I've been trawling youtube and checking out the latest crop of inventions/products.
Overall, I'm inspired - there's a lot of passion out there and people are making things happen.
But...I can't help feeling there's fair number of products that are either "taking the piss" or really havn't been thought out (passion > common sense)? Yeah, I'm a touch cynical.
Out of the +/-50 products I've seen recently the silliest two have to be :
1. Noke padlock : Unlocks via bluetooth key on your smartphone. It needs a battery that (maybe) lasts one year. The battery drains rapidly in temperatures < 0C and from the user reviews it doesn't survive well outdoors - SA's climate would kill these things. DId I mention it's $70...the mind boggles.
2. Genican - it's a tool that monitors your trash to generate a shopping list. Umm. No. Just no. Scanning your trash? Whatever next... :?
On the bright side, there are some winners!
1. Kraftwerk power bank - uses propane to charge your usb devices. Genius! Before you dismiss this...remember load shedding. I'd spend $70 on this.
2. Education toys : Particularly ones teaching basic programming skills. mCookie caught my eye, compatible with lego, arduino based microcontroller. There's quite a few arduino based toys, really clever!
3. Modduo : The only musical win on my list so far - a stompbox that you can load plugin's onto and use live. This one I've had my eye on for a looong time. It's at Namm this year, so here's hoping I see one in my hands sometime
And the laugh has to the "Coolest" cooler box. 62k backers = > $13 Million pledged. Blew my mind. The is one idea that wouldn't have make it out the sharktank...and it's ridiculously popular. ???
Whats are your winners/loser in the indie products world?.
Overall, I'm inspired - there's a lot of passion out there and people are making things happen.
But...I can't help feeling there's fair number of products that are either "taking the piss" or really havn't been thought out (passion > common sense)? Yeah, I'm a touch cynical.
Out of the +/-50 products I've seen recently the silliest two have to be :
1. Noke padlock : Unlocks via bluetooth key on your smartphone. It needs a battery that (maybe) lasts one year. The battery drains rapidly in temperatures < 0C and from the user reviews it doesn't survive well outdoors - SA's climate would kill these things. DId I mention it's $70...the mind boggles.
2. Genican - it's a tool that monitors your trash to generate a shopping list. Umm. No. Just no. Scanning your trash? Whatever next... :?
On the bright side, there are some winners!
1. Kraftwerk power bank - uses propane to charge your usb devices. Genius! Before you dismiss this...remember load shedding. I'd spend $70 on this.
2. Education toys : Particularly ones teaching basic programming skills. mCookie caught my eye, compatible with lego, arduino based microcontroller. There's quite a few arduino based toys, really clever!
3. Modduo : The only musical win on my list so far - a stompbox that you can load plugin's onto and use live. This one I've had my eye on for a looong time. It's at Namm this year, so here's hoping I see one in my hands sometime
And the laugh has to the "Coolest" cooler box. 62k backers = > $13 Million pledged. Blew my mind. The is one idea that wouldn't have make it out the sharktank...and it's ridiculously popular. ???
Whats are your winners/loser in the indie products world?.
