Categories
Tech Accessories

Imposing I Iron Arm adjusts your laptop to the perfect angle

I Iron Arm  b4b6786a02b26652fd90bfc40a8c859e_large[1]It’s a beautiful, clear sunny day outside, maybe 68 degrees. Perfect day to take your laptop outside and either do some work or just relax without being stuck behind a desk. And I Iron Arm will even create the ergonomically perfect set up for you. Whether you are laying, sitting or standing, it can adjust to your position and still keep your laptop safe and functional. The arm does require a fair amount of space, though, so it may not be an option in cramped quarters. Also, while it’s not unreasonably priced given its capabilities, it will still set you set you back a few. The early bird special of $189 gets you yours, and keep in mind that it will eventually retail for $399. Expected delivery is July 2014.

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Home

Vent Well sliding door add-on keeps bugs at bay

vent wellSliding doors and windows help create space and can easily be opened or shut. However, some don’t come with screens. Vent Well allows owners of sliding doors or windows to get the fresh air they want without letting in bugs or rain. This Aussie ventilation system is made out of plastic and has a completely adjustable height for any opening. It is easy to install and makes a great guard for pets or children’s toys. One Vent Well with one extender goes for $36 on Indiegogo with an estimated delivery date of July 2014. Vent Well hopes to raise an ambitious $150,000 AUD in its 50-day campaign run.

Categories
Cycling Lighting

Double O bike lights help you cycle at night

Double O  1a260ce73b9c97ebaaaa539d2ccca2e5_large[1]For those who enjoy that midnight ride, Double O provides an easy way to see where you are going, and be seen. They attach to your bike with neodymium-grade magnets, and the rechargeable lights come in both white and red for front and back visibility. Multiple lower powered LEDs mean significantly reduced glare for oncoming cyclists and cars. Perhaps the most interesting feature is that you can actually lock them onto your bike to reduce the chance of theft. For £79, backers get the set with an expected delivery of September 2014. It is possible to get them separately for less.

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Kids/Babies Toys

Tinyme Name Blocks puzzle teaches kids to spell their name

TinyMe   b742ebf7f4fefdd639b58ffa4fa6d8c1_large[1]Most kids love to see their name. Tinyme Name Blocks makes a personalized puzzle out of it. The colorful pieces are made of plywood, are covered by a protective coating, and non-toxic inks are used for the colors. They fit snugly in a holder that also houses a plastic card with rounded corners that has the child’s name on it, allowing her to match the letters. And for those who are especially concerned about safety, the puzzles match the safety standards in Europe, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. Toddlers and kindergartners will likely get a kick out of spelling out and seeing their name in a puzzle. For $24 AUD a backer gets a four block puzzle. Larger donations get more blocks, so prepare to shell out for little Aloysius if it winds up at Babies R Us. Expected delivery is July 2014.

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Input Music

Kyub takes MIDI mini, offers six-sided sonic synthesis

Screen shot 2014-03-26 at 1.53.40 PMMusical instruments can be large and bulky, but technology allows people to make music without needing the actual instrument. Kyub is a three-dimensional feather touch MIDI keyboard that fills in the gap between relying on a QWERY keyboard and using a physical MIDI keyboard. What that really means is that it is a compact cube with metal sensors all over it and an accelerometer inside of it. When you touch the sensors, the Kyub makes music and sounds like a piano with different experimentation options. While it certainly entails foreign fingering for experienced keyboardists, this unique little product uses USB for power and is compatible with different software synthesizers. Early backers can enjoy a fully assembled Kyub for $199 by July 2014. Kyub hopes to raise $20,000 in its 33-day Kickstarter campaign.

