Categories
Music

Hand Chord lets you cheat on your bar chords and riffs

Most guitarists will admit that learning to play bar chords is one of the more difficult aspects of learning to play the guitar. However, many musicians will endure the practice and pain of learning to play them correctly because bar chords offer a fuller and richer sound than their alternatives.

Hand Chord is a noteworthy new product that offers guitarists an alternative way to play otherwise challenging bar chords. While the product is touted as being ideal for beginners insofar as it makes chords easier to play and reduces finger pain, Hand Chord may be better suited for professional musicians interested in using it for specific songs in their set.

That said, shortcuts are never ideal for anyone aspiring to become a professional or even seasoned musician. While shortcuts may suffice for hobbyists, they won’t help hone one’s ability to jam with other musicians. Musicians who enjoy new gadgets might also like to check out Capo Clips and Wallet Capo. This campaign seeks to raise $9,500 by April 30. Backers get one product for $35 with an expected delivery of June 2015.

Categories
Fitness Wearables

Oli exercise wearable makes sure you can lift, bro

The path to achieving sizable gains through strength training is littered with seemingly insurmountable dead-ends. Accurate information about one’s technique is vital to overcoming these obstacles. Without such information, or an experienced trainer present, the lack of feedback can cause one to fruitlessly spend hours at the gym every week.

The information available to professional athletes is now available anyone who straps the Oli wearable exercise tracker around their arm. The Oli tracker combines a variety of sensors that can ably keep track of completed reps and sets. What’s more, these sensors can monitor the movement of workout bars as to analyze force, velocity, and power metrics. All told, the product provides users with the type of important accurate feedback needed to see discernible gains at the gym. A companion iOS/Android app is capable of syncing workout video of user lifting motions with other data obtained through the Oli for a comprehensive workout picture. An Oli armband will cost $199 and is expected to ship in January 2016. It’s makers are hoping to raise $50,000 by April 26.

The Oli is definitelynot your father’s fitness tracker. While it may eliminate the need for expensive gym memberships for some, its doubtful an armband will completely replace a an actual fitness trainer for some of the more potentially dangerous lifts. For some people, false confidence can lead to serious injuries. This one is aimed squarely at the Crossfit crowd.

Categories
Connected Objects Luggage and Bags

HiSmart bag integrates smartphone to provide cool functions on the go

Watches, ovens, thermostats, lawn sprinklers, it seems like everything is getting smart these days. Why shouldn’t bags join in on the fun?

HiSmart is a smart convertible bag that goes from messenger to backpack in just two seconds. Simply connect a smartphone to the bag and an external remote allows the wearer to accomplish a number of things. For instance, if the wearer wants to remember a certain location, they can pin that spot to a map to find it later. Music and camera controls are also accessible from the remote. HiSmart also makes hands free calling and recording notes or messages easy. In addition, it has a “Buddy System” feature that lets the HiSmart find a lost smartphone and a smartphone find a lost HiSmart.

All in all, HiSmart is a great product for commuters and other important business people who find themselves in motion a lot. It’s a bit unclear how the camera feature works, but everything else makes perfect sense and would definitely prove to be useful. Backers who want their own must donate $189 for delivery in August 2015. HiSmart is looking for $50,000 in funding on Indiegogo by April 15.

Categories
Health and Wellness Wearables

Narbis trains your brains

Neurofeedback technology is being used in a growing number of consumer devices to help train the brain.

patent-claimedNarbis — itself an anagram of the word “brains” –- is a headset using patent-pending technology to help train users to better focus their brains. Attached to a set of glasses is a sensing device that touches the wearer’s head. When the user gets distracted the glasses darken and when the user focuses clearly the glasses clear up. The headset’s sensors measure brain matters and send the signals to the device’s electrochromic lenses. Narbis works with an accompanying app for mobile devices and costs $395 and will ship in December with a Bluetooth armband, a protective carrying case and software that includes five program goals: focus, performance, sleep, calm, and mood. Its maker is hoping to raise $150,000 by April 27.

The Kickstarter success of the similarly advertised Melon headband indicates that there is indeed a market for these types of products. The electrochromic lenses in particular are a nice touch offered by Narbis offers. Still, it’s hard to believe that such a device will get much long-term use after a few days or months. More likely than not, the product seems more like a novelty than a device most people really need.

Categories
Connected Objects Pets

Out There: Disco Dog LED vest lights dogs up, alerts strangers to lost dogs

Out There is a feature that highlights weird, wacky or woeful projects.

Pet owners love their dogs almost beyond comprehension. And most would do anything to make sure that their dog doesn’t get lost.

patent-claimedThe Disco Dog combines a pet owner’s fashion frenzy with function. The vest comes equipped with 256 LED lights that can be controlled from an accompanying smartphone app. It lights up in different colors and patterns allowing owners to show off just how sassy their dog can be. Best of all, if the dog strays too far from its owner and loses Bluetooth connectivity in the process, the vest will automatically say “Lost dog”. The app allows complete control over what the vest says when the connection is good and includes options for customized text or even advertisements!

Disco Dog should consider changing its name to Humiliated Dog. The number of dogs that will probably end up donning this weird light show is slightly upsetting, even if that number is only below 10. Disco Dog’s only redeeming feature is the “Lost Dog” mode as that actually serves a useful purpose. Otherwise, pet owners may want to consider sparing their pooch the humiliation and preventing them from becoming walking billboards for advertisements. If not, backers can have their own for a ridiculous donation of $300 for the smallest size with estimated delivery set for November 2015. Disco Dog is looking for $15,000 in funding. Before contributing, however, please look at the sad little dachshund in the campaign wearing the vest with an expression of ennui and reconsider donating.

