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The EverCam promises a year of home security on a single charge
Eufy is Anker's smart home line of products, which includes robot vacuums, smart scales and even an Echo Dot competitor called Genie. Now Eufy has its own wireless security system called EverCam, and it's taken to Kickstarter to both fund and gauge interest in the item, which boasts a long battery life, easy installation and a 1080p camera.
Gnarbox's mobile video editing drive now comes in an SSD version
Gnarbox broke new ground in portable storage with its first drive, which let pros start editing photos and videos before they've reached a PC. But what if you still want something more powerful? Don't worry, you're covered: the company is crowdfunding Gnarbox 2.0, an updated version with an NVMe-based solid-state drive (instead of the previous model's basic flash storage) as its centerpiece. Hook up a camera through USB-C and you can back up your photos and videos at a rapid 450MB/s, which might set your mind at ease if you have a ton of footage to save. You'll also find a faster processor (an unnamed 2.4GHz quad-core Intel chip) and an OLED that lets you perform some backups without even needing your phone.
Ascape Audio and the economics of making headphones in America
Ascape Audio's home page proudly proclaims "Designed in Detroit," but at this point it's not helping business. "It hasn't made any goddamn impact," marketing director Dean Clancy said. "I want to put that in as many places as possible, because regardless of how it impacts our sales, I just want people to know we're doing it here," he said. "Designed in Detroit" they may be, but economics makes manufacturing Ascape's earbuds in the Motor City impossible. President Paul Schrems estimated it'd take at least $5 million to build a factory and staff it, so the company has offshore-manufacturing contracts for the wireless earbuds it designs in the D. "These things I wanna make are not made here," Schrems told me recently.
Kickstarter Patron aims to generate larger pledges for creators
Kickstarter is piloting a program that will match up companies, organizations and institutions with projects that need more substantial funding, TechCrunch reports. It's called Kickstarter Patrons and the nonprofit and for-profit groups selected to take part will be required to provide multiple pledges each worth $1,000 or more. Kickstarter will select the Patrons and direct them towards projects that align with their interests. "While the program is simple, the opportunity to help independent creators hit their funding goals while building relationships with major institutions that can continue to follow and support their career is profound," Kickstarter said.
Six more tech companies join fight to save net neutrality
Opposition to the FCC's repeal of net neutrality grew this week, as six more tech companies filed suit against it. Etsy, Kickstarter, Foursquare, Shutterstock, Automattic and Expa petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit as part of a group called the Coalition for Internet Openness. The group's goal is to stop the FCC from overturning the rules that ensure a free and open internet.
Schwarzenegger joins the sequel for internet cult classic 'Kung Fury'
David Sandberg's instant cult classic, Kung Fury is not only getting a full-length sequel, it's attracting big-name stars to the action comedy set in 1980's Miami. Today, the former Terminator and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined the upcoming film.
The exquisite torture of Kickstarter exclusives
A month or so ago, I discovered a project on Kickstarter that made my heart ache with desire. It was a tabletop game called The Wilson Wolfe Affair by Simulacra Games, which is unlike any other I've seen. Each "game" is really a crate full of 1930s cartoon memorabilia, which contain clues and hidden secrets to a larger, unsolved mystery. The artwork is incredible and the puzzles themselves look fantastic -- you'd find solutions through reading letters, using a Viewmaster, playing games, looking at objects under a UV light, and more. The game invites you to essentially play amateur detective, which is the kind of game I love.
Teach valuable STEM skills with electronic papercraft noisemakers
*Hitches up onion belt* Now back in my day, our papercraft activity books just folded up into something pretty. And we liked it that way. But you kids, with your Nintendoodads and Snapcharts, well that just isn't good enough, is it? No, your paper-based projects have to employ all sorts of electrical circuits, teach STEM skills, make music and ok this is actually pretty cool.
Zano drone returns after multi-million dollar crowdfunding failure
You might not know many micro-drones by name, but there's a chance you know Zano. Unfortunately, that's because it was one of the more controversial Kickstarter failures of recent times. Zano raised over $3 million in late 2014, before being shown at CES 2015. The promise was simple, a palm-sized drone with the self-flying and photography smarts of something much bigger (and much more expensive).
Researchers say aliens aren't causing Tabby’s Star to dim after all
Tabby's Star, also known as KIC 8462852, is quite a mystery. Located about 1,280 light-years from Earth, the star puts on an interesting light show every now and then, dimming and brightening at unpredictable times. While many theories have been put forward as to what could be causing the changes in brightness, -- which can dip by up to 22 percent -- theories that include an alien megastructure, researchers haven't been able to get any solid data to explain the phenomenon. However, Louisiana State University researcher Tabetha Boyajian, who the star is named after, launched a Kickstarter campaign in May of 2016 with the goal of raising funds for a long-term observation of the star. The funds were raised and a new paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters presents the work of over 200 researchers who observed the star from 2015 through last year.
‘The Electric State’ film is in the works with ‘It’ director on board
Simon Stålenhag's illustrated novel The Electric State is coming to the big screen with It director Andy Muschietti likely at the helm. Russo Brothers Studio beat at least three other studios for rights to the project, Deadline reports, and a number of producers and directors sought to be involved.
