Tag: indiegogo

Popslate 2 E-Ink iPhone Case is What Every Phone Needs

Last year, Popslate brought put its first E-Ink iPhone case that allowed the iPhone to sport a secondary E-ink display on the back. Users could use the secondary display for notifications. While the first Popslate iPhone case didn’t meet expectations, the Popslate 2 very much does. The company is at the forefront of pioneering e-paper screen on phone case, and Popslate 2 is what that case is.

The second iteration comes with a bigger 4.7-inch display at 200dpi, up from 4 inches and 115dpi. While the original Popslate case needed to be charged via Micro USB, the new one can be charged via the lightning cable, the same used to charge the iPhone. This means you’ll now be able to charge both the case and the iPhone simultaneously. Apart from this, the case has a backup battery that gives up to 9 hours talk time for your iPhone.

Popslate 2 was the answer to the question “What should the smart second screen really be?”. The Popslate 2 comes with new, always-on features like configurable Dashboards, richer news and information feeds. Other features include phone-sized clocks, a clutter-saving e-reader, a quick list maker, faster access to the digital wallet, and more.

Popslate’s smart iPhone case can be seen as a great piece of innovation in recent times. With smartphone makers looking to make slimmer phones with bigger and bigger display, the ideas seem to end there. There are some brands who have managed to feature small strips of secondary screens on the front like LG, but a secondary display as big as the main something new indeed. And this is all thanks to the use of E-ink technology (the same used in Kindles and other E-readers).

Currently, the company is only focusing on cases for iPhones but also states that with the right partner, they will move to cases for Android devices as well. The company also said that until it understands the state of emerging markets before making any adjustments to pricing and will only then be able to bring these cases to countries like India.

The Popslate 2 is available for pre-order on Indiegogo today starting at $69, and $129 and $149 for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, respectively. Shipping of orders will begin from July.

March 12, 2016
Meet Flow, A Programmable Wireless Controller to Replace Your Old Mouse

If the Indiegogo campaign goes right, this new startup aims to replace your desktop mouse for good. Flow, as simply as it is called, is a small gadget that can be paired with your PC, laptop, tablet and can be programmed with shortcuts to your most frequently used actions.

Created by a team of German hardware designers, Flow can be described as a ‘freely programmable wireless controller’ that combines hand gesture recognition, touch, and haptics in a mobile, hockey puck-shaped design. The idea is to take the core functionality of a traditional mouse and expand it to include much broader capabilities found in touch-based devices, video game controllers, and even motion-and-gesture sensors.

The device is made from aluminum and stainless steel with a durable polycarbonate touch surface and has a replaceable battery promising four months of charge according to its Indiegogo page. Its sensors enable infrared-based hand gesture recognition, 360-degree angular positioning, capacitive touch and luminosity.

Flow, according to the makers, offer support for more than 30 applications, including popular ones like Final Cut Pro X, Photoshop, Premiere, SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube. Flow has been described as a multiuse device which can be used as a traditional mouse with a PC but also to interface with mobile devices and even hung on a wall as a smart device controller.

At present, most of the information regarding Flow points at its usability with desktops or laptops, but the company also mentioned that there could be support for mobile applications in the future. It measures 70 mm in diameter and 15 mm in height, and ‘connects directly to anything that speaks Bluetooth Low Energy with no additional hardware required,’ according to its makers.

The designers have launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $50,000 in seed money. The ongoing campaign has already fetched $19,536 and there is still 40 days left for the campaign. The startup plans to release the product by 2016.

(more…)

November 25, 2014
BitBite is Your Mom on the Move, Tells You to Eat Right and Chew Slowly

Eating healthy is hard. With the massive amount of junk food options in the market to gobble up, a healthy diet takes a back seat. So how do you keep fit in the times when you have to be on the move and eat fast to get back to work? Your mom cannot be everywhere with you to make sure you eat right, but one tinsy tiny gadget might just take her place to maintain your eating habit.

Say hello to BitBite, a tiny wearable that slips comfortably in your ear and using sound and motion, observes if you are eating right and chewing through. This wearable tracks what you eat, when you eat and how you eat. Using the analysis of sound and tracking patterns of your jaw movement, it observes what you eat. In the future, the device will be able to suggest you healthy alternatives to what you are eating.

The mobile app does the number crunching and analyzes your eating habits.

According to the creators of the device, this minuscule device was developed in co-operation with dieticians and nutritionists. It contains a microphone and additional sensors that record and perform initial processing of the incoming sounds, after which the smartphone app takes care of the number crunching bit. Fortunately, unlike your mom, you can turn it off when you are really in a mood to indulge into some gooey goodness.

If you don’t want to join the BlueDouche tribe, then there are some other options to get BitBite by which can start healthy grubbing. The device gives you the option of wearing it on your lapel with a clip in a wristband. It functions as a regular Bluetooth device when not eating.

There are multiple attachments for the BitBite.

The device works with both iOS and Android devices. The company has achieved 75% of its initial goal of $60,000 on Indiegogo, with 22 days still left to go.

Well, it’s great to see what you eat but it’s also great to indulge once in a while. We as humans have invented a plethora of amazing foods that varies with the palate of different places. Eating right is just a part of healthy living; it’s also important to exercise and drink loads of water. But it is great to see how technology can be used for the benefit of an average person, and with apps like Google Fit, it’s easier than ever to stay fit. So after reading this, get up and do some jumping jacks for your sake.

