Categories
Wearables

Digitsole smart insole lets your phone provide toastier tootsies

The Premise. With the onset of a blustery winter comes all of the discomfort associated with it. Delays in public transportation, crowds of people seeking warmth in the recesses of coffee shops, and snowstorms that can slow cities down to a grind make the season unbearable at times. Short of wearing bulky boots or multiple socks, there isn’t much one can do to avoid walking around in the cold with wet and stiff feet.

The Product. Digitsole wants to melt that dread away with the market’s first connected insole. More than a novelty, it has the capability of independently heating up each foot through a companion smartphone application, so you never have to worry about your toes feeling like they’re going to fall off. It multitasks as well, tracking your fitness throughout the day while warming your feet and boasting an advertised battery life between seven hours and a few days, depending on use.

The Pitch. The company’s excitement at having created Digitsole comes through in both the campaign video and text. The video is clear and features company figures speaking about the product and what went into creating it. Rounding out the campaign, the text provides backers with more technical information about Digitsole, including material, weight, and large images breaking the product down into its many parts. A successful goal of $40,000 brings Digitsole to life by the end of the year.

The Perks. Early birds can get these awesome insoles for $99. At a regular price, $179 can also get potential backers a pair, while larger pledges can net them a customized pair, the possibility of multiple pairs for family and friends, or even a pair molded to their feet. All of these perks will ship in December 2014.

The Potential. Digitsole comes to the rescue of all those who have to work or travel long distances throughout the worst of winter, and, for that, its utility has to be praised. There just isn’t anything like this on the market so its uniqueness will ensure Digitsole’s success, as long as it does so without cultivating an unpleasant stench. Digitsole’s one drawback is that it’s only water-resistant, not waterproof. Similarly, even though battery life was addressed in the campaign, testing out capacity and putting it through its paces in real-world situations will definitely yield contrasting results. Let’s see how it works out this winter.

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Cell Phone Accessories Uncategorized

iScent smart atomizer lets you text people to go to smell

a118604cfcfb8a67ded56dab64218090_largeFor all those who’ve been clamoring for scented notifications from the smartphones comes the iScent, a small tower shaped device that pairs with an app to let you do just that. Water infused with essential oil is atomized to notify you of incoming notifications all while making your environment a pleasant one. Ultimately, the iScent looks like it a one-trick pony that will go the way of the oPhone DUO and Digiscents, even if it boasts a party mode for your olfactory-inclined friends. Early birds can scoop one up for just $35 if they care to, although it may make for a pretty paperweight if they do.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Video Games

Game Cover lets smartphone game controls slide

gamecoverMobile games have become an unignorable aspect of the gaming landscape. Players have access to thousands of games wherever they are, but the one complaint most people will always have is control. Game Cover is a thin Android gamepad that slides out from the side the way keyboards slide out on certain phones. Only 8mm thick, Game Cover fits any phone and provides plenty of buttons for precision control. Game Cover also works as a remote for media or camera controls. The thinness is great for compatibility, but long-term use may cause hand strain without something larger to grip onto while playing. Gamers can power up their phones with a Game Cover for €25.

Categories
Technology

The Guardian tells e-snoopers to get off of your cloud

guardianConcern about our digital information is at an all-time high. Between cloud services skimping on security, credit cards being swiped, major banks being hacked, and the NSA sniffing around, it’s difficult to confidently secure valuable files. BoltKey’s Guardian intends to make it easy. The silver slab offers users military grade encryption and wireless backup of up to 3TB of data, coupled with two-factor authentication requiring the included BoltKey accessory. The product’s encryption and storage may dwarf others, but products like WEDG or the Sherylbox offer more options with which to interact with data. Early birds can get their own Guardian for $199 in November 2014, while tardy turtles will get theirs in December 2014 for $249.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

How the bleep do you back up your phone?

The Premise. Even as the tools safeguarding our precious data continue to evolve,  backing up remains a headache for some and a mystery to everyone else. A few things will always stay constant: the need to backup our data, and that crushing feeling when your smartphone [insert traumatic event here] while realizing you don’t have a backup.

The Product. bleep is a hybrid smartphone cable that can charge your iOS or Android phone and back it up at the same time. By condensing the charging cable with USB storage, bleep backs up your data every single time you plug it in without affecting charge time. With the data securely stored right on the cable, you’ll be able to recover relevant data to any smartphone even after losing your own. Its physicality also allows you to do all of this even without an internet connection or computer. In addition, bleep has created a mobile app on which you can manage your backups and set your own security parameters, giving users full control over how exactly their data is protected.

The Pitch. The company’s charmingly animated video does a thorough job in clearly explaining the basic ideas behind bleep, with the only downside being the lack of an actual product in action. Bright diagrams and charts both dissecting and discussing the benefits of bleep round out the rest of the campaign, which is aiming for a $50,000 goal by October 24th, 2014.

The Perks. All bleeps come in the “Luxury Green” color and there are three capacities available. Interested backers can grab the 16GB version for $40, the 32GB version for $55, and the 64GB version for $78, along with larger packages if you have lots of clumsy friends or family.

The Potential. The bleep is an innovative take on the humble charging cable. Similar products focus solely on on-the-go charging, like Lifelink or the popular Mophie cases. bleep intelligently adds utility to the charging cable while remaining unobtrusive. It would be nice to see more color choices and there’s some legitimate concern that a cable is often easier to lose than a phone itself. But the extra premium that bleep commands seems with it in terms of convenience and piece of mind.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Displays

TouchPico projects the future of smartphone displays

The Premise. The pocket-sized projector is giving the smartphone the ability to share content locally and give presentations for work or just relax with some Netflix. Now imagine that same technology with the ability to project a touchscreen environment as well.

