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Crowdfunding Roundup: A bunch of dogs and one bright idea
Each 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. This week we're starting off with a couple of Indiegogo campaigns, the first of which is the MPortable, a wireless SSD for photographers. Well, at least it's an SSD external storage device with Wi-Fi in it, because at one point on the campaign page they show pulling photos from a camera with a cable... but that's beside the point. The idea is that you can use this to store large quantities of photos from a DSLR, then share the images over Wi-Fi using a special app. Too bad it probably won't make it to market: it's 7 percent funded with about 17 days left. There's nothing to see here, let's move on. OK, how about a "smart iPad bag" called Padroo? It's smart if you think that putting a loaded backpack on the front of your chest is a good idea. At my age, I see this as nothing but a bad backache waiting to happen. Apparently others are questioning the primary design decision as well, as Padroo has no backers with 29 days left in the campaign. Back to the drawing board... Now over to Kickstarter, where we'll hopefully have a few projects that are actually going somewhere... although I doubt it with this first entry, the Pocket Gamer video game controller for iPhone. It's a great idea; it's just that there are a number of similar products that are already on the market. Perhaps that's why this campaign is stuck at 3 percent of its goal with a week to go. Well, that's going nowhere quickly. How about another "smart home solution"? That's a hot growth area, right? Qhome is a "next-generation smart home solution", powered by Quatanium. Huh? That's what I said, too. Anyway, despite an impressively long infographic, Qhome is 0 percent funded with 40 days to go. Ooof. Well, let's try again. How about Live Lids, a baseball cap with a color LED display where the team logo normally appears? That's a fine idea if you like having a billboard strapped to your forehead. Seriously, though -- the idea is different, but how many people really want to worry about having to charge their baseball caps? Call me old-fashioned, but I'll just take a standard baseball cap that costs less than $75, even if I can't sync images and logos to it. The campaign is 9 percent funded with 40 days to go. So, if you're not up for baseball caps with embedded displays, how about speakers with glowing color lights in the front? What? You say this seems like something that might have been popular with high school students in the 70's? Well, LumaPlay is actually 12 percent towards its funding goal, which is turning it into today's winner! There's still almost a month to go in this campaign, so your smartphone-controlled LED light/speaker may actually make it to market. This last project is one that I find to be probably the most useful and worthy of funding: the Jolt Sensor, which is used to detect possible concussion conditions in youth athletes. It's a wearable with a mission, a tiny clip-on that can be used in a helmet or on any other headgear, providing notification when the wearer's head has been exposed to a possibly dangerous impact. The idea is that coaches and parents can keep an eye on concussions in real time. The Jolt Sensor is 21 percent funded with four weeks to go; if you have kids who play sports, you want to back this project. And now an update on a previous story. Remember when I commented on AyeGear's jacket that was surprisingly similar to those made by SCOTTeVEST? Well, apparently Scott Jordan, CEO of SCOTTeVEST noticed as well. He contacted me yesterday to discuss just how similar the product is -- an exact duplicate -- and mentioned that the company is currently in litigation to defend its intellectual property rights against AyeGear. Go get 'em, Scott! By the way, the AyeGear "25 pocket transforming jacket" is only 6 percent towards its funding goal with just four days left in the campaign, so it's probably going to never see the light of day anyway. Finally, let's end on a very upbeat note. Remember Noke, the Bluetooth-equipped smart padlock that I actually backed? Well, it's currently 389 percent funded with about three weeks to go, and the team is reaching for some stretch goals like a scratch-protecting shell and different colors. I can't wait to get mine early next year so I can quit having to dig for the right key for the stupid padlock I currently have on my gate. That's it for this week. We'll be back next Thursday for another roundup of crowdfunded projects that you can support or ignore. 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. Out of this week's rather sorry crop of crowdfunding projects, which one do you think you'd back? Make your pick in the following poll and then let your friends know via Twitter and/or Facebook. What's your pick for the best crowdfunded project of the week?
Crowdfunding Roundup: Blinks and Tickles
Each 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. Blink is a very affordable and easy to set up wireless HD home monitoring and alert system that shows you HD video, detects motion and also provides temperature readings, all though an app on your iPhone or iPad. Being battery powered means it's truly wire-free, so you can place the Blink boxes anywhere you want -- the battery lasts for more than a full year. Expected to ship in May of 2015, the Blink devices are part of a project that is already 287 percent funded with almost three weeks to go. A lot of wearable tech has a problem -- it's ugly as sin. elemoon is quite a bit different in that it's actually fashionable. The device changes colors to match your outfit, has a gold or silver wristband, and does amazing things! Rub it to find your iPhone, receive notifications silently through displayed icons, and track your activity. The project is close to 39 percent funded with 43 days to go. Check it out: Sous Vide is a method of cooking food by placing it in a vacuum-sealed bag, then immersing it in water at a precise temperature for an exact amount of time. It produces tender and perfectly-cooked meals, and now the Nomiku Sous Vide project wants everyone to join in on the fun. The project is 164 percent funded with just under a month to go, but you still have an opportunity to be one of the first to use the Nomiku Sous Vide device, controlling your cooking from your iPhone. This next project should be right up Dave Caolo's alley -- my fellow TUAW editor is a huge fan of board and card games, and Boss Monster aims to bring its dungeon-building card game to iOS. The project has about a month to go and is currently 35 percent funded. If you love games, this should be a fun project to back. Like the Blink discussed above, GeckoEye is another Wi-Fi security camera that sticks to the wall and is battery-powered. This one also recharges itself via solar cells on the casing, a feature that actually puts it ahead of the Blink in my mind. However, there's one little issue -- GeckoEye is only 10 percent funded with 19 days left in its Indiegogo campaign. Finally, if there's one crowd-funded project that you decide to back this week, make it Tickle. This project is designed to teach kids programming using Scratch on the iPad, a process the Tickle team says is as "fun and easy as playing with LEGOs". Tickle has a good start on fundraising, with 34 percent funding with 25 days to go. That's it for this week. We'll be back next Thursday for another roundup of crowdfunded projects that you can support or ignore. 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.
