kickstarter

Apple has changed course on a technical specification that recently put a third-party charging accessory out of luck.

The company today said it's now allowing its newer Lightning adapter specification to coexist with the older (yet still quite popular) 30-pin adapter in the same accessory.

"Our technical specifications provide clear guidelines for developing accessories and they are available to MFi licensees for free," Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told CNET. "We support accessories that integrate USB and Lightning connectors, but there were technical issues that prevented accessories from integrating 30-pin and Lightning connectors so our guidelines did … Read more

The technology lab behind a Kickstarter-funded project to build a portable device-charging station announced today that it will refund its crowdfunded $139,170 to donors after Apple refused to license rights to its Lightning connector.

POP, a minimalist portable power station, was billed as "the intersection of charging design" and was expected to feature four retractable cords for charging a variety of devices, including iOS and Android devices. The portable charging station featured a 26,000 mAh battery capable of charging 10 iPhones, according to Junior Edison, the company behind the effort.

In addition to its portable convenience, … Read more

Cyrcle is a bit hard to define. It's a Kickstarter project. It's an augmented-reality device. It's a creature of social media. Its maker Symplio calls it an "intelligent decorative object."

We met Cyrcle's prototype predecessor Rymble last year. The new incarnation is pretty different, though they both share a circular shape and a similar desire to bring social-media notifications into the real world. … Read more

Tablets are dandy just as they come, but sometimes you can really stand to have a keyboard at your fingertips. You can carry around something like Apple's wireless keyboard or a fat case with a keyboard built in. Or you can get behind the Nibiqu iPad keyboard project on Kickstarter.

I don't really know what Nibiqu stands for, but I do know it's mighty thin at less than a quarter inch in thickness. It doubles as a case, but the most compelling aspect is the full keyboard with keys that depress. The maker is advertising it as "the thinnest keyboard for your iPad," though it may have some competition in that department.… Read more

This is probably one of the most bizarre projects we've seen on Kickstarter: a wearable tail called "Tailly" that wags according to the wearer's emotions.

The tail, which hangs on a belt with sensors on the inside, reacts to the wearer's heart rate, wagging furiously when users are excited and swinging slowly when they calm down. We're picturing it for cosplay and costume parties, or maybe as a children's toy.

According to the Tailly Kickstarter site, one "could even wear Tailly on a date and express your true feelings through the wagging tail. Even better, your partner could also wear one... to add a level of subconscious communication between the two of you." Hey, we're not judging here. … Read more

Bike riding is already a more environmentally conscious pursuit than driving around in a car, but you can really take it to the green extreme with a bike made from 100-percent-recycled aluminum. ReCycle is working at raising funds on Kickstarter to put its first full run of bikes into production.

There are some nice design tweaks that make the ReCycle bikes stand out. The usual seat tube support is gone. Two of the models have belts rather than chains. The eco-friendly aspects go beyond the use of recycled aluminum. The bikes also have saddles and grips made from cork. … Read more

Got an idea for a new product but haven't tracked down enough serious investors yet? Why not just ask the great multitude of strangers online to front you the dough? Sounds crazy, but this notion, better known as crowdfunding, took off like a rocket in 2012.

Kickstarter, the best known of the crowdfunding platforms, has been around for more than three years now, but this was the year projects like the Pebble smart watch and Ouya game console raised millions of dollars on the platform. In fact, the growing number of multimillion-dollar crowdfunding campaigns have all happened in 2012.… Read more

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On the second episode of Crave's newly resurrected weekly show, we ain't fraid of no Mr. Ghost iPhone EMF detector. Aaron Rasmussen, the creator of the ghost-hunting app, joins us via Skype to go over some of its cool features. Plus, we check out PopSlate, an iPhone case with an e-ink display on the back. Also, play our new game "Into It/Not Into It." … Read more

PARIS -- The Internet's global reach means it's a golden age for inventors trying to bring a new product to market -- at least until Kickstarter gives you the boot.

Kickstarter is a "crowdfunding" site that lets ordinary people back inventors, creators, and others with a new idea. On September 19, two of those inventors were Apigy co-founders Cameron Robertson and Paul Gerhardt, creators of the Lockitron Net-connected door lock.

That was the day the pair finished two years of work and began the process of promoting Lockitron on Kickstarter, Robertson recounted today at the LeWeb … Read more