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Crowdfunding Roundup: MiKey, SandPiper, Vaavud, and more
Every week, TUAW provides readers with an update on new or significant crowdfunded Apple-related projects in the news. While our policy is to not go into detail on items that haven't reached at least 80 percent of their funding goal, this update is designed to give readers a heads-up on projects they might find interesting enough to back. We're back this week with a pile of Indiegogo and Kickstarter campaigns for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to vote with your wallets, as some of these campaigns could use a boost. Let's get started with the Indiegogo projects: MiKey is already past its goal -- 180 percent funded with 10 days to go -- but that shouldn't stop you from jumping on the bandwagon. Think of the ultimate pocket tool with a USB to Lightning/micro-USB cable, flash drive, a Bluetooth locater, and a small battery pack built in, and you've got MiKey. Seriously, if I was going to be stranded on a desert island somewhere, I think I'd want to be stuck there with an iPad, a satellite phone with data capabilities, solar panels, a supermodel, an unlimited supply of food and booze, and a MiKey. This thing rocks! The SandPiper is an Indiegogo project that doesn't have a lot of the draw that simple projects do, but it has the capability of being something that could benefit a lot of people with respiratory ailments. It's a smartphone-enabled spirometer, something that can be used to train the lungs by measuring lung performance. it's a little slow starting -- only at one percent of funding with 44 days to go -- but hopefully it will catch on, or perhaps an investor will jump on the project. Our third project of the week from Indiegogo is Statement WKW, which bills itself as an "Extreme Charge and Data Cable for iPhone, iPod and iPad". Extreme? What, does this mean that you can use one a Statement WKW to rappel down a cliff? Apparently the "extreme" tag line got the attention of many backers, as it's 555 percent funded with 39 days to go. And now on to some Kickstarter projects. First up is Frebble, a haptic device designed to let you hold hands online. Yes, you read that correctly -- you and another person can be on a FaceTime chat, and give each other's hands a gentle squeeze. It's about a quarter of the way through funding with about three weeks to go, so this idea may or may not make it. You decide! Saddled with hundreds of passwords and can't remember them all? The idea behind Injector is to have a dongle that's inserted into your PC or Mac (or "tablet with USB port") that receives login credentials from an app on your iPhone. It's only 11.4 percent funded as of today, with two weeks to go. Personally, I don't want to keep track of a dongle and have to hope that my iPhone is charged up to be able to log in. I'll keep using 1Password, thank you. Art fans are going to either love or hate this project. The Electric Objects EO-1 is a computer made for art that hangs on your wall. Think of it as a large, high-definition version of those cheesy little internet picture frames that used to be so popular. Apparently there are a lot of people who want art by unknown artists hanging on their walls, because this campaign is 1181 percent funded with 27 days to go. Me? I prefer one-of-a-kind original art works, not mass-produced images that are being viewed by thousands of EO-1 owners. This next project is pretty cool; a robotic stabilizer platform for your iPhone or a GoPro camera that's called Hando. Think of it as a way to get very smooth, professional looking video from your device, as if you're using a Steadicam™ with a full-sized video camera. About 20 percent funded with a month to go, Hando could be just the thing for iPhone movie makers. I was going to put in a short blurb about Drop, an iPad-connected kitchen scale and digital baking assistant, but their website is down today. Your luck may be better, but right now I can't show you a video or give you any other information. Sigh. Finally, do you remember Vaavud, which was an iPhone-attached anemometer? I reviewed it last August and was very impressed. Well, the same geniuses are back at work, this time with a Kickstarter to get a new device that measures not only wind velocity, but direction as well. The Vaavud V2.0 campaign is almost 28 percent funded with 39 days to go, so I think it's going to be a winner. I can't wait to review it! And that, my friends, is the crowdfunding roundup for the week. Next week we'll be back with another crop of new projects, some of which will be incredibly exciting and others that will be yawn-inducing. Thanks to Hal Sherman for keeping me up to date on the flow of Indiegogo and Kickstarter projects, and if you're aware of any other crowdfunded Apple-related projects, be sure to let us know about them through the Tip Us button at the upper right of the TUAW home page for future listing on the site.
