2013-09-03

This week, I am talking about two Kickstarter projects that are very geeky!  First, let’s talk about an app to gamify your life!

Not iT – Gamify Life

Are you ready for a social game that’s a bit more…social?  Not iT is a smartphone app built on the rules to a game we’ve ALL played.  You remember being a kid, right?  An adult would haphazardly hand out some task to a group of kids, and you’d all start chanting, “not it!”  The last person say “not it” was “it.”  What a simple game!  Not iT Labs is taking that concept from social contract to social media.  So why are they doing this?  Because life should be more fun and rewarding!  Most games are about escaping reality, but Not iT is about enriching reality.  How many hours of Farmville and Candy Crush can you play anyways?  And at what cost?

They are making task delegation fun and engaging.  Get in a group with your friends, family or co-workers and start playing Not iT. You can create tasks that help accomplish group objectives, or you can choose from a dynamic list of task suggestions they provide.  It’s more about fun, creativity and silly embarrassments than real-world productivity.  But they ultimately want to let their community make Not iT into the game you want it to be.  Use Not iT to get your kids (or roommates) to do chores, or to settle office disputes over who has to clean the break room microwave.  With friends, figure out who’s going to be the designated driver.  The possibilities are endless.

From tasks suggestions to achievements, there are several layers of game play to enjoy. They are even including an immunity system so that you can get out of being “it” and pin tasks on other players in your group!  Volunteer to do a task, and you’ll earn immunity. Achievements include titles like, “Biting the Bullet,” “Mob Mentality,” and “You did iT to Yourself.”  You can also take pictures of your completed tasks and post them to Facebook and Twitter?  An iPhone version of Not iT is being developed, and this Kickstarter campaign would be used to develop apps for Android and other app networks.  The Not iT app will be free!

As of September 3rd, this Kickstarter project has raised around $44 of the $5,000 goal they need to be funded.  And as you know in Kickstarter, a project is not funded until the fundraising goal is reached!  This project only has 28 days left to reach the $5,000 goal.  For a pledge of $15, you will get a thank you note, a special badge of the app’s profile, and a sticker.  For a pledge of $29, you will get the previous items plus you can be part of the process.  To learn more about the Not iT App and to pledge money, go to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshuagilmer/not-it-gamify-life

Learn more about Not iT Labs at: http://notitlabs.co/

Wahoo Fitness RFLKT and SMART Bike Computer

The Wahoo RFLKT+ Smart Bike Computer is an iPhone powered bike computer that connects your iPhone wirelessly to ANT+ cycling sensors.  Wahoo Fitness created iPhone powered cycling over 3 years ago when we launched an ANT+ key for the iPhone. Cyclists (and runners) could instantly get their ANT+ data from the activity sensors streamed directly into their iPhone.  While Apple moved on to Bluetooth 4.0 as the preferred wireless technology, the cycling world has not.  There are hundreds of thousands of ANT+ cycling products in the market that want to connect to the latest version of the iPhone.

Wahoo’s ANT+ solution for iPhone combines all the functionality of our ANT+ key with the RFLKT,  the world’s first SMART bike computer that Wahoo launched in March 2013.  Building on the success of their RFLKT Smart bike computer, the RFLKT+ (“REFLECT PLUS”) adds two critical pieces of functionality:

1) ANT+ connectivity: you can now connect ANT+ sensors like your power meter, heart rate strap, and in-frame sensors directly to your iPhone.  The RFLKT+ takes the ANT+ signal and converts it to Bluetooth Smart (aka Bluetooth Low Energy or Bluetooth 4.0) so the iPhone can read the data and display/store it in the App.

2) A barometric altimeter.  Accurate elevation data is key to any cyclist.

Here is a quick video showing demonstrating the concept and showing working functionality using one of our prototypes:

The RFLKT+ Smart bike computer taps into the power of your iPhone to provide you GPS data plus the functionality of your favorite App.  The RFLKT+ is a reflection of your iPhone, with the App controlling everything you see on your bike computer screen.  This is a perfect integration of your bike computer and your iPhone – iPhone Powered Cycling.  The RFLKT operates for over a year on a single coin cell battery.  And the RFLKT+ LCD screen is 1.75 x 1.2 inches with a screen resolution of 128 x 128 pixels.  It uses the sunlight to increase contrast as the sunlight gets brighter, ensuring that you can see your data as you ride.  Also, it has a backlight so you can ride in the depths of the early morning or late at night.

As of September 3rd, this Kickstarter project has raised around $39,330 of the $100,000 goal they need to be funded.  And as you know in Kickstarter, a project is not funded until the fundraising goal is reached!  This project only has 17 days left to reach the $100,000 goal.  For a pledge of $25, you will get a limited edition Wahoo Fitness pair of iPhone Powered Cycling socks by SOS.  For a pledge of $135, you will get the Wahoo! A RFLKT+ Smart Bike Computer at Kickstarter prices.  To learn more about the Wahoo Fitness RFLKT and to pledge money, go to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/914312130/wahoo-fitness-rflkt-smart-bike-computer-with-ant-b

Learn more about Wahoo Fitness at: http://www.wahoofitness.com/

Related articles

Wahoo Fitness PROTKT: Bike mount and protective case in one (tuaw.com)

Kickstarter Tuesdays: The Kelly Wright Project / Baboomi (geekalabama.com)

Filed under: Kickstarter Projects Tagged: ANT+ key, App, Cycling, Cycling App, Gaming App, Kickstarter, Not iT, Not iT Labs, SMART Bike Computer, Smartphone, Wahoo Fitness, Wahoo Fitness RFLKT

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