Kickstarter

Help Kerry Woo’s ‘Take the Long Way Home’ Project Hit the Road

Kerry Woo, past Gear Diary writer and current street photographer extraordinaire, has just launched his first Kickstarter project — the aptly named “Take the Long Way Home”. His goal is to “document a rich pictorial history of America’s back roads, [and] upload the images online with professional printing and direct mailing to you” while driving cross-country from Seattle to Nashville. And now, in my words: Kerry is someone who I have never met in person, but over the ten or so years that we have been communicating online, he has become a dear friend. Kerry has always had a quirky…

Gear Bits

Power Pillow, Take A Nap, Charge Your Phone

We all know how nice catching a nap is. What stinks is needing to charge a phone while doing so but the plug is too far away. The Power Pillow is a Kickstarter project starting at $40 and offers seven designs. Two 12,000mAh batteries come with a stylish pillow insuring the ability to relax and charge at once. Comfort meets function.

Gear Bits

Sparkbeats Case Gives Your Phone the Gift of Light

I remember when the lighted suits in Tron seemed so amazing and futuristic. What if you could have an iPhone case with a similar look? Sparkbeats takes the iPhone LED flash and bends the light through the case, perfect for messages and calls. A $37 pledge on Kickstarter is all it takes to light your iPhone and wow your friends.

Gear Bits

The iPhone 5 Case Was a LunaTik; Fortunately, Our Israeli Bus Driver Wasn’t

I’m finishing up leading a ten day trip to Israel that saw us traverse the entire country. From Tel Aviv to the Golan Heights to Jerusalem, we spent a good deal of time on our bus. Our driver Yuri always had his iPhone and iPad handy, and two days into the trip I noticed he had a new iPhone case.

Crowdfunding, News & Features

MyLIFTER Makes Garage Organization Smart

There are two kinds of garages out there: the garages where cars live while shelves of stuff loom over them ominously, and the garages where the idea of fitting a car amongst all the stuff stored there is laughable. No matter which garage you have, myLIFTER is a Kickstarter project designed to organize your garage and control it from your phone!

Crowdfunding

Will the Bonaverde Coffee Changers Project Succeed? I Sure Hope So!

I debated and debated (and debated!) about whether or not I should back the “World’s first roast-grind-brew coffee machine” by Bonavarde Coffee Changers. In the end, even though it seemed unlikely and possibly too good to be true, and even though there were plenty of good reasons not to,”but what if it works?” won out, and I backed. Bonaverde more than met their initial goal of $135,000; they smashed it with over $681K in backing money, and they added several stretch goals along the way. This may turn out to be a very expensive piece of junk, or it might…

Gear Bits

Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore RPG Final Days on Kickstarter

For fans of traditional computer role-playing games (cRPG), there has been a bit of a drought of games the last couple of years. There have been some really good games, but they have been few and far between. Now there’s a Kickstarter for a new RPG that is something RPG fans can get excited about called Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore! Note: Deathfire is down to the final 3 days of funding! Here is the basic description: “Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore” is a party-based computer role-playing game with turn-based combat that hearkens back to the Golden Era of fantasy cRPGs. Built…

Gear Bits

Roadie Tuner, The Ultimate Guitarist Tool Kickstarter Project

One of the only annoying things about playing the guitar is tuning. I already use my iPhone as my primary tuning device since it is always with me. The Roadie Tuner on Kickstarter utilizes an iPhone app and pairs with a device via Bluetooth to automatically tune each string for you. The device will be $99 and releases soon.

Crowdfunding

Toymail is a Cute Idea That Picks Your Pocket

One of the things I have learned extremely quickly as a new parent is that some kid’s accessories and toys come with crazy gimmicks. They’re either smartphone-connected for no good reason, overpriced, or they’ll make something simple overly complicated, all in an effort to part parents from money. The Toymail project on Kickstarter appears to nail the trifecta!

Crowdfunding

Padcaster Launches iPad Mini Kickstarter Campaign Releases Padcaster 2.0!

The original Padcaster demonstrated once again that dismissing the iPad as a media creation device is wrong-headed – it allowed iPad owners to attach their tablet to a tripod and then use lights, lenses, external microphones and more. Now they have launched a new Kickstarter to help fund the creation of an iPad Mini version! Why are they seeking funding now? Well, they only introduced the Padcaster in April and started selling it in June so it is just starting to get rolling through production. As they note: “The Original Padcaster is already in production, having been funded almost entirely…

Crowdfunding

Ballads of Reemus 2 Kicks Off Kickstarter Project!

