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Pebble Kickstarter Repeat Ethics Fundraising Venture Financial Time Core
Business, Editorial, Watches, Wearable Technology

Why Pebble’s Reliance On Kickstarter Strikes Us As Odd

May 27, 2016

Pebble Kickstarter Repeat Ethics Fundraising Venture Financial Time Core

It is great to see one of the original smartwatch makers continue to progress and release new and updated products, but its reliance on Kickstarter is starting to become odd. We understand that Pebble found tremendous success with their original watch on Kickstarter and likes to return to the platform for the benefit of the company’s supporters and fans. But if Scrubs star Zach Braff got raked over the coals by major news outlets for funding a movie via Kickstarter, why is everyone ok with an established tech company turning to the platform for a 3rd consecutive product launch. At least with last year’s Pebble Time campaign, the products were fully developed and within weeks of shipping. This time around the devices are at least 4 to 8 months away from being in customers’ hands. The whole thing rubs us the wrong way. Yeah, yeah, yeah…you are giving customers the opportunity to show their loyalty and purchase the items at a significant discount from retail, but that could have been done other ways and closer to launch. The reality of the situation likely lands someplace a bit darker and murkier. We think there are two main reasons behind Pebble’s approach.  

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by Doug Parker
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Pebble 2 Time Smartwatch Core Fitness Wearable GPS 3G Kickstarter
Watches, Wearable Technology

Pebble Turns To Kickstarter For New Watches & Wearable

May 26, 2016

Pebble 2 Time Smartwatch Core Fitness Wearable GPS 3G Kickstarter

Pebble has announce a new Kickstarter campaign that includes refreshes to almost all of the company’s product lineup and a brand new wearable device. Both the 2012 Pebble smartwatch and 2015 Pebble Time are being updated to version “2.” The biggest headline feature for both: a heart rate monitor; both the Pebble and Pebble Time now include an integrated optical heart rate sensor. The inclusion of the sensor also means an improved Health App. Similar to Google Calendar’s new Goal feature, the Pebble app will look for available pockets of time in your schedule and encourage you to work out during those breaks. The watch will also monitor your activity and customize activity goals to fit you – not too challenging but not too easy. The heart rate data is also being integrated into activity tracking (which also is tracking steps, calories, distance, and sleep) and graphs (which shows heart rate zones, average wake up times, and more with daily, weekly, and monthly breakdowns). All of this health data, including heart rate, can also be fed to Apple HealthKit or Google Fit.  

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by Doug Parker
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Elizabeth Clarke Unstainable shirt workwear sweat-proof kickstarter
Clothing

Elizabeth & Clarke Add Workwear To “Unstainable” Collection

May 4, 2016

Elizabeth Clarke Unstainable shirt workwear sweat-proof kickstarter

Last May, online clothing retailer Elizabeth & Clarke hit Kickstarter with a clever new product. Available in a handful of different shirt styles, the company created what they called the “Unstainable” shirt. The tops were constructed from a textile featuring a special blend of hydrophobic coatings and cotton / silk that allowed the fabric to be soft, breathable, and water repellent. The shirts really did feel amazing, especially the tees; you would never have guessed that the fabric had been treated.

Twelve months after the success of the “Unstainable” shirt, Elizabeth & Clarke are back on the crowd funding site with a new line of products featuring the company’s signature hydrophobic fabric. Included in the collection are a dress, blazer, skirt, and trousers, all designed to be perfect to wear at the office. This time around, they have improved their “Unstainable” fabric by adding a Sweat-Proof lining. The inner layer of the fabric used for the workwear collection is designed to pull sweat away from your body to a middle layer of fabric. The moisture then is able to evaporate while the inner and outer layers remain dry. The nano-coating used for the lining also offers odor protection, killing 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria. The end result is workwear that is vegan and sustainable, stain resistant, sweat proof, machine washable, wrinkle resistant, and odor resistant!  The pants or skirt are currently being offered for $80 and the blazer or dress for $100. And, just as Henry Ford said, “You can have any colour as long as it’s black” (though more colors might be unlocked through stretch goals). The Kickstarter campaign ends on June 3rd.  