Soundboks 2 is the massive Bluetooth boombox to rule them all
In February 2016, a new kind of Bluetooth speaker arrived on Kickstarter and easily met its goal. It was called Soundboks, a massive portable battery-powered unit that was built to rock a party and survive the experience with its metal grille and roadie case-style edges. A few months ago, the Soundboks 2 was launched with a series of improvements, including an audio boost up to 122 dB. This speaker has a rock-solid build and owes its beefy output to two 10-inch woofers, a soft dome tweeter and three amplifiers with boost converters to help maximize sound and efficiency. This thing is a monster, but in a good way and I just had to try it out. It's definitely a powerful sound system, but it doesn't come cheap at $899. This speaker wasn't made for everyone, though. It's eminently useful for things like street side busking, flashmob parties, mobile DJing and beach bonfire bashes, while it may be overkill for listening to NPR podcasts in the kitchen. Modern-day Radio Raheems will enjoy the freshly redesigned LiFePO4 battery, which is rated for about eight hours on a charge at full volume and 40 (or more) hours if you're keeping it chill.
‘Session’ doesn’t care about your pro-skater high scores
There hasn't really been a good skateboarding game since Skate 3 in 2010. Don't even try to mention Tony Hawk 5, either: that game was awful. Session, an upcoming skateboarding simulation game by Crea-ture Studios, aims to change that with a neat-looking dual-stick title that focuses on using physics to pull off cool, realistic tricks. If funded, Session will be available for Xbox One and Steam — sorry PS4 fans, this one isn't for you.
MegaBots wants to crowdfund a tournament for 2018
Once upon a time (in 2015), a crew of enthusiasts built the robot concept Eagle Prime and did what you do with a 15-foot-tall metal beast: Challenge its Japanese equivalent, Kuratas, to a duel. Years later, the creations finally duked it out in an incredible brawl that seemed -- and then turned out to be -- heavily edited. The cold reality was heartbreaking, but the team behind Eagle Prime wants to make it right...by hosting a massive robot tournament at the end of 2018. They just have to raise $950,000 on Kickstarter to put it on.
Kickstarter's Drip takes on Patreon with subscription crowdfunding
Today, Kickstarter launches a new way to fund interesting projects. It's called Drip and rather than pledging a certain amount of money to one project, it lets you subscribe to a creator and give them monthly payments. Drip was a standalone subscription platform, but Kickstarter bought it last year just as it was set to shutdown. It has now been retooled by Kickstarter and though it's largely similar to other subscription crowdfunding sites, such as Patreon, Drip does have a couple of features that set it apart from the rest.
The Reflex 1 is the first manual film SLR in decades
Written off not long ago as dead technology, film has recently been embraced by instant photographers and filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan. A company called Reflex has capitalized on that trend by launching the manual focus, 35mm Reflex 1 SLR, "the first newly designed manual SLR system in over 25 years."
Battery-free toothbrush is powered with a twist
Battery-powered toothbrushes are convenient if you don't like brushing your teeth the old-fashioned way, but they have a catch: batteries. Typically, you either need to dock your brush (and remember to carry a charger with you on long trips) or toss disposables when they're done. There might be a better way soon, though: Goodwell Co. is crowdfunding Be, which it bills as the first battery-free powered toothbrush. Twist the base twice and a kinetic energy storage mechanism will vibrate the brush head for up to 2 minutes, or just long enough for that dentist-recommended cleaning. You don't have to connect to a charger, and you won't contribute to landfills by chucking out batteries (the bristles are even biodegradable).
BioLite's FirePit goes beyond the camping grill
Relaxing and staring at fire is a primordial pleasure, but one that's often isolated to camping trips. It also inevitably leads to burger and hot dog cravings. While your average campfire -- a flaming stack of logs surrounded by rocks or rusty metal -- can be a challenge to cook on, BioLite's new FirePit provides a best-of-both-worlds solution. It's a portable grill station that doubles as a warming and hypnotic flame source, opening up opportunities beyond the campsite. The product is an 20-pound fire pit with folding legs and perforated "X-Ray Mesh" sides for heat distribution and flame visibility. There's also a Bluetooth-controllable fan attachment that helps expedite and regulate combustion, which is excellent for getting charcoal to red-hot ember status quickly. BioLite is introducing the $200 device on Kickstarter today with a May 2018 ship date, but I recently had a chance to check out one of the prototypes and eat a few tasty burgers along the way.
The always-cold pillow is no longer a fever dream
The cold side of the pillow is one of life's oddly satisfying phenomena. But no sooner have you felt its gratifying chill caress your cheek than it vanishes. The cold side of the pillow could be more than just a pleasant sensation for your conscious mind, though. It's pretty well known that your body dumps heat as you drift off to sleep and your core temperature follows a rough nightly cycle, much like brain activity, hormone levels, breathing patterns and so on. There are various studies that suggest you can game the system, cool yourself down and minimize those restless nights. That's the intent behind the Moona smart pillow pad: A temperature-regulating pad that keeps the cold side of the pillow cold, indefinitely.
Pebble founder's comeback is a battery case for iPhone and AirPods
After ushering in the smartwatch movement in 2012, Eric Migicovsky's Pebble brand fell by the wayside. The company was saved from bankruptcy by Fitbit, which acquired its talent and software last year, but ditched its beloved devices. Now, the man behind the e-watch timepiece is returning to the site of his greatest success: Kickstarter. And, this time, he's packing an iPhone case.
