Solar umbrella, nesting titanium capsules, luggage you can ride and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

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Here is this week’s list of 5 crowdfunding campaigns that have caught my eye in the last week for being unique, and worth checking out. Click through to see this week’s notable crowdfunding projects.

LEAF

What is it?
It’s collapsible umbrella for the beach that comes with a movable 16W high efficiency solar panel.

Why do I like it?
I love going to Florida once a year and sitting on the beach under an umbrella reading and relaxing. The problem is that we usually rent an umbrella for the week. Sometimes we get lucky and the rental company sets them up for us, but other times we have to lug the heavy umbrellas to the beach ourselves. The LEAF umbrella folds down into a light weight portable package that anyone can easily carry to the beach. It features a unique leaf shape and will be available in a version that includes a solar panel so you can enjoy your tunes, books, games and other gadgets without running out of juice.

Where can I find more info?
With only 9 days left in the campaign, the LEAF campaign has not reached their funding goal of $28,191 yet. You can pre-order a LEAF without the solar panel starting at $98 and the Sun LEAF with the solar panel starting at $175. If the LEAF campaign is a success, the rewards are estimated to ship in August 2016. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

BloomSky SKY2 and STORM Weather Devices

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/907431954/worlds-first-and-only-complete-weather-camera-syst

What is it?
The SKY2 is a 5-in-1 weather camera station that measures temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and precipitation. The Storm is an add-on accessory to the SKY2 that measures rain and wind speed.

Why do I like it?
I’m a weather nerd and like to keep an eye on local weather stats. I even draw a little weather icon with the high temperature reading in my journal every day. The Bloomsky devices are cool because it uses crowd-sourcing features to create a community that shares accurate, hyper-local weather information and images from places all over the world. You place the solar powered Sky2 and Storm in your yard and they will automatically collect weather data and images every 5 minutes.

Where can I find more info?
With 35 days left in the campaign, the Bloomsky campaign has already surpassed their funding goal of $80,000. You can pre-order a Sky2 for $159 and the Storm for $89. If the Bloomsky campaign is a success, the rewards are estimated to ship in August 2016. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Superbook

What is it?
It’s a relatively inexpensive “dumb” shell that turns your Android smartphone into a laptop.

Why do I like it?
Since the early days of the PDA, I’ve dreamed of having only one computer / device that would go from pocket to desk. Other products like the Motorola Atrix Laptop Dock for Android and Microsoft’s Display dock for their Lumia Windows phones have tried this concept, but the idea just didn’t catch on. The Superbook with its 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 resolution display, USB ports for OTG, a full-sized keyboard, touchpad and 8hr battery life might be the right combination of features to become popular with Android users.

Where can I find more info?
The Superbook campaign blew past their $50,000 their funding goal to over $815,000 with 25 days left in the campaign. You can pre-order a Superbook for $99 with an estimated delivery date of February 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Turtle Ti Nest

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/395278350/turtletm-ti-nest-the-russian-dolls-of-extreme-surv

What is it?
The Turtle Ti Nest is a set of three waterproof titanium EDC storage capsules that fit together like Russian nesting dolls when they are not being used.

Why do I like it?
I love EDC (every day carry) gear and I like the Turtle Ti Nest because they are small, made of titanium and are simply designed. I like that you get a small, medium and large sized capsule and that their screw-on lids have a hole that can be used to attach a cord. They are large enough to hold practical items like medicine, cash, matches etc. But the coolest thing about them is that you can store them all together with their lids.

Where can I find more info?
The Turtle Ti Nest campaign has already passed their funding goal of $6615 with 22 days left in the campaign. You can pre-order a Turtle Ti Nest for $91 with an estimated delivery date of October 2016. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Modobag

modobag

What is it?
Modobag is carry-on luggage that you can ride.

Why do I like it?
I mainly included this campaign because it’s kooky. I am imagining an airport with 100’s of people buzzing around on their luggage and the resulting collisions, and other mayhem that would ensue. Instead of road rage incidents, there would be carry-on rage.

If you don’t find this product funny, and are actually considering buying one, the Modobag has all the features of a standard suitcase, but with extra geeky features like GPRS-GSM tracking, dual USB charging ports and the ability to travel 5-8MPH for a range of up to 6 miles on one charge.

Where can I find more info?
The Modobag campaign has already passed their funding goal of $50000 by over 300% with 25 days left in the campaign. You can pre-order a Modobag for $995 with an estimated delivery date of January 2017. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.