Crowdfunding Roundup: Pocketcopters, Hugs, and speakers
Each 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. Remember swivelCards? They are the business cards that magically fold into a USB flash drive with just enough capacity to send the recipient of the card to a web page, a Dropbox folder, or any other place with an electronic address. The team launched its Kickstarter campaign yesterday and they hit their funding goal in less than eight hours. That doesn't mean that you can't jump on the bandwagon, though. You love your GoPro HD video camera, but since it doesn't have a viewing screen, you're always unsure of how your skydiving/skating/parkour/mountain-biking video came out until you actually look at it on your Mac. You could buy an external portable monitor, but who wants to lug that around? GoRigIt mounts your two trusty companions -- iPhone and GoPro -- together, so that you can view the video as it's being recorded, right on your iPhone. With 24 percent funding and over a month to go, GoRigIt looks like a sure bet for going into production QuarterWave is all about making Bluetooth speakers actually sound good. Made from wood, with a top-end amplifier, Bluetooth 4.0 and excellent drivers, the QuarterWave team wants to offer great sound at the price you're paying for crap speakers today. They're 48 percent funded with almost two months to go, so it looks like this project will definitely move ahead. Want the flexibility of taking aerial shots but don't want the expense or size of a AR.Drone or DJI Phantom II? 3D Pocketcopter is designed to work with your iPhone to give you a mini photography drone. It doesn't have much range, but it's perfect if you want to get a group shot from the air. It's only 1 percent funded with about three weeks left to go, so if you want a Pocketcopter, it's time to cough up some money. One of the most fascinating pieces of hardware at Macworld/iWorld 2014 was the FLIR ONE, a thermal imaging camera that works with an iPhone to let you "see" hot spots. Now Hema-Imager is seeking funding for a similar product, but with higher resolution and lower price tag. Don't you just love competition? Well, with 19 percent funding and a month to go, it's not certain that Hema-Imager will make it to market, but let's give it a chance. Everyone is always telling us to drink more water. Wouldn't it be nice to have an app tell us that it's time to guzzle down some water so we don't forget? That's the idea behind The Hug, a connected water bottle band that tracks just how much H2O is going into your system. Working with Fitbit and RunKeeper, the app can tell you how much water you need to be drinking to keep up with your activity. It's about 43 percent funded with about a month to go. Pre-order one, and always be hydrated. Have you ever wanted to hang your iPad Air? No, I don't mean putting a little noose around its nonexistent neck and pushing it off of a platform -- instead, being able to hang it on a wall like a picture. That's the idea behind the Loop by Mozzic, an iPad Air case that has an integrated hanging system built into it. You can hang it in the car, off of an airplane tray lock, dangle it from a kitchen cabinet handle. Loop by Mozzic is only 2 percent funded with 39 days to go, so it may not make it to production ... but it is an interesting take on an iPad Air case. And the last of this week's crowdfunding projects is another Bluetooth speaker, this one called the NudeAudio Super-M. It's waterproof, sand-proof, and fits in your jeans pocket. You definitely don't have to wonder if the Super-M is going to make it to market; this project is 744 percent funded with a week to go. It's a Kickstarter Staff Pick! That's it for this week. We'll be back next Thursday for another roundup of crowdfunded projects that you can support or ignore. 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.
