Page 34 - Stuff - September 2017 UK
P. 34

S T A R T MA R T M                       E N UE N U
                           The latest startups, crowdfunded projects and plain crazy ideas





                                KICK
                                STARTER


                    Handsome home hub
                       SENIC COVI

                    If Alexa is to become our AI
                overlord, she might as well do it in
                 domestic style. So while some
                   may see the Echo’s towering
                   black cylinder as the perfect
                 emblem of our future dystopia,
                 others will prefer this chic lamp.
                 An aluminium base topped with
                 a tapered tube of sand-blasted
                    glass, it includes mics and a
                speaker for vocal interaction and
                 gets on fine with Alexa – which
                means it can link up to all kinds of
                kit in your home. It’s open source,
                 so you can while away the days
                until the apocalypse by setting it
                 up with IFTTT, Sonos, HomeKit
               and more. And yes, it is still a lamp,
                 with four LEDs that adjust their
                 light cycles to your daily routine.
                       from €139 / senic.com

                BACK IT
                STACK IT

                SACK IT

                        KICK                     INDIE GOGO              KICK                     INDIE GOGO
                        STARTER
                                                                           STARTER

















               Premium freedom           Wheely useful            Watch your back           Moist vibes
               ZOLO LIBERTY+             BLUESMART 2              OAXIS INKCASE             ZEPPY
               Wires on headphones are a   Bluesmart’s original connected   I7 PLUS         Remember that panicked
               right faff. If they’re not tangled,   suitcase made waves with its   Bolting a second screen onto   moment when your phone
               they’re snagging, trailing or   suite of smart features – and   the back of your phone might   almost slipped into the tub?
               snapping. Problem is, wireless   now it’s back with even more   sound bonkers, but this iPhone   No more. Meet Zeppy, a floating
               in-ears aren’t without issues.   clever tech. Packed alongside   7 Plus case is no duct tape   wireless speaker. Zeppy uses
               The cord-free Zolo Liberty+   your pants and socks is a bevy   hatchet job: it’s rocking the   a flat panel membrane to propel
               buds promise to change    of kit, ranging from GPS and   same kind of display you’d   its waves through the waves,
               that, with top-notch quality   3G location tracking to range-  find on a Kindle. It also offers   which means it can also be
               (courtesy of graphene-coated   based digital auto-locking. It’ll   distraction-free reading,   used as a massage aid – there’s
               drivers), a budge-free fit and   even charge your laptop to full   always-on display notifications   nothing as soothing as Enya for
               healthy battery life.     in 2.5 hours.            and customisable widgets.  your deep tissue.
               from US$99 / zoloudio.com  from $295 / bluesmart.com   from $137 / oaxis.com  from €89 / zeppy.com

            34
            34
   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39