Categories
Connected Objects Sleep

Proper Pillow Plus will help give you an amazing night of sleep

A comfortable pillow is just as important as a good mattress to provide a good night of sleep. Most pillows, even the best orthopedic ones, however, can’t quantify just how well the user is sleeping.

The Proper Pillow Plus is a smarter version of the existing Proper Pillow, created by the same inventor. The Proper Pillow was designed to support optimal alignment with both back and side sleeping positions. Proper Pillow Plus builds on that and adds the quantification of sleep patterns with the assistance of a mobile app. A sensor network of pressure receptors built into the pillow tracks the user’s sleep experience and relays that data directly to the Proper Pillow Plus app via Bluetooth Low Energy. Among other things, Proper Pillow Plus can gauge what sleeping position and head orientation generate optimal sleep conditions. Proper Pillow Plus costs $60 and ships in April. Its maker is hoping to raise $375,000 via an Indiegogo campaign by April 18.

The product holds promise if it can truly and accurately measure sleep patterns and, more importantly, if it’s comfortable. That said, these two variables are impossible to gauge from a campaign video. Those are two of the same issues faced by similar products that have sought crowdfunding, including ThinkPillow.

Categories
Aquatics Cycling

Glide along the water with the Schiller S1 water bike

Water sports present the opportunity for athletes to enjoy thrilling activities with little risk. As long as they’re wearing a lifejacket, they’re good to go.

Schiller S1 is an exciting new entrant to the water sports market, offering athletes the chance to cycle on the water. This water bike consists of a rust-resistant bike that sits in between two floatation devices. Using a catamaran-like design, the Schiller won’t sink. In addition, a rudder attached to the handles allows for steering while pedaling backwards sends the bike into reverse. Schiller includes a pump to blow up the floaties, which can subsequently deflate for maximum portability. One unit will cost backers a whopping $3,950 for their own with expected delivery by July 2015. Schiller is looking for $100,000 in funding by April 11.

Schiller’s campaign boasts about how portable this bike is, with owners being able to take it on a train, plane or in a car. Backers should beware, however, because the bike weighs a total of 70 lbs. Such heft isn’t exactly considered portable. However, in all other aspects, this is a fun product thatoffers a great way to get out on the water without getting super wet.

Categories
Kids/Babies

Bye Bye Bubba can help tame toddler tantrums

Every parent appreciates pacifiers. After all, it’s the ultimate tool for stopping the screeching sounds of a crying baby. This all works great until a baby becomes a toddler and it’s time to wean him or her off of the pacifier.

Bye Bye Bubba was invented to sooth the squealing and shrieking that often accompanies this sometimes challenging transition. Comfort from a pacifier comes from the sucking motion, so the Bye Bye Bubba gadget works in three distinct stages. Each stage includes a pacifier with a shorter nipple, making it more difficult for toddlers to get any satisfaction from their pacifier, which is then supposed to lead to them kicking the habit.

It’s questionable as to whether this product can truly persuade toddlers to put down their pacifiers because there are days when it’s easier to negotiate with a terrorist than a toddler. Nevertheless, it may be worth checking into further. Other items that may help parents sneakily modify their kids behavior include GeoBunnies and WetHeads. This campaign seeks to raise $98,730 by April 30, 2015. Early bird backers get one three piece set for $15 with an expected delivery of October 2015.

Categories
Technology

TurnsPro helps camera users shoot time-lapse photography like a pro

Time-lapse photography is a great tool photographers often employ in order to make it appear that time is moving faster than it actually is. Even for amateur photographers, time-lapse photography is a great way to spice up one’s photos.

TurnsPro is a camera mount that makes it easier to shoot time-lapse photography. It has two modes: Turns mode lets users shoot in real time or take time-lapse photos that can be edited together in post processing; Degrees mode lets users adjust the camera angle as to rotate the camera from 15 to 360 degrees, allowing for a single pan or continuous panning backwards and forwards.  TurnsPro can be used with action cameras like GoPro, small digital cameras, and even smartphones. TurnsPro costs £45 (~$69) and will ship in June. Its maker is hoping to raise £16,000 (~$24,400) by April 1.

While many cameras have time lapse functionality built-in, those options tend to be complicated to use. There are several other time laps camera devices on the market that assist in creating time- lapse photography, including Pico and Camalapse. It’s also worth noting that several rival products on the market require a smartphone or intervalometer to work, and they also tend to be more expensive. TurnsPro, though, offers more customizable options than a number of competing products. Slight drawbacks include the need for a separate thread adapter for GoPro use and the apparent hassle in getting the device to work with some of the larger digital single lens reflex cameras on the market.

Categories
Home Pets

Apartment Pet Door lets your antsy animal gallivant while you relax

Pets can be a great way to have instant companionship, especially when one lives alone or is traveling alone. But for as wonderful as pet companionship can be, some pets have fidgety personalities and simply can’t decide if they’d rather be inside or outside.

Apartment Pet Door is a modular pet door that provides an elegant and mobile pet door solution for owners with pets who can’t make up their minds. The door is adjustable — from 82 to 92 inches — and just snaps right into place. The flap on the bottom of the door allows pets to come and go as they please without requiring owners to actively let them in or out. The product seems easy enough to install and may be worth checking out for anyone with an indecisive pet at home.

Of course, more mobility for pets might also increase the odds they wander off and get lost or, perhaps, get fleas. That said, pet owners might also want to check out Tool2Find, Arden Collar, and Kitty Tub. This campaign seeks to raise $22,000 by April 16, 2015. Early bird backer get one door for $99 with an expected delivery of June 2015.