God game Maia pulls in $1 million while in Early Access
Maia, a sci-fi colony management sim from developer Simon Roth, has pulled in more than $1 million, and it's not even fully out yet. This figure includes the £140,481 ($225,219) Maia secured on Kickstarter in 2012, plus $11,000 on Indiegogo, pre-sales on Roth's site and Steam Early Access sales, Develop reports. Maia was Greenlit on Steam in August 2013. Roth is using the cash to set up a new development house called Machine Studios. He's hiring developers and may get to work on another, new project once everything is settled. "The real reason I wanted Machine Studios rather than Simon Roth Incorporated is I thought it would be really narcissistic and weird, for one," Roth said. "And also, I didn't want my employees to have to put on their CV, 'I worked at Simon Roth,' when it could be Machine Studios. And so it gives them a better thing to say what they worked for." Maia is $25 on Steam Early Access for PC, Mac and Linux, and it's currently $21.70 on the game's site (purchase includes a Steam key). [Image: Simon Roth]
Crowdfunding Roundup: Family robots and camera tomatoes
Each 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. And we're back again for another roundup of crowdfunded tech projects for the world of Apple. This first one is going to excite anyone who has ever wanted a family robot just like the Jetsons had. Unfortunately, I don't think that Jibo will be able to do as good a job as Rosie the Robot, but this Indiegogo project certainly is capturing the attention of backers -- and the money. It's 1,277 percent funded with 16 days to go. Cue Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra"! The Monolyth isn't "full of stars", instead, it wants to control your air conditioning unit with a smartphone. This isn't for whole-house air conditioning (which could use your Nest thermostat), rather for room units that cool a smaller area. The Monolyth team has some amazing goals for integration that will make the device extremely useful and powerful. They're currently at 23 percent of funding with 27 days to go, so if you have one of the compatible air conditioning units and want to be able to give it some brains, back this project. With all of the smartwatches and other wearables on the market, it was only a matter of time that someone came up with a "smart band" that worked for everyone in the family. The Sync Smartband doesn't have a display on it, but tracks steps, calories expended and REM sleep. It can also be used as a proximity sensor so the young (or old) ones don't go wandering too far away from you. Sync is 72 percent of the way through funding with just over a month to go, so it looks like this family-oriented fitness tracker will make it. A while back there was a fake project that someone created some great videos for. The project purported to create wonderful wine by putting water and a special powder into a smartphone-controlled container. It proved to be a hoax, but this Bieree smartphone-controlled microbrewery is for real! It needs a bit of support to make it into production -- the project is currently at 63 percent of funding with just 12 days to go. Back this project: beer drinkers around the world are counting on you. If I had a dollar for every "Smart Card Wallet-Sized iPhone and Android Charger" type project that has been published in our weekly roundup, I'd probably be able to retire. Yet for some reason, unknown to me because there are already a number of these products on the market that work perfectly well, we keep seeing these week after week. It's this type of repetitive "me too" Indiegogo campaign that makes me want to beg for some real innovation. This charger will apparently make it to market along with the other 5,834 that are out there -- it is 266 percent funded with about two weeks to go. When Friend of TUAW Hal Sherman sent me a tip on the Heirloom, I had to laugh as it was the first time I'd ever seen a "camera tomato" project. But Heirloom is a take on a tried and true photographer's friend, the "bean bag tripod". Use this with a Glif and you'll be able to take some amazingly sharp photos with your iPhone, and it is big enough that it'll hold your DSLR in place, too. However, this tomato is nowhere near being "go for launch," with only two percent funding with a month to go. With apologies to Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "What the world needs now is another SCOTTeVEST". That's what the AyeGear 25 Pocket Transforming Jacket appears to be, down to the "X-ray" photos of the jacket with everything from an iPhone and iPad to a water bottle in the pocket. But I think that's a good thing -- the market needs competition. AyeGear is a Glasgow, Scotland-based manufacturer that wants to bring a sharp-looking new techie jacket to the market. The project is only 2 percent funded with a month to go, so dig into your pockets if you want to give Scott Jordan's company a competitor... The Ghost Trax App is an iPad app that does one thing really well -- it plays a backing track for solo musicians. If you're a solo musician, you'll want to scrape up some money and back Mark McCluskey's campaign, as it's only 17 percent funded with just over three weeks left. I love this idea. MaCO is a magnetic cable organizer (hence the name) that's designed to keep your world from tangled cords. Apparently others have found MaCO to be just as exciting and useful as I have, since it's 184 percent funded with over three weeks left in its campaign. Here are all the details: Last but not least, here's a Kickstarter campaign that deserves the minimal funding that it has received so far. The EvolvButton is supposed to add a "real" shutter button to your smartphone for taking photos. Well, your iPhone does have a real shutter button -- the volume toggle. All the EvolvButton does is add a piece of plastic over the top of the volume toggle. Of the ridiculous $40,000 goal, EvolvButton has achieved a whopping $14 with a month to go. No video for this one, I'll leave you with a photo instead. That's it for this week. We'll be back next Thursday for another roundup of crowdfunded projects that you can support or ignore. 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.
Indiegogo has a new iOS app for mobile crowdfunding
Like giving money to ambitious projects but hate using your computer? Well, that's pretty weird. We think that's weird. Thankfully for you, though, the folks at Indiegogo think that's totally awesome, and they wanna cater to your whims with a new iOS app (yes, an Android version is on the way). Guess what it's called! If you guessed "Indiegogo," you're spot on. And frankly, we appreciate your gusto. So, what can you do with said app? Well, back projects for one. There's also discovery, and you can follow campaigns as they work toward funding goals. That said, as always, buyer beware: Indiegogo projects make no guarantee of delivery. And with Indiegogo, even if a project doesn't reach its funding goal, the project owner keeps the money they raised. Wanna know even more about crowdfunding services? We've got you covered right here. And if you wanna snag the new Indiegogo app from the iTunes App Store, it's free and available here.
