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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 Everydisk, the roll-your-own-secure-cloud solution from Avatron Software, squeaked by at the last minute and is now fully funded. Avatron says that they had 654 backers and will be shipping the app (at least in beta form) to backers in June. That's sooner than you think. Bringrr is funded as well! The location tag project has reached 114 percent funding with five days to go. Before you know it, you'll be able to start attaching those little tags to everything in sight and pinging them with your iPhone. Torso is a bendable and oh-so-portable cable for iPhone. It's got a really cool sideline job -- it can work as a little tripod when you're not using it to charge or sync your phone. Oh, and your Apple EarPods? When you're not wearing them, you can wrap them around the Torso to keep them from getting tangled. Very cool, and very funded -- 117 percent funding with a bit over two days to go. Ozobot. You've always wanted a really tiny robot rolling around on your iPod screen; you just didn't know it until now. Think of this as an intelligent game piece that works with specially written game apps, and you've got the idea. It's about 45 percent funded with about a month to go. StrongVolt SmartCharger is an intelligent solar charger for your devices that solves an issue -- you no longer have to unplug/replug your devices when you're out of direct sunlight for a moment. Apparently a lot of people liked this idea, as StrongVolt is 531 percent funded with 12 days to go. HiddenRadio2 Bluetooth MultiSpeaker is another recipient of funding this week. It's at a whopping 751 percent funding with a week to go in its campaign. The speakers are pretty cool -- multi-speaker Bluetooth, with an elevating cap that creates deeper bass sound and hidden touch controls in the cap. And last but not least, the PowerUp 3.0 Smartphone Controlled Paper Airplane project ended up getting funding about 4 days ago. They asked for $50,000, but apparently hit a nerve with nerds -- this project has $1,232,612 in funding! And on Indiegogo The Thin SoftTouch Waterproof External Battery isn't an original name for a project, but it certainly describes what this new project is all about. Think of a drop-resistant, IPX65 water/dust-proof, 8,000 mAh, fabric-covered power pack, and that's what this project is. I Do Move is a pendant-shaped smartphone-connected activity tracker that can be worn as a necklace or put on a keychain. Along with a motivating app, you're ready to get out and exercise ... hopefully. With 39 days left in the campaign, this project is about 3 percent funded. Cloaq Apparel is looking for money to begin making clothing to protect customers from the electromagnetic fields emitted by electronics and mobile devices. And just when I though that my tinfoil hat was good enough... Almost 18 percent funded with 45 days to go, Cloaq Apparel has a good chance of reaching its goal. 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.
Hidden Radio begins shipping
Ten months after its Kickstarter campaign ended, Hidden Radio, a Bluetooth wireless speaker and FM radio geared toward the iPhone and iPad, is being shipped to its backers. The first couple of reviews hit the opposite ends of the spectrum. Writer Shawn Blanc found the device to be "a trophy of design and a failure of engineering." The speaker, he said, requires a good bit of pressure to adjust the volume, exhibited a random issue a few days ago where the speaker was disconnecting from its Bluetooth connection every 15 minutes, frequently powered off and had sound quality that he describes as "a muffled, cheap boombox." On the other hand, International Business Times' Dave Smith raves about the speaker, even though he found the audio distorted at maximum levels and the bass needed improvement. The speaker syncs effortlessly and the speaker holds out for awhile with each battery charge. Smith doesn't go into a detailed day-to-day usage like Blanc does. If you missed the Kickstarter, you can pre-order a Hidden Radio starting at US$149.95 through Nov. 15, when the price will go up. It'll be interesting as more of these Kickstarter accessories reach the light of day to see how well the concepts hold up. I'm looking forward to testing the Nifty MiniDrive I contributed toward when it's released.
