Many aspects of computing have changed, but the laptop charger has remained sadly stable over the years; no matter what, we never seem to be able to ditch the lumpy power brick, that mid-cable eyesore that takes up tons of space in your bag and presents a ready hazard for stepping on. MIT project turned startup FINsix wants to change all that, and you can help them by reserving your own Dart… Read More
Portable printers are nothing new, but they’re usually as wide as A4 sheets. Because obviously they have to accommodate paper right? ZUta Labs looked at the problem differently. The most important part of a printer is the part that prints, i.e. the print head. So they took that part out of a traditional printer and made it fit on your paper instead of the other way around.
ZUta Labs’ PocketPrinter is a small robot that’s meant to go on top of the paper you want to print on. It uses omnidirectional wheels to navigate on paper, a small ink cartridge and a battery that lasts up to one hour per charge. You can send a file to be printed from your desktop computer, but Zuta Labs is also working on mobile apps so that you can wirelessly queue files from your mobile devices.
There are significant tradeoffs to its size though. The PocketPrinter’s pace is a glacial 1.2 pages per minute. Also, the lone ink cartridge means you can only print in grayscale. ZUta Labs is planning to make a full color model in the future.
Command-P a browser window and pledge at least $180 (USD) on Kickstarter by May 10 to get a PocketPrinter as a reward.
Kickstarter is full of success stories, if you know where to look, and honored in its hallowed halls is the Tubecore Duo, a sleek speaker for audiophiles that has recently … Continue reading
About a few days ago we reported on the Micro 3D printer that begun as a Kickstarter project. The project, according to its creators, managed to hit its original goal in about 11 minutes and if you thought that was impressive, the folks behind the printer have recently posted another update on the project where they are reporting that the Kickstarter project has since managed to hit the $2 million mark in 3 days!
We have to admit that this is extremely impressive and for those who are interested in getting their hands on the printers, you are still able to back the project which will nab you the device once the project has ended and production begins. However with so many orders, there is a chance that your order could be delayed.
However the folk behind the project have stated that with more money coming in, it allows them to hire more staff, which in turn could help make the process a lot smoother which hopefully will not result in any unnecessary delays. They aren’t making any promises but it seems that they are doing everything that they can to make sure this will not happen.
For those unfamiliar with the Micro 3D printer, the printer is basically a small 3D printer that will fit on your desk, unlike other 3D printers which tend to be pretty huge. In fact according to the design, it seems that the Micro is well, micro, and is actually about the size of a cat, so you can only imagine how small it is.
The Micro will also come with a more intuitive software interface that lets you download plans and print, and with a weight of around 1kg, you can bring it with you from the home to the office no problem. It’s hard to say why the Micro is doing as well it is, but we can’t wait for them to start shipping it out.
Micro 3D Printer Kickstarter Hits The $2 Million Mark In 3 Days , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Gadgets, 3d printing, crowdfunding, kickstarter, 
We have been following the Micro 3D printer closely since the project turned up on Kickstarter a few days ago. The project is for a very small and compact 3D … Continue reading
Update: The consumer-focused, low-cost Micro 3D printer that’s currently raising money on Kickstarter to get its prototype to market, has pushed passed the $2 million mark in pledged crowdfunds — just three days after the campaign kicked off. Read More
We understand there are times you need to print a document ASAP but you just can’t find a printer around you because you’re outside. Do you need to run back home to get it printed? Rush back to the office? Maybe borrow a printer from a nearby office? Well those problems could soon be solved, thanks to a Kickstarter project called the Pocket Printer.
As its name implies, this is a printer that will be small enough to fit into your pocket, meaning that you will be able to take it with you wherever you go and get stuff printed on the fly. But wait, aren’t printers usually very bulk and require you to feed it paper? That would be true for most printers, but as you can see in the image above, the Pocket Printer is anything but conventional.
The device will pack a set of omnidirectional wheels that will allow it to roll across surfaces, like paper, and with an inkjet printer head, it will help you print documents without requiring the entire printer setup. Now there are some drawbacks to convenience, which is that the Pocket Printer can only print 1.2 pages a minute which is extremely slow compared to regular printers.
It also has a resolution of 96 x 192 dpi which means it’s not exactly the sharpest printer on the market either.
The fact that the Pocket Printer also requires a rechargeable battery that is good for 1 hour of print time means that there could be inopportune moments in which the printer could die on you when it is out of battery. Its ink cartridge is also only good for 1,000 standard pages. However like we said, this is the price that you would have to pay for convenience.
After all we doubt that the Pocket Printer is meant to replace your regular desktop printer, but if you wanted something to take with you on the go, or perhaps to use at school to print out documents or presentation slides, then the Pocket Printer might be ideal. Now the folks behind the Pocket Printer are asking for a whopping $400,000 in pledges and have so far managed to raise $100,000. If you’d like to learn more or pledge your donation, hit up its Kickstarter page for the details.
Pocket Printer Kickstarter Project Lets You Print On The Go , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Gadgets, crowdfunding, kickstarter, 
It’s clearly a week for crowdfunding unusual printers, with multi-million raising home 3D printer The Micro followed by Zuta Labs Mini Mobile Robotic Printer, a shuffling printing puck small enough … Continue reading
With what has to be one of the most ambitious Kickstarter projects to come along in a while, the folks behind this Mini Mobile Robotic Printer want to revolutionize the mobile office. Because of instead of carrying a page-wide device that has to pull paper through it, this little marvel will instead print directly on a piece of paper while it rolls around on top of it.
In order to activate Siri on the iPhone, we’d have to press and hold the home key. For Android devices, Google Now can be activated by saying “OK Google”. Either way it involves you reaching for your phone in order to get the voice assistant feature up and running, but wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t have to keep reaching for your phone all the time?
That’s where the CommBadge comes in. The device, as you can see pictured above, is a 1.54-inch device that can be clipped onto your shirt. Basically what it does is that it allows you to perform voice commands like you would with Siri or Google Now by touching the device as opposed to have to get your phone, unlock the display, and then activate the feature.
According to its creator, the CommBadge will play nicely with Siri and Google Now so basically your phone could be in another room and you’d still be able to interact with it, as long as it is within Bluetooth range, of course. The great thing about CommBadge is that you don’t have to wear it all the time as it can be used in other settings, like in the car, for instance.
The creators are also adding a security feature by partnering up with SmartTek Systems. What this does is that whenever the user presses and holds the device for more than 5 seconds, it will automatically call out to an emergency number who will then be able to listen in undetected and then dispatch the appropriate emergency services, although this could cost you extra for the service.
As it stands the device is currently $15,000 into its goal of $20,000 and with 18 days to go, there is a good chance it could reach its goal. If you’d like to learn more or pledge a donation of your own, head on over to CommBadge’s Kickstarter page for the details.
CommBadge Bluetooth Wearable Device Lets You Interact With Siri/Google Now Hands-Free , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Gadgets, crowdfunding, google now, kickstarter, siri, 
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