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Cell Phone Accessories Tablet Accessories

The paper-thin, foldable Scööb supports your iPad for viewing

ScööbWe’ve all been there. When our tablets won’t stand upright we use folded up socks, staples or any bulky item to try to prop them up. The Canadian-made Scööb — not to be confused with Shaggy’s nickname for his favorite dog —  alleviates this problem. This plastic product is a tablet stand that is foldable and portable. It has two settings for either viewing or typing on a tablet and comes in several different designs. One plain Scööb costs backers $3 CAD or, for customized design, $4 or $5 CAD by September 2014. For only $6 CAD, Scööb will donate one stand to students from a school in Kenya who have recently received free tablets from Qualcomm. Scööb hopes to raise $5,000 on Kickstarter in its 45-day campaign.

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Connected Objects

Telemba crosses an iPad and Roomba for cheap DIY telepresence

telembaTelepresence robots are becoming more popular as they become cheaper. Remote-controlled devices provided by companies like Double Robotics allow users to attend meeting or classes without actually leaving the home. Telemba functions on the same principles, only without the big cost often associated with robotics. Telemba essentially serves as a bridge between a tablet and a Roomba, giving users remote control and access using the Telemba website. By driving the Roomba and communicating through the tablet, Telemba makes it easier than ever to begin telecommuting robotically using items homeowners may already have. Telemba comes in two sizes that cost $150 or $170, and will deliver to backers in October 2014.

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Input

Motix ties touch screen controls to any standard keyboard

The Premise. It might be hard to realize, but a good deal of time spent doing anything on the computer is moving from the keyboard to the mouse and then back again. It’s an insignificant blip when it happens once, but it more likely will occur over and over, adding up into lost time. No amount of keyboard shortcuts can prevent this from occurring.

The Product. The Motix is a touchless, hands-free sensor that sticks onto a keyboard and reads finger gestures above the keys to enable mouse-like or touch-style controls over a computer, regardless of operating system. By simply lifting an index finger off the key and pointing it forward, simple finger motions allow for scrolling, navigation, and anything else that can be done with a mouse.

The Pitch. The campaign focuses on how much easier and responsive computing can be if only one input device needs to be used. The Motix plays well with mice, however, making it a perfect solution for things that it’s designed to do without shutting out mouse functionality. Motix creators Technology Launch, LLC want to raise $50,000 to finalize the product’s design and complete its production. If the project reaches 400 pledges for the Motix itself, the included keyboard in the higher tiers will be upgraded from a standard release keyboard to a custom keyboard with built-in Motix capabilities.

The Perks. The Motix sensor is available to backers who pledge $80. At the $185 level, the Motix Pro is available for those that want to customize keyboard and mouse gestures. These perks will ship out in November, but for those that can’t wait, an early release with API documentation is available for $1,000 in September.

The Potential. Motix is designed to keep control intuitive and uninterrupted, but unless people are skilled typists with only a few of their fingers, moving from keyboard to Motix is still a full-stop process, albeit with less arm movement. Leap Motion has already shown off this kind of touchless control in the marketplace optimized for a more immersive interface, albeit doing so in a fashion that is more about 3D space manipulation than economy of movement. At least with Motix, the hands can stay anchored on the keyboard, but for typists that don’t subscribe to home row methodologies, there may be reason to worry about accidentally setting off the motion detection and sending a mouse cursor somewhere unwanted.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Input Tablet Accessories

BestBoy straddles your phone’s back for blind text input

The Premise. Mobile devices open up the possibility to communicate and collaborate from any location, any time. However, the need to move the keyboard to a touch screen has also reshaped communication down from the blog post and the email to the tweet. What can be done when a full-length message needs to be sent on the go?

The Product. BestBoy is a chorded keyboard that attaches to the back of mobile devices and offers six buttons that users can press to type any characters they should need in communicating. The device operates on Bluetooth Smart technology and offers Braille support, buttons for gaming, and a web-based app is even available for users to get used to how they can type with the keyboard. With practice, using the BestBoy will offer desktop keyboard-style typing speeds and reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury.

The Pitch. The primary video for the BestBoy campaign is literally all talk, with no sign of the product itself. A video is then shown from an older prototype from 2011, with a bit more of a comedic angle. It shows off how the product would look in action and also gives viewers an idea of how long this keyboard has been in development. The explanation of the campaign goes into what steps that journey required, and how the development of Bluetooth Smart has given it new life. BestBoy wants to raise $50,000 to pay for the prototype and production phases.

The Perks. BestBoy is offering its unique brand of control for those that pledge $23 to their campaign. Larger quantities are available from two to 40 keyboards ranging in price from $53 to $699.