Apple promises $2M to help Bay Area host Super Bowl 50 and more news from June 6, 2014
Friday is usually a slow news day in the tech world, but not today. We have a heapin' helpin' of hot Apple news to serve up: Apple CEO Tim Cook is a huge football fan, being both a supporter of Auburn University's Tigers and a member of the board of directors of the National Football Foundation. And now, the company he leads has promised US$2 million towards helping the Bay Area host the 50th National Football League championship game, AKA "Super Bowl L" (yeah, that Roman number 50 looks odd...). Google, Yahoo, Intel and other companies have also chipped in, and if all works out for the organizing committee, the 2016 Super Bowl could be held at the soon-to-be-opened Levi's Stadium (see image at top) in Santa Clara, CA. PayPal's talking about using Apple's Touch ID capabilities in its iOS apps as soon as possible. Apple has opened up the Touch ID APIs to developers in iOS 8, opening the door for the mobile payment giant to take advantage of Apple's fingerprint security technology. Rumor has it that Apple will begin building Touch ID into every iOS device announced beginning this year. Apple executives Tim Cook and Eddy Cue were on hand in Austin, TX yesterday for an opening celebration of the new Apple campus there. The new buildings host Apple support, engineering, and operations facilities, and are just the first of a planned expansion that won't be completed until 2021. Remember the Vaavud wind meter for iOS devices that TUAW reviewed last August? The manufacturer is hosting an outdoor adventure video competition, with applicants sharing adventures using the Vaavud in the most creative and adventurous situations. Here's your chance to win prizes from more Vaavud wind meters all the way up to a DJI Phantom 2 Quadcopter. The folks over at 9to5Mac are reporting that HealthKit apparently supports some Bluetooth health accessories natively, meaning that the manufacturers no longer have to supply their own apps along with the devices.
Vaavud wind meter for iPhone, iPad perfect for students, scientists, surfers
It's always a pleasure to see Kickstarter projects that not only ship on time, but show a brilliant use of the sensors built into every iOS device. In the case of the Vaavud wind meter (US$49.99), the product uses the magnetic field sensor to pick up the fluctuations caused by the rotation of magnets driven by the wind's pressure on two small anemometer cups. It's a clever design, as this means that the Vaavud contains no electronics at all. In fact, when I first opened the box and pulled out the Vaavud provided by BiteMyApple.co, I was surprised to see that the audio jack on the device that plugs into the iPhone's headphone minijack was made entirely of plastic. It was only after I read that the main purpose of the free Vaavud app was to translate those magnetic fluctuations into wind speed readings that the proverbial light went on. So who would use a device like the Vaavud wind meter? To quote the App Store description, "If you are into sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, kite boarding, land yachting, balloon flying, paragliding, hunting, kite flying, kayaking, drone flying, hiking, golf, biking, etc.. -- or if you are just plain curious about the weather around you, then Vaavud is for you!" The app not only shows the gusts and lulls in wind during your measurement, but also calculates an average wind speed. The variations are captured on a blue tracer on the iPhone or iPad screen, while the average appears in red. Numbers on the app display show the current, average and maximum wind speed. Vaavud can measure wind in the range of two to 25 m/s (4.47 to 55.9 MPH) with a resolution of 0.1 m/s (0.22 MPH) and an accuracy of +/- 4 percent. Wind speed can be displayed in m/s, knots, miles per hour or kilometers per hour. The app description notes that a future version will provide a measurement history and a zoomable map with plotted wind readings. Another free app is available for those who want to share Vaavud wind data with people from around the world. Weendy bills itself as the "Wind Wave Weather Report and Forecast" app for those who kitesurf, windsurf or surf. And now, if you're one of those active or curious people for whom Vaavud was designed, you're going to have a chance to win one. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before August 26, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Vaavud wind meter valued at $49.99 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
