Crowdfunding is changing the way new gadgets and accessories make it into the world. By giving small companies and inventors a low-barrier means to make money, they can see their prototypes become a reality, even without thousands in venture capital backing or a deep bank account. Because of this, we've seen a lot of truly unique and useful products make it into the market that never otherwise would have. But, that's not good if you don't know about it. We checked out Kickstarter and Indiegogo for the best new campaigns that launched this month. Read on for our picks.
Flip It
All right, sometimes a selfie stick really is the only way to capture a photo of a group of friends, or an amazing scene. But carrying one around is somewhat cumbersome. Flip It, which you can pre-order for as little as $35, is a four-in-one solution: It’s an iPhone case, a selfie stick, a Bluetooth remote, and it has a kickstand. The kickstand and selfie stick are built into the case, and the remote is removable, so you can pop it out and use it to activate your camera’s shutter without holding onto the phone. It sounds handy, but also a little ridiculous.
Lundi
Winter’s finally subsiding, but it will be back next year. And the cold won’t be so bad if you’re wearing a pair of Lundi heated smart-boots. The handcrafted leather beauts will keep your toes at just the right temperature (controlled through an accompanying app) for up to eight hours. You can pre-order a pair for $249.
RippleBuds
RippleBuds are noise-cancelling earbuds that also include a microphone, so you can use them to take phone calls. They’re like the awful Bluetooth headsets of yore, but far more discreet. You can pre-order a pair, which will come in white or black, for $70.
Bios Incube
The Bios Incube is one part morbid, one part wonderful. It’s a system designed to help you use the cremated remains of a loved one to incubate a new tree. The remains go inside a biodegradable urn, which is then planted inside the larger “Incube” with soil and water. It comes with a sensor and accompanying app to help ensure the tree is watered properly. While it is slightly morbid, I would personally find a great deal of joy to know that my body would be used to fuel another life after I’ve gone.
Luuup Litter Box
The idea behind the Luuup litter box is simple and genius. It looks like your standard litter box, but is, in fact, comprised of three sifting trays whose holes are completely misaligned. When it’s time to clean, rather than using a scooper, just lift the topmost tray, shake off the excess litter, and you’re left with your pet’s “presents,” which you can then dump in the trash. And then put that tray at the bottom of the stack. You can pre-order one for $38.
Luna
Luna is a spherical metallic hue speaker that can be synced with up to 32 other Luna speakers to fill a space with sound. At the center of the $129 speaker is an LED ring, whose color you can customize. You can stream music from your library or the Cloud, and through its app, set up a personalized music schedule, or set it to automatically turn on when you get home.
Lime Smart Lock
You’d never leave the house without your phone, but your keys? Yeah, they’ve been forgotten a few times. The Lime Smart Lock would make it so that all you need to do is tap your phone on your front door to get inside. Its black screen wakes up when you and your phone approach, and you can even set a temporary passcode if you have a friend house-sitting. Pre-orders start at $80.
Phresh Organics’ Food Protectors
Food Protectors is a simple idea: It’s a perforated case designed to keep your fruits and veggies fresh. Inside, you place a sachet of microencapsulated essential oils that slowly break down, keeping food spoiling bacteria and fungus at bay. Its Kickstarter project just successfully completed.
Read on for last month's favorite Kickstarters.
QuietOn
Right now, noise canceling headphones are typically large and bulky. QuietOn pairs that technology down to earbud size. Rather than just muffling out all sounds, as a pair of earplugs would do, the earbuds are designed to block sounds that interrupt your sleep, such as snoring, so you can experience true silence. You can pre-order a pair for $130 on Indiegogo.
Bambooti
I love those wooden cases and backs for smartphones. They look beautiful and unique. Now, Bambooti will offer a similar option for your Macbook, with variants in Walnut, Black Ash, Bamboo, Mahogany, and Cherry. The wood backing is 70 mm thin, and sticks onto your Mac via 3M sticking technology, which can be removed at any time with no residue. You can pre-order yours for $55.
Grove
If you've always wanted a garden, but the lack the outdoor space or the green thumb, Grove could be your solution. It's an all-in-one system composed of a fish tank on bottom, two plant beds, a storage area, and lights that use aquaponics to grow fresh produce. Thanks to the balance of the fish, bacteria, and the plants, your greens are provided with nutrient rich soil, and the fish tank with clean water. It's a big investment at $3,400 (and that's at its pre-order discount), but is certainly an interesting idea.
Brains On!
If you like learning about science, and also enjoy listening to podcasts, you might want to support the Brains On! podcast, which is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. Recorded by kids, and fueled by their questions, it's billed as a "science podcast for curious kids and grown-ups" and will "explore things like space, animals, volcanoes, and farts!" COUNT ME IN.
Faraday Cortland
When I first moved to San Francisco, I was intimidated to try to ride a bike around because of all the steep hills. An electric bike fixes that issue, giving you an extra boost when you call on it. Faraday's Cortland design doesn't look like it's hiding a 250W motor — it just looks like a cute townie. If you're feeling flush, you can pre-order one for $2,400.
CARV
You've clearly advanced past the bunny slopes, but you feel like you sure could use a little guidance before tackling a technical black diamond. If you don't want to take actual ski lessons, you could try using CARV instead. CARV is the first wearable for skiing. It attaches to your boots to give you real-time feedback on your technique, which you can check out as soon as you finish a run, and can even coach you through different drills. For $200, you can pre-order two sensors that attach to the back of your boots, and a pair of inserts you put inside.
Sense
Sense is kind of like the Amazon Echo, but you can also use it control different connected products around your home, such as Philips Hue lightbulbs. If your home were an orchestra, it would be the conductor. It will reportedly be able to detect your presence in a room, recognize both voice commands and physical gestures, and learn your home preferences so things like lighting and temperature are optimized when you enter a room. It also looks cool, classic (thanks to the wood base), and futuristic at the same time. You can pre-order one for $250.
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