The Potential. Will we see the BestBoy at Best Buy? Probably not any time soon. As the developers admit. the chorded keyboard is nothing new, with the Infogrip BAT serving a niche for years now. The solution isn’t extremely advanced or innovative like Grippity, but the company is wise to point out less obvious applications of this device. The idea of having a functional, fast keyboard for mobile devices is one thing, but if it takes learning, one might as well learn Braille while they’re at it. Having real physical buttons to press during mobile gaming is attractive as well, but in a lot of ways, it seems the market has spoken when it comes to keyboard redesigns, especially when two-in-one mobile devices offer such sleek, portable full-size keyboard options.

Categories
Tablet Accessories

F2: high-tech racing-inspired tablet stand design with low-tech feature list

f2Tablet stands by their nature don’t have to be special, but in order to crowdfund one, there has to be something attractive about it. The F2 is an iPad or general tablet stand that is made to be super-light and handcrafted so that no two are necessarily alike. The trade-off is that while the viewing angle is adjustable through the stand leg, the stand itself is rather large and is more suited for a desktop than a carrying case. It doesn’t have do any flashy folding like the Plinth, and won’t elevate a phone like MUST, but its sturdy metal design and human anomalies hope to set it apart. The basic F2 will arrive in September for a $69 minimum pledge.

Categories
Toys Video

Aqua Vision uses H2O to create a 3D viewing experience

Aqua VisionTelevisions with 3-D capabilities are cool, but very expensive. That’s not to mention the fact that additional costly glasses are needed in order to see the 3-D footage. Aqua Vision allows you to watch any video in 3-D off of any flat screen surface including televisions, laptops, YouTube, and tablets. These glasses come in three different forms (toy, binocular and plastic bottle) and use water to see in 3-D. The most affordable pair goes for only $13 with an estimated delivery date of July 2014. Aqua Vision needs to raise $6,500 in its 45-day Kickstarter campaign.

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Tablet Accessories

Ears augment Surface’s sound, match its covers

EarsNeed a boost to your Surface’s sound without buying crazy expensive speakers? The iPad has had a number of silicone speaker enhancements and now the Surface has a stereo answer of its own. Ears offers a simple solution to your quiet woes. This product pair attach to the Surface tablet’s speakers on each corner to amplify the sound that comes out. Ears are designed to direct the sound to the user in front instead of towards the back. This nifty product comes in seven colors  to match Microsoft’s colors and is available for the Surface 2 or Pro 2 for $10 with an estimated delivery date of June 2014. Hopefully in the future. Ears hopes to raise $5,500 on Kickstarter in its 30-day campaign.

Categories
Tablet Accessories Tech Accessories

m][3 combines, iPad, iPhone to create nefarious Frank-iStein

Screen shot 2014-03-19 at 11.39.39 AMMost of us have multiple devices and end up using them simultaneously. To make this easier, m][3 offers a mount that attaches tablets, laptops or monitors to different iOS and Droid devices. The phone sits on top of the tablet or other device with the mount in between so that the user can watch TV and answer e-mails at the same time. This multi-tasking, but confusedly named mount comes in black, white and red. M][3 needs $20,000 in a 60-day run on Kickstarter for success. One mount goes for $29 with an estimated delivery date of June 2014.

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Tablet Accessories

LapTape is a knee bungee to suspend your tablet (or ultralight laptop)

LapTapeMore and more accessories for tablets seem to come out everyday, each one fancier than the last. LapTape is a strap that holds a tablet when the user is sitting down with their knees up. The strap loops around the front of the knees and then holds the tablet’s bottom corners. While a different approach from many products that are designed to prop up a tablet on a flat surface, LapTape is so basic that asking early-birds for £13 and regular backers for £15 seems like a lot of money. In any case, those looking to give their iPads a suspended sentence can help the product’s creator raise £10,000 in his 30-day Kickstarter campaign with an estimated delivery date of July 2014.

Categories
Automotive Cell Phone Accessories Tablet Accessories

Hangatablet, Hangaphone let your tablets and handsets hang out in your car, home

HangatabletWe’ve all been there. Driving around with a GPS only to have it fall off the windshield, make a big noise and almost run you off of the road. Hangatablet offers a solution to the ever-falling GPS. Using a secure mechanism, Hangatablet attaches to the dashboard of a car and hangs your tablet or smartphone down the center console. Product creator and camel photography enthusiast Steve Jacobson has  can also created a kid brother for handsets called — you guessed it — the Hangaphone. both can be used to let your digital displays dangle for different purposes around the house or at work. Smaller The dashboard drop-ins  go for $59 and larger ones for $69. Hangatablet hopes to raise $160,000 in their 45-day campaign on Kickstarter.