Crowdfunding Roundup: Hydros, Ritot, and more
Each 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. Summertime is when a young person's fancy turns to lawn watering, and Hydros is looking at ways to keep your yard perfectly green without wasting any water at all. Using a set of smart sensors and a controller, Hydros gives your lawn exactly the amount of water it needs, not more or less. With 26 days to go, the Hydros campaign is at about 12 percent of funding, but has plenty of time to perk up. And what young (or old) person wouldn't want an iOS-controlled robot? AI.Frame is a way cool robot that can walk, dance, get into rubber-band combat with other robots or humans, and it comes in a variety of colors with a lot of customizations. It's already funded at 325 percent with 10 days to go in the campaign, but you can still get in on the action. What the heck is a Convert Case? It's "a single phone case that can quickly and easily be interchanged with various attachments such as different images, designs, and functional add-ons". The idea is one that's fascinating; instead of buying multiple cases to cover the different needs you may have over the course of a day, you can just add and remove attachments. The project team -- Ben, Brandon, and Drew -- have a way to go in their funding quest as Convert Cases is at only 2 percent funding with about a month to go. Help 'em out, TUAW readers! Nothing says "lawsuit" more than making an iPhone charging adapter that seems to have a lot of MagSafe heritage. That's the idea behind Cabin, which is actually a pretty nice looking adapter if the Chinese entrepreneurs behind the project can avoid Cupertino's lawyers. With a whopping 42 days to go, Cabin is about 16 percent funded. Everybody seems to be making smartwatches these days, with the exception of Apple. With this bumper crop of intelligent timepieces, everyone is trying to add a standout feature. Along comes Ritot with a very unique feature -- a projection unit built into the smartwatch that makes your arm part of the display. Apparently the idea has caught the imagination of a lot of people, as Ritot is nearly 600 percent funded with over a month to go. OK, personally I think these are one of the most ugly charging solutions I've seen, but if you're looking for a way of getting wireless Qi charging without sticking your iPhone or iPad into a special case, this is probably up your alley. The 2nd-generation 3DOM Power Sticker project wants to put a saggy-looking sticker on the back of your nice sleek iOS device, and it's at 5 percent funding with 46 days left. MiracleFone isn't ready for Kickstarter yet, but the project team has a video up on Prefundia that shows exactly what this little device does. You know how you sometimes wish for a phone call to get you out of a conversation, bad date or meeting? Just push the button on the MiracleFone device and moments later you get a phone call on your iPhone that you can answer. There's even a voice on the other end of the call. Too bad that this is one of the most ridiculous Kickstarter videos ever, because MiracleFone is actually a pretty cool idea. That's it for this week. We'll be back next Thursday for another roundup of crowdfunded projects that you can support or ignore. 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.
The Game Archaeologist: World War II Online
The 1990s saw the rise of flight simulators that thrived on detailed, complicated controls and handling. Such games threw out accessibility and casual-friendliness for stark-raving realism, and a certain subset of gamers really thrived on them. I tried my hand at a couple and found myself breathing rapidly when pouring through keyboard charts and doing basic algebra just to get a plane off of the ground. Not for me, I said then. I don't think there's ever stopped being absurdly complex video games that aim for immersion through detailed realism, even though that appeals to only the fringe of the fringe. Some people have their gaming standards set exactly that high and no lower, and some devs refuse to water down their visions just to sell more box units. For these people, Cornered Rat Software (CRS) created World War II Online, an overly ambitious MMOFPS that stumbled out of the gate in 2001 but has gamely soldiered on since then. Over a decade now an epic war has been raging for control over a continent, and it's been up to the fiercely loyal fans to keep the fight going. Today we're going to take a look at the guts 'n' glory of this project to both praise its complexity and curse it for the same thing. If nothing else, it was a game that could only have arisen from the early landscape of 3-D MMOs, and for that it warrants our attention.
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.
Hicon Social Bangle is a wearable fashion bungle
If you waste too much time checking notifications on your phone, don't sweat it -- yet another wearable promises to help you save those countless minutes throughout the day. But if you're already leery of wrist-worn devices, the Hicon Social Bangle, which is undergoing an Indiegogo campaign, won't do anything to change your mind. On the contrary: The Hicon is a awkwardly large bracelet that's lined with enough square charms to remind you of fourth grade. Each charm is interchangeable and represents a different service (SMS, calls) or social network (Facebook, WhatsApp, etc), and they vibrate and light up whenever you get a notification from that particular service.
This stackable media hub plays your old 16-bit game cartridges
The set-top box market is currently flooded with many cheap Android boxes, but they tend to offer limited remote access plus expansion capability, so it's about time that something more exciting popped up. One such candidate is the EzeeCube, which aims to be an idiot-proof media hub with three main selling points: Auto-sync content across multiple platforms (Android, iOS, Windows and OS X); simple initial setup for accessing hub content from anywhere; and cable-free expansion that lets you stack up to four modules. We're talking about slapping on an extra hard drive, a Blu-ray drive, a TV tuner and even a retro gaming module that will bring your dusty SNES and Sega Mega Drive / Genesis cartridges back to life. No messy cables here.
The Piper smart hub monitors and manages your home for £119
"Connected home" gadgets are all about giving you greater awareness and control over what's happening in your crib. Most "internet of things" products for the home at targeted to specific uses, such as remote surveillance or heating control. Piper is slightly different, in that it attempts to tie all types home automation and security together into the one control centre. The device initially launched on Indiegogo where it achieved its funding goal three times over. Now, almost a year later, it's ready for a European retail release.
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.
