a01af011e10569c9a1_large[1]](http://www.backerjack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SwitchWood-fa60bbc5bb8261a01af011e10569c9a1_large1-300x227.jpg)
For men who enjoy setting trends while at fancy events, SwitchWood offers a unique bow tie. The knot portion is covered with eye-catching fabric (10 options) centered on a black connector that goes around the neck. The wooden wing sections are made of natural wood selected from sustainable sources. Its unstained, treated with linseed oil and easily attaches to the knot. There are other wooden ties out there, but perhaps the feature making SwitchWood the most unique is that the wings are interchangeable with the knots. There are 120 bow tie possibilities available. For $60, backers get one knot and a set of wooden wings with an expected delivery of June 2014.
The Premise. As we rely on our smartphones ever more for streaming audio content, earbuds are increasingly tucked in and around our ears. However, figuring out what to do with them when you need both your ears and hands free be a challenge.
The Product. Frank Cho conceived Zipi as he walked from his parked car into his work building with only two minutes of a podcast left, three minutes until start time, and highly keen to finish listening. No worries. The magnetic earbud strap would keep the earbuds in place and free up his hands to pause the podcast, gather his things, open and shut the car door, unpause, and proceed to sneak past the boss. Bonus: because Zipi uses neodymium magnets, the strongest magnets on the market, he also managed to avoid hearing or speaking to his least favorite coworker who is directly along the route to his cubicle. Zipi is also easy to attach to earbuds and grips onto itself for easy transport. And if the florescent yellow color in the video seems too painful to look at, there’s always the option of stylish translucent white, teen girl hot pink, computer geek black, and pop culture aqua.
The Pitch. The video for the $6,000 dollar campaign is presented professionally with a nice, feminine, empathetic voiceover actress and demonstrations of the product by Frank Cho that just might have Emmy award winning potential—ok, slight exaggeration. The video also highlights that Zipi is easy to wear and take off, isn’t bulky, and like a good neighbor, is always there when needed. In addition, the magnetic connectors keep it from snagging on clothes and help prevent the risk of breaking a nail. The Perks. For $10, backers get a Zipi strap in the color of their choice, which is really pretty reasonable. One should note, though, that Zipi is compatible with the original Apple earbuds and EarPods. It has not been tested with other types of earbuds. The earbud accessory is anticipated to be available for delivery by September 2014.
The Potential. Zipi is an item that has a large addressable market — from student to homemaker to blue collar worker and even hip grandparents. That it comes in multiple colors means backers can color coordinate with any outfit, which adds potential cosmetic appeal. The most similar item to Zipi presently on the market would be neck strap earbuds, but these don’t have the advantage of the magnetic connectors and easy self-grip transport of Zipi.
The Premise. As smartphones have grown exponentially more powerful, battery life has been incapable of keeping up. Active smartphone users often have to charge their phone once or twice a day, and that means bringing a charger to wherever they need to go. The problem is, these chargers aren’t as portable as the devices they give life to.
The Product. A followup from the Portland team that delivered the similar Twig charging cable that gained over three times its funding goal, the Torso is the spork of charging devices. This all-in-one charging device is an extremely portable charging device for both iPhone and Android devices. At about the length of a thumb and the thickness of a Samsung Galaxy S4, the Torso can easily slide into your pocket discreetly with all your other essentials. The Torso also has moldable legs that allow it to double as a cord-wrapping device and triple as a tripod that props up the phone vertically. (And you’re not one of those folks who take vertical video, right?) Likely due to the thinness of the iPhone Lightning connector — which was not supported by the Twig — the iPhone version has a small grippy head to hold it steady; this reduces the flatness of the form factor somewhat.
The Pitch. The simple campaign video gets the point across straight away. It starts off by demonstrating the issue we’ve all faced with tangled cords and charging cables, and comparing that to the simplicity that the Torso provides.
The Perks. Backers can pick up the miroUSB verison of the Torso for Android and Windows Phones for $17, a 30-pin version for older iPhones and iPods at $17, and the Lightning version for $25, a bit of a premium over the relatively similar to the $19 price tag of the 0.5 meter charging cable from Apple. Shipment of the Torso to begin in April 2014 — a pretty decent bet considering the team was just a couple of weeks late delivering its first Kickstarter project to which the Torso is so similar.
The Potential. The Torso is a refreshing perspective of what used to be a one dimensional product. There are cheaper and smaller on-the-go charging cables, but particularly for those up for a quick video chat, it’s a versatile bridge between a nearby USB port and your smartphone.