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Tag Archives: kickstarter

Stow-Away Lens Cap Holder Is Convenient

By David Ponce on 10/24/12 • Leave a comment!

Being out taking pictures is fun, but there’s always the pesky problem of the lens cap. What do you do with it? Let it dangle from a string? Gets in your way. Put it in a pocket? That’ll be fun when you sit. Forget to bring it? Scrat-ahoy, matey! No, what you need is the Stow-Away Lens Cap Holder. This plastic accessory attaches to the underside of a dSLR and accommodates lenses in 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, and 72mm sizes. Its graduated design means you just have to push the lens in, and it’ll click in place right where it belongs, without you even having to look. It’s simple, and convenient and at $14 on pre-order, a no-brainer. This is a project on Kickstarter, but they’re almost fully funded, so if you pledge now, you’re promised a December ship date.

[ Project Page ] VIA [ GearHungry ]

AirTracks Is A Camera Slider System That Inflates

By David Ponce on 10/23/12 • 2 Comments

Shooting video like a professional means many things, like a good camera, a good set of lenses and obviously a good videographer. But it also means being able to move the camera like a pro, smooth and steady (unless you’re Blair Witchin’ it). Big budget shoots will have slider systems with really long tracks and elaborate contraptions to move the camera from here to there smoothly. More modest setups will involve smaller tracks, like the MobiSlyder that we featured last year. What these solutions all have in common is an unwieldy, usually hard to carry solid track. The AirTrack in an inflatable slider system, featuring a portable track that inflates to up to 1.5m (5ft.) in length at the (repeated) squeeze of a hand pump. The dolly (the part that rolls on that track) uses a fairly standard 3/8in. tripod screw so you’re free to use almost any type of camera available, up to 8 lbs. That’s sturdy enough to handle most (if not all) dSLRs. And since the track is inflated and very light, there are grommets you can use to attach it to the ground and prevent it from flying off in the wind.

Early backers can still get the AirTrack for a $250 pledge to their Kickstarter campaign. After that it bumps up to $275.

Hit the jump for a demo video, another picture and links.

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3D Printing Has Just Gone High-Res With The FORM 1

By David Ponce on 09/27/12 • Leave a comment!

We talk a lot about 3D printing because it’s an exciting new field. For instance, it was just two days ago that we featured the MakerBot Replicator 2, a pretty decent upgrade on the original device. But it turns out that as cool as the Replicator 2 is with its new 100 micron resolution, it’s got nothing on the FORM 1 that you see above. This machine is able to print objects with layers 25 microns thin, allowing for a level of detail that is just not possible with the technology the Replicator uses. See, most printers on the market these days print by layering extruded plastic over and over in as precise a manner as possible. The “resolution” everyone talks about is how thin this extruded line of melted plastic is. But the FORM 1 uses a completely different method, instead relying on stereolithography, which involves shooting a laser at a resin, which instantly hardens at the focal point. This laser then builds the object up, creating virtually smooth objects of a complexity that’s impossible to achieve with other printers.

Normally this type of 3D printing involves machines that cost six figures, but “a group of recent grads from the MIT Media Lab have managed to replicate the process for a fraction of the cost.” The FORM 1 is currently on pre-order on Kickstarter for the relatively decent sum of $2,500. And yes, they’ve reached their funding goal of $100k… five times over. On launch day.

Hit the jump for some sample pictures and links.

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iExpander Upgrades Your iPhone in More Ways than One

By Hazel Chua on 09/26/12 • 1 Comment

iExpander

Need to make a call, only to look at your phone and discover that you’re running on your last five minutes of power? Want to capture a gorgeous sunset as it happens, only to take a couple of shots using your iPhone and realize that the light’s too low to produce any good images? Transferring a couple gigabytes’ worth of your favorite shows so you can watch them on the plane, only to discover that you’ve run out of space? These are three of the most common problems that iPhone users experience, and also the three commonest problems that the folks behind the iExpander have chosen to take on.

The iExpander is a case of sorts that will provide extra power and additional storage space for your iPhone so it won’t let you down, especially during the times when you need it the most. It also improves the camera by adding LEDs and extending the length of the flash which work to improve the quality of shots drastically.

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The Ostrich Pillow Lets You Nap Anywhere, Look Like A Tool

By David Ponce on 09/25/12 • 2 Comments

We’re all for the power naps here at OhGizmo HQ. Heck, we’d nap 25 hours a day if we could. But we’re not entirely convinced that the Ostrich pillow is anything we’d ever be caught doing it in. Admittedly, the thing is pretty awesome, if only because it’s so ridiculous looking. But it’s also sort of smart. It’s a pillow with an opening for your hands, and for your mouth and nose. Your eyes are covered and your head is cushioned whether you decide to plop your noggin down on your desk or sleep in the airplane. Sure, you look like an alien plant is devouring you from the top, but the fact that you’re blind will make it easier to ignore the stares.