You can now turn your iPhone into a smell-o-phone
Well, the future is finally here, ladies and gentlemen. Scientists at Harvard have made the smell-o-phone a reality, and they did it using an iPhone and a contraption called the oPhone, a large contraption that mixes various scents to create specific aromas. The oPhone syncs with an iPhone app called oSnap, which lets you tag photo messages with whatever scents tickle your fancy. On the other end of the message -- which the company calls an "oNote" -- the recipient's oPhone device mixes the necessary scent notes and spews forth the aroma the sender specified. So, imagine getting a photo of a bonfire along with the bouquet of burning wood, or a snapshot of some flowers accompanied by their pleasant essence. It's certainly a niche gadget, but it's got some seriously futuristic appeal. If you're interested in this strange new communication method, you can pre-order the oPhone hardware via the company's Indiegogo campaign. Of course, if the only smell you're after is bacon, there's already an app for that... [via Yahoo]
World War II Online crowdfunds a client update
In an effort to update an aging client without breaking the developer's bank, World War II Online: Battleground Europe turned to the community to crowdfund the project -- and the community delivered. A $9,250 fundraiser on Indiegogo dedicated to the creation of a new test server, PC client, and Mac client was met and surpassed this past week. The update, which should roll out within six months, will include billing tools for Steam and improved audio and visuals. The crowdfunding campaign is now aiming for stretch goals that could add community upgrades, improved tech infrastructure, and additional marketing.
Crowdfunding Roundup: LaMetric, Sherlybox, and a 3D printer for kids
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. From now on, our crowdfunding update is going to be hitting your virtual doorstep every Thursday. Let's take a look at what's out on Kickstarter this week: One of the most FUN projects I've seen in a while comes from Smart Atoms in the form of LaMetric. It's a customizable smart ticker that you can connect to an app to display all sorts of fun stuff -- current weather conditions, time until your next appointment, and much, much more. Even better, they're planning on integrating LaMetric with IFTTT, SmartThings, and more. I'd love to have a display that says "HI STEVE" when I walk into my lonely office, and LaMetric is the way to do it. This project just went live and is already up to over 77 percent funding with 42 days to go. Surely you want your own private and sharable cloud on your desktop? "Yes, I do, and quit calling me Shirley." Sherlybox is a cute little take on the personal cloud storage device, similar to the Drobo Transporter and Transporter Sync. Buy one, pop a hard disk drive into it, and go to town sharing your files or at least keeping them available when you're away from home. Sherlybox has already beat its funding goal by over 54 percent, so this one is sure to go into production. You can still sign up at several pledge levels for the next 15 days. The Headbones connected to the ... ear bone, the ear bone's connected to the... You catch my drift. Headbones are different, using built-in wireless earphones for clarity and bone conduction for amplification of sounds. I can't explain it as well as Damson CTO James Talbot, so check out his dulcet tones in the following video. The project is about 71 percent funded with three weeks to go, so there's a good chance these Headbones will make it to market soon. Ever want your own personal drone to follow you while you're finishing a marathon, riding up a steep slope in the Tour de France, or rock climbing? Sure you have! And now the AirDog drone is going to follow you around like a ... flying dog? Go ahead and back this project, because it's already a go with 115 percent funding and well over a month to go in its campaign. Kickstarted project seem to be on a roll lately. Sentri, which is a home automation hub that looks great and works with your iOS devices, has also achieved campaign perfection by going over 118 percent funding with three weeks to go. Take a look at what makes Sentri different: "Yeah, so I've always wanted to look more like a zombie than I already do when I'm sending video selfies to my friends... so I backed Looksery, a set of real-time transformation filters that can be used to add some spice to my video snaps." Yeah, it's sweet -- grab some video, change your eye color, turn into a zombie, you name it. And this one is oh-so-close to funding, just about at 88 percent with a month to go. I love me some weather stations; I have tried a lot of little wind or temperature grabbing gizmos for iPhone, and I even have my own professional weather data-gathering station. But if you don't need that much detail or voluminous data, you might want to look at StormTag. It's a weather station that connects to your keyring and will be with you everywhere, providing data to the cloud. 268 percent funded, you're going to get one soon to work with your iPhone. For some odd reason, wearable cameras seem to be catching the imagination of a lot of people, even when those on the receiving lens of the staring eye of the camera aren't too thrilled about it. CA7CH Lightbox is another of the clip-on camera genre, this time not working as a lifeblogging tool but rather as a hands-free camera. Just funded, there's still time (a month) to back the CA7CH Lightbox campaign and get this iPhone-connected clip-on camera. There are a lot of very innovative ways to generate electricity to power your devices -- solar panels, hand cranks, and even cookstoves. Now Go Kin Packs wants to give you power that you generate by moving. Just put this device into the bottom of a backpack, and you start generating 10 to 14 watts of power. The project needs a little nudge from backers -- at this point, with four weeks to go, it's only at about 13 percent of funding. SelfieMe is a thin line iPhone case with a couple of nice accessory lenses that go along with it, perfect for shooting wide angle or fisheye images. This one might not make it -- not surprising, because there are excellent lens options available from a lot of vendors right now. Currently SelfieMe has about 17 percent funding with 19 days to go. Bear with me, we're almost there... Next, don't you think every child should have a 3D printer? That's the idea behind Printeer, an iPad-operated 3D printer that is aimed directly at children. It's affordable, it's easy for kids to create designs that can turn into reality, and it's just about funded -- 98 percent with just under three weeks to go. What a cool idea! Our last project of the week is from Indiegogo, and is designed to fund a Swift conference in Cologne, Germany. They're thinking of calling it SwiftConf (original name...), and it could use your support. And who doesn't want to go to an English-language Swift conference in beautiful Cologne September 23 - 25, 2014? Right now they've raised about 20 percent of their funding goal, but every little bit helps. Sign up now! 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.
