Kickstarter. Hybrids

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– What happens if you cross a hedgehog and a snake?
– One and a half meters of barbed wire.

Old anecdote

Sgnl. We talk on the finger

Bone conduction headsets have been on the market for a long time. At one time, MR even had a couple of reviews of similar devices. Theoretically, their main plus is the ability to listen to music or talk on the phone without covering your ears. In practice, they are bought rather as a funny and very unusual toy that can entertain the owner and impress others.

Kickstarter.  Hybrids AfterShokz Bluez2 wireless headset review

The Sgnl creators went even further and abandoned the headset as such. Instead, users are encouraged to talk on their finger, which will transmit sound.

The device itself is a strap that fits both classic and smartwatches. Those who do not like watches too much can wear Sgnl separately, as a bracelet. There are no wires, headphones, plugs and other things here, so you can take a call with just one movement by pressing the call accept button and bringing your finger to your ear. For the privacy of the conversation, you can also not be afraid – the interlocutor will be heard only by you. The main thing is to speak louder yourself. External noise also does not hurt, because with the same finger you can and should plug your ear.

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As a bonus – a standard set of fitness functions and vibration when new messages and calls arrive on the smartphone.

Project page on Kickstarter

Welt. Keeping track of steps and waist

The main disadvantage of most fitness bracelets is the need to constantly wear them on the arm. Not everyone likes it. Someone is accustomed to his watch and does not want to change it to something else or wear a bracelet in parallel with it. Someone generally cannot afford to wear anything on their wrist because of too irritable skin. In addition, such a bracelet considers the steps with flaws and no, no, and it will react to the movement of the hand.

You can use pedometers-clips for these purposes, which cling to the strap of a bag or a pocket of trousers, you can look for pendant devices or bracelets with alternative fastening methods like the first mi bands, you can try to find smart straps like the same Sgnl. And you can also look in the direction of the Welt smart belt, with which former employees of one of Samsung laboratories went to Kickstarter.

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Among the main features are counting steps and time spent sitting, as well as measuring waist. But the main beauty of the Welt is that you no longer have to carry any additional device to monitor activity. And even more so – to recharge it every day, like many smart watches. The belt itself will be enough, which lives on one battery charge for about twenty days.

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The Welt will be available in several colors and will have both mens and womens models.

Project page on Kickstarter

Ubivade. The belt will bring to Kiev

But the Ubivade developers think that using a belt as a regular fitness tracker is boring and corny. Their variant of the smart belt is part of the navigation system and not only allows you to turn off voice prompts on the navigator, but also eliminates the need to check the map or constantly stare at the screen.

Ubivade has as many as 18 vibration motors that tell you which way to turn or at which stop to get off. Everything works as simply as possible, without unnecessary buttons, switches and indicators.

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Italian designers are responsible for the appearance of the belt; they have already prepared several different models and colors.

Project page on Kickstarter

Dapper. A wallet for all occasions

The belt is far from the only accessory that can be turned into a hybrid of something with something. The wallet is no worse for this, and the Dapper developers offer to cross it not with anything, but with a Swiss knife.

The message here is very simple – unlike any special tools like Swiss knives or a multitool, a wallet with money is always at hand. And if so, what prevents him from adding a dozen additional functions, in parallel, having worked properly on the design?

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Leather, metal, all sorts of retractable parts and sharp edges shining in the sun – Dapper looks, though unusual, but really interesting. How much all this will be needed in practice is a separate question, but in fact, the Swiss knife is rarely used as a fork, ruler and nail file.

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As part of weekend articles on MR, reviews of branded wallets and wallets were sometimes posted. And commentators traditionally asked what is the point of overpaying for the most ordinary wallet, because by and large there is no difference between all of them. Well, Charlie Carroll has convincingly proved that sometimes there really is a difference. But how convinced is it that it is worth overpaying for it?

Project page on Kickstarter

Glance Clock. Big and smart

You won't surprise anyone with a smart watch these days, but usually by this phrase we mean a wristwatch, not a wall clock.

The creators of Glance Clock believe that smart functions are even more necessary for wall clocks. And since the clock still hangs on the wall, it should show not only the current time, but also the weather forecast, scheduled events, missed SMS and other necessary things.

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In theory, I completely agree with them. But as with any other smartwatch, everything here depends on the design of the device, its cost and the technical implementation of all these 'features'. Although the developers have some chances – the requirements for wall clocks are much less than for wrist clocks, and it should be much more convenient to read information from a large screen.

Indiegogo project page

Bearbot . Wagon bear

What could be more boring than a banal universal remote control? Even if we forget about the existence of smartphones with an infrared port, it will not be difficult to buy such a thing cheap and without Kickstarter. Another thing is that the convenience turns out to be relative – it is almost impossible to program the buttons so that it would be convenient to simultaneously control the TV, DVD-player, music center and air conditioner. And than later to remember what and where assigned, it is easier to reach out for the desired remote control.

But with Bearbot, the situation is different. Although it is universal, it is not at all trivial. And not really a remote control.

The device looks like a figurine of an animal with an animated face. Judging by the name and color, it is a bear, but judging by its shape, it is more of a penguin. The equipment is controlled using gestures: a swipe to the side switches a track or channel, a circular motion with a finger adjusts the volume, a wave of a brush changes the active device, and so on. Moreover, a combination of several buttons can be assigned to one movement at once (for example, turn on the TV, switch to another source, and then turn on the player). The execution of each command is accompanied by a simple animation – the bear twists its face, yawns with boredom, or begins to fall asleep when the battery is running low. Among the interfaces of the device, it is worth noting the presence of IrDA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There is support for wireless charging.

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In general – nothing fundamentally new, but it was done not only conveniently, but also very funny. And I'm sure the charismatic Bearbot will be appreciated by more people than a bulky universal remote with a bunch of buttons.

Indiegogo project page

Muzo. Magic jammer

Muzo is a quirky hybrid of active noise canceling headphones and a portable speaker. Its creators claim that it is able to neutralize any noise by generating special sound waves in contrast to it. Judging by the video in front of us is practically the eighth wonder of the world, capable of selectively drowning out either human speech or background noises. Moreover, in two directions at once, creating a 'bubble of silence' in which you can calmly talk on the phone without fear of being heard by others.

The technical part of the device raises only one small question. What exactly is inside, unicorn hair or is it a phoenix feather?

Indiegogo project page

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