3+ mon, 2+ day ago (419+ words) A new innovation is aiming to redefine earbuds " not just in function but in form. Meet The PIN, a pair of wireless buds handcrafted from real wood and packed with AI-powered features including real-time translation, virtual assistants and a sleep aid. These sustainable buds are also affordable, starting at US$134. And it's no surprise they've been a hit with Kickstarter backers " the campaign was fully funded within two hours, and after a week had nearly 500 pledges. The PIN is the work of Sudeshna Naik, a UC Berkeley Development Engineering graduate who studied sustainable product development. "At Berkeley, I learned a hard truth: Why so many sustainable products fail," Naik said. "The lesson was clear: If people feel they're compromising on performance, they won't choose sustainability. The PIN was designed to change that." The earbuds are built with housings made from…...

3+ mon, 1+ week ago (463+ words) I can't imagine my desktop setup without a second screen. It's made researching and writing a whole lot easier, particularly when I'm looking at multiple browser tabs, videos, and a note-taking app all at once. The new KeyGo might be a good way to recreate that configuration when I'm away from my home office. It's a portable keyboard with a fold-out display that connects to your computer, phone, or tablet, and acts as a secondary screen to extend your workspace. The display also happens to be a touchscreen, so you can scroll through documents and code, swipe through videos, and scrub through media project timelines conveniently. If I were to travel with the KeyGo to get some writing done, I'd have my browser open on my laptop screen, and my notes zoomed in on the touchscreen closer to me. I…...

2+ mon, 6+ day ago (465+ words) Lava Music caused a glitch in the Matrix a few years back with an oddball carbon-fiber acoustic guitar rocking built-in digital effects. Now the company is looking to reshape the amplification landscape with "the world's most advanced amp." It kind of combines a desktop guitar amp with digital modelers and multiFX units, along with an interactive learning platform, a recording studio, looper and jam box, and a whole lot more. We have seen similar before from the likes of Orange and Positive Grid, but this one can work all on its own " without you needing to plug in peripherals or squint at your smartphone. Out of the box, the system boasts more than 30 amp models courtesy of the company's own lavaAI neural brains ""each trained using advanced algorithms that replicate the tonal nuances of iconic vintage and modern amplifiers, cabinets,…...

5+ mon, 2+ week ago (529+ words) Back in 2018, Elecrow hit Kickstarter with an electronics learning lab-in-a-box based around the Raspberry Pi. A 2nd generation crammed the lab into a laptop form factor. The CrowPi 3 "playground for programming, electronics, and pure maker magic" goes all-in-one. The CrowPi 3 launches as an all-in-one portable electronics and programming lab with dozens of modules to fuel your tinkering journey, and over 180 interactive lessons to help you on your way. It boasts direct support for the Raspberry Pi 5 and other small boards such as Arduino Nano, Pi Pico and micro:bit " meaning you won't need to break out cables like you did for the CrowPi 2. Elecrow has built in 41 modules too, including sensors (ultrasonic, touch, passive IR, temperature, humidity), a breadboard for circuit experiments, GPIO headers, a 4.3-inch tilting touchscreen plus a dot-matrix LCD panel, RGB LED matrix, RFID, and more. There's a…...

10+ mon, 2+ week ago (435+ words) Vacuum sealing your food is a great way to store fresh ingredients as well as prepared meals " but maybe you don't want to deal with plastic bags every time. Fresiio's vacuum sealer pulls off the same trick, but with reusable lunchboxes. Currently crowdfunding via a Kickstarter campaign, the Fresiio features a 9-inch square base " about the size of a kitchen weighing scale " that supports compatible lunchboxes and food containers. Simply drop one of those into place on the base with anything you'd like to preserve " like fruits, vegetables, or meal prep servings " and tap a button. The base will quickly extract air inside the container to lock in freshness, and stop automatically when it's done. That's all there is to it. You can then store your vacuum-sealed food in the fridge, where it'll last longer and stay fresher than usual,…...