Crowdfunding Roundup: Some winners and a few slow starters
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, we're hearing about a lot of Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns that are figuratively "knocking it out of the park" by not only meeting, but exceeding their funding goals. Let's take a look at what's out on Kickstarter this week: Boldy is a new magnetic iPad and iPhone mount that uses a curved, half-egg shaped mount with a "cup" on the back of a special case to create an amazingly adjustable setup. It has a bit of a ways to go to reach funding, as it's only at about 10.7 percent funding. Fortunately, the campaign goes for another 45 days. If you're one of the three humans on the planet who doesn't have at least one device mount, Boldy looks like it is definitely worth waiting for. OK, so some of you young punks don't even know what a typewriter is/was, but if you have any love at all for retro tech you're going to love the Qwerkywriter. It's a typewriter-inspired mechanical keyboard that is just flippin' beautiful. Dreams don't become reality without your backing, though -- with three weeks to go, the Qwerkywriter campaign has only raised about 35 percent of funding. Please back this project so I can pretend I'm typing on my grandmother's old Underwood typewriter. We already had a full post about the Edyn connected garden accessories earlier this week, but the campaign on Kickstarter is still underway. If you want to make your gardening a little bit easier, to be able to understand what's going on with those plants, back this project. Edyn has already made funding -- it's 181 percent funded with 27 days to go -- but can always use more money to help get manufacturing up and running. TUAW readers know that I'm fascinated with the "Internet of everything", and I have sensors, switches, and webcams just about everywhere in my house to see what's going on and give me control from anywhere I happen to be. Well, oort is looking a creating a unified ecosystem of products connected to your iPhone or iPad through a small puck-like hub. Having just launched, the oort project is only at 2.1 percent of funding, but I expect it to take off. Ever heard of "juice jacking"? It's a method of compromising a smartphone or tablet that's plugged into a USB port for charging. Now, while as far as I know this has never been an issue, LA-based SparqEE wants to make sure it never happens to you. How are they doing this? With the Umbrella USB, which is basically a tiny USB adapter that passes power to your juice-hungry device but no data. In other words, it's a way to stop someone from infecting your devices with malware if you happen to plug into the wrong USB port... 112 percent funded with three weeks to go! Here's a great way to get girls interested in coding: APPALOOSA! is a mobile app prototyping kit that combines stories, supplies and source files to get young girls interested in app development. The project has modest goals and is fortunately almost halfway to its funding goal with 39 days to go. This should be an easy project to push over the top, and it's a very worthy Kickstarter. Let's say that you happen to own a very nice, expensive Breitling watch. Are you going to give that up for some "smart watch" anytime soon? Probably not. That's why Glance makes sense -- it's a digital accessory that fits under a watchband and works with smartphone apps to provide you with information, all while you're using your favorite watch. Regretfully, at only 25 percent funding with three weeks to go, Glance may not make it into production without your help. And finally, we head over to Indiegogo where the Pouff3D 3D scanner is trying to get off the ground. Maybe it's the name; perhaps it's the idea that not everyone needs a smartphone-connected 3D scanner that looks like a weird piece of living room furniture. Anyway, the project is probably going to die an early death; it has only captured $88 of an $85,000 goal with 16 days to go. And that, my friends, is it for this week in the wild and wacky world of crowdfunding. Come back next week when we'll see what new ideas (and probably even more smartphone/tablet mounts) show up. Thanks again to Hal Sherman for providing tips on a number of the projects. 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.
Crowdfunding Roundup: Too many projects, too little time
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, as usual we received notification of a lot of crowdfunding projects that are currently underway. Due to a lack of time this week, we're only going to cover a few. Let's start with a look at Kickstarter projects that are underway: Have you ever wanted to record a call off of your iPhone for future reference? Maybe you're talking with your lawyer, perhaps it's an interview that you want to go back and reference later. That's the idea behind RECAP USB, a new version of Igor Ramos' RECAP devices. You can just plug this device into your iPhone on one end, your Mac on the other end, and then use Garage Band or Audacity to record those calls. With 50 days to go, RECAP USB is already over 15 percent funded. Do you know what a slider is? In the food world, it's a small hamburger, but for videographers a slider allows a camera to move horizontally during a shot to provide a more compelling view of a subject. The Extralite G2 Camera Slider project seeks funding to create a family of sliders that will work with everything from an iPhone to your DSLR. It's starting a bit slowly; at this point, with 29 days to go, the project is only about 7 percent funded. You can change that with your support. Hey, it's another tablet stand! This one not only has an odd name -- Scööb -- but an interesting functionality. It's foldable for extra portability, and adjusts to a number of different angles. I think this may be one case where the low cost of the device -- CAD$3 -- is going to make it difficult for the team to reach its goal of CAD$5000. It's 19 percent funded at this point. Check it out in the video below: Remember the Pluggy Lock from a few weeks ago? It's a tiny lanyard lock for your iPhone that plugs into the headphone jack. Unsurprisingly, it's funded to the tune of 459 percent with three weeks to go! There's still time for you to back the project and get one of these innovative little devices before you lose your iPhone. During this week's WWDC Keynote, we heard about "Hey, Siri", a feature of iOS 8 that will let you interact with Siri without the need for you to press a button or raise your phone to your head. But what about being able to say "Hey, Homey, I want to watch Star Trek" and then have lights turned down, blinds closed, a TV turned on, and Plex searched for the movie? That's the idea behind Homey, a home automation tool that uses voice recognition and apps to control your home. It's already funded at 159 percent of goal with just over three weeks to go. And one quick project from Indiegogo. Remember that little puck-type printer that crawled around a piece of paper to print stuff? There's somebody else trying the idea now. PPrintee wants to fit in your pocket and self-drive on a piece of paper of any size, leaving a trail of print behind it. It's just .2 percent funded with about a month to go, but all it takes is some deep-pocketed individual to throw a few hundred thousand bucks in the direction of the PPrintee team and this is reality. And that, my friends, is all we have time for this week. Be sure to drop by next week for our continuing coverage of the world of crowd funded projects that have some relevance to Apple fans. 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. Thanks again to reader Hal Sherman, our faithful provider of tips about Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects!
