Tag: Relaxation

Categories
Health and Wellness Relaxation Smartwatches/Bands

Doppel calms you down, revs you up with a buzz to the wrist

From Five Hour Energy to ZzzQuil, there are  no shortages of substances legal, regulated and outright banned to help us mentally speed up or slow down. Unfortunately, virtually all of them include chemicals that have some kind of side effect and they’re often difficult to gain access to in the moment they’re most needed.

That’s not so for doppel, a round wrist-worn device that might pass for a mechanical watch at first glance. Indeed, unlike digital watches that have few or no moving parts, doppel is designed to generate movement. Rather than using gears to tell the time, though, the product generates a rhythmic buzzing designed to produce a calming or energizing pattern of buzzes on the inside if your wrist. The principle is the same as using music to calm one down or pump one up. Doppel’s battery will do so for five to 10 hours. The standard stainless steel doppel goes for about £85 (about $127) and should be ready in March 2016. Turquoise, the group behind doppel, seeks $155,412 by July 16th.

Assuming it works, which Turquise does not prove conclusively, doppel makes a strong case to be the connected thing one should have on the other wrist assuming one wears a watch (smart or traditional). The product has more potential than other wrist gear that simply indicates stress levels, handing off the calming tasks to an app. The company would have a stronger case if it relied on biofeedback like the HeartMath Inner Body Sensor that completes the feedback loop using one’s breathing.

Categories
Fishing

Alive Lure tricks fish into coming over to your place for dinner

Whether it’s a day trip to one’s favorite lake, a weekend adventure, or a week-long vacation, fishing can be one of the most relaxing activities when enjoying the great outdoors. That is, until one has been waiting for several hours for the fish to bite and one’s stomach is making enough noise to scare off even the bears.

Such a scenario was something of the situation for the creator of Alive Lure. If his pride wasn’t already injured from not getting a single bite, it may have added salt to the wound when a winged insect landed on the water and a fish snapped it up in a matter of seconds. But in that moment of annoyance, an idea for his battery-operated fish lure was born. The insect shaped fish trickster is activated as soon as it comes into contact with the water and begins buzzing and flailing in such a way as to attract the fish and persuade them to bite, thereby allowing the user to enjoy some dinner. Alive Lure works best when fishing for freshwater fish and seems to be reusable provided one wants to clean it after being swallowed by the fish.

This product will be appreciated by outdoor enthusiasts, especially those who like to camp. Interested backers may also want to check out LureViewer, CampCaddy, and Campfire in a Can. This campaign seeks to raise $11,000 by February 10, 2015. Backers get one product for $25 with an expected delivery of February 2015.

Categories
Relaxation

Foot Hammock invites your weary feet and legs to hang out under the desk

Long days and late nights in front of the computer, whether work-related or game-related, can make for stiff legs and uncomfortable feet. And if it seems like the space under the desk is colder than the rest of the room during the winter months, that’s because it is.

That’s why Foot Hammock was created. The suspended foot rest hangs under a desk via straps on either side that get strung through a plastic holding device. The holder sticks to the underside of the desk so that no tools are required for installation. The straps appear to adjust easily so that it can be set to one’s preferred height. Foot Hammock comes in mesh, fleece and a heated version.

It would be especially interesting if that heated version had a built-in foot massager. As well as this campaign seems to be doing, maybe that will be considered for the future. As the warmer months approach, backers might be interested in Adventurers Hammock and Bungalow Beach Chair. In the meantime, this campaign seeks to raise $15,000 by February 8, 2015. For $20, backers get the mesh version with an expected delivery of July 2015.

Categories
Luggage and Bags

Parkset rolls along as a slim, portable picnic set

Picnics and camping can be a lot of fun, except for the heavy stuff that often has to be toted to the site. So rather than carrying gear, why not roll it along? That’s the idea behind Parkset. The unit includes two chairs, two insulated bottle bags, and a fold up table that holds it all together. The handle and wheels make for relatively easy mobility to the perfect outdoor spot, whether rekindling romance or lounging lazily. This might be ideal for an afternoon getaway, but picnics usually mean food, too. So backers might also want to consider wheeled coolers such as KruzieCooler, BoomBox Cooler, or Coolest Cooler to compliment Parkset. Otherwise, Parkset is great for some day drinking in the park, but not necessarily a big meal. This campaign seeks to raise $22,000 (~$19,000 USD) AUD by November 28, 2014. Early bird backers get snag one for $135 AUD ($116 USD), which is 40% off the anticipated retail. Expected delivery is September 2015.