8+ mon, 3+ day ago (437+ words) [If scrolling through TikTok and Instagram Reels is your jam, the Ring Mouse will let you scroll away to your heart]We've seen a bunch of wacky mouse-on-a-ring ideas over the years, including this big boy from 2011, and this one that uses a built-in camera to turn your entire desk into a trackpad. A new device that's currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter takes a more straightforward approach, and it looks like something you might actually use.Continue ReadingCategory: Wearables, Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Mouse, Wireless, Kickstarter, Control We've seen a bunch of wacky mouse-on-a-ring ideas over the years, including this big boy from 2011, and this one that uses a built-in camera to turn your entire desk into a trackpad. A new device that's currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter takes a more straightforward approach, and it looks like something you might actually use. Simply…...

5+ mon, 3+ week ago (451+ words) It was just last year that we heard about the Atmos inflatable hammock, which was claimed to keep users warm at night without adding to the bulk and weight they have to carry. Well, as promised it would be at the time, the Atmos is now the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. Editor's note: Readers often ask us for follow-ups on memorable stories. What has happened to this story over the years? This article was originally published in 2024 but has been re-edited and updated with new information current as of June, 2025. Enjoy! When someone is sleeping in an unadorned conventional hammock, a thin layer of fabric is all that separates the underside of their sleeping bag from the chilly night air. This problem can be addressed by placing an insulated sleeping pad beneath the sleeping bag, or by attaching an…...

3+ mon, 1+ week ago (461+ words) A startup dipped its toe into crowdfunding waters more than a decade ago, to fund a quirky compact MIDI guitar for tunes while you travel. The idea grew into S-type hybrids a few years back, and now Zivix is back with its "most accessible MIDI guitar yet." The Jamstik Core reportedly sports the same kind of MIDI technology found in its higher-end S-type instruments, but comes in a stripped back plug-and-play format. "We've taken everything musicians love about our higher-end MIDI guitars and streamlined it into a sleek, plug-and-play package," said the company's Jonathan Keller. "The Jamstik Core offers a level of tracking precision and software integration that simply hasn't been available in this price range until now." The Core can be used like a regular 22-fret electric guitar, and features a single humbucker with volume control that outputs through…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago (446+ words) Perhaps the best part of building your first camper trailer nearly 50 years on from your initial work in 4x4 and camping components is having a deep, deep well of parts from which to draw. In fact, the Earth Camper could serve as a pure SEMA project for ARB, showcasing many of the competition-besting mechanical and outdoor lifestyle components it's long sold a la carte. Bridging the gap between that frame and the 31-in Maxxis Razr all-terrain tire-wrapped ARB 16-in alloy wheels is an ARB-developed independent suspension system with extra-long trailing arms and Old Man Emu Nitrocharger shocks. ARB says the stretched 35-in (90-cm) trailing arms allow it to set the shock vertically, increasing wheel travel and overall ride smoothness. We prefer the original big L kitchen space with its massive dedicated work space and triple-burner stove, but the American-spec slider galley still…...

9+ mon, 1+ week ago (589+ words) Mobile tech company Oukitel made a splash at CES last month with what's claimed to be the first 33,000-mAh rugged smartphone with a built-in projector. Now the WP100 Titan adventure toolkit has launched on Kickstarter. There's no escaping the fact that the WP100 Titan is one chunky monkey " measuring 178.3 x 84.3 x 35.6 mm (7 x 3.3 x 1.4 in) and tipping the scales at a hefty 876.6 g (1.9 lb). But considering what's been packed into the rugged smartphone, perhaps all this can be forgiven. Literally leading the charge here is that monstrous battery, which is reported to offer more than 6 months on standby, up to 289 hours of call time or 49 hours of video playback on the 6.8-inch display. Oukitel reckons that its capacious energy cells can be fully topped up in around 4.5 hours. The handset can also serve as a portable powerbank for other gadgetry courtesy of…...