Crowdfunding Roundup: A late Spring flowering of projects
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. Let's start this week with a look at Kickstarter projects that are underway: TUAW readers know my affinity for wood products, which is why We Wear Wood immediately caught my attention. This campaign is 24 percent funded toward a modest $6,000 goal with 26 days to go. You can get wood iPhone cases, which has been done before, but my favorite parts of this project are the iPad and MacBook skins made out of a variety of woods. This next project is just about to squeak past its funding goal with 36 days to go! The Leaf Mount is a collapsible stand with a sticky micro-suction surface that holds your iPhone or iPad in place. We've seen collapsible stands before -- Rain Design's iSlider is a notable example -- and they're a very handy accessory to have around. And speaking of iPad mounts, TabletTail is an innovative and extremely flexible mount from Octa. It's not just a mount, but a complete ecosystem of components to make mounting your iPad just about anywhere a piece of cake. The project is 43 percent funded with 28 days to go, and looks like it could be a winner. TUAW reader Hal Sherman always sends us a few good Kickstarter finds for this roundup, and the Tylt wall charger/battery pack is a perfect example of what he digs up for us. With three weeks to go, Tylt is about 48 percent funded. It's a tiny fold-up wall charger that has a built-in battery pack. Plug it in when you're near a wall socket to charge both the battery and your iOS device, then take it along with you for an extra boost in the field. It's a LED lamp! It's a charger! It's an iPhone stand! It's DOT LIGHT, and it's well on its way to become a product. DOT LIGHT (one of those products with an unexplainable tendency to yell in upper case letters) is 38 percent funded with 37 days to go, so I think this one will definitely make it to market. It's a pretty versatile lamp, so if you need light and charging capabilities all in one box, this could be the product for you. Man, I could have used this on the little weekend trip my wife and I just got back from. The SmartQuad 4-port travel USB charger from Skiva Technologies is powerful (9.6A/48W) and just the thing for charging that pair of iPads and pair of iPhones you carry with you -- all while being plugged into just one AC outlet. SmartQuad is rocketing its way towards success, with 72 percent funding with 55 days to go. Go ahead, push this one over the top while thinking about traveling somewhere exotic. Our next Kickstarter campaign comes from Greece, where vegetable-tanned leather is used to make a lot of beautiful things. In this case, Grasping Hand wants to create a line of Apple cases made from this material, referred to as "Hector Hardskin" (sounds more like a superhero's nemesis!). These gorgeous cases are made for everything from iPhones up to 13-inch MacBook Pro laptops, and provide protection while looking good. However, the campaign is starting a bit slowly, only at 11.9 percent of funding with 38 days to go. And our last Kickstarter project for the week is the Avbio Brick & Bullet. The Bullet is a device that you plug instruments, mics, speakers and other items into, then use Ethernet AVB to link to the hub -- the Brick. It creates a live audio network with absolutely no delay and very high quality. Our musician readers will want to take a look at the video for this project, which is 26.3 percent funded with just 18 days left in the campaign. Now here's a self-run crowdsourced project. Osmo is designed to give kids a way to play with physical objects while getting feedback from an iPad app. What's cool is that there is some great shape recognition going on in the app. You can order an Osmo at half-price until June 22nd, and deliveries are expected to begin in late summer of 2014. And now for something completely different -- a few Indiegogo projects. The first is PERES, an electronic "nose" that pairs with your iPhone and an app to let you know if that chicken, beef, pork or fish in the store (or your refrigerator) is still good. It does this by detecting volatile organic compounds that are created when meat is going bad. PERES is 139 percent funded, with just 4 days to go. Give it a whirl if you'd like to keep yourself safe from bad meat. Trust me, food poisoning isn't fun. And last, but not least, we're looking at the ONEPOCKET Case & Magic Wallet for iPhone 5s and 5. It's 542 percent funded with over a month to go, but you can still sponsor this project and get one of these cool case/wallet mashups. The idea is that you not only get a protective case for your iPhone, but a decently sized wallet as well -- unlike most case/wallets on the market. That means that you can put everything in one pocket, hence the name. That's it for this week, folks! Be sure to join us next week for even more great projects that could use your funding dollars. 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. Just make sure that they actually have a valid reason for existing, OK?