The Ballads of Reemus was a fun adventure game that evoked the classic LucasArts era of gaming. It was fun and funny with plenty to do and discover. Now Reemus is back for another adventure – well, he will be if you back him on Kickstarter! Develop Zeebarf plans to use funding to bring the game out in June 2014. Here is a snip of what the game is all about: A 2D, hand drawn, comedy-fantasy point and click adventure game in the vein of such classics as “Day of the Tentacle” & “Monkey Island” for PC/Mac/Linux. With future ports…

Crowdfunding, Editorials

Sometimes Crowd-Funding is an Excuse to Beg for Money

Sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are great places for developers to directly appeal to consumers with their ideas and involvement for product design and manufacturing. It is great to complete (‘Kick-finish’) something like a video. There are risks of being late, not living up to promises, or never releasing. But what if the funding was just that – for funding? This past week I got an email forwarded to me containing a link to a video and a ‘project’ on a crowdfunding site (neither of which I’ll share). The project used as a basis of enticement a list of past…

Crowdfunding

JUICIES+ Lightning and Micro USB Power Cables Looking for Funding on Kickstarter Now

The folks at Juicies may have come up with a way to improve upon Apple’s lightening cables as well as the typical Micro USB cable. The JUICIES+ cable is made of anodized aluminum, wrapped in a tangle-free woven cable, and is a foot longer than the typical power cables. A $20 Kickstarter pledge lands you one power cable of the future. Project Title: JUICIES+ for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phones Status: Currently Funding Closing Date for Funding: 11/1/13 URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laudowicz/juicies-for-iphone-android-blackberry-and-windows Product Overview: JUICIES+ incorporate a few great cable designs that I’ve been looking for in a…

Gear Bits

The KeyCase, CardClip, and KeyClip Project Is Now Live on Kickstarter

If you want a thin way to hold your keys the KeyCase is for you. If you want a thin way to hold your cards the CardClip is for you. And if you want a thin way to hold it all the combined KeyClip is for you. Check out all out here on the Kickstarter page. I’m a backer.

News & Features

Hungry for Qooqi? The Cable Organization Solution

Bedtime. You check your email one last time, remove your glasses, grab your phone charger and discover the wire has once fallen to the floor… again. You just want to go to sleep, but instead, are blindly searching for the cable. Qooqi, a convenient cable organizer and holder is here to help. Back it on Kickstarter. Qooqi, pronounced “cookie”, is a small unibody aluminum disc designed to hold up to five cables, each 4mm thick, in one place. The metal disc is less than 2” in diameter and as thick as an iPhone 4/4S. The bottom sports nano pad technology…

Gear Bits

Pressy Takes Kickstarter By Storm- Coming Soon to Thousands of Android Devices

Pressy is the latest rockstar Kickstarter project. This simple button plugs into the headphone jack of your Android device and, thanks to a companion app, can be programmed to activate a variety of actions with a simple button press. With a goal of $40K, it is already over at $300,000 with 44 days to go! I backed. Check it out.

Gear Bits

iblazr Flash Puts Smartphone Photography in a New Light

If you are serious about smartphone photography you’ll want to check out the iblazr project on Kickstarter. Made from four CREE LEDs, the iblazr flash has its own power source and app. Backing the project, which is already funded, for as little as $39 will get you an iblazr flash when it ships this December. Check it out here.

Crowdfunding, News & Features

Adventure Underwear – Useful Travel Product and the BEST Kickstarter Pitch Ever

When we received the email telling us about Adventure Underwear, my interest was immediately captured. I mean, how often do we get pitched for underwear? (Okay, it actually happens more than you might realize.) Then I saw this… Yeah, one of the project creators actually had a hose shot at his privates in order to show how waterproof the waterproof pocket is. Now THAT’S commitment. Then I watched to video pitch on Kickstarter. And I was sold. Seriously. Then there is the product itself. Made from 100% superfine Australian Merino Wool, these travel underwear are soft, lightweight and breathable. And the…

Crowdfunding, Game Diary

Open World Fantasy RPG Balrum Launches Kickstarter Campaign!

I love the classic game Ultima VII, and it has inspired dozens of games since it was released in 1992. The most recent example is the Eschalon series from Basilisk games – another excellent set of games! Now I am reminded of the greatest Ultima game as I watch the Kickstarter video for Balrum. Project Title: Balrum Status: Active Closing Date for Funding: Thursday Aug 15, 3:32pm EDT. URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/balconyteam/balrum From the developer: Here are some key features: An open world fantasy RPG with building, farming and crafting. For PC, Mac and Linux. The game is a…

Crowdfunding, Game Diary

Black Forest Games is Back with their Project Ravensdale Kickstarter

We are now getting to the point where we know we can trust developers we are seeing on Kickstarter – because they have delivered already! One such developer is Black Forest Games, who last year had a successful project with the multi-platform hit Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams. They have just launched a new Kickstarter project – Project Ravensdale, a side-scrolling platform shooter that looks simply amazing! Project Title: Project Ravensdale Status: Active Closing Date for Funding: Friday Aug 16, 7:59pm EDT. URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/project-giana/project-ravensdale From the developer: Here are some key features: Ravensdale is based on classic arcade…

Crowdfunding, Music Diary

The Jazz Session Returns, Launches Kickstarter to Fund Future Seasons

Funding any sort of internet endeavor is never easy, but a jazz interview podcast? Really difficult – you are playing to a small audience to begin with, yet have to deal with the same real world technology costs of any other web site or podcast. Jason Crane of The Jazz Session made numerous attempts, getting underwriting from AllAboutJazz.com and then setting a ‘member drive’ that sought a monthly subscription … but over time there just wasn’t enough income to sustain operations and so last fall he had to call it quits. And while there have been other things going on,…

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