10 thoughts on “Solar umbrella, nesting titanium capsules, luggage you can ride and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns”




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  2. Hmm – the Modobag folks say “Our Lithium batteries are UN, TSA, FAA and IATA approved”, but I’d worry about random decisions by TSA and gate check employees. Also, it weighs 19 lbs empty – pack anything inside and getting it into an overhead compartment if you don’t lift weights is not going to work well. Plus many airlines have carry on weight limits – e.g., American’s is 40 lbs.

  3. I backed the Superbook and within a few days, it has met the stretch goals to add another USB port, increase battery life from 8hr to 10hr. It is currently closing in to the stretch goal of 1080p screen @ $1M

    1. I just backed the basic Superbook, after deciding to order a 32GB Nexus 5X from Google Fi as a backup/travel/personal phone (work is still paying for my iPhone 5S but that’s going to end some day, and it’s 3 years old & 16GB). I’ve been happy with my Asus Windows 10 netbook which only cost $130, but for $99 ($119 with US shipping) I couldn’t resist.

      1. I’m curious what your expectations are? What is YOUR intended purpose for it? Not tolling or putting down, I’m genuinely curious what you have in mind for it.

  4. Superbook, I had the Motorola Atrix It just was (IMHO) garbage. I too though it would be awesome to be able to travel light with only a small set of devices. Welp. WRONG. I made the terrible decision to go all out on a business trip that required many small plane trips. Trying to be productive was a nightmare, I routinely got frustrated when I would need to make a call, and use computer at same time. The computer was not up to the task for daily use. All in all it was a waste of time and money. I’m apprehensive about another similar product.

    Also with the reduction in size of tablets and computers the need for this is quickly fading. My daily carry on bag is a slimline 14″ case logic shoulder bag weighing in at (maybe 11lbs? 15tops). The bag is flush and does not “BULGE” like a crazy cat ladies purse. In it I have.

    1. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet with extended battery – (FYI this is the first windows 10 tablet/laptop I’ve fallen madly in love with. Lenovo Thinkpad keyboard, touch screen, active wacom stylus, Fast, ~8 hour battery, gorgeous screen)
    2. Lenovo Charger (USB-C, Boo, still haven’t found a universal that will charge tablet in resonable time)
    3. Anker 20100-C charger (This thing is sexy and rocks) (and set of a bunch of usb-micro / c mini cables / apple thunderthingy)
    4. Anker PowerPort 5 USB-C (5 Port universal charger up to 8amp charging on supported devices)
    5. Logitech bluetooth touch mouse
    6. Micro USB 3. Hub and Ethernet adaptor
    7. AT&T MiFi
    8. Kindle Paperwhite
    9. GPD XD Gaming console (hey we all need a break now and then)
    10. Micro USB Combo microSD reader, USB OTG adaptor
    11. Chinese no name $60 7″ Windows 10 tablet and folding stand. (If I am planning on working somewhere for awhile, I set this next to the Think Pad, and use it as a second monitor using Synergy KVM. This only goes in bag when traveling, not every day)
    12. iPhone 6 (I no longer have any android phones and it feels weird but company is now paying that bill so I’m flexible)

    Long post I know I know, but I guess the point is how small and power full things have gotten I guess I don’t see a reason to add a sub-par device that won’t really reduce size. The price however is interesting, I could maybe see it fill a nitch for maybe simple organization or note taking, but not a desktop/laptop replacement.

    1. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet looks really cool… but how’s the touch pad? I’m very picky when it comes to touch pads. I’ve yet to find one that works as well as the ones Apple uses on their Macbooks.

      1. Well it’s a ThinkPad touch pad. Same one on any new ThinkPad, as touch pads go (that I have used) it’s my favorite. Great gesture control, responsiveness and the tactile click when you push down to click is great. I’ve never used the new Apple one so I unfortunately can not compare. But truth be told I tend to not rely on it much. If I’m sitting in the chair with it, I’ll pull the keyboard off completely and use the Stylus for 95% of interaction. The Lenovo “WriteIT” app allows me to write most of what I need, it even works great with my script/cursive, onscreen keyboard is rarely used. I never use fingers on screen, I hate fingerprints and this screen will suck fingerprints from across the room. If in laptop mode with stand and keyboard attached, it is usually because I’m doing some serious work and at that point I pull out the Logitech Gesture mouse.

        I just realized this as I’m typing this how much I used the “nub” mouse in middle of keyboard. (Thinkpad red “trackpoint” nubbin mouse). I never realized I even used it till just now, and had you asked me 10 minutes ago I would have told you I never use it. Strange.

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