If there's a hole in the mobile market, odds are good that a Kickstarter project will fill it sooner rather than later. Here's a collection of some of the best crowdsourced mobile products.
Kickstarter is full of great, innovative ideas in a wide array of categories. One of the most populous areas is the mobile sector, where new apps, games, and accessories are popping up every day. It’s as engaging as it is overwhelming — with so many different worthwhile causes, where do you throw your support? We took a quick look at some of the most noteworthy projects that are currently seeking support to go from idea to reality. Some of these are mobile games and applications, while others are phone accessories, but they all look pretty neat.
Sword of Fargoal is almost as retro as they come. It first appeared as a 1980′s cult-classic dungeon crawler for the Commodore 64, but with the smartphone revolution, creator Jeff McCord saw the perfect opportunity for a reintroduction. Fargoal Legends brought back the classic title with a modern twist on iOS and Mac in 2010. Now McCord is taking his looking to add another chapter to his lifelong love through Kickstarter with Sword of Fargoal 2. The campaign promises new features, a new look, and near infinite character customization. You can get the mobile version of the game with an $8 pledge and help a rougelike game get on the radar.
This project ends Saturday October 13, 2012 at 6:01 p.m. EST.
Sports games tend to be hit or miss with gamers, but one Kickstarter campaign is promising to grab hold of players in a place that will get their attention: their nostalgia. Football Heroes harkens back to the days of NFL Blitz and Tecmo Bowl, where sports titles didn’t have to be perfect simulations of the game. Part football game, part beat ‘em up, and part RPG, Football Legends will allow players to create a character, smash through opponents, and have fun doing it. A $5 pledge gets you a copy of the game and chips away at the $12,000 goal.
This project ends Thursday October 11, 2012 at 2:59 p.m. EST.
By the time graphics started to get really impressive on PCs in the late 90s, point-and-click adventure games had run their course. But like all things, that trend is cyclical. Devil’s Cove aims to prove that with a point-and-click game that tells a thrilling mystery in a forsaken town. It’s creator, Anarchy Enterprises, has been making games since 2000 and believes he’s on to a worthy new adventure in a timeworn genre. For $15, you’ll land a standard edition of the game upon its release and early access as a beta tester. It’s project worth pointing your attention toward.
This project ends Wednesday October 31, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Math is hard. Let’s not kid ourselves, it’s a subject that isn’t for everyone. First, there are all of the numbers and then they throw in letters too. GeoGebra is an iPad application that will act as a tool to teach mathematics in a better way. An easy to use interface and easy to understand teaching methods will hopefully make the cloud of confusion around equations melt away. The developers are looking to get $10,000, which will require the addition of a lot of small donations to achieve. Help them make their sum by by pledging to improve the educative process.
This project ends Friday October 19, 2012 at 4:13 p.m. EST.
If you do the majority of your work via email, your inbox can quickly become a list of tasks that you have to accomplish. Of course, those tasks are scattered between things like “50 percent off on fish” and other junk messages you’ll never need. Taskbox aims to take your inbox back to a level of functionality and practicality. Important emails move to the front of the line, swipe gestures make organization easier, and quick responses save time. All these features and more are promised if the project reaches funding of $30,000. Pledge $5 and get the app for yourself.
This project ends Sunday October 28, 2012 at 11:10 p.m. EST.
Like vinyls for music, Polaroid pictures seemed to have been out of style. But vinyls have made their way back, and instant photography appears to be doing the same. Impossible Instant Lab looks to push that movement forward by turning iPhone photos into instantly printable pictures. It aims to take the technological advances of the digital revolution and matches it with one of the most popular features the of analog era to make a perfect pairing for photography fans. This project has already received funding, but a $230 pledge will get you your own Impossible Instant Lab before it hits store shelves — assuming it ever hits store shelves.
This project ends Monday October 8, 2012 at 9:55 p.m. EST.
Spixi (iPhone 5, iOS, Android, WP, BB)
Apple claimed one of the ‘innovations’ of the iPhone 5 was a new kind of connector to sync and charge the device. One thing that the cord won’t change: The pains of wire management. That’s where Spixi comes in. The project will give those who own an iPhone 5, or other mobile device, a retractable cable for smartphones. It will keep your cords from getting lost, twisted, and tangled and will save you time trying to find and untie your USB cables. A $25 pledge will get you a unit for your device of choice, but if you get in on the action soon you can get one for a discounted $17.
This project ends Thursday November 1, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Complete Dock (iOS and some Android devices)
One of the problems of the mobile market’s fragmentation is the absurd amount of unique accessories that are needed. One of the most common products that users want for their devices is a dock, but how do you keep up when the devices are always changing? Complete Dock aims to give you a lifetime of the same dock, no matter what device you want to use it for. It is guaranteed to work with any model of iPad, iPhone (including the iPhone 5), and most smartphones and tablets that use a Micro USB connection. $60 is the starting pledge price to get yourself a CompleteDock.
This project ends Friday November 30, 2012 at 5:14 p.m. EST.
Helios is the first ever affordable telepresence robot. That phrase alone should sound cool enough to get you interested. It will turn your iPhone 4, 4S, 5, and iPod Touch into a new, movable form of communