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'Star Citizen' team will share its schedule with the public
Of all the complaints about Star Citizen's development, transparency is one of the biggest. Outside of basic goals, it's hard to know how well the epic-scale space game is coming along at any given moment -- there are concerns that Cloud Imperium Games is frittering away all that crowdfunding money. The company wants to put some of those fears to rest, though. As of Star Citizen's 2.6 alpha, the studio will share its internal development schedule with the public on a weekly basis. Cloud Imperium will clean up the details to make them more accessible, but you'll know whether or not there's a change or setback.
Tech host Will Smith needs help funding his VR talk show
News of tech journalist Will Smith's VR talk show broke in April and he's looking for help funding the first season. Smith has taken to Kickstarter to raise money for the The Foo Show's 5-episode affair that will debut on Oculus Home and Steam in December. After the premiere, the plan is to release two episodes in both January and February and the entire first season can be yours with a pledge of $20.
Lysol owner and Indiegogo team up to find the next... Lysol
Reckitt Benckiser's board thinks that there might be something in this crowdfunding lark for sourcing new product ideas. That's why the chemicals company behind Durex, Veet and Lysol is teaming up with Indiegogo for its Healthier Tomorrow Challenge. Money-hungry startups with ideas related to health products are offered the chance to take part in a Shark Tank-esque competition for RB's love. If you have an idea that the conglomerate thinks is a winner, you'll be offered support, mentoring and, potentially, access to RB's manufacturing and distribution channels.
Indiegogo lets you invest in potential startups
When a kid with a good idea asks you for $20 to fund their new startup, you give that money in the hope they'll do some good. That can sting, however, when they become a multi-billionaire and you don't even get a note of thanks with $20 stapled to it. Indiegogo is working to remedy the issue by incorporating equity crowdfunding into its platform. That way, instead of getting a lousy t-shirt as a reward for your patronage, you could actually get a share in the future success of businesses that you back.
Kickstarter's first sex toy has arrived
Crowdfunded sex toys aren't new to the scene, but until now, the most well-known crowdfunding site has steered clear of the category. Now, Kickstarter is hosting a campaign for Dame Products' Fin vibrator. Cofounder Alexandra Fine tells Motherboard that proximity helped it break in, since "Kickstarter is literally around the block from us." The company is familiar with the process, after launching its Eva vibrator for couples with an $835k campaign on Indiegogo.
Smart pen measures the dimensions of virtually any object
Despite all the technological advances over the years, measuring items in your home still tends to involve old-school rulers and tape measures... and they can be inaccurate if there are curves. Instrumments thinks it has a better way. The team of former Misfit creators is launching the 01, a hybrid measuring device and pen (there are also pencil and stylus versions) that gauges the dimensions of objects simply by pointing at them. It works on 3D surfaces, too, so curves and contours aren't off-limits.
This paper rolls up into an adjustable flashlight
The latest capsule collection from Design of Things (courtesy of design firm Nendo and Softbank) is just as fascinating as its 3D-printed, prune-able Bonsai trees announced last year. The Paper Torch is equal parts designs, patterns and heritage of Takeo paper (est. 1899), and electronics know-how from a startup that specializes in flat components and printed circuits (est. 2014). The results might be... illuminating. If only I could see it working in person...
'Maguss' wants your help bringing its mobile spellcasting to life
If you like the idea of a Harry Potter-like mobile spellcasting game and aren't that attached to J.K. Rowling's universe, you can now plunk down some cash to get it. The Maguss team has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to bring its Pokémon Go-style augmented reality wizardry to life. Pledging at least $19 (normally $25) will get you access to the beta test when it starts on December 10th. However, you'll likely want to pay more to get the full experience -- spending $39 ($49 if you're not an early bird) gets you a Bluetooth-based physical wand on top of beta access 9 days earlier. You can contribute more if you want to either get into the alpha test (November 10th) or duel your friends.
Oregon authorities are investigating Kickstarter darling Coolest (updated)
When Coolest debuted on Kickstarter back in 2014, it set a funding record. The do-it-all cooler campaing took in $13 million for an outdoor beverage option with blender, Bluetooth speaker, USB charging and more. The company asked its backers for more money back in April, saying that the price it offered during the crowdfunding campaign was too low. What's more, some backers still haven't received their coolers despite the company selling them for a discounted price on Amazon, its own website and other retailers. The Coolest website says that if you hand over $400 for a cooler right now, it will ship in 48 hours.
Dr. Oz wants to sell you a heart-monitoring smartwatch
Perennial snake oil salesman Dr. Oz has found a new way to take your make money: a wearable. The press release promises the iBeat Life Monitor is "lifesaving" smartwatch that "empowers people to live longer lives." The big difference here versus offerings from, say, Apple or Withings, is that the iBeat apparently monitors your heartbeat nonstop, and, in the event of a "life-threatening heart emergency," the wearable will contact relatives, friends and medical professionals.
Narrative shuts down its lifelogging camera business
Remember the Narrative Clip, that wearable camera that let you document your day with a steady stream of photos or video? It was a novel idea, but it doesn't look like many people embraced the concept. Narrative is telling customers that it's filing for "voluntary dissolution" following financial trouble that came to a head this summer, when it restructured in a bid to stay afloat. That will put an end to Clip sales and support (a Facebook group will offer help), but the company is promising a solution that prevents your lifelogging camera from becoming a paperweight.
High-profile Kickstarter games see delays, port cancellations
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, was crowdfunded to the tune of $5.5 million last year, with an ETA of March 2017. It promises to be a spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, but this week, project lead Koji Igarashi (known colloquially as IGA) personally announced via Kickstarter that the game will now be pushed back to "the first half of 2018." The delay, IGA says, is because the game is currently at risk of not "meeting [his] quality standards." To that end, he's adding additional developers to the team, who will hopefully be able to put the project back on track. He also offered his apologies to anyone affected by the delay.
Sony's new e-paper watch actually looks like a timepiece
Earlier this week, Sony introduced its FES Watch U, an e-paper timepiece that it is crowdfunding in Japan. And today, at IFA 2016, we had the chance to see it in person for the first time. As we pointed out before, the FES Watch U is a much more polished version of Sony's original e-ink watch, which was revealed in 2014. The new wearable features a steel frame, instantly giving it that premium look and feel, as well as sapphire glass on the higher-end model.
Sony returns to crowdfunding for its next e-paper watch
Miss out on Sony's original crowdfunded watch? You're about to get a second chance... at least, if you live in Japan. It's running a campaign to fund the FES Watch U, a more polished-looking version of its e-paper wristwear. You can still customize the always-on face and band (with or without a phone), but it's decidedly posher. Where the previous model looked more like an experiment, the Watch U has a steel body and (on the black premium model) scratch-resistant sapphire glass that make it more of a fashion item. As you might guess, the choice of energy-efficient e-paper gives it a healthy battery life of three weeks.
De La Soul releases crowdfunded 'and the Anonymous Nobody' album
Like many Kickstarter projects, the new De La Soul album took a lot longer to arrive than promised, but now it's here. Originally scheduled for release in September 2015, the group's new project carefully avoids the sample clearance hell that has kept their previous work offline. This time, the samples come from jam sessions they recorded with LA-area musicians, keeping the rights in-house. The 17-track and the Anonymous Nobody album features collaborations with Pete Rock, 2 Chainz, Snoop Dogg, Damon Albarn (of Gorillaz), Little Dragon, Estelle and a number of other well-known artists.
'Star Citizen' presentation hints the game is coming together
We won't blame you if you're skeptical that Star Citizen will ever be a finished, shipping title. Even now, it's not so much a game as a collection of modules: you can explore space and get into gun battles on foot, but not much more. However, Roberts Space Industries just gave an indication that things might be coming along. The studio has shown a 52-minute presentation at Gamescom that illustrates a truly cohesive (if still imperfect) experience coming with the 3.0 alpha. You can board your ship at a space station, fly between planets, pick up missions and touch down on strange new worlds without transitions. It's all modeled as one seamless universe.
Jibo's social 'family robot' won't ship to backers overseas
International crowdfunding is always risky business. Even if a project makes it to market, overseas backers usually have to pay a shipping premium. Sometimes, it's worse: today backers of Jibo's social 'family robot' have been told the product's release has been cancelled in all markets except the US and Canada. The company is now preparing to issue refunds to customers in 45 countries. The issue? Jibo apparently has a hard time understanding accented English.
Skully ends its dreams of making augmented reality helmets
If you thought that Skully's plan to crowdfund an augmented reality motorcycle helmet was overly ambitious... unfortunately, you were right. After years of delays and several weeks of grave financial trouble, the startup has informed backers that it's shutting down. Simply put, the company had run out of cash -- it had been scrambling to raise some temporary funding, but that fell through. TechCrunch sources claim that Skully had even been trying to sell itself to Chinese tech giant LeEco. However, it reportedly alienated investors following number of disputes over a possible sale, manufacturing hiccups and executive spending.
'System Shock' remake is now live on Kickstarter with free demo
Welcome back to Citadel station. We hope your somnolent healing stage went well. We also hope you've ventured over to the official Kickstarter for Nightdive Studios' reboot of the seminal FPS/RPG hybrid System Shock, because it looks like one hell of a ride.
Smart headphones put an AI fitness coach in your ear
As a rule, fitness coaching from wearable devices is pretty limited when you're in mid-exercise. They'll tell you when you hit your goals, but they don't really know you and your patterns. That's where LifeBeam thinks it can help. It's crowdfunding new earphones, Vi, that combine sensors (tracking aspects like heart rate and elevation) with an app-based artificial intelligence coach. The audio gear provides real-time advice that adapts based on numerous factors, ranging from your running technique to your stress levels. It'll even do its best to minimize exhaustion and injury.
