MYBELL
Latest
Crowdfunding Roundup: PartySnapper, Sticky Notes and more
Every week, TUAW provides readers with an update on new or significant crowdfunded Apple-related projects 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. Wow, another week has already passed and we're back with another crop of crowdfunded projects, some of which will blossom into beautiful fruit, others that will wither on the vine. I'm happy to say that the first project out of the gate today is from a company we're all familiar with here at TUAW -- Boinx Software. PartySnapper is a wonderful idea for engaging partygoers. Just let your guests load up the iPhone app on their devices, get PartySnapper running on an iPad connected to a big display, and all of them can "throw their pictures onto the wall" for the rest of the crowd to see. This would be amazing at a TUAW meetup at Macworld/iWorld 2015! The Boinxers get the award for zaniest intro video for their Indiegogo project; now help them get over their goal. Currently, they're at 13 percent of the US$20,000 goal, but we're hoping TUAW readers will push 'em over the top. Now we'll bounce over to Kickstarter and take a look at a few fun projects. First, we have a timely entry in the funding battles with HotBlack, a nice looking watch that also displays football scores beamed via Bluetooth from your favorite device! Umm, not that football, but the one that's in the news all the time right now because of something called the FIFA World Cup. It's 17.8 percent funded with 27 days to go; my predictions is that if USMNT beats Germany today, we'll see it zoom over the 100 percent mark in hours. Here's an interesting idea. The guys at Blerline realize that a lot of artists and others want to use their iPads or iPhones as lightboxes; in other words, using the device to display an image that can then be traced on tracing paper for painting or drawing. Rather than just trying to hold a piece of tracing paper on top of your iOS device, they're seeking funding to create adhesive tracing paper just the size of an iPad, iPad mini, or iPhone screen. The Blerline "Tracing Sticky Notes" campaign has 35 days to go and is just about at 11 percent. Artists -- give them your support! Hey, who doesn't want a digital horn and light combo for their bike? I'm sure that Pee-wee Herman would love a MYBELL, which you can customize with your own sound files for a loud alert to pedestrians that get in the way. About 15 percent funded with 36 days to go, MYBELL is something that techie bikers everywhere should fall in love with. This project has already reached its funding goal, and it's not surprising. PocketScan is a tiny handheld scanner that you "paint" over text or images to send the scanned material to your iPhone, iPad or Mac. How popular is PocketScan? It's 550 percent funded with 19 days to go. We see a lot of crowdfunding campaigns targeted at the mobile world, but not all that many that are creating accessories for the Mac. Here's one that caught our attention: the UNITI Stand, which is designed for iMacs and Apple displays. It's perfect for organizing your desktop world! 12.9 percent pledged with a comfortable 51 days to go. C-Lens? See, lens! These are tiny stackable lenses for your iPhone that can be used for all of your macro iPhone photography needs. These are probably the thinnest macro lenses I've seen for iPhone, and don't require a special case to use. The campaign is about 22 percent of the way there with 27 days to go. Here's a Kickstarter project that made it through funding and is now in production. You can buy the JUMP by Native Union over at BiteMyApple.co, where this little sync cable/battery pack is available for $49.99. And last this week, we have a project that is supposed to launch today on Kickstarter, although we don't see it yet. Total POM (Peace of Mind) is a full GPS/Bluetooth tracking tag solution, made by a company (Eco PACT) that has a history of making tracking devices for container systems. That's all for this week. Come back next Thursday for another look at what's rocking the world of crowdfunding. 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. Once again, thanks go out to Hal Sherman for providing a number of tips on crowdfunded projects.
Customizable bike horn MYBELL hits Kickstarter with an improved design
We first played with the MYBELL, a customizable digital horn for your bike, several months ago at Engadget Expand NY. Now, the device has hit Kickstarter, and it's packing a new housing that makes the device both sleeker and stronger. The team behind the gadget, led by founder Peter Pottier, has also increased power efficiency. As before, though, MYBELL's all about biker safety, with a horn that can blast your choice of audio at more than 105 decibels. Its array of programmable LEDs is strong as well, letting you set your own pulse patterns to announce your presence at night.
MYBELL keeps cyclists safe by blasting their MP3s of choice (hands-on)
Biking in heavily trafficked areas can be dangerous -- and few know this better than NYC cyclists. Peter Pottier is one of many in the Big Apple to survive a near miss while on two wheels, and that experience led him to develop a digital noise-maker to help keep bikers safe. The handlebar-mountable MYBELL, created by Pottier and his two colleagues, pumps out sound at up to 96dB -- the average mechanical bell tops out at about 70dB -- and features LEDs to improve nighttime visibility. Safety is clearly the focus here, but Pottier says he wants to improve the relationship between bikers and drivers as well. "I looked at what was currently on the market, such as air horns, but I didn't want to ostracize bikers." (Who wants to be accosted with that honking sound, after all?) To that end, the MYBELL is customizable; you can upload any MP3 file to the device via micro-USB, and you can choose different LED patterns in night mode. On top of the novelty value, hearing screaming techno instead of a standard bell ring will theoretically be safer, thanks to the wider pitch and range which make it easier to detect. And, if you're lucky, your taste in music might even earn the respect of that otherwise-hostile SUV.
Insert Coin semifinalist: MYBELL is an extremely loud and customizable electronic bike bell
Say what you will about the cavalier bike messengers that give cyclists a bad name, but it doesn't change the fact that pedaling your way to work is better for both your health and the environment. Unfortunately, biking (especially in New York City) can feel a little, well, dangerous at times. MYBELL isn't magically going to keep you from getting doored while flying down Broadway, but the extremely loud electronic bicycle bell should make you a little harder to miss. Inside this little box is a powerful audio amplifier that plays custom sounds at up to 96dB -- your average mechanical bell tops out at 70dB. It also includes LEDs that can be programmed to flash in a pattern unique to you. Of course, none of that is going to keep careless motorists out of the bike lane, so you'll still your wits and quick reflexes, in addition to MYBELL. You can see all of the Insert Coin semifinalists here.