November 20, 2014
Jolla Achieves Crowdfunding Target in a Day for its New Tablet

Jolla, the Sailfish OS-powered company formed by ex-Nokia employees, is ready to launch its first tablet. The company’s phone has been appreciated for its innovative new OS and features and is said to be a good challenger to the predominant market powers of Android and iOS.

The company had launched a crowd funding campaign on indiegogo to fund its latest tablet. The popularity of the company can be assessed by the fact that it has achieved its funding target of $380,000 in just a day. As of now, they have achieved in access of 228% of their original goal and are fast approaching a million dollars.

The tablet in itself looks sexy as hell with its dual tone color scheme. It has a 7.85-inch 2048×1536 pixels display at a density of 330ppi, which would be capable of capturing some stunning visuals. The tablet will run on the upcoming Sailfish 2.0 operating system.

Jolla tablet will be powered by a 1.8GHz quad-core 64 bit processor along with 2 GB RAM. The 32 GB of internal storage comes with an expandable option which will let you use the full potential of the amazing display. It gets its juice from a 4300 mAh battery, which is smaller than most of its competition, so we have to wait till the tablet comes out to judge the battery performance of the device.

The camera on the device is equivalent to the iPad Mini 3. It has a 5MP main camera and a 2MP front camera. Where the device wins, is its price; the company promised a $189 price tag and is $60 cheaper than the upcoming Nokia N1 and almost half of the iPad Mini.

From its first look, the tablet looks great but the fact still remains that the tablet market is in a state of slowdown. In a time when large screen phones have dissuaded people from going tablet, it would be interesting to see if Jolla’s fresh new approach to tablet would be appreciated by the market. We just have to wait till May 2015 when the tablet starts shipping.

November 20, 2014
Com1 : A Powerful Smartwatch Designed To Take On The Giants

The Smartwatch market is heating up with the big brand such as Samsung, LG, Motorola and Asus bringing their versions of the wearable. Now using the open source awesomeness of the Android Wear operating system an indiegogo campaign is trying to bring its version of a powerful smartwatch. The Com1 has some competitive specs, and it can actually pose some serious challenge to its competition.

The Com1 has a squared clock face and as mentioned earlier is powered by the Android Wear OS. It gets its processing might from a 1GHz XBurst-based Ingenic JZ4775 processor. It has a Dedicated 2D graphics engine and is capable of playing 720p videos at 30 fps.

The Smartwatch also has massive 3GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC internal storage. It also offers a wide array of connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM and NFC.

The display on the device is a LED Backlit, 1.6,” 240 x 240 TFT LCD screen. It also has multiple sensors including 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer with pressure, humidity and temperature sensors.It has a thickness of just 8mm.

The Com1 is IP67 certified

Like the Moto 360, Com1 comes with IP67 rating that certifies its water resistance. With this, you can go ahead with your daily tasks without worrying about the complicated electronics on your wrists getting affected by random splashes of water. It is waterproof up to 1m of water.

The Com1 has a 400 mAh Battery that the company claims will last for two days. It can be charged using the USB port on the watch.

There are multiple strap options to choose from.

To make the device more appealing to varied ages the makers also provide a selection of watch straps. The options available are; Black, White Brown Leather and Stainless Steel Strap. This will surely sweeten the deal for a person going on a lookout for a Smartwatch.

Google Now works on the device and so does all the Android Wear apps, after all it has some great RAM under the hood. The usual apps such as Music, Maps, Fitness, Hangouts, Google Keep and Calendar work automatically on the device.

These stylish devices can pose some serious threat to the big brand devices.

Overall this device does deserve a chance. If you are as impressed with the device as we are, you can pledge to the project at Indiegogo. With 28 days left, the company has got 6% of its required pledges. The company’s stretch goals of $80000 would bring Moto 360 like wireless charging on this device. With all the good specs and design features, the smartwatch is one of the cheapest out there. The company is giving out the early bird pledges at $125, and its most expensive watch costs $170 which is fairly cheap for what it offers. It will be shipped out in January 2015.

We hope to see this succeed to see some real competition to the giants. Devices like these will encourage the big name brands to make their devices better, so it will be a win-win for all. In its present state, the Com1 does show the potential of becoming the OnePlus One of the smartwatch market. We’ll know in 28 days if the hard work of the developers is realized.

September 9, 2014
Ubuntu Edge Smartphone Up for Funding, Comes May 14 for US $ 830

Canonical’s big pans on how the mobile world and the computing world would merge in the future has started to take shape. The new Ubuntu Edge smartphone aims to deliver the benchmark on what future mobile devices could be based on. The Ubuntu Edge will hit the markets in May 2014 for a price of US $ 830, a first day promotion of US $600 has already sold out.

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The Ubuntu Edge is a very ambitious smartphone that’ll be capable of running a full-fledged Ubuntu desktop operating system alongside Android. While the specs have not been finalize the company talks of a 4.5 inch 720p display made of sapphire crystal glass on the Edge with a quad-core CPU, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. For optics and sound an 8MP rear with a 2MP front-facing camera and stereo speakers. The Ubuntu Edge will come with globally unlocked LTE, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC, along with MHL support.

The Ubuntu Edge will only see the light of day if the expected US $ 32 million funding comes through, because the company claims:

none of the phone manufacturers are yet ambitious enough to try to put both things in one package.

The Ubuntu Edge will dual-boot both the Ubuntu phone OS and Android, and convert into a fully integrated Ubuntu desktop PC.

Get the full details on the project at the funding site in the link below.

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[Indiegogo]

July 23, 2013