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[Fuse]Chicken goes natural with the LEDGE iPhone charging dock
You'd expect a company named [Fuse]Chicken to be different, and they certainly have come up with some different products over the years. They started with the Bobine, then moved on to the togoDock and PLUGdock with a successful Indiegogo campaign. Now the design house is going natural with the wood LEDGE, a Kickstarter campaign that is funded with a little over a week to go. The company sent a prototype LEDGE for us to test, and we'll be giving that away along with a production PLUGdock. Design The LEDGE is made of two pieces of hardwood; one is machined to hold an iPhone (5/5s, 6 or 6 Plus) with a small case comfortably, while the other is a prop to hold up the LEDGE at an angle. The main piece has a couple of channels machined into it as well - there's one for the charging cable (you need to supply your own Apple-approved Lightning to USB cable) that snakes out of the back of the LEDGE, while another provides an open area where a headphone cable can comfortably plug in. The bottom of that main piece has a piece of non-slip foam on it, while the prop has two foam bands wrapped around it to keep it from slipping on a desktop. The LEDGE is given a natural hand finish, with each one being produced from a piece of African Bubinga, African Padauk, or North American Cherry wood. If there's one thing about the LEDGE that I'd like to see is for the foam bands to be installed a bit more carefully. The band on the bottom of the pre-production LEDGE I have was installed a bit unevenly, and even though it can't be seen when the LEDGE Is in use, it made my OCD kick in. Functionality LEDGE is an amazingly simple design and provides a desk or table top home for your iPhone. I've already run into issues with some competing charging stands, as they don't work well with iPhones in cases. Not so with the LEDGE - I have a rather thin case on my iPhone 6 Plus, yet it fits comfortably in the phone pocket with a bit of space to spare on each side. [Fuse]Chicken made sure to take cases into account when designing the LEDGE, a feature I really appreciate. You can determine if your iPhone and case will fit in the LEDGE phone pocket quote easily: the standard LEDGE pocket (for iPhone 5/5s/6) is 3 inches (75mm) wide, while the large version is 3.5 inches (89mm) wide. Conclusion Pledge US$35 on the LEDGE Kickstarter page in the next week and you can get your own LEDGE shipped to you next month. Pledge $60 or more, and you'll get two! LEDGE is a nice, natural looking charging dock for your iPhone, case-friendly, and affordably priced. Note that we don't usually provide a TUAW "star rating" for items that are pre-production, crowdfunded projects. However, [Fuse]Chicken has a good track record of bringing projects to market and the LEDGE project has reached its funding goal, so the charging stand is getting a rating. Rating: 3-1/2 stars out of 4 stars possible Giveaway One lucky TUAW reader is going to win not only a large (iPhone 6 Plus) LEDGE, but also a [Fuse]Chicken PLUGdock. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before November 29, 2014 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing and will receive a FuseChicken LEDGE charging stand (large size for iPhone 6 Plus) valued at $30 and a FuseChicken PLUGdock wall-mounted dock valued at $10. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Fuse Chicken's togoDock and PLUGdock: Variations on a theme of useful
Design house Fuse Chicken had a huge winner in the iPhone dock space a few years ago with Une Bobine, a very unique "stiff cable" that could be coiled up in a variety of ways to hold an iPhone while it was charging. The design went from 0 to over 1000 percent funded ($212,265 raised for a $9,800 goal) in just 19 days, and the product continues to sell quite well. The company is now on the way to repeating that success with an Indiegogo project for another product called togoDock, which had an add-on goal to produce yet another dock called PLUGdock. The company sent us a few prototypes to test, and it looks like both new products will not only make it to market but could be quite successful. togoDock The "togo" in the name of this cool little magnetic dock is pronounced with long o's, although the idea is that you have a dock that is ready "to go" anywhere. The product can be used in a car, on a wall, basically anywhere you have metal that a magnet will stick to or where you can stick a one-inch diameter metal disk. That disk has adhesive on one side for easy placement on your car dashboard or on a wall. The device itself consists of a single piece of molded plastic with some powerful magnets embedded in it, and features a spool around which a USB to Lightning charging cable can be wrapped. The Lightning adapter sticks up where an iPhone can sit upon it for charging, although togoDock can also be used to charge up any Lightning-equipped device. For use in the car, a plug-in adapter is provided; in the home or office, any AC to USB adapter or powered USB port can be used to charge your favorite iOS device. One final touch to the design is a little notch on the bottom that holds the "tail" of the cable in place. There's also a curved "backstop" that your iPhone can rest against when you're using togoDock in a car, ensuring that the iPhone isn't going to flop around while plugged in. I've reviewed a lot of charging docks for cars, but togoDock is the first one I'd actually consider buying. It is small and lightweight, stays in place but can be easily removed for use elsewhere, and there are no moving or mechanical parts to break or come loose. The only thing you're giving up if you use togoDock in your car is the space where the metal disk will be attached for togoDock to stick to. The design is brilliant in its simplicity. It's a simple product, but one that reflects a lot of knowledge of materials and of how the Lightning connector works. togoDock will retail for US$30 as soon as the Indiegogo campaign reaches the goal of $20,000 -- it's over 80 percent funded at this time with 23 days left in the campaign. Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible PLUGdock The next item is also a dock, but it's primarily made for use with Apple's tiny cube-shaped AC adapter. The PLUGdock turns any AC outlet into a dock. We're not sure if the PLUGdock will be produced, but you can add $5 to an Indiegogo pledge and get one of these tiny accessories that has been manufactured on a 3D printer in your choice of colors. Mine came in a nice blue color and had some rough spots that were obviously an artifact of being 3D printed. Nonetheless, the PLUGdock worked perfectly. It's essentially a squared-off spool that a Lightning charge cable wraps around, with a receptacle on one side that you push the Apple AC adapter cube into, a slot for the USB connector on the other side, and a small spot on top where the Lightning adapter is held securely in place. For a minimalist dock, PLUGdock is brilliant. It takes up very little space, essentially giving your standard Apple AC adapter a second life as a dock. Whether it's printed on a 3D printer or eventually comes out of a mold, the PLUGdock once again highlights Fuse Chicken's ability to create incredibly useful products that demonstrate how good design compliments simplicity.' Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible
Crowdfunded Project News: The best of Kickstarter, Indiegogo and the rest
Every week, TUAW provides readers with an update on what new or significant crowdfunded Apple-related projects are in the news. This update is designed to give readers a heads-up on projects they might find interesting enough to back. Note that we're not covering those "projects" on Indiegogo where people are trying to get someone else to cough up money for a new computer or tablet... If a project reaches at least 80 percent of total funding and provides us with review material, we may choose to write a detailed post about it. Holy guacamole! We're just full of crowdfunded projects this week! Let's get it started, first with a fascinating independent project: Moov wants to be Siri for fitness. Taking pre-orders for a limited quantity of devices at this time for only US$59.95, Moov promises to coach you verbally as you're working out or engaging in your favorite sport. To be honest, I'm not sure I'd be thrilled having Siri telling me to "run faster" or "lengthen your stride." Here's video: And now the hot Kickstarter projects of the week. The Carbon wearable solar charger is a wearable with a difference. Rather than acting as an extension to your smartphone, it only exists to do one thing -- charge your technology. With photovoltaic cells on top of a small battery, Carbon can charge itself up in two to three hours in full sunlight, then give your iPhone about a half-charge in 25 minutes. Carbon uses a standard watch strap so you can change your style to fit your needs. Right now you can back Carbon and get one for as little as $115. It's currently about 16 percent funded with 25 days to go. The Right Arm is already 286 percent funded with ten days to go, but you can still get in on the funding action. The Right Arm is touted as a universal tablet stand and mobile stand-up desk, using a long flexible arm that ends in a metal plate covered with a polyurethane gel that holds onto just about anything. You can still back The Right Arm for $104 or more. Remember my recent review of the Jumper Card, a credit card-like set of charging cables with a battery and flashlight that fits in your wallet? Well, TravelCard wants to do the same thing with a thin aluminum-cased battery/charger/flashlight. One big difference: TravelCard has already achieved initial Made For iPhone (MFi) certification. TravelCard is almost 250 percent funded with almost a month to go. it's available in four different finishes; black, white, silver and metallic blue. I sometimes wonder why some accessory manufacturers end up Kickstarting something that is already being made... That's the question I have for AirBulb, which is amazingly similar to the oddly-named AwoX Striimlight I reviewed in January. I wasn't particularly impressed with the Striimlight and hopefully AirBulb can do better, but do we really need multitasking light bulbs? The Bumprz iPhone bumper is funded. The Kickstarter campaign for this minimalist iPhone case should be over by the time you read this; at the point I wrote this, Bumprz was 117 percent funded. Bumprz look like they'll now be made in black, gold and silver. Congratulations to the Bumprz team for getting these little metallic corner covers funded and into production. Last year I backed the iBlazr, a tiny little 4-LED light that plugs into your iPhone and provides light for photos or video. I wish I had waited. Ember is a battery case with a back covered with LEDs. Ember is going to make anyone who does night photography or videography very happy. At this point, it's about 41 percent funded with 17 days to go. Another photography project on Kickstarter is the Mibo, a full-featured microscope kit for your iPhone. It's just about fully funded with just two days to go -- let's hope that TUAW readers can push this one over the goal line! For educational purposes, Mibo will also come with prepared slides for your close-in viewing pleasure. Somebody finally listened to me! Although I love leather iPad cases, most of them are just too darned thick to make them enjoyable. Heming is a really thin and beautifully-designed iPad case that doesn't add a lot of bulk while still keeping your tablet protected. The great thing is that Heming has already reached its funding goal, but you can still get a limited edition case for as low as $76. And on Indiegogo: Remember Fuse Chicken? They're the design shop that created the incredibly cool Une Bobine iPhone stand a while back. Now they're back with a couple of new products. First, there's togoDock -- it's a magnetic charge cable / dock for iPhone that sticks almost anywhere you can stick a magnet. togoDock is 77 percent of the way towards funding with just less than a month to go. You can push it over the top for as little as $30. Fuse Chicken will also throw in the cool PLUGdock or a Une Bobine at some of the pledge levels. This next project has a long way to go, but it could be just the thing to save a life if it does get funded. The Lifesaver Case for iPhone not only protects your iPhone, but if you're ever threatened, you slide a single switch and it instantly (and silently) streams your GPS location, sends your vital information, records what is happening in sound and video, and makes an automatic E911 call. The campaign just started, but The Lifesaver Case looks like a great idea to me. You can back the project and get one for as little as $59. The planet apparently needs another messaging app, as vText just went live today on Indiegogo. The app will be cross-platform on iOS and Android, and it does provide some compelling features. It's apparently three times faster than traditional messaging platforms, secure (nothing is stored), smart (reminds you of birthdays and limits texting while driving), and simple to use. And last but definitely not least, there's another fascinating "Internet of Things" connected home device that's just starting up. Notifon is billed as the "notifying object" that can be connected to just about anything to notify you of events. Put it on your garage door, it will tell you if the door is opened or closed. It can inform you of water leaks, send a tweet when your business is open or closed, and more. The team is planning on shipping by September of 2014. If you're aware of any other crowdfunded Apple-related projects, be sure to let us know about them through the Tip Us button at the upper right of the TUAW home page for future listing on the site.
