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Tutti Matti wireless speaker, Morsel Spork, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

This week we are bringing you five crowdfunding campaigns that are currently running on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. This week’s campaigns are for people who like music, magnets, and eating. Check out our picks for this week’s notable crowdfunding campaigns.

Tutti Studio Matti Wireless Speaker

What is it?
Matti is a small portable Bluetooth speaker with wireless linking features.

Why do I like it?
I like the Tutti Matti speaker because it’s in a small form factor but has been designed to fill a room with sound making it a perfect party speaker. It also has a unique feature that allows you to connect/link up to 8 Matti speakers to create an immersive soundfield with left, right and center stereo coverage.

Where can I find more info?
The Matti campaign ends on 4/12/2018 and they are still working to reach their funding goal of $48,000. You can pre-order a Matti speaker starting at $169. After the Matti campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in April 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Morsel Spork

What is it?
The Morsel Spork is a new take on the spork travel eating utensil.

Why do I like it?
I like the Morsel Spork because it’s a fork, a knife, a spoon, and a spatula all in one tool/utensil. It also has a long handle so you can scrape all the yumminess out of a can or bowl without getting food all over your hands.

Where can I find more info?
The Morsel Spork campaign ends on 4/21/2018 and they have already reached their funding goal of $20,000. You can pre-order a Morsel Spork starting at $9. After the Morsel Spork campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in June 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

AIUR Gesture controlled speaker

What is it?
AIUR is a wireless 360° speaker that you control with a wave of your hand.

Why do I like it?
I like the AIUR gesture controlled speaker because you can manipulate the speaker functions without touching the speaker. It can differentiate between 10 different gestures so that you can control volume, switch tracks, pause, play, answer calls, and more. I’d love to have one of these in the kitchen because Jeanne seems to always call me when I’m cooking and have food on my hands.

Where can I find more info?
The AIUR campaign ends on 4/22/2018 and they have already reached their funding goal of $10,000. You can pre-order an AIUR starting at $79. After the AIUR campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in July 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

MYO Magnets

blurb by Andy Jacobs

What is it?
Super-strong magnets with the ability to customize them by adding an image, logo, text, or just about anything you could want.

Why do I like it?
I’ve been a huge fan of Brian Conte’s Strong Like Bull Magnets since their original Kickstarter campaign and I’ve been using them at home and at work for years. Brian is an inventor and innovator and his latest creation is the MYO Magnets (Make Your Own), which starts with a super-strong Strong Like Bull magnet and adds a screw-down cap with a transparent window on top. This allows you to customize your magnets by adding a small logo, image, photo, text, or just about anything else.

Where can I find more info?
The MYO Magnets Kickstarter campaign has just kicked off and ends April 23, 2018, but as of this writing, 381 backers have already pledged over $20,000, well above the $5,000 funding goal. Pledge packaged start at $25 and rewards should ship in July. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

HALO EFFECT First Handsfree 4-Mount Smartphone Kit

What is it?
HALO EFFECT is a smartphone mounting kit that you can use in all sorts of situations when you’re active indoors, and outdoors.

Why do I like it?
I think the HALO EFFECT is interesting because it’s designed to be used mounted on your arm, your car, to a table, wall, or used as a stand on a flat surface.

Where can I find more info?
The HALO EFFECT campaign ends in 10 days and they have are still working to reach their funding goal of $45,000. You can pre-order a HALO EFFECT starting at $39. After the HALO EFFECT campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in July 2018. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.

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Tutti Matti wireless speaker, Morsel Spork, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 26, 2018 at 4:33 pm.

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ElevationLab CordDock is not just a clever name

Wireless Qi charging appears to be the future for smartphones; even the latest iPhones include wireless charging. But some of us haven’t yet upgraded to the latest wirelessly-charged iPhones yet, and further, some of might prefer not to. ElevationLab has been designing and building well-engineered, durable and aesthetically pleasing smartphone accessories for years, going back to their original ElevationDock (which I owned and really liked). Their latest product, the CordDock, is a bit of a transformer in that it, “combines the flexibility of a cord, with the benefits of a dock, in one ultra-compact design.” Here’s how it works: Pull up to undock your iPhone one-handed like normal, or rotate forward to take the cord with you! Simple. Made from machined stainless steel and polymer components with a matte finish, it includes a micro-suction underside to help it stay put on smooth surfaces, and it can even be adjusted to be used with cases of different thicknesses. The price tag is very reasonable at $39.00. Visit ElevationLab for more info or to order.

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ElevationLab CordDock is not just a clever name originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 26, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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The Zoom Q8 Handy Video Recorder is really handy after all


While I must admit that Vlogging is not my thing, I have dabbled with it a bit to see what my presence would be in front of the camera. After all, I have always been a behind the camera type of guy and I have always resisted the temptation to become a face known to social media.

