It’s tax time! If you’re due for a fat refund and are a fan of design who also appreciates fine audio, grab that refund check and check out the new Master & Dynamic MA770 wireless concrete speaker. Yes, you read that right … concrete. You’re not going to be carting this 35 lb. monster around like a boombox. Nope, the MA770 speaker is designed for the home—inside the home. Designed by Sir David Adjaye—the architect behind Washington D.C.’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture—the MA770’s modern, minimalist good looks have a structural quality unlike other speakers. The MA770 speaker comes ready to play with two 4-inch kevlar woofers and a 1.5-inch titanium tweeter, with diamond-cut anodized aluminum controls—all powered by a 100 watt Class D amp. The MA770’s concrete composite dampening properties are so high that the speaker can play at full volume without causing a record to skip or a table and floor to vibrate. Bluetooth, Chromecast and an AUX input are used for connectivity. The MA770 can be used as a single unit, stereo pair or multi-room setup via built-in Chromecast.The design of the MA770 speaker is so paramount, that it will be available soon in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) store in New York City (and other stores also) as well as directly from Master & Dynamic. If it matches the quality of Master & Dynamic’s headphones, then buyers will be in for a treat. Once available, the MA770 will sell for $1,800 US (less than the average refund amount). Visit Master & Dynamic for more information.
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From the same company that brought you the Vibram FiveFingers shoes comes Furoshiki footwear. Designed to mimic the Japanese practice of wrapping objects in cloth, Furoshiki footwear wraps the soles of your feet with rubber treads.
Available in a variety of colors, the Furoshiki sole wraps are made of 72% Polyamide and 28% Elastane and feature a stretchy breathable material that wraps around the top and bottom of your foot to completely enclose it.
The wraps are multi-sized to allow for a tighter or looser fit to adapt to your foot. The material is not waterproof, but it does dry quickly.
They fold down to a small package that takes up minimal space in a bag compared to traditional shoes.
The Vibram Furoshiki footwraps look like they’d make a comfy round-the-house shoe, or even everyday shoes if you like minimal footwear. Vibram even sells a boot version of the Furoshiki.
You can find more info about these shoes from Vibram and can order a pair for $65 – $110 from Amazon.
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Today I am sharing four crowdfunding campaigns that I thought you might like to read about. Click through to see my list of this week’s notable crowdfunding campaigns.
The Mirabook turns your smartphone into a laptop
What is it?
The Mirabook is a laptop that is powered by your Android or Windows Phone (and even Raspberry Pi) smartphone and provides it with a larger display, keyboard, touchpad and a higher capacity battery.
Why do I like it?
I like the Mirabook because I still have a dream of using my smartphone as my everything device. The only thing that sort of worries me about the Mirabook is that it physically tethers to the phone with a Type-C cable. That just seems a little awkward to me. I’d still love to try it though.
Where can I find more info?
With 30 days left in their campaign, The Mirabook campaign is still working towards their funding goal of $50,000. You can pre-order a Mirabook starting at $180. After the Mirabook campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in December 2017. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.
Code Angel: Learn to code amazing games on a Raspberry Pi
What is it?
Code Angel is a Raspberry Pi game programming kit that includes the Raspberry Pi computer and lessons to teach you coding in Python.
Why do I like it?
I like Code Angel because it is designed to teach computer programming in an easy and fun way by coding games. Programming helps develop problem-solving skills and analytical thinking skills that are important for all types of jobs and hobbies that are not just computer related. I’ve always wanted to tinker with a Raspberry Pi AND learn Python, so I’m really tempted to pledge for this campaign.
Where can I find more info?
With 24 days left in their campaign, The Code Angel campaign is still working towards their funding goal of $4397. You can pre-order a Code Angel starting at $124 for a reward that includes a Raspberry Pi. After the Code Angel campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in August 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
What is it?
The B-2 Nano Blade is a tiny folding and locking pocket knife that has a blade with serrated and non-serrated sections.
Why do I like it?
I like the B-2 Nano Blade because it’s so small, but has a serrated part of the blade that can be used to saw through things. I also like the locking blade.
There are a couple things to consider before you pledge. We’ve reviewed Bomber & Company products before and the review wasn’t too favorable. Also, this item won’t ship until February 2018 which is a crazy long time to wait for a reward and makes me wonder if the people who have pledged for it really paid attention to the estimated ship date.
Where can I find more info?
With 47 days left in their campaign, The B-2 Nano Blade campaign has already wildly surpassed their funding goal of $5000. You can pre-order a B-2 Nano Blade starting at $25. After the B-2 Nano Blade campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in February 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
miniRIG – Capture more with your smartphone and GoPro
What is it?
miniRIG is a video stabilizer for GoPros and smartphones.
Why do I like it?
I like miniRIG because it comes with extra accessories like a LED light, microphone, and legs that attach to turn the miniRIG into a small table top tripod. It is being made by the same people who brought you the Smoovie which I reviewed last fall. I wasn’t impressed with the Smoovie and didn’t recommend it, but it appears that they’ve vastly improved the design to create this new product that has a lot more features.
Where can I find more info?
With 23 days left in their campaign, The miniRIG campaign has already surpassed their funding goal of $12,563. You can pre-order a miniRIG starting at $52. After the miniRIG campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in August 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
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I saw this tool being advertised on Facebook this weekend and thought it looked really useful for DIYers and weekend home remodelers. It’s the Gorilla Gripper and it literally gives you a better grip on drywall and plywood panels.
The Gorilla Gripper is basically a clamp that grips the top edge of a sheet of plywood, drywall, steel, etc and provides a much easier and safer way to transport it with one hand instead of over your head carried between with two hands.
Gorilla Gripper sells a couple versions of this tool, from the heavy duty model shown above which retails for $50 – $70 on Amazon, to a glass-filled nylon polymer version that is priced at $29.95.
You can read more about the Gorilla Gripper by visiting gorillagripper.com and you can order one through their site and Amazon.
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I have a TYLT VU wireless charger on my nightstand, but I’d trade the TYLT for the Curvilux Smart Nightstand in a heartbeat because it’s not an ordinary bedside table.
It might look like a grade school desk, but the Curvilux Smart Nightstand features a locking drawer that’s controlled with your smartphone, a wireless charging area on top for Qi compatible phones, and USB ports for devices that don’t have wireless charging built-in.
The Curvilux also has a built-in Bluetooth speaker and LEDs that slowly brighten to mimic a sunrise to help you wake up more naturally in the morning.
The table also senses when you get out of bed in the middle of the night and turns on a downward shining light to help you find your way back to bed in the dark.
The Smart Nightstand is available in black or white You can read more about and order the Curvilux Smart Nightstand for $299 by visiting curvilux.com
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The MA770 speaker comes ready to play with two 4-inch kevlar woofers and a 1.5-inch titanium tweeter, with diamond-cut anodized aluminum controls—all powered by a 100 watt Class D amp. The MA770’s concrete composite dampening properties are so high that the speaker can play at full volume without causing a record to skip or a table and floor to vibrate. Bluetooth, Chromecast and an AUX input are used for connectivity. The MA770 can be used as a single unit, stereo pair or multi-room setup via built-in Chromecast.
The design of the MA770 speaker is so paramount, that it will be available soon in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) store in New York City (and other stores also) as well as directly from Master & Dynamic. If it matches the quality of Master & Dynamic’s headphones, then buyers will be in for a treat. Once available, the MA770 will sell for $1,800 US (less than the average refund amount). Visit Master & Dynamic for more information.
