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Lauco car mount, SparkMaker 3D printer, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

It must be a slow week for cool crowdfunding projects because I’ve only found 4 Kicstarter and Indiegogo projects to tell you about. Click through to see this week’s notable crowdfunding campaigns.

Lauco – NanoSuction car mount for phones & cases

What is it?
Lauco is a simple car or desk mount for your smartphone that uses nano-suction technology instead of suction cups and magnets.

Why do I like it?
I like the Lauco mount because you don’t have to bother with metal plates that go between the phone and a case like you do when you use magnetic mounts. That also means that you don’t even need a case on your phone to use this mount.

This particular mount is effective even in high temps which can happen in a hot car, and it allows for 720-degree rotation so that you can always adjust the phone for the most comfortable viewing angle.

They sent me a prototype to check out and I was happy with the fit and finish of this particular car mount.

Where can I find more info?
With 30 days left in the campaign, Lauco is just getting started working towards their funding goal of $5,000. You can pre-order a Lauco mount starting at $19. After the Lauco campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in September 2017. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.

The Color Notebook

What is it?
The Color Notebook is a reusable notebook that can be archived using a smartphone app, wiped clean, and reused over and over again.

Why do I like it?
You can draw or write on the Color Notebook using dry erase pens, colored pencils, and even crayons.

At the bottom of each page is a line of icons that can be used to archive the drawings/writings to different cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and more. The beauty comes when you want to reuse the notebook because the pages wipe clean in a sec.

Where can I find more info?
With 31 days left in the campaign, the Color Notebook has already raced passed their funding goal of $21,500. You can pre-order a Color Notebook starting at $20. After the Color Notebook campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in November 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

SparkMaker – The Most Affordable Desktop SLA 3D Printer

What is it?
SparkMaker is an affordable SLA 3D printer that prints in high-resolution.

Why do I like it?
I like the SparkMaker 3D printer because unlike other 3D printers, this one is small enough to fit on almost any desk. It also uses a liquid resin instead of filament to create the models which hang from the print bed like a bat 🙂 It also does not need to be connected to a network. You just copy the model files to an SD card and insert that card into the printer.

Where can I find more info?
With 32 days left in the campaign, the Color Notebook has already passed their funding goal of $20,000. You can pre-order a Color Notebook starting at $145. After the Color Notebook campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in December 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Musvalk. A fierce, yet small and elegant cutting tool.

What is it?
Musvalk is a little knife that is made of ceramics, titanium, and carbon fiber.

Why do I like it?
I like the Musvalk knife because it’s small and has a unique shape that allows it to fit in your pocket or wear it around your neck. The blade is made of zirconium dioxide ceramic (Zirconia) and is almost as hard as a diamond.

Where can I find more info?
With 31 days left in the campaign, the Musvalkv has already passed their funding goal of $25,000. You can pre-order a Musvalk knife starting at $38. After the Musvalk campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in December 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

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Lauco car mount, SparkMaker 3D printer, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 8, 2017 at 12:07 pm.

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SmartBoy turns your Samsung Galaxy S8 into a Game Boy

Do you still have a pile of Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges gather dust in a drawer somewhere in your house AND do you also have a Samsung Galaxy S8? Then your retro dreams have just come true with SmartBoy.

SmartBoy from Hyperkin is a module that attaches to the bottom of your S8 (and a select group of other Android phones) to turn it into a Game Boy / Game Boy Color device right down to those iconic controller buttons.

This device doesn’t require batteries. It plugs into the Type-C port on the bottom of the S8. You supply the Game Boy cartridge and then all that’s left is to have fun playing your favorite games.

The SmartBoy is priced at $49.99 and will start shipping on 8/21/17. You can read more about it and check the device compatibility list at hyperkinlab.com

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SmartBoy turns your Samsung Galaxy S8 into a Game Boy originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 8, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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Write in the dark without wrecking your night vision with this pen

Pilots, security guards, and people who wake up in the middle of the night with a million dollar idea all have one thing in common. They need to write stuff down without impacting their night vision. One solution is a pair of night vision goggles and another potential solution is the Skilcraft Luminator LED Light Pen.

This pen is made in a factory by vision impaired workers and features a metal body and a pressurized ink cartridge that allows the pen to write upside down and in extreme temperatures.

How does this pen preserve your night vision? It has a red LED at the tip that you can turn on to provide light while you write, but that light won’t impair your night vision.

Included in the Skilcraft Luminator LED Light Pen package is one spare battery and one spare ink cartridge. The pen is priced at $31.99. For more info visit Alphapointeonline.com or Amazon.

[via The Awesomer]

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Write in the dark without wrecking your night vision with this pen originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 7, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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Leaked firmware hints at new 4K Apple TV with possible HDR10 and Dolby Vision support

Apple’s Home Pod continues to make news even though its official release is still several months away. Home Pod’s Firmware, accidentally released online by Apple, continues to drop hints at possible upcoming products. This time, developer Guilherme Rambo uncovered strings inside that seem to confirm that the next gen Apple TV will indeed be 4K, with possible support for Dolby Vision and HDR10.

Rumors have swirled as far back as February that Apple was working on a 4K version of its popular set top box. Saying that it would have more vivid colors and arrive later this year. Many (like myself) have been waiting for this for a long time. Most other streaming devices like ChromeCast and Roku have supported 4K for years, yet Apple remained apprehensive when it came to updating the Apple TV. Looks like that’s all about to change.

4K may have started out as a gimmick, much like 3D, but most mainstream TV’s  out now, support 4K/HDR10. Manufacturers like LG and Vizio also support Dolby Vision. With more and more movies and shows available in the format, and 4K TV prices continuing to drop, it seems as though Apple is finally ready to throw their hat into the 4K arena. For now, all we can do is wait, and hope.

Lead image mockup by Michael Strange

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Leaked firmware hints at new 4K Apple TV with possible HDR10 and Dolby Vision support originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 7, 2017 at 7:59 am.

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This collapsible water bottle takes up half as much space when you’re not using it

I joined a gym last week. Although I regularly work out at home on my own equipment (an inexpensive Total Gym and a treadmill), this is the first time I’ve gone to an actual gym to work out. So now I’m on the lookout for cool sports gear to talk about and review. In my web searches, I found the Que collapsible water bottle.

Que bottles have a leak-proof stainless steel screw on cap, are made of food-grade silicone and feature an unusual spiral design that allows the bottle to extend to 8.4 inches tall with a 20-ounce capacity when you are ready to fill it and then shrink back down 4.8 inches tall when the bottle is empty. The idea is that the collapsed bottle will take up less space in your gym bag.

The only thing that concerns me about this type of bottle is cleaning it due to the internal ridges. The bottles are dishwasher safe, but I personally would not use them for anything other than plain old water.

Que bottles are available in several colors and are priced at $24.95. You can read more about them at quebottle.com and order one from Amazon. SkyyHi is another company that sells similar bottles, but their bottles have a cap with a handle and they cost about $5 less than Que.

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This collapsible water bottle takes up half as much space when you’re not using it originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 6, 2017 at 9:55 am.

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