We’re big fans of Kickstarter here on The Next Web. In fact, we’ve covered tons of project searching for funding in the past, including SkyLight and The Prop . Kickstarter’s success is a true testiment to the widespread talent that exists throughout the world, and it democratizes the entire invention process by letting consumers decide what is worth hitting the market.
While the site is filled with projects ranging from Typefaces and films to books and board games, I find most of my favorites end up being gadgets. And in that spirit, here’s a roundup of the best new, innovative tech projects on Kickstarter!
The Quad Lock is an iPhone Case Mounting System created by Rob Ward & Chris Peters. It is literally one of the best project I have ever seen (so far) on Kickstarter. The Quad Lock gets big points for simplicity, ease of use and highly thought out mounting options that work on everything from mirrors and walls to bikes and you car dashboard.
Printrbot , by Brook Drumm, is your first 3D Printer. It’s “a 3D printer kit that anyone can build.” And since it’s starting at $200, an impressively low price, you can own your own. The best part: one Printrbot can build another; it’s a self replicating machine. They currently need funds to scale production, so give the project a look if you’ve ever wished you had a 3D printer or lazer cutter of your own.
Stephen Kitto’s magnetic top water bottle is so mind-numbingly simple, it’s hard to believe it doesn’t already exist. The magnetic lid means you’ll never end up losing it. His plan is to build a water bottle that will last a lifetime, and the magnetic top is a practical, yet novel piece of that puzzle.
Yes, there are more styli for tablets than I could possibly count, but Styló grabs my attention because it has an unusually styled tip (it isn’t modeled after a pen) and it’s magnetic, which lets the stylus stick to your iPad over a smart cover. Designer Nikola Zistakis states:
Ferrite is an interactive liquid sculpture created by David Markus. David explains the wonders of ferrofluid, and extraordinary material that reacts to magnets in a beautiful way.
Tristan McGann & Stephanie Day need help building Their ArtSpot app , which they hope will become “the largest searchable, location-based database of art in the world…a global art gallery!” The app will allow anyone to find art nearby via map of user submitted “Artspots.”
QuNeo , by Keith McMillen, is one of the coolest Midi controllers I’ve ever seen. It packs 27 pressure, velocity, and location sensitive pads, sliders and rotary sensors — in other words, it would make every electronic musician’s mouth water.
There are tons more projects worth checking out, and the best way to find them is by searching through Kickstarter . You can also discover projects through curated pages by the likes of Youtube , Sundance and GOOD .
Did we miss a project that caught your eye? Are you working on a Kickstarter project of your own? Let us know in the comments!
Samsung’s Australian Galaxy Tab launch delayed until late September
Samsung has announced it will delay the Australian launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet until late September, waiting until a court verdict is reached on claims that the Korean vendor had copied the design and packaging of Apple’s iPhone and iPad products.
With an injunction placed upon sales of three Samsung smartphones in some European countries and a similar ruling made in Germany, banning the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung has said it will delay the launch of its tablet device pending a decision in late September, lodging a cross claim through the Australian court in the next few days.
Samsung’s statement detailed its actions:
The Australian launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was delayed earlier in the month following an agreement between Apple and Samsung, with sales expected to begin in the following weeks.
Samsung has been involved in legal battles in the USA, Europe and South Korea, as well as Australia, with Apple claiming that the Korean manufacturer has infringed its wireless patents.
HTC’s 10.1-inch 4G Jetstream tablet official, launching with AT&T on September 6
HTC has finally announced its latest 10-inch tablet, the HTC Jetstream, a new 10.1-inch Android Honeycomb tablet that will launch exclusively with AT&T on September 6.
The tablet is the first tablet to run Android 3.1, Google’s latest version of the tablet-specific Honeycomb firmware, after Google stopped the release of the previous version due to code issues and an admission it wasn’t ready to market. That aside, the device features a 10.1″ WXGA high-resolution display, dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon processor and an 8MP rear-facing camera and 1.3MP front-facing snapper.
HTC has also made available its HTC Sense user interface, which is likely to have received a fresh update to play nicely with Google’s latest Honeycomb release.
On September 4, the tablet will be available exclusively to AT&T customers online and in company-owned retail stores – two days before general release – for $699.99 with a new two-year contract.
For a limited time will also be able to claim a free HTC Scribe digital pen accessory.