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Crowdfunding Roundup: Four for the Fourth
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. Holidays don't stop the minds behind crowdfunded projects, with each day another chance to get the word out about a campaign to fund the development of something new. In honor of Independence Day in the USA, here are four campaigns that Qi chargers are starting to get pretty popular in the iPhone world, allowing users to simply drop an iPhone protected by a Qi charging case onto one of the wireless charging devices. The only problem is that a lot of the chargers are quite ugly! Not so with Pond, a wireless/cordless charging tray crafted out of wood in black enamel, maple, or walnut finishes. Pair that up with a Stream charging case for your iPhone -- also available in a wood finish -- and you have quite the charging duo. Pond is about 10 percent funded with four weeks to go, so there's still time to get your pledge in. Luxo lamps have inspired a lot of people with their adjustability -- after all, Luxo Jr. is the character who bounces his way into the Pixar movie logo. Now comes Stan, a retro-inspired smartphone and tablet holder. Stan has about a month of funding to go, and is currently almost 17 percent funded. And kudos for picking the wackiest retro organ music for the video! Necessity is the mother of invention. For Matt Mogol, having little ones who wanted to bang on a laptop keyboard while watching their favorite videos was a pain -- not only was it hard on the laptop keyboard, but it usually stopped whatever video the child was watching. Enter Kid Lid, a removable keyboard cover that lets toddlers watch their videos while driving their toy cars or walking stuffed animals over that keyboard. It's just about 13 percent funded with four weeks to go. App: The Human Story is a documentary about the cultural phenomenon of apps. Featuring a who's-who of iOS app developers and characters from the world of Apple, Story & Pixel is attempting to raise $100,000 to get the video off the ground. They're well on their way, with about 31 percent funding with four weeks left. Be sure to back this one, since who doesn't want to see and hear more from John Gruber, Jason Snell, Marco Arment, Jean MacDonald, and others in the pantheon of app notables. Next week we should have a more complete roundup of projects from Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other crowdfunding sources. Many thanks again to Hal Sherman for providing some tips about new and exciting projects, and 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. As they used to say, "Have a Safe and Sane Fourth of July"!
Stanford Ovshinsky, inventor of the NiMH battery, passes away at 89
On Wednesday night, Stanford Ovshinsky, inventor of the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery, passed away at the age of 89 due to complications from cancer. The Akron, Ohio native may not be a household name, but there's a good chance that many of your electronics have been powered by his work, as NiMH batteries are used in everything from mice to hybrid cars. A self-taught inventor who didn't attend college, Ovshinsky held hundreds of patents, received a number of honorary degrees and is even the namesake of a branch of electronics dubbed Ovonics. Flat-panel displays, solar cells and even phase change memory are just a handful of other technologies that his work helped to develop. Next time you pick up a modern gadget, just remember that Ovshinsky is partly responsible for its existence. [Image credit: Joi Ito, Flickr]
Fraunhofer's STAN: four cameras, three dimensions, no glasses
There are some glasses-free 3D TVs around, but their limited viewing angles and poor picture quality aren't very inspiring -- so Fraunhofer's latest project is a welcome endeavor. It's developed STAN (STereoscopic ANalyzer), a system that lets broadcasters easily use four cameras instead of the usual two, for 3D recording. 3D needs a minimum of two lenses to register depth and keeping multiple shooters in sync is tough and expensive. That's led to the industry relying on two, which is why glasses-free (autostereoscopic) 3D TVs get such a poor picture; more cameras means more viewing angles. STAN co-ordinates the setup of the four cameras and then uses a feature detector to identify common elements in the pictures and merges them into a 3D image. Four cameras provide much more depth, which means more viewing angles, which means that if STAN gets picked up, these guys can throw away the sunglasses, even for live broadcasts.
South Park DVD set includes WoW trial
Our good friends over at Joystiq are reporting that when the 10th season DVD set of South Park drops on the 21st, a WoW trial disc will be included in the box.Kind of a weird choice, considering that the game's portrayal in the Emmy-nominated show isn't exactly flattering (or, realistic, though it does look cool). The episode is even featured on the cover, bloated acne-scarred Cartman and all.But you never know-- clearly Blizzard is looking for all kinds of ways to promote their game (I can't imagine what lengths they'll go to when the movie comes out in a few years), and maybe this, the mob of South Park DVD-buying fans, is just what they need to hit 10 million. You probably don't need a trial disc (they are available for free or cheap in many places already), but in case you want a copy of the season in which the kids save the world... of Warcraft, it's up on Amazon right now.
First ever HD South Park episode for free on Xbox Live Marketplace
This coming Tuesday is a big day for people that are both fans of South Park and Xbox 360 owners. Comedy Central is releasing the first ever high definition episode of South Park on the Xbox Live Marketplace to all members (we're assuming this means Silver and Gold) for free. That's right, everyone's favorite word -- free. It will be on Marketplace at that low, low, price of free for two weeks, and will also be available as a free HD-DVD to people buying a new Xbox 360 console or the HD-DVD add-on drive at Best Buy from March 20th through April 3rd.The episode is a couple of years old, but it is definitely a fan fave. It's 'Good Times With Weapons' from the 2004 season ... better known as the "South Park Ninjas episode. The style changes from the traditional cutout look into anime style pictured above, and it will look, er ... extra-animated in HD. Couple this with the fact that South Park's new season starts this Wednesday, and new episodes will be on XBLM each following week, the fanboys and fangirls should be fairly happy.Still, for the price, who can complain? Let's hope this trend continues. Give us some free HD Battlestar Galactica episodes already. The timing on this is pretty interesting as well ... right after the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco. Does this mean Microsoft might be finally releasing the rumored Xbox 360 v2 with HDMI?