The Product. TouchPico is an Android PC that wirelessly streams smartphone applications onto any surface quickly and easily. Additionally, TouchPico includes a stylus pen that can be used to control the smartphone the way a finger would on the projected surface, turning any wall, desk, or whiteboard into an interactive display. Because TouchPico is powered by Android, any apps from the Google Play store are immediately compatible with TouchPico for projecting and touching. TouchPico can also stream from a Mac or PC computer environment using the mouse instead, assuming the devices are all connected to a wireless-capable router.

The Pitch. In the video introduction to TouchPico, we see the creators excited for a variety of the features that the device can provide in the home, with children, at work, or at school. As the device is put to the test, the “touch” display seems quick, responsive, and accurate, as suitable for Fruit Ninja as it is for navigating a PowerPoint presentation. The developers of TouchPico are hoping to raise $55,000 for production of the device’s modules and to handle the costs of manufacturing.

The Perks. A TouchPico projector with stylus can be grabbed up for $349 in October 2014. Those who don’t have the funds to pay that much right now can put one on “layaway” for a $99 pledge, with a promise to pay $300 later. Distributors and developers who want to start selling TouchPico immediately or get to work on applications for the device can get their hands on one shipped out right now for $799 or $999 respectively.

The Potential. Projectors for smartphones are beginning to take off as a way to share the powerful computing power of these tiny devices in a way that can engage more people than just the one facing the screen. By adding a pseudo-touch display to the mix, the phone can be easily set aside, allowing for a more natural sharing of media or presentation of ideas. Everything about this device looks like it is ready for market and should perform as well as the TouchPico’s expectations.

Categories
Tablet Accessories Technology

iSpy protects your privacy, keeps your secrets from nosy peepers

ispySome people have a sixth sense for knowing when somebody is over their shoulder, reading their incoming texts or snooping on their app usage. iSpy is a new solution that mixes both low-tech and high-tech ideas into offering users a tablet that ensures their privacy. To the naked eye, iSpy looks like a bright white screen, but with the special glasses that come with the tablet, a regular display is revealed. Additionally, a special case made of the same material as the lenses can be put around the tablet to make it suitable for sharing. While the technology here is very cool, it may have been better as an accessory for existing tablets rather than a tablet of its own. iSpy is out in December 2014 for $99 with a campaign goal of $50,000.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Tech Accessories

ExxtremeKinnexx turns your smartphone into a tablet, extremely!

exxtremekinexxTablets are super popular and make one’s life easier in many ways. One drawback is that they take up extra space and you have to carry them around. ExxtremeKinnexx is hoping to cut down on that clutter by creating a smartphone case that can be stretched and expanded while connected to the phone’s Micro USB port to allow a phone to become a tablet and then go back to being pocket-sized when done. All they have to show at this time is a pretty standard PowerPoint presentation and none of the reward tiers include the actual device, but what ExxtremeKinnexx lacks in concrete details they certainly make up for in superfluous x’s and an exorbitant $433,000 campaign goal.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Input Tablet Accessories

FlyShark chomps into the need for typing on the go

The Premise. Although smartphone and tablet keyboards are generally acceptable for writing in short bursts, more involved work ultimately requires the physicality of a Bluetooth keyboard. Unfortunately, many of these keyboards are just badly designed leading to unnecessary typing mistakes, and even the more responsive ones can be bulky, even if they fold.

The Product. Flyshark is a Bluetooth keyboard compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows 8 platforms that keeps a slim profile when folded. When unfolded, each full-size key retains that clicky and tactile experience people expect when they type on a physical keyboard, with a life of an estimated five million button presses per key.

An aluminum alloy shell joined together by composite aerospace plastic makes the keyboard extremely sturdy without adding unnecessary heft to the final 130g product. Flyshark also touts a low power Broadcom Bluetooth chip inside the unit giving it a standby time of 60 hours. With white, black, silver, and gold color options along with the choice of a laser engraved set of words or picture, each Flyshark Keyboard is extremely customizable to suit anyone’s needs.

The Pitch. Flyshark’s Kickstarter page is full of detailed information that can veer into the confusing. The video of the product, although certainly not the best, does a great job explaining what the product is and, more importantly, comparing the Flyshark to other competing products (most notably Microsoft’s Surface keyboard). In the video, you also get the chance to check out the build quality and exactly how impressively small it is. Flyshark is aiming for an influx of $30,000 to both mass produce and market the product.

The Perks. Flyshark is offering the retail product in exchange for a contribution of $55. Increments of $10-$15 give you the choice of different color and engraving options. The product is due to ship in September, which would be a contrast to the painful two-year wait backers of crowdfunded Jorno keyboard have endured.

The Potential. Although foldable Bluetooth keyboards are nothing new, Flyshark’s blend of minimalism and materials looks like a strong alternative to what’s out there. Its size and aluminum alloy construction come together in a slim design that will certainly attract those hankering for a comfortable typing solution on the go without having to entertain novel ways to type.. Travelers, businesspeople and students will have their eye on this one.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Connected Objects

Qblinks is a glowing button to control your phone

qblinksEven though most people are often mere inches or even millimeters away from their phones at all times, it would be nice to be able to control said phones without having to fish them out all the time. Qblinks is a little remote that can alert owners to notifications or be used to find phones, play files, or control the camera. The simple one-button interface is friendly and easy to learn, making it a snap to get used to quickly. Ultimately, the problem with devices like Qblinks is this: If the phone is close enough to use, why bother adding an extra device just to control it? For those less skeptical, Qblinks is available for $29 to ship out in October.