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Talkcast tonight, 7pm PDT/10pm ET: Crowdfunding edition!
All-new dial-in experience! See below -- do not call into Talkshoe, we won't be there. Be sure to set up Fuze Meeting before the show if you want to join in live. We come, once again, to Sunday evening, and with that comes the TUAW talkcast! Tonight's topics will include the usual Apple-related news, but we also have a special guest. Joining us tonight is friend of the show Ross Rubin, who will be discussing his new venture, Backerjack, covering crowdfunded products. Reminder on new-style talkcasting: With some help from the fine folks at Fuze, we're using a new system to record the show. This should let everyone listen in live -- and, if you want, raise your hand as you would in the Talkshoe room to get unmuted and chime in. You can join the call in progress (meeting # is 20099010) at 10 pm ET from any computer via this link; if you download the Mac or Windows Fuze clients ahead of time, you'll get better audio and a slicker experience, but browser-only will work fine. Just click the phone icon to join the audio once you're in. Using an iPhone or iPad? Grab the native clients from the App Store and get busy. (Even Android users can join the party.) Still feel like using the conventional phone dial-in? Just call (201) 479-4595 and enter the meeting number 20099010, then press #. While the Fuze web and native clients have a chat channel, we'd like to reserve that for host participants, requests to talk and other real-time alerts... so the full-on chat for the show will appear in this very post at 10 pm tonight. You'll need Twitter, Facebook or Chatroll credentials to participate in the chat. We'll remind everyone to check back in at that time.
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. While our policy is to not go into detail on items that haven't reached at least 80 percent of their funding goal, 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... From Kickstarter KLOQE, the all-aluminum iPhone case that doesn't affect reception, is well past its US$25,000 funding goal with 11 days to go. The designer of KLOQE, Sergio Troiani, has been testing the signal strength and fine-tuning his design for quite some time, and it's apparent that the attention to detail is paying off. I can't wait to try one of these out! But wait, there's more! Bumprz is a minimalist iPhone "case" that consists of four little steel bumpers that attach to the corners of your favorite smartphone. And surprise -- it actually works! The designers at Case of Steel have been dropping their Bumprz-equipped iPhones left and right, with nary a scratch or broken screen. Retail price will be $30; you can back the project for as low as $15 right now. It's at 31 percent of funding with about three weeks to go. In my review of iOgrapher, I mentioned the Kickstarter for the Padcaster Mini. It's more than two-thirds funded with about three weeks left in the campaign. If you're interested in doing any pro moviemaking with your iPad mini, you seriously need a Padcaster Mini. iCPooch is inching closer to reality every day. The pet video chat terminal with built-in treat dispenser is now at almost 80 percent of its funding goal with 19 days to go. Woof! Neutron S is a small, highly magnetic mount for your iPhone or iPad. If you're concerned about strong magnets causing issues with your electronics, don't be -- Neutron S is designed to keep your device happy. This little gizmo is 329 percent funded with three weeks to go. [via Backerjack] And finally, someone has come up with the idea for wireless earbuds. Dash wireless earbuds will be $299 when they hit the market, but supporters can get 'em for $179. Remember the CruxSKUNK? The oddly named iPad case is now going through a Kickstarter campaign for an iPad Air version, and we'll be watching the CruxENCORE project closely. The case has a hinge that flips around almost 360 degrees, making it one of the most flexible iPad cases on the market. Some of the remaining pledge levels let you get a CruxENCORE that will normally retail for $199 for just $59. Act now! From Indiegogo Here's an iPhone wallet case with a difference: Push has a hidden and secure pocket for ID and charge cards that opens with a push of a button. Only you can make it happen, though -- with 16 days to go in its campaign, Push has achieved only $396 of its $15,000 goal. So you missed out on the Kickstarter campaign for the Snooperscope, a night-vision lens setup for your iPhone? No problem; the team has created an Indiegogo project so that you can pre-order one of these gizmos for an estimated June delivery. You have 25 days to pre-order; prices range from $99 to $129 depending on the color of case you get. One of the fun products we reviewed before, Une Bobine from Fuse Chicken, is going to have a sibling soon. togoDock is a "dock-to-go" that goes anywhere with you, magnetically mounts to walls and dashboards and includes a nice way to wrap up your charging cords. The Indiegogo campaign began this morning. 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.
