Credit Card-Sized Cell Phones and the Best Kickstarters This Week
What’s that little guy? The weekend is here?
Pulse Play
Price:$75
Status: $55,792 of $75,000 goal
Estimated delivery: September 2015
This sports wearable solves the one problem most racket players struggle with most: monitoring the score. Former tennis player and three-time Grand Slam Champion Andy Ram serves up a solution to keep your inner John McEnroe in check. The Pulse Play delivers real-time scorekeeping and live score announcements to your wrist. To welcome a little competition, it even connects players with new opponents in their area via smartphone app.
HYDAWAY Pocket-Sized Water Bottle
Price: $30
Status: $186,769 of $20,000 goal - FUNDED
Estimated Delivery: August 2015
Collapsible water bottles are nothing new. What makes this one stand out from the crowd is its ability to compact into a flat disc that fits right in your pocket. The Hydaway has engineered hinges across its surfaces that allow the bottle to cave in, while storing anywhere between 12 to 21 fluid ounces depending on the model. Think we just found our new gym companion.
Fibonacci Open Source Clock
Price:$100-$115
Status: $95,264 of $4,127 goal - FUNDED
Estimated Delivery: September 2015
Built for the stylish geek, this flashy hardware project is an actual modular clock that tells time through the use of five colorful squares powered by LEDs. Each one is tasked with displaying the hours and minutes of the day, though it requires you to flex some of those math muscles to make out the time. Adding to its luminous presence is a "lava lamp mode." Intriguing.
Restrap Link Magnetic Belt
Price: $36
Status: $40,302 of $11,504 goal - FUNDED
Estimated Delivery: July 2015
For the average man, the belt is more than just a fashion accessory. It’s the anchor to his wardrobe. Here we have a unique design with a magnetic ladderlock buckle so wearers can adjust and take it off with just one hand. The durable elastic webbing makes the Link a comfortable fit for physical activities too. Available colors include black and tan leather.
The Light Phone
Price:$100
Status: $22,008 of $200,000 goal
Estimated Delivery: May 2016
Studies suggest that smartphones kill your productivity. Industry vet Kaiwei Tang teamed up with artist-designer Joe Hollier to create a device that eschews with the digital distractions of an iPhone and does “as little as possible.” The Light Phone takes us back several mobile generations by limiting users to just making and receiving calls, all of which are forwarded directly from their current handset. Oh yeah, it’s also the size of a credit card, gets 20 days of battery life, and works as a pre-paid unlock cellphone. The dumb phone lives!
Alex Bracetti is a contributor to Supercompressor, Complex, HOOP, Man of Many, and several other popular lifestyle outlets. Follow him on Twitter @AlexBracetti.