It’s not a new concept; the Ostrich pillow was talked about over a year ago. But now it’s in the funding phase on Kickstarter, and it’s more than halfway to its goal. At $75, the thing sure isn’t cheap. We’re not sure just who this will appeal to, but we have a feeling that at least a couple of you will think it’s the bee’s knees.

Hit the jump for a bunch more pictures, a video, and links.

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iMpulse Lets You Get Your Game On–And Finds Your Keys, to Boot!

By Hazel Chua on 09/21/12 • Leave a comment!

iMpulse

The popularity of mobile devices like the iPad and iPhone has made mobile gaming even more popular. Capitalizing on that is the iMpulse Bluetooth controller, which functions as both a game controller and key finder. It’s not just for the iOS devices either, because it’s also perfectly compatible with the Android.

The iMpulse’s compact size makes it easy to attach to your keychain, so you can take it with you anywhere and whip it out when you’re ready to play, anytime you want to. It also functions as a key finder in cases when you happen to misplace your keys. Just fire up the iMpulse key finder app on your phone, hit ‘Locate’, and the iMpulse will sound an alarm so you can locate it (and your keys.)

Hit the jump for a video showing off the iMpulse in action!

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The Monocle Helps Bicycle Riders Keep Their Organs On The Inside

By David Ponce on 09/19/12 • Leave a comment!

I’ve become obsessed with riding my bike and have been keeping an eye out for anything related to that. So when I saw the Monocle application/accessory that turns your iPhone into a blinking safety light, I was intrigued. You just pop your phone in a specially made holster that relocates it to the back of you, and the LED strobes at a frequency you determine. There’s a timer, so it won’t keep going even if you forget to turn it off and you get audible and vibrating alerts when the battery is getting low. The makers of the Monocle estimate that a 15 minute ride set at 3Hz will impact your battery by about 7%. You also get a case to protect the iPhone, by the way.

It’s a smart way to put a ubiquitous device to extra use, and could just make the difference between being turned into human spaghetti and making it home in one piece. It’s $18 for the app and the case, on pre-order now with delivery slated for December if they reach their funding goal.

[ Project Page ] VIA [ Gear Patrol ]

Everything Old Is New Again: The Impossible Instant Lab Brings Polaroids Back

By David Ponce on 09/12/12 • Leave a comment!

Polaroids used to be the bees knees, tech wise. Think about it: they would let you immediately see, as well as print the picture you just took. In a world where you had to wait a week to have your shots developed, that was awesome. But then, digital cameras came around, and things changed. But fashion can go in cycles and what is now old often ends up being rediscovered by younger generations and brought back from the dustbin with a shiny new coating. The Impossible Instant Lab seeks to combine the best from smartphone photography (portability, immediacy, versatility) with not only the nostalgia of Polaroid cameras, but also the fact that they do give you a physical sample to carry along with you. The Lab features a collapsible tower atop of which you cradle your iPhone and which positions it perfectly so that a picture of the screen may be taken. That picture is then developed into an actual, chemical-reaction, darkroom-in-the-paper, analog photograph. No Instagram filter will ever be that hipster-y. It even uses actual film for Polaroid 600 and SX 70 cameras.

Once folded up the Impossible Instant Lab is 5.8″ long x 4.3″ wide x 2.4″ tall, which is fairly portable itself and a full charge can give you up to 150 prints.

There’s still some time to get in at the $189 price point, once again as a pledge on Kickstarter. Delivery expected in February 2013.

[ Project Page ] VIA [ NoPuedoCreer ]

Shimi Music Robot Kicks Music Bots Up A Notch

By David Ponce on 09/12/12 • Leave a comment!

It’s one thing to have a robot shaped music dock that accepts your iPhone and plays some tunes. It’s quite another to have one that does the kind of stuff Shimi does. Developed by a team of roboticists from Georgia Tech, IDC, and the MIT Media Lab, Shimi (once connected to your smartphone) is able to bob its head to the beat, tap its “foot”, follow you around the room using face recognition, and even understand your speech. You interact with it by either asking for a specific song or even clapping a beat with your hands and waiting for Shimi to deliver the closest match from your collection. What’s more, the robot’s abilities are tied to its related smartphone application, meaning that with each update of the software, the bot can gain more features. And since Shimi is the product of the collaboration of some world class roboticists, you’re not looking at some cheap and generic Chinese toy, the complexity and fluidity of Shimi’s movements and abilities has to be seen to be appreciated. The clip below should help.

In the meantime, if you want your own, you can pledge $149 to the Kickstarter campaign and expect delivery… in February of 2013, a little late for the Holidays.

[ Project Page ] VIA [ Engadget ]

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