Crowdfunding Roundup: Smart bike locks, lighters, cat toys, 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. Bicyclists are going to love this idea. Skylock does for bicycles what the Kwikset Kevo does for your home, providing a solar-powered smartphone-linked Bluetooth U-lock that uses encrypted electronic keys to let you (and others that you send keys to) unlock your bike. It's actually available for pre-order from the Skylock website for just $159, so get one now. And watch the video here while you're at it... Here's one from Indiegogo this week that got our attention. GOkey is billed as "charger, cable, locater, memory -- all on your key chain", and that's exactly what it does. The project is 883 percent funded with two weeks to go, so it looks like GOkey is cleared for launch. This week the rest of the interesting crowdfunding is all happening at Kickstarter. There are a ton of Apple-related projects that are all vying for your support. Let's get started! It's a wallet! It's an easel! It's a WEZEL wallet easel! Designed by Utah-based Copper Urban, WEZEL is designed to protect your cards and money with luxurious leather while turning into a little easel stand when you want to look at your iPhone's display. With a little over four days to go, WEZEL has received funding so you know you'll be getting one soon. And hey, the WEZEL looks great! Just watch the video, which by the way should win some sort of award for best crowdfunding plea: Take one part plastic Fisher Price camera, one part Raspberry Pi, and tack on an iPhone for settings, and what do you have? OTTO, the hackable and ridiculously overpriced GIF camera. Let's see, for a $199 pledge you can get one that actually comes with the Raspberry Pi built-in. Sorry, but I just don't get this one -- why not just use the really good camera that you already have in your smartphone to shoot GIFs? Maybe you can figure it out. About 50 percent funded with 24 days to go. Sigh. If you have been intrigued by Google's idea of a modular smartphone (Project Ara) but don't want to be tied to Google and Android, well, there's hope -- at least for something that looks as blocky and LEGO-like as possible. It's Augment -- whoops, I mean AUGMENT, since the project guys had to get all upper-case on me -- a really sharp-cornered, rectangular-in-a-2001-monolith-kind-of-way case and battery pack. Other than being extremely rectangular, I still don't see what's so different about AUGMENT than any of the thousands of plug-on chargers for iPhone. But apparently somebody likes the look of the case and charger, as it is funded with about a month to go. Now, finally, here's a project I can really get behind and may have to back. MBLOK (what is with the all-caps names, people?) is a tiny 128 GB or 256 GB Bluetooth-and-USB-equipped block that serves as storage for your favorite tablet or smartphone as well as providing a way to transfer stuff to and from your "real computers". There are a limited number of 128 GB pledges available at CAD$189 (about US$173). At this point MBLOK is 58 percent funded with just under a month to go. Let's get this one going, folks! Friends of mine know that I love cats, probably more than I love most people. While my dear old 19+-year-old cat no longer has the spark to play, the next-generation cats are going to need a way for me to amuse them even when I'm away from home. That's the idea behind Kittyo, an Internet-connected device that will let you play with your cats via a steerable laser, provide snacks, and even talk to your furry buddies, all while watching them on your iPhone's screen. It's definitely funded -- almost 800 percent funded -- with just over two days to go. There's still a chance to get a slight discount on a Kittyo, so get out there now. The cats demand it. You may not be a lumberjack, and that's OK. You can get Timbrr, a cedar wood stylus for your iPad! It has a copper core for some heft and of course a capacitive tip that works with your iPad. But it won't work unless you back the Timbrr project, which is only about 26 percent funded with just over a month to go. We're almost done, folks. Thanks for sticking with us this far... Now, for those of you who are trying to kick the nicotine habit, you're going to love Quitbit, billed as the first smart lighter and app to track your smoking habits and hopefully give you the information you need to quit. Linked to an iPhone app, Quitbit tells you just when and how often you're lighting up, hopefully pointing out addiction habits you weren't previously aware of. It's almost 77 percent funded with about three weeks to go. Stand-up desks are all the rage -- hey, even I have one that I use to force me to get off my butt every once in a while. But what happens when you're not at home or your office? Pillar is a very lightweight (150 grams) portable and foldable computer stand that you can take anywhere for that stand-up work you need to do. Pillar is about 45 percent funded with just over three weeks to go. I'm personally holding out for the one wrapped in Icelandic reindeer leather... While my personal experience with the Narrative Clip lifelogging camera wasn't that great, others may find that logging every little bit of their life in video or high-resolution photography is more rewarding. Lifelogger is a wearable point-of-view camera that sits aside your head offering exactly the view that you normally see. It's loaded with 32 GB of storage, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, H.264 encoding, and a good-sized battery. It will come with a companion app, naturally, to let you view the video you're shooting. Only one issue -- it makes people look even more Borg-like than Google Glass does. And now we're at the last project for this week; thanks for sticking with it, folks! STAGE 5 is a smart dock for your iPhone or whatever phone you happen to use. Yes, it's app-controlled and does more than just charge your device, including a big-ass vibration speaker in the base. They're even thinking of a tablet version. It's already funded with over three weeks to go, so join the fun! Many thanks to reader Hal Sherman for providing tips on the Quitbit, Mblok, Augment, Otto and Skylock projects. Be sure to join us next week for even more great projects that could use your funding dollars. 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. Just make sure that they actually have a valid reason for existing, OK?