Categories
Sleep

Sleep’n’Say mask claims to be world’s coolest, also most verbose

Sleep n SayDoes anyone actually sleep well on a plane? Okay, for the .01 percent of humanity that actually does and aren’t kids with the ability to sleep anywhere and in virtually any odd position, consider Sleep n’ Say. The lightweight, light-blocking goggles post huge signs over the wearer’s eyes ranging from “Do Not Disturb” to “Rouse for Food”. Well, the second one is actually a bit more politely put. Anyway, backers can even pick their language and color just in case there are flight attendants that don’t know the universal language of English, and TSA decides that a post-it note on the forehead has too much potential as a dangerous weapon. For $25, backers can begin counting sheep in flight right around March 2015.

Categories
Food and Beverage

Bevie Pro is what holds the holder for liquid colder

Bevie Pro 1da31537b7fa50dbcb8abbc1fd7e587b_large[1]For those of you who didn’t have the foresight to buy a patriotic (or at least Texan) lawn chair with a built in drink holder, Bevie Pro offers you the opportunity to redeem yourself. The drink holder product is compatible with soft drink and beer cans, bottles, most coffee mugs, and offers attachments for stemware, seamless glasses, lawn chairs without arms, and even lawn peg attachments. Its biggest competition might be the Universal Drink Holder, unless backers take a liking to Morella’s multitasking-drink-holding umbrella. But for those who prefer the Bevie Pro concept, backers get a complete product for $35 with an expected delivery of June 2014

Categories
Kids/Babies Toys Travel

BoosterPalz provides backseat plush comfort for the wee ones

The Premise. Aahhh, yes, the togetherness and memories of family vacations.  And as any experienced road warrior parent knows, the best time to do a road trip with the kids is going to be early evening and into late at night whenever possible. This, of course, significantly reduces the frequency of questions like, “Are we there yet?’ And comments such as, “He’s touching me!” To which she responds, “Well, he keeps flinging his leg (or arm) over to my side!” When they finally fall asleep, it’s generally in the most uncomfortable (but funny) position imaginable.

The Product. So in an effort to make everyone more comfortable, BoosterPalz presents travel pillows for the kids. Your choice of Spotz the Dog, Alli the Cat, or KoKo the Monkey is sure to keep the necks of your little tigers and tigresses from getting cricks in them, while also providing cushioning for their heads when you hit those speed bumps on highway changes. They’ll be kept fast asleep and you will be able to maintain your travel sanity within your vehicle’s walls. The magnetic paws of BoosterPalz allows kids to retain their do-it-myself independence if they choose to attach it to a seat. A convenient front pocket is the perfect storage place for toys, games and snacks, which begs the question: but is it washable? Unfortunately, this excellent question is not clearly answered, but one would hope that the creators of the product considered this since it was their kids who inspired the product.

The Pitch. The video for the $15,000 campaign is rather lengthy in its detail about the pillows, and appears to be something of a family affair, complete with pictures of the kids and a little voiceover input from them here and there. Nevertheless, it clearly explains the product. It’s actually quite amazing how much they were able to find to say about travel pillows for kids. The travel buddies also come in multiple colors, depending on which snuggle critter your child chooses.

The Perks. There are 17 tiers from which backers may choose. The $40 early bird special offers backers their choice of BoosterPal, a water bottle, and includes shipping anywhere in the US. Higher tiers offer more travel critters. Estimated delivery is May 2014.

The Potential. BoosterPalz will most likely be the most beneficial for kids who have outgrown their first car seat and may even appeal to tweens and younger teenagers, depending on their maturity level. There are multiple types of travel pillows for kids available for purchase, though the design and storage pocket set the BoosterPalz apart.