Recently my cousin asked me what Kickstarter was. After explaining that it's a crowdfunding website, I decided to list the projects I helped crowdfund and review those products.
I had already bought the Pebble watch back in 2014 after much comparison shopping on the internet. I went with the Pebble because it was simple and the battery charge lasted much longer than any other smartwatch available at that time. The Pebble watch had been a Kickstarter project, but I had not yet joined Kickstarter. To my surprise, Pebble Technology went back to Kickstarter to start a new project: The Pebble Time and the Pebble Time Steel. I jumped on their new offering as quickly as possible, opting for the sophisticated looking, as well as the color e-ink display, Pebble Time Steel with a metal strap.
To this day, it is the watch that I wear every day. It's connected to my cell phone so I get notified if I'm getting an incoming call, a new Facebook or Twitter post that I'm following, or an incoming text. It also has the usual alarm and timer associated with watch functions. With my cell phone and Pebble Time Steel being connected, I can also advance a track or increase the volume of any music I'm listening to on my cell phone.
There are many watch faces available for the Pebble watches. You can choose one of many to reflect your current mood.
You can no longer, unfortunately, buy Pebble watches from the company as Pebble was sold to Fitbit much to the chagrin of many Pebble fan. However, you can still buy Pebble watches at various electronic stores or online at Amazon or eBay.
Billed as a "smart wallet", I was intrigued by having a wallet warn me if it gets left behind. There have been times, not often, when I would forget my wallet; so I wanted to make sure that would never happen again. Ever.
When I finally got the finished product and paired the Bluetooth device that slipped into the wallet, it worked. However, it wasn't that slim; and, honestly, the alarm was annoying each time I walked away from the wallet within my own apartment. It was so annoying that I finally took out the Bluetooth device from the wallet and just used the wallet as an actual wallet.
Eventually, I abandoned the Woolet for a real minimalist wallet.
This was a great idea. When I did get the Podo, I tried it out a few times to see if it works. It did, nonetheless, I did not use it. I didn't even bring it along with me to a month-long trip to New Zealand and Australia. Taking a selfie with my cell phone was still easier than using a Podo. I do, however, intend on using it more just to give it a fair break. I have an upcoming trip to go back to Paris so I will use it then.
This charging dock for the Pebble watch was, and continues to be, useful. I keep it by my bedside table, and my watch gets charged every evening. The charger is rather hefty in weight so the build is quality.
The Rackless was the first Kickstarter product that I received. It was beautifully packaged and the owner of the company was so gracious--he admitted to sending out extra racks but rather than having people return them, he told people to keep them.
Up your wrist game - men's bracelet (by David Lefebvre)
This project exemplifies tenacity. After the project got funded, David Lefebvre ran into so many obstacles (e.g. devaluation of the Canadian dollar, lack of support from Chinese suppliers). Despite the setbacks, David Lefebvre was determined to get these bracelets made for the backers. Mind you, he was losing money: he was not making a profit at all. When I finally received the finished product, it instantly became a symbol of perseverance. This man did not give up despite operating on a negative profit. He delivered his project to his backers. I believe he is Kickstarter's unsung hero.
When I saw this project, I was living in Montréal at the time. This is definitely an urban bag. It was perfect for holding what I needed for the office. I also used this bag as my second carry-on when I travel. It is very useful as well as stylish. It also came with a Wolyt sleeve slim wallet which I used when my partner and I traveled--I just carried the bare essentials in that wallet.
As I have mentioned my partner and I travel, and with traveling comes writing out those little address tags. I can write small, but I finally got frustrated with trying to keep all my information neat and complete in that little space. Along comes Tagonce. It's a plastic luggage tag with a QR code on it linked to your information. If your luggage becomes lost, anyone can scan the QR code with their cell phone and your contact information appears without the person needing the same app (Tagonce app). Furthermore, you can log your contact information about the hotel or place where you will be lodged during your trip.
There is an app for your phone, but there is also a website where you can access your information which syncs with the application.
Since I do travel, I thought this travel jacket would come in handy. My first trip with Baubax was to Barcelona. It was fine on the plane. The travel pillow, however, kept deflating. It's a nice, light jacket, and it's even water resistant in light rain. I found that I could also fold it up into a ball and hook it up to my KP Sling (following item). This feature is rather convenient when you've been walking all day and realize you're a bit hot from the exercise. The next trip I took the jacket on was to New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific. Granted, I really didn't need it, but it was the only jacket I brought with me. It came in handy as we cruised in and out of Milford Sound in New Zealand before heading off to Australia.
This was when I wondered if I had a bag fetish since I already backed the Urban Pack. The KP Sling, however, was smaller, somewhat minimalist. It has theft-deterrent zippers and a hidden pocket. The material is also water-resistant. This "everyday adventure bag" is actually the bag I use every day. I have my house keys and wallet in it all the time. I keep my cell phone in the side pocket. This is the bag I bring with me when I travel. It comes in different colours as well as in camouflage.
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I bought this Bluetooth-tracking device as a present for a friend. While it does track using Bluetooth, I think the idea for this is best in an urban environment where other DOTT users can cross-verify with other DOTT users. My friend did use the device when his dog ran away (hunting down a squirrel). He tried using the device, but he couldn't get it to work. I think it only showed the last location.
I use this as my luggage/carry-on. The only beef I have about this luggage is that some of the compartments or pockets are stitched closed where the zipper; in other words, the space doesn't continue on the other side of that zipper. There is plenty of space in the main compartment. There is also another space just for a pair of shoes. In the back, there is a handy compartment for a laptop. This bag does convert to a backpack as well. There is a bonus item of a foldable-shelf. This is the luggage that I use when I travel. It's a carry-on so I save time by skipping out at the baggage claim.
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For Pebble Technology's third go around, they offered three new projects. I naturally jumped on the Pebble bandwagon because of the Pebble watch I already own is a wonderful and useful smartwatch. Much to their backers' surprise, the company was bought out by FitBit in mid-production of their third project. Backers of all three new devices were only given the Pebble 2. The Time 2 and the 3G wearable, Pebble Core, were not produced. I was really looking forward to the larger screen on the Time 2, alas I never received it. I received my money back for the items that were not manufactured.
As I have already mentioned, I backed the Woolet and I have been using it as my wallet without the Bluetooth device. The Woolet, however, was not that slim and it wasn't that minimalist like the wallet I use when I travel--that wallet came with the Urban Pack. And speaking of the Urban Pack, the same company produced the Flip Wolyt so this minimalist wallet is an improvement of the wallet that came with the Urban Pack. The Flip Wolyt IS the minimalist wallet I was looking for for my everyday wallet. As an added bonus, it also has RFID protection built in the wallet.
I've read about cold brew coffee. While in Sydney, I found a café that offered it. It was good; so, when I saw the Arctic, I had to buy it. The Arctic is easy to use, and the resulting coffee tastes wonderful both cold as well as hot.
SpinTool: Fidget Spinner + EDC Multi-tool (by SpinTool)
I'll be honest, I hopped on the spinner craze with this project. It works, but it currently is in my bag just sitting there.
This particular project was a wonderful surprise. In the form of a cassette, this MP3 player is Bluetooth enabled. It can also be played on an actual cassette player. It took time to understand how the controls worked, but now I'm used to it due to repeated use. I paired this with wireless earbuds and use it at the gym when I run on the treadmill. The Mixxtape also accommodates micro SD cards. It came with an 8gb card.
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