Tag: portable

Categories
Maker/Development

iBox nano 3D printer lets you make stuff anywhere

With 3D printing enjoying increasing coverage nowadays, more and more people are beginning to understand the possibilities. As a result, eyes widen at the concept, but not as many people have actually had hands-on experience because of the prohibitive costs. For those who currently do use 3D printers, it’s more likely someone wants to only print smaller objects, but has to shell out for a costly, large printer to get it done.

iBox Printers has created the iBox nano 3D: the world’s smallest and quietest 3D printer. Weighing in at three pounds, the device is capable of untethered resin printing over Wi-fi using any browser on any device, eliminating concerns of compatibility. The product was also conceived with the home user in mind, so there is no software to install. In addition, this product takes advantage of the large amount of open-source 3D modeling software and uses UV LEDs instead of DLP projector bulbs which last longer and use less power. The 328 micron resolution of the XY axis complements the .39 micron resolution on the Z-axis so that users can print fine detail without breaking the bank for more expensive printers. The company is looking to raise a whopping $300,000 in total. 3D printing pioneers can get their hands on one for $269.

The iBox nano 3D piques interest considering its portable, lightweight, and extremely open nature. The Pocket 3D printer has also positioned itself as a portable printer and, even if it’s form factor doesn’t quite lend itself to portability, what it produces doesn’t have a curing period like the iBox nano 3D. This is the biggest oversight: the iBox may be portable, but it doesn’t mean it will be actually usable everywhere as the resin supplied has very specific handling concerns. That might impede its practicality and may or may not be enough to turn people off, but its price point will probably ensure it won’t be much of a problem.

Categories
Furniture

Zestdesk portable desk works while you stand, travels where you walk

One of the hardest parts about having a desk job is sitting for eight hours a day. The lack of movement tends to make muscles and joints feel tight and a bit stiff after a few hours. The creators of Zestdesk have come up with a solution that lets you stand up and work at the same time.  It’s made of anodized aluminum, offers adjustability for a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and is lightweight. While it appears that raising and lowering the legs may mean clearing off one’s work station first, it does offer the convenience of folding up and a carrying handle for maximum portability. Another campaign offering an easily storable workspace is Refold, but this item is made of cardboard. Other portable desk options include StorkStand, Frey Desk, and StandDesk, but not all of these offer the same adjustability and durability as the Zestdesk. Zestdesk seeks to raise at least $10,000 by November, and early bird backers can get in on this Australian product for $337 AUD with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Fitness

Battle Flex aims to be your home gym away from home

An awesome work out at home?! Okay, the concept isn’t entirely new. We see tons of at-home fitness products almost daily on Backerjack. Here to join the pack is BATTLE FLEX FITNESS. The campaign doesn’t do a great job of explaining exactly what this product features but it looks like BATTLE FLEX focuses on ropes and elastic bands to provide resistance training. To get the complete set, backers will need to shell out $159 for estimated delivery in April 2015. BATTLE hopes to raise $40,000 on Kickstarter.

This fitness system looks versatile and boasts usability *virtually* anywhere. There’s not much else to distinguish it from other at home systems like the XBAR and MostFit. Rope and cable systems are great for a well-rounded workout, however backers who don’t value this have literally hundreds of other options. BATTLE will need to figure out a more niche market to target in order to set themselves apart.

Categories
Maker/Development

Pocket 3D Printer lets you make it where you take it

3D printing is steadily gaining steam. However, with printers still going for absurd amounts of money and looking like washing machines, they aren’t going mainstream anytime soon. This is the biggest roadblock to 3D printers being thought of in the same vein as fridges and microwaves but as time marches on, cost is reduced and along with that, size. Inventor Steve Middleton picked up on that trend and skipped a few levels with his Indiegogo campaign for his Pocket 3D Printer.

No bigger than an iPad mini, the device is a fully functioning, honest to goodness 3D printer that you can take along with you in a purse or book bag. At first blush, this looks to be impossible, but with the device using photo-polymer resin that is instantly cured using an UV LED at the tip of it’s printing arm. This means no heat is given off nor any cool down period to wait for after you’re done using it! Its 1 button start-up, rechargeable battery, and Bluetooth connectivity ensure users can truly print whenever you want using whichever device they’d like. The campaign is looking for $25,000 to get started with production; potential backers can grab the unassembled version for $249, and the assembled version for $349.

This isn’t the first 3D printer using photo-polymer resin coupled with UV light as we’ve seen the CreoPop before, but it’s the first that isn’t limited to a pen form factor. Potential users will get much versatility out of a product like this — imagine printing out spare parts for a device, a broken purse clasp, etc? The Pocket 3D Printer can be something special provided you don’t end up having to print parts for it instead.

Categories
Tech Accessories

Veyem display stand lets your monitor rise to any occasion

Anyone who has gotten used to working on dual monitors is probably not about to go back to a single monitor workstation any time soon. But an extra monitor takes up more desk space, and can be uncomfortable or awkward to transition across displays.

