Kickstarter

Over the past few years, Kickstarter has become a force to be reckoned with. Some of the coolest and weirdest gadgets I saw at this year's CES didn't come from big corporations or even small ones -- they came from independent inventors who found funding and encouragement through Kickstarter.

Which isn't to say that every Kickstarter project is a hit. The site is also a graveyard of hackneyed ideas, indie records, and films that no one wants to see. But when a Kickstarter campaign hits the right nerve, it's an exhilarating flip of the supply-and-demand model … Read more

So you've got the LED-lit Tron basketball court. Now you need an electronic ball.

94Fifty is a sensor-laden ball that's designed to give you feedback on your court athletics. It has wireless links to your iOS or Android smartphone and a Qi charging pad.

Part of a Kickstarter campaign by InfoMotion Sports Technologies, 94Fifty is a regulation-size ball that gathers data on everything from dribbling to shot arcs, backspin, and speed. … Read more

In journalism, there's a phrase you'll often hear that refers to the paragraph toward the beginning of a story that sums it all up in a nutshell. We call it the "nut graph," and as you're about to read, it's a term that's never been more appropriate than in the case of Joshua Shoemake's current project on Kickstarter.

Shoemake is looking to crowdfund $20,000 for the first production run of Snowballs, a specially designed pair of men's underwear loaded with ice packs that cool down the scrotum and testes in hopes of increasing sperm count and mobility (and ergo, fertility)… Read more

You've played that "no phones at dinner" game and lost. You can't bear ignoring your messages. Well, this bit of bling could be your new best friend.

LinkMe is a digital bracelet that displays the messages, Facebook updates, and tweets that you need most.

Billed as a world first on its Kickstarter page, LinkMe will "display the messages and alerts you choose, making your entire social life available to you with just a glance at your wrist." … Read more

Some tasks are better left up to computers, like playing "Jeopardy," calculating pi, and mixing cocktails. Wait ... mixing cocktails? If you don't think a computer can whip up a compelling cocktail, then you haven't met Bartendro.

A creation of the awesomely named company Party Robotics, Bartendro is a robot mixologist crafted from peristaltic pumps, Raspberry Pi, custom electronic dispenser boards, and food-grade tubing. It may simultaneously be the least-necessary and most-desirable robot in the world.

… Read more

Your phone isn't always handy. It's tucked away in a purse, on a table in another room, or lost in the depths of your messenger bag slung across your back as you're biking. When it goes off, you can rush to find it, or you could get an Embrace+ smart bracelet and get an alert right on your wrist.

The notifications can be customized for incoming calls, app alerts, and messages. For example, your boyfriend could flash green and your mother could flash red. A calendar alert could flash yellow. You wouldn't even need to hear your phone to know who's calling. You can also set it for low-battery alerts, alarms, and social-media notifications.… Read more

Oh yea. Ouya is on its way to the Android open-source gaming console's original Kickstarter backers.

Developer kits went out to hackers and programmers a few months ago, and now the rest of Ouya's tens of thousands of crowdfunders who are primarily interested in getting their game on get their turn. The startup says it will begin shipping consoles to those folks on March 28. … Read more

Portable generators just got a lot more fun with the introduction of the Soccket, an energy-harnessing soccer ball raising funds on Kickstarter. Kick the ball around, play, and have a good time. When you're done, connect an LED lamp into a port built into the ball, and light up your night.

Playing with the Soccket for 30 minutes can power an LED lamp for 3 hours. For those of us fortunate enough to have reliable electrical grids, the Soccket isn't the most necessary object in the world. For people in developing countries without many lighting options, however, it could be a fun and functional option for providing light for working or doing homework in the evening.… Read more

Driving and smartphones don't mix well. While you can get a lot done using voice commands with Siri on your iPhone, you still have to activate her. If you're driving, that can take valuable seconds away from paying attention to the road. The AirDock Kickstarter project is looking to make Siri air-activated rather than fingertip-activated.

AirDock is described as "in-car, eyeless Siri." That means you don't have to take your gaze off the road to use it. The prototype version of the AirDock involves a suction-mount dock you put your iPhone into. A plastic tube with a squeeze bulb on the end sticks out from it. Squeeze the air bulb to push the home button, turn on the phone, and activate Siri.… Read more