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by Doug Parker
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ThermalTech Indiegogo Solar Powered Jacket UV Heat Outerwear
Sports, Wearable Technology

Solar Powered Jacket Promises To Keep You 20º Warmer

February 12, 2016

ThermalTech Indiegogo Solar Powered Jacket UV Heat Outerwear

With most of the east coast suffering through record low temperatures, we were excited to find a jacket promising to keep us warmer longer! When the temperature is well below zero, only giant, bulky coats have a chance of keeping you warm. Unfortunately a large coat is less than ideal as you run around NYC or hit the slopes. Currently on Indiegogo, a new jacket from ThermalTech uses solar powered fabrics to keep you toasty, while shedding the bulk. Unlike Columbia’s (impressive but recalled) electric heating jacket, ThermalTech’s process of harnessing the sun’s energy is completely passive. A UV sensitive layer of the jacket captures and retains the light energy from the sun. This energy (unsurprisingly) is transferred to the fabric as heat. The name-sake ThermalTech layer then slowly releases the heat towards the inside of the jacket, raising the temperature by as much as 20º F versus a jacket without the special fabric. Even when the sun isn’t out, the lining of the outerwear works to keep you warm by absorbing and reflecting your body heat. According to ThermalTech, the jacket is also completely breathable to help keep you from over heating, a necessity if you are planning to hit the slopes with the coat! If all of this sounds perfect for the cold weather ahead, sadly the jacket is not shipping until you need it least – August. There are three different versions of the coat available, ranging from $139 to $169 and the crowdfunding campaign has already passed its goal.  

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by Doug Parker
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JS Shoes 3D knitted printed kickstarter
Manufacturing, Shoes

World’s First Entirely 3D Knitted Shoes Launch On Kickstarter

February 11, 2016

JS Shoes 3D knitted printed kickstarter

While most of us understand the concept of 3D printing, you might be a little less familiar with 3d knitting. The ingenious technology allows you to three dimensionally create fabric items in a specialized loom. This means that an entire garment can be created at once with zero waste; it emerges from the loom as a complete garment. Not only is this amazing for the environment, it also results in more comfortable clothing, since they are seamless. From a designer’s perspective, 3D knitting means clothing can be prototyped in a fraction of the time (and cost) versus the tradition cut and sew approach. The technology isn’t new (it emerged in the 1990’s) but it is finally gaining traction thanks to reduced costs and advances in tech. In fact, one of the very first stories we covered was an open source 3D knitting machine called Open Knit.  

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by Doug Parker
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ShiftWear Classic Indiegogo custom e-paper sneaker
Shoes

ShiftWear Sneakers Use E-Paper For Changeable Designs

December 1, 2015

ShiftWear Classic Indiegogo custom e-paper sneaker

Ever wish you could customize the look of your shoes whenever you wanted? ShiftWear’s Classic promises just that. The high tech sneakers feature a wrap around, flexible e-paper screen. Using a mobile app you can create and share static and animated designs and then load them onto your shoes. The concept is pretty exciting and reminds us a lot of the Sony FES Watch and Shift Sneakers. If customizing your kicks on the go sounds appealing, ShiftWear is currently offering the footwear through an Indiegogo campaign. The low-tops require a $150 pledge, the mid-tops $250, and the high-tops $350. ShiftWear believes they will have a shipping product in Fall of 2016.  

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by Doug Parker
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Trivoly Traditional Watch Smartwatch Convert
Watches

Trivoly Promises To Turn Any Watch Into A Smartwatch

November 13, 2015

Trivoly Traditional Watch Smartwatch Convert

We realize that smartwatches aren’t for everyone. People love the look and feel of their traditional time piece and aren’t willing to switch to a destined-to-be-obsolete wearable device. This doesn’t mean that they don’t want some of the abilities of a smartwatch though. A new startup is hoping to solve this dilemma; Trivoly has created a slim disk that serves as a mini connected device. Simply pair the namesake device with its app and attach it to the bottom of your traditional watch via reusable micro suction cup tape. Whenever you receive a notification, the Trivoly will silently vibrate and two bright, multicolor LEDs will light up. You can use the app to filter which notifications are passed on to the device and customize how the wearable alerts you. Trivoly is available in two versions, the Trivoly 1 and Trivoly 2. Both devices feature fitness tracking ability but the slightly more expensive Trivoly 2 adds an optical heart rate sensor. If you are still looking for a bit more “smart functionality,” both Trivoly models hide a 4-way directional button that allows you to control music playback on your phone (and they claim your Sonos speakers) and remotely activate the shutter on your phone’s camera. Trivoly is currently doing a Kickstarter and expects to ship in February. The two models are currently priced at $99 and $129 and feature a 4 day battery life..

Trivoly is a very interesting concept and a great compromise. Despite being a bit rough around the edges, we have little doubt that it will find an audience. The concept is fantastic and the execution solid. But there is some room for improvement. Even though it is only 3mm thick, we wish it could be even thinner – on your wrist millimeters quickly add up. Also we are disappointed with the LEDs being used in the prototype; they appear to be a bit clunky and bright, like those on a squeeze-flashlight. it would be amazing to see lights utilized that are more like to those on the Misfit Shine 2 or Ringly, which are small, sharp, and bright, but don’t project their light everywhere. The first version of Trivoly looks very interesting, but we can’t wait to see what the company is able to achieve with version 2.

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by Doug Parker
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