A couple of years ago, I invested in a Zoom Q8 Handy Video Recorder, specifically for the purpose of Vlogging and producing YouTube product review videos. While I never quite realized my online video aspirations, I did end up using the Zoom video camera quite a bit in other scenarios.

The Zoom Q8 is quite small as handheld cameras go, but it offers some great features and I found it to be of great use whenever the need for a quick B-roll recording would arise, and especially so when packing light was the other requirement. It records up to 2304 x 1296 video at 30 frames per second with a 160-degree Wide-Angle lens and has a detachable X/Y Condenser Microphone. Other features include several preset lighting scene modes, a built-in speaker,  a color 2.7 inch LCD touchscreen, it can be used as a USB Webcam and an Audio Interface, it is compatible with Zoom Microphone capsules, has built-in dual XLR/TRS Combination inputs, and it even comes with a small lens hood. I am quite impressed with the quality of the audio it recorded, and I like the fact that the audio can be saved as uncompressed WAV files and AAC files.

While this is not a professional video recorder, it certainly is very useful and can certainly save the day for a small project when you are in a bind.

You can give the Zoom Q8 a try by picking one up at B&H Photo Video or Amazon for $349.99

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The Zoom Q8 Handy Video Recorder is really handy after all originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 26, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Nest x Yale smart door lock is finally available for purchase

Nest has finally added a smart door lock to their connected-home lineup.  Nest says:  “Yale knows secure locks. Nest knows the connected home. Together, we’ve made a tamper‑proof, key‑free deadbolt that connects to the Nest app.”  Our local Best Buy had one of the Nest x Yale locks in stock, but it was the wrong color, so I ended up ordering one directly from Nest.  It was delivered quickly, and I installed it today.

Installation of the Nest x Yale lock took me about 10 minutes, including removing the existing lock.  It worked on the first try.  Of course, the deadbolt lock is battery operated, and it came with its first set of four AA batteries.  The lock doesn’t connect directly to WiFi, so you’ll need either a Nest Guard (base unit of Nest’s security system) or a Nest Connect unit to connect the lock to your home WiFi network.  You can buy the lock with or without a Nest Connect included in the package.

Once installed on your door, you add the lock to your Nest app, and then you add unlock codes.  You can assign codes to each family member, to guests, dog walkers, cleaning services, and others.  The codes can be deleted or modified at any time, which makes it easy to give a temporary code to someone.  You can also lock or unlock your door from the Nest app on your cellphone from anywhere.  The app keeps a list of the times the door was unlocked or locked and by whom, and the app notifies you if someone tries to tamper with the lock.  And for extra security while you’re home, you can set a privacy mode that restricts anyone from unlocking the door from the exterior keypad.

The Nest x Yale deadbolt lock is truly keyless – there is no backup key for this unit.  You don’t have to worry about a dead battery keeping you out, though.  You’ll get warnings as soon as the batteries start to weaken so you can replace them before they die.  And if they do die before you replace them, you can hold a 9V battery to contacts on the bottom of the keypad to provide enough power for you to unlock the door.

It’s been on my door for less than a day, but I’m pleased so far with the look and functioning of the Nest x Yale door lock.  It’s quiet, attractive, and easy to use and monitor.

You can buy the Nest x Yale lock at various retailers; you’ll get both the lock and the Connect for $279.  If you order directly from Nest, you can choose to purchase the lock only for $249 or the lock plus Connect for $279.  It’s available in satin nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, or polished brass finishes.  Learn more at Nest and Best Buy to order one.

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Nest x Yale smart door lock is finally available for purchase originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 26, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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The Universal Lens Cap is the answer to great lens protection


If you are like me, when you are using multiple lenses for a photo shoot, you try to keep the lens caps in some sort of order so that it is easy to pick up the right one for the right lens without having to try multiple times. However, in my case, and I am sure that I am not alone in this, the caps inevitably get mixed up and getting the right one on the lens becomes a distraction and sometimes quite frustrating in the middle of a busy shoot.

I recently came across a company called Kurvd that makes a really great Universal Lens Cap. “The ULC fits any lens with a barrel diameter between 60mm and 150mm”. This means that it will fit almost every lens in my kit, and it no longer matters which lens cap I grab. It is also built to completely cover the lens for better protection from dust and water and even the occasional unintentional “bump”. By design, it cannot fall off because of an accidental touch or because of any weird vibration, as conventional lens caps can and do.

If you would like to grab one of these Universal Lens Caps, you can head over to the Kurvd website and pick one up for $30.00.

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The Universal Lens Cap is the answer to great lens protection originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 25, 2018 at 8:30 am.

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