indiegogo

Friday Poll: After Ouya, how likely are you to invest in crowdfunding?

There's always an element of gambling when it comes to crowdfunding projects. You hand over your money, sometimes on just a wing and a prayer and a prototype, and hope your reward gets delivered as promised, when promised. It doesn't always work out.

Many backers of the Ouya gaming device on Kickstarter got their Android consoles on time, before they reached retail. Some backers didn't. There are an unknown number of unhappy early adopters with no hardware in their possession and vague answers as to what happened.… Read more

Cardboard bicycle starts $2 million crowdfunding campaign

Izhar Gafni has created a bicycle out of $9 worth of cardboard that feels sturdy, rides well, and looks pretty nifty. A lot of people have wanted to know when they can get one of their own.

A new Indiegogo campaign aims to launch the unusual bike to the world.

The bike may be made of cardboard, but it can hold up to 400 pounds and is both fire and water resistant. It uses recycled cardboard, plastic, and rubber.… Read more

iPhone case? Game controller? It's both, and it's back

With game controller support headed to iOS 7 in just a few months, the lineup of third-party hardware is already starting to take shape.

The latest: the Flipside, an iPhone case that can expand out to add buttons and controls for games. It's also got solar cells that can recharge the case itself.

If this looks and sounds familiar, it's because the same product was pitched on Kickstarter in December though was halted before it could be completed. Nonetheless it raised a little more than $8,000 of its $135,000 funding goal. Things are different this time, … Read more

NanoGlass is a poor geek's stripped-down Google Glass

Now that Google Glass is in the hands of developers, it seems like everybody wants a smartphone connection on their specs. That pesky $1,500 price tag is a little annoying, though. Let's say you don't need all the fancy Glass features, like an eyeball-level display, camera, directions, search, and voice commands. If you're satisfied with just notifications, then you may soon be able to connect your smartphone to your glasses for $25.

The NanoGlass Indiegogo project from EmoPulse consists of a small Bluetooth device that attaches to the side of a pair of glasses. A fiber optic strip extends toward the front, just enough to show up in your peripheral vision.… Read more

Monitor your world with $39 Motes sensors

You're sitting in the living room. You're wondering if the Mother-in-Law's Tongue growing in a pot in the back room needs to be watered. You could get up and stick your finger in the dirt, or you could check your smartphone and see what the plant's personal sensor says.

The Motes Indiegogo project offers several different flavors of remote sensors that work with iOS devices (Android and Surface coming soon). Each sensor costs $39. That price point and the variety of sensors available has attracted plenty of interest. The Motes project has already doubled its $22,000 goal with 35 days of fundraising left.… Read more

Goji could lock down smart home security

The smart lock space is suddenly crowded with competitors, each of which want consumers to see their offering as the best way to use a mobile phone to replace the traditional door key.

But with the unveiling of its own smart lock, and an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, the San Francisco startup Goji may have staked out the most desirable position in the space.

Several companies -- including Lockitron, Kwikset and August -- have all announced various approaches to home door locks that can be accessed from a mobile phone. Common features include being able to tell remotely if the door … Read more

3D-printed Robohands help kids without fingers

People who have lost fingers can try to get robotic hands that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Or they can try to 3D-print their own hand.

That's what Richard van As did after a woodworking accident in 2011 cost him four fingers. The South African carpenter decided to build his own fingers from hardware store parts but eventually turned to 3D printing.

Using a MakerBot Replicator 2 printer, he collaborated with Ivan Owen to create a prosthetic finger after much trial and error. They've since printed hands for four South African children who lack fingers. … Read more

Anti-drowning tech detects when swimmers are in danger

According to the Center for Disease Control's most recent statistics, there are about 10 fatal drownings per day. Children age 1 through 4 have the highest drowning rates. Graham Snyder, an emergency-room physician who has dealt with his share of drowning accidents, is the co-inventor of a system that could help reduce those sad numbers.

The SEAL system consists of a necklace-type device and a monitoring hub. A swimmer wears the neck band and goes underwater. The lifeguard or parent also wears a band. After a certain amount of time without surfacing, visual and audio alarms signal on the necklace, the hub, and the lifeguard's band.… Read more

Phone out of juice? Just twirl this tube charger

If you're far from the grid and your smartphone battery is running out, you'd better have a backup if there are no other phones around. This recharger gives you power with a flick of the wrist.

Voltmaker is an award-winning, patented design and Indiegogo campaign for a USB charger that can give you emergency power by spinning the dynamo. The 6-inch, 10-ounce device can also be recharged on a standard outlet.

If your phone is dead and you're hiking in the woods, spinning Voltmaker for two minutes will generate enough power for a phone call lasting several minutes, according to the campaign. … Read more

Gawker raises $200K to buy video of Toronto mayor allegedly smoking crack

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has been having a lousy week, and it may have gotten much worse.

Gawker's "Crackstarter" campaign on Indiegogo has reached its goal of raising $200,000 to buy a drug dealer's video allegedly showing Ford smoking crack cocaine and post it online.

The gossip Web site's John Cook and journalists from The Toronto Star say they have seen footage in which Ford is smoking crack with drug dealers. … Read more