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A Durable, Tangle-free Wood & Leather Lightning Cable? Yes.

By on June 23, 2015 in cable management, kickstarter, leather, refined wood
Reversible USB, people. Reversible! Oh - and wood + leather cool.

Reversible USB, people. Reversible! Oh – and wood + leather cool.

German designer, Karol Baginski, has come up with a design and materials that solves the problem all geeks with iPhones have – those crappy (but still pricey!) Lightning cables that fray, get filthy and get all tangled. Yes, it’s a first world problem – but hurray! We’re in the first world, so here’s a win-win Kickstarter campaign that solves our tech boo-boos.

Don’t be fooled by the tiny cord in the image to the right – they make a longer version as well – and here’s the kicker – this cord is reversible. For realz. Reversible USB cables are new, pricey and hard to find – but you get the full package with The Woodie – the wood and braided leather cord available in Lightning and MicroUSB configurations. Their Kickstarter campaign ends in about 2 weeks and there are still some early bird (or as Baginski refers to it – early woodpecker) deals left to be grabbed before they’re gone.

You can follow the designer on Facebook.

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Low Tech Finished Wood Meets High Tech Insides to Make the World’s Most Charming Toy

By on June 16, 2015 in blinking lights, bluetooth, refined wood, toys

Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 8.27.48 PMIf you have read my blog long enough, you know I love tech. I love finished, polished, machined and handcrafted gizmos of all sorts and I dig blinking lights – and you probably do, too. 🙂

German designer Matas Petrikas has blended all these things into a super charming toy for kids and is presenting this figurine of sorts in a Kickstarter campaign. It’s not a doll, it’s not an action figure. It’s like a totem of sorts, beautifully crafted like wooden toys 60-70 years ago were built, and with innocent tech inside.

Unlike smart phones that blast 60 cycles per second of flickering light to a kid’s eyes and get them more engaged in machines than in people, the Avakai is something your child clutches like a beloved keepsake.

The technology inside Avakai allows it to sense proximity, touch and movement. It reacts to sounds and gives haptic avaphonefeedback. The Avakai works best in pairs, but a single figurine can communicate and play with a mobile device that has the mobile app installed.

This Kickstarter campaign ends in less than 3 weeks and as of this writing, there are still some early bird options left for early backers.

These charming figures are intoxicating in their simplicity and charming sounds and interactions.

This wooden figure can tell the difference between a hug, a gentle stroke or a tap. This intelligent toy can be programmed for different reactions via the app and parents are in control of who and when the Avakai can communicate with another child’s Avakai.

You can follow Matas Petrikas’s company, Vai-Kai, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and their website.

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