Tag: shades

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Noon Blinds lets homes see and feel the light in fun patterns and colors

Window blinds come in a vast variety of colors, materials, sizes and shapes. It’s tricky to decide on which one to buy, especially when they all typically do the same thing.

Noon Blinds takes the everyday set of shades and puts a spin on them. The window shading system has holes in it of different shapes (polka dots, stars, and grids), and also comes in a variety of colors, including yellow, black, beige, gray and white. Any light that pours through is spattered into the room through cool designs. Increased airflow means that fresh air is allowed into the room as well. According to the campaign, the inspiration for Noon Blinds comes from the ornate windows in old estates and castles.

There is definitely a niche market for this product. Any creative type will certainly jump at the chance to purchase Noon Blinds. Others may find the patterns a little annoying. Still, Noon Blinds should keep going with the idea and produce more shapes—and especially colors—since its current offerings are a little boring. For one 24” x 118” blind in their choice of color, backers must donate $12 to the Kickstarter campaign, which is looking for $8,700 in funding by March 12.

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Fashion

BÆNDIT glasses will twist and color your fashion world

If variety is the spice of life, then BÆNDIT has a lot going for it. Not only will these sunglasses reduce the glare on a sunny day, but they also allow people to show their true colors and encourage creativity. The silicone frames are bendable into pretty much any shape, which makes them easy to store when not in use, or something convenient with which to play when one is just bored. In addition, they can be used to hold onto stuff like money or earbuds. The pieces are also interchangeable so that users can create their own color style or fashion statement. As for the lenses, not only do they come in some fun colors, but they also filter out 100% of any harmful UVA, UVB and UVC.

This seems like a fairly quality product with some fashionable and fun potential. Backers who enjoy products with interchangeable options might also like to check out Mod-to-Order interchangeable watchbands and Interchangeable Flip Flops This product seeks to raise $20,000 by February 10, 2015. Backers get one pair of sunglasses for $35 with an expected delivery of February 2015.

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Fashion

Snap Shades offer multiple colors for each day

snap-shades-beach_project-body[1]Not only are they functional, but they let you express yourself. Snap Shades let you change your frame to match your mood, the occasion, or just because you can. The magnetic hinge system easily connects to the frame to make changing colors quick and easy. Colors come in matte, metallic, clear colors, glow in the dark and more. For $25, a backer gets one rim and four side colors of their choice. Expected delivery is June 2014. And if you like this idea, you might also want to check out the Mod-to-Order watches campaign.

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Cell Phone Accessories Tablet Accessories

eShades provides outdoor readability on the cheap

The Premise. The displays on many of today’s mobile devices are very sharp, but don’t do well fighting the sun. Pretty much everything except the Kindle Paperwhite becomes very difficult to see. Unless you can find a spot in the shade, you’re not going to be able to work outside.

The Product.  The lightweight, collapsible eShades offer the protection you need to be able to see your screen. They attach using a tape that sticks well but doesn’t leave any residue, and they fold flat. The phone shade can fit into a wallet. If you want, you can leave the shade on as a screen cover when not in use. The idea is not unique — another Kickstarter project called Hoodi offers a larger and more permanent shade made of fabric, foam and magnets instead of cardboard and tape.

The Pitch. The video is straightforward and showcases the product without a lot of flash. The video has simple shots of each of the shades and how they can be stored. It also shows the screen on a tablet with the shade on — and the shade only covers half of the screen (not the greatest advertising). The project creators show, with a fan, how the shade can stand up to high winds — although you’re not likely to be sitting outside with your expensive electronic device in stormy winds, but okay. There are several diagrams below the video that showcase when the shade would be good to have, and also what models and colors are currently being offered. They do go on to mention that they have the same shade in a leather option that would be more substantial.

The Perks. They seem to be reasonably priced shades — for $9, backers receive one smartphone shade, and for $11, one tablet shade. A donation of $14 will get the backers a notebook shade. The rewards go up from there, offering each shade in multiples. The product itself offers some protection from sunlight and offers some privacy.

The Potential. This type of product will definitely have a place for everyone who has suffered the plight of trying to use their smartphone or tablet outdoors. There are many of these types of items that will be offered, and more permanent options (like the leather eShades or Hoodi) will do better than the thin eShade.

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Imaging Technology Wearables

Panvu 3D chases less dorky wearable to snap panoramic 3D photos, video

The Premise. At life’s most breathtaking and exhilarating moments, you want to be able to focus on the now, not worrying about opening up the camera on your phone or tinkering with the settings of your DSLR. You want to capture the moment with your own eyes, and have a picture worthy of the remnants of that memory.

The Product. The Panvu 3D glasses are lightweight and sporty while boasting three integrated 15 megapixel cameras. By taking dual images, it can create 3D panoramic photos that capture even more than what the eyes can see. The images taken with the glasses can be sent directly to your smart phone via Bluetooth where their app (available for both iOS and Android users) creates a 3D panorama at the with a single tap. It can also shoot video in HD 1080p at 30 fps, with 8GB of memory and a 60 minute battery life.

The Pitch. The pitch video is a sequence of transitions between slides explaining the features of the Panvu 3D glasses, and beautiful landscapes of people taking life by the horns. However, it’s unclear if these photos were actually taken with the glasses, and some of them even look like generic stock photos. But even if you do put on your “Suspension of Disbelief” glasses for those photos, it’s concerning that nowhere on the page or the video is there a person actually wearing the glasses. The glasses run the risk of looking bulky and perhaps even being uncomfortable. Their pitch doesn’t mention anything that would dismiss those concerns.

The Perks. The standard 8GB glasses can be bought with a pledge of $110. That includes the Panvu 3D Glasses, interchangeable anaglyphic 3D glasses, hard case, remote, soft tissue, and an 8GB memory card. For an extra $20, you can get a 16GB memory card instead, but the real deal is the $150 pledge that will land you the Panvu 3D Extended Edition glasses with nearly triple the battery life.

The Potential. Whether their goal is reached or not, all pledgers will receive their Panvu 3D glasses since this is an Indiegogo Flexible Fund campaign. That’s reassuring considering they’re asking for $100,000 over the course of one month.  The glasses themselves are an interesting competitor to something like the GoPro or Looxcie HD wearable imaging camera. They may be able to give a better point-of-view perspective since they are integrated with the natural field of vision with potentially less bulk. But as mentioned earlier, the quality of the experience, as well as those of the images, will be tough to convey without head-on experience.