Categories
Luggage and Bags

Zondo Firefly Backpack lights up sports enthusiasts’ night

Zondo  12ba9b37cdfbbe6a031334318b339866_large[1]What person who loves the outdoors doesn’t need a good backpack? Zondo Firefly Backpack is ideal for hiking, cycling, running or just about any sport you can think of. A few things that set it apart from your standard backpack include the fact that it is waterproof, includes a removable triathlon belt (something like a fanny pack), and lights up at night. It’s also very in line with its price for a sports back pack. Not only was Zondo designed by an athlete, but it has also been tested by them. For £30 backers get one backpack with an expected delivery of September 2014.

Categories
Accents

Nova duvet cover zips up blankets for quicker bed-making

The Premise. Duvets are the luxury item of the bedding market and owning one has weirdly become a status symbol. The only problem is that comforters often get tangled up inside of their duvet covers and can be really hard to reinsert after washing. Often, they look messy after making the bed and appear rumpled.

The Product. The Nova is a duvet cover designed to make sleeping even more comfortable. This innovative product reinvents the way that normal duvet covers work so that blankets are easy to insert and don’t bunch up. The opening to put the blanket in is actually in the middle of the cover disguised by piping and has ties on the inside to keep the comforter in place. This cover comes in two colors (charcoal and off-white) and five different bed sizes.

The Pitch. Nova’s campaign begins with the standard video talking about the birth of the idea along with the long prototyping process. The rest talks about the various “revolutionary” benefits of this product along with the different packages that the reward tiers offer. Nova hopes to raise $20,000 in its 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. A twin duvet cover and two matching pillowcases costs backers $150. Various packages offer sheets, fitted sheets, standard pillowcases, and decorative pillowcases along with the cover itself. The last and highest reward tier goes for $390 and includes one king duvet cover, two king-sized pillowcases, one fitted sheet, two decorative pillowcases and one cotton-filled comforter. All tiers have an estimated delivery date of August 2014.

The Potential. The Nova duvet cover was created by Crane & Canopy, a bedding company from San Francisco, California. This product uses a simple idea to completely revamp your bed. And the price isn’t too expensive, taking into account that duvet covers always seem to be overpriced. While there aren’t other duvet covers quite like this out there, Amazon does have a few products aimed at fixing this problem, like the Padded Comforter Clips that hold a duvet in place. All in all, the Nova duvet cover certainly offers a new solution to an age-old problem.

Categories
Kids/Babies Toys

Bear on the Chair wears its emotions on its chest, reflects kids’ behavior

The Premise. Disciplining children is the one part of parenthood that isn’t so great. Most kids don’t respond to their parents simply because they are their parents. Outside sources sometimes have better luck showing children the difference between right and wrong.

The Product. Taking a naming cue from such sitting toys as The Elf on the Shelf and the crowdfunded Mensch on a BenchBear on the Chair is a behavioral modification tool for children. This cuddly toy sits on a white chair and hangs out with your child. If your child’s behavior is good, you can attach the yellow happy face to the bear’s shirt. However, if bad behavior ensues, simply attach the red sad face. Your child will take responsibility for the bear’s mood like a friend and will change their behavior to do so. The bear was designed to be super cute and cuddly as well as gender neutral making it great for girls and boys alike.

The Pitch. Bear on the Chair starts with a longer video of dramatizations of a bratty girl refusing to do what her father asks. It lacks a moment where the girl actually responds to the bear’s sad face, but you get the idea either way. The remainder of the campaign talks about the bear’s friends: Santa, the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny, and about how each bear comes with its own adoption certificate upon naming it. The Bear on the Chair needs some money for its honey —  $10,000 in a 45-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. Backers can receive this cuddly bear for $55 with an estimated delivery date of July 2014. Reward tiers go all the way up to $1,000 for backers who really really love teddy bears.

 The Potential. Bear on the Chair is aimed at bettering a child’s behavior, though seems a little bit manipulative in the way it works. Also, if this bear and child are so close, wouldn’t the child notice that the happy/sad faces are removable? The campaign would benefit from testimonials of parents who can vouch for the Bear’s success. Still, Bear on the Chair presents a unique opportunity for parents to teach children how their naughty actions can influence others. Any toy that has the potential to make a child a little less naughty, even if a little expensive, is certainly welcome on the market for frustrated parents.

