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Crowdfunding Roundup: MiKey, SandPiper, Vaavud, 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. We're back this week with a pile of Indiegogo and Kickstarter campaigns for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to vote with your wallets, as some of these campaigns could use a boost. Let's get started with the Indiegogo projects: MiKey is already past its goal -- 180 percent funded with 10 days to go -- but that shouldn't stop you from jumping on the bandwagon. Think of the ultimate pocket tool with a USB to Lightning/micro-USB cable, flash drive, a Bluetooth locater, and a small battery pack built in, and you've got MiKey. Seriously, if I was going to be stranded on a desert island somewhere, I think I'd want to be stuck there with an iPad, a satellite phone with data capabilities, solar panels, a supermodel, an unlimited supply of food and booze, and a MiKey. This thing rocks! The SandPiper is an Indiegogo project that doesn't have a lot of the draw that simple projects do, but it has the capability of being something that could benefit a lot of people with respiratory ailments. It's a smartphone-enabled spirometer, something that can be used to train the lungs by measuring lung performance. it's a little slow starting -- only at one percent of funding with 44 days to go -- but hopefully it will catch on, or perhaps an investor will jump on the project. Our third project of the week from Indiegogo is Statement WKW, which bills itself as an "Extreme Charge and Data Cable for iPhone, iPod and iPad". Extreme? What, does this mean that you can use one a Statement WKW to rappel down a cliff? Apparently the "extreme" tag line got the attention of many backers, as it's 555 percent funded with 39 days to go. And now on to some Kickstarter projects. First up is Frebble, a haptic device designed to let you hold hands online. Yes, you read that correctly -- you and another person can be on a FaceTime chat, and give each other's hands a gentle squeeze. It's about a quarter of the way through funding with about three weeks to go, so this idea may or may not make it. You decide! Saddled with hundreds of passwords and can't remember them all? The idea behind Injector is to have a dongle that's inserted into your PC or Mac (or "tablet with USB port") that receives login credentials from an app on your iPhone. It's only 11.4 percent funded as of today, with two weeks to go. Personally, I don't want to keep track of a dongle and have to hope that my iPhone is charged up to be able to log in. I'll keep using 1Password, thank you. Art fans are going to either love or hate this project. The Electric Objects EO-1 is a computer made for art that hangs on your wall. Think of it as a large, high-definition version of those cheesy little internet picture frames that used to be so popular. Apparently there are a lot of people who want art by unknown artists hanging on their walls, because this campaign is 1181 percent funded with 27 days to go. Me? I prefer one-of-a-kind original art works, not mass-produced images that are being viewed by thousands of EO-1 owners. This next project is pretty cool; a robotic stabilizer platform for your iPhone or a GoPro camera that's called Hando. Think of it as a way to get very smooth, professional looking video from your device, as if you're using a Steadicam™ with a full-sized video camera. About 20 percent funded with a month to go, Hando could be just the thing for iPhone movie makers. I was going to put in a short blurb about Drop, an iPad-connected kitchen scale and digital baking assistant, but their website is down today. Your luck may be better, but right now I can't show you a video or give you any other information. Sigh. Finally, do you remember Vaavud, which was an iPhone-attached anemometer? I reviewed it last August and was very impressed. Well, the same geniuses are back at work, this time with a Kickstarter to get a new device that measures not only wind velocity, but direction as well. The Vaavud V2.0 campaign is almost 28 percent funded with 39 days to go, so I think it's going to be a winner. I can't wait to review it! And that, my friends, is the crowdfunding roundup for the week. Next week we'll be back with another crop of new projects, some of which will be incredibly exciting and others that will be yawn-inducing. Thanks to Hal Sherman for keeping me up to date on the flow of Indiegogo and Kickstarter 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.
Preparing for Wrath Day 7: Eat, drink, and be merry
If you're planning on entering Northrend at 68, or if you're going to bring a toon that's new to 70 and isn't sporting a lot of good gear yet, setting aside a few choice consumables may help ease the pain while you're leveling. Even if your character's well-geared, you can take advantage of the early-bird specials being offered by a number of vendors in Azeroth and Outland who are already selling Northrend-level food and drink like Pungent Seal Whey. Check in with your local innkeepers to see what they have stocked, sell off the Outland-level equivalents, and set aside a few stacks of upgraded food and drink from vendors with whom you probably have a reputation discount. This will save you some time and gold before you board a zeppelin or boat for the north. If you're still leveling cooking, now's a great time to get to 375. You can also lay in a stash of buff food that will not only help get you the achievement The Outland Gourmet, but will help you complete The Rokk's daily cooking quests a little bit faster (and the Rokk has an achievement of his own). And it certainly won't hurt to have some buff food around for your first few dungeons.
Beware of the Home Beta Injector scam
Click to enlarge image. We want to nip this one before it becomes a widespread problem. A program calling itself the "Home Beta Injector" will supposedly generate a redemption code for the Home beta by simply inputting a valid PSN e-mail address and password.Sound too good to be true? Of course it is. The PlayStation team will NEVER ask for your password. Your password isn't used to generate codes for use on the PLAYSTATION Store. Instead, giving up your password means you're granting a stranger total access to your account, personal information and credit card. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM.If you've already given away your information, we recommend you contact PlayStation support. SCEA Legal is already trying to make sure this scam doesn't spread any further.
Eli Lilly offering up undercover insulin pen to US
There's already a bevy of devices out there designed to keep track and manage one's diabetes and glucose levels, but Eli Lilly's innocuous pen-like injector looks to make the process of taking insulin a bit less invasive. The Huma-Pen Memoir resembles your average ink pen and shouldn't look too out of place holding it down in your tee's front pocket, but whenever you need a shot of insulin, it conveniently turns into an injector thanks to the hidden hypodermic needle encased within. The device also "allows the user to dial the amount of insulin they need to take," and keeps the dosage, date, and time of the previous 16 shots in order to keep diabetics from overdosing. Users should be able to utilize the same pen for "around three years," and after a needle is used, another is inserted and ready to go at the owners request. A few lucky participants have already received their pen here in the US, and while this nifty invention has been available across Europe for some time now, it will officially hit American retail shelves next week for around $45.[Via MedGadget]