The VEYEM stand, which stands for Vertically Elevate Your External Monitor, is a collapsible metal laptop stand that starts out compact and folded before expanding to a stand that can support a monitor above the laptop screen. The basic shelving principle design behind VEYEM means that it can also hold any other object like a book, smartphone, or tablet. VEYEM has a target of $20,000 in mind to manufacture these stands. The stand will only cost backers $40, with a shipping date of January 2015.

There are plenty of solutions that one can come up with to support an external display, from shoeboxes to simple shelving, but something like this that can travel with a laptop and collapse down conveniently is worth looking into for those that use two monitors. The only problems this creates is how to transport that second monitor with the laptop, as well as the actual large size of the stand itself, which does not fold very flat and has fairly large dimensions.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

Little Occhio pairs with your smartphone to explore the microscopic

Many inventors and companies alike are catching onto the smartphone’s potential as an intermediary between the people who use them and the microscopic world alien to us. Smartphones can add a new dimension to a microscope, freeing us from the shackles of bulky, cumbersome equipment and letting us wander into the world and discover nature as it was truly intended — provided, of course, we have the right tools to do so. Luckily, Little Occhio is aiming to be that tool.

This product is a portable micro-cam that lets users see the world around them, wherever they happen to be. Users can then share what they see with an app that transmits photos and videos at 30fps to up to 10 smart devices at range of up to 50ft, making Little Occhio equally versatile for families and classrooms alike. The app also acts as a control, letting you focus the camera among other adjustments. It does this with its own built-in Ad-Hoc Wi-fi mode, generating its own connection so that smart devices in the vicinity can connect. In addition, LED lights are prominently featured as a way to continue discovering more as night sets in so long as the built-in rechargeable battery is powered enough to keep going.

The Little Occhio has promise, despite its $145 price tag. The upside to the price, though, are the included sharing features which trump other similar products like the Microscobe and the Micro Phone Lens. The company is looking for a cool $35,000 to start manufacturing — let’s hope it goes off without a hitch.

Categories
Personal Transportation

Ion Smartscooter looks like non-electric models, gets you on your way

The last miles of any commute are some of the most painful. Who wants to walk twenty minutes at the very beginning of the day or after having worked eight hours every day? Although there are some solutions, bikes and scooters are either too bulky to transport easily or too dirty in terms of fuel.

Probity Cell LLC has created the ion SmartScooter as a low-cost, clean alternative that will get you where you need to go, fast. It’s top speed of 15mph is powered by a lithium-ion battery that charges in three and a half hours and lasts for more than 1,000 cycles, ensuring a long and sustainable life. In addition, its foldable nature makes it so that it can be more easily transported than a bike, especially because it only weighs 26 pounds. The ion SmartScooter joins scads of other personal transportation devices like the Me-Mover and Halfbike.

The company is starting off slow with just two production runs, but they want to minimize any issues through their Kickstarter campaign. They were aiming for a modest $40,000 to do so, a goal that has shown interest by many. If they’re able to back up their claim of squeezing 500 miles out of the scooter for less than a dollar’s worth of electricity, they’ll be able to convince many more to grab one of their own for the introductory price of $399.

 

 

Categories
Camping Furniture

The Lounger fits seating for a small party in a roller bag

A entire six seater sofa in a bag: that’s what the folks behind The Lounger are peddling. It may sound too good to be true, but there is indeed a Kickstarter campaign with a video that shows this real, working product. Although they’re marketing the Lounger to the camping crowd, its modern, contemporary design can pretty much fit anywhere a sofa would come in handy — and when wouldn’t a sofa come in handy?

The product is weatherproof for those who want to live luxuriously in the wild outdoors and easy to set up, requiring no tools to do so. Nothing in the campaign addresses how the cushions are actually expected to fit in bag without having to inflate them first. If that’s the case, it would be a bit disengenious to claim that the product is fully portable without mentioning the air pump you’ll have to lug around as well. The creator is looking for a hefty €79,999 to mass produce The Lounger; interested backers can get their very own for €319, almost half the retail price.

Categories
Camping Food and Beverage

Cooler Bobs light up your cooler for finding your drink in the dark

With tailgate and fall camping seasons in full swing, here is a nifty idea for enjoying those cold beverages without having to guess what’s being fished out of the cooler.

Cooler Bobs add a bit of color to the outdoor night life. The luminescent light bearers hide under the ice in coolers and emanate an optional blue, red or green hue through the cubes, with additional colors expected to be available in the near future. That way, bare hands spend as little time as necessary finding a drink, and parched tongues don’t end up disappointed by an unpalatable flavor.

It would be interesting to know what is being used to cause the round orbs to light up party time coolers, though one would hope that the creators have considered that if any heat is being given off, the ice melts faster. For $10, backers get one product with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Food and Beverage Personal Transportation

Kreweser is one cooler that’s a wild ride

KreweserCoolers are heavy and can be a pain to lug around. Kreweser doesn’t only make the cooler more portable, it also lugs you around as well. As a combination cooler and electric trike, Kreweser lets you sit on the cooler and zip around at speeds up to 18mph. When the cooler is removed, the trike folds up for better storage. While a really cool, ha!, idea and great for pavement, Kreweser won’t really work on sand or rough terrain, where coolers are typically needed. One will cost backers a staggering $749 donation. Kreweser hopes to raise $90,000 on Kickstarter.