Categories
Connected Objects Fitness

SmartMio is a shock in the arm to augment fitness plans

The Premise. High-impact workouts can be violent, both in what they do to muscles, and how making time for them can disrupt a daily schedule. One portable device wants to take all that violence and do away with it.

The Product. The SmartMio wearable muscle stimulator is a series of electrode pads that can be connected to any number of muscle groups and controlled by the proprietary app. The app mimics the nerve impulses that the brain sends to these muscles during exercise and uses electricity to stimulate these muscles into working, creating more endurance and strength to complement an existing workout regimen. Because the electrodes are portable, they can be worn underneath clothes and used anywhere. The same stimulation can be used as a mild massage that can help improve circulation or help rehab tired muscles.

The Pitch. Right away, viewers are treated to a pulsating arm hooked up to electrodes, which is a little jarring to watch, but everyone hooked up seems dedicated to fitness and the results are apparent. Various designers and executives for SmartMio are all excited to share the product based on its flexibility and portability, and based on their snug-fitting t-shirts, they  probably know a thing or two about fitness. Other campaign graphics explain the reward tiers, the science behind the stimulators, and answer some pertinent medical questions as well as acknowledging that stimulation is an adjunct to and not a substitute for exercise. SmartMio needs $50,000 to attract investors to help the device find its way to store shelves more quickly.

The Perks. A SmartMio with choice of color and 4 sets of electrodes that are designed to work for 4 months of regular use can be picked up for $89, arriving in November of this year. The Duo package which comes with double the equipment is available for $169, and there are Family and Team packages with higher multiples for tiers reaching up to $699.

The Potential. Admittedly, watching the SmartMio go to work zapping muscle groups looks a bit morelike torture than it does a good workout, but it’s hard to argue with the results shown in its video. Only the most dedicated fitness buffs will probably make regular use of this device, but personal trainers, physical therapists, and professional athletes would almost certainly not leave the house without their SmartMio.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

MicrobeScope turns iPhones into self-sufficient portable microscopes

The Premise. Using a microscope is a necessity for many scientific professionals, but it often needs to be set up in a dedicated lab and often lacks the ability to easily share findings or visual data. One company wants to make the entire experience portable, simple, and require no additional equipment.

The Product.  Connecting effortlessly to an iPhone, the MicrobeScope is a portable 800x microscope that does not require keeping slides handy. There are no complicated dials or settings, making it easy for children to use but powerful enough for professionals. With an internal light source and AAA battery, there’s no need for any additional equipment. Even more enticing is the ability to record and share videos taken through the microscope lens in real-time. If more magnification is required, the camera can be zoomed to 2,000x without a significant drop in picture quality, and the iPhone 5s’s slow motion feature can be used as well to see more detailed movement.

The Pitch. In the campaign video, the President of 4D Optical lets his product do the talking, showing videos taken with the MicrobeScope of bacteria, spores, and even hot sauce. Afterwards, he demonstrates how simple it is to clean and apply a sample to the device, a process that takes mere seconds. Also included is the story of how the product was developed and designed, as well as other videos of various samples taken using the MicrobeScope. 4D Optical needs $10,000 to bring the MicrobeScope to market.

The Perks. Getting a MicrobeScope by June will take a pledge of $125. The only other real reward tier option is an awesome customized MicrobeScope with professional-grade optics for $10,000.

The Potential. A microscope is something that someone either needs enough to merit spending big bucks on a professional grade model, or probably doesn’t need one at all. However, the power, flexibility, and simplicity of this pocket-sized device could be helpful for science projects, field work, and could even find application in disease control, as samples could be observed on-site. The very nature of the product makes it really only a game-changer for a niche market, but it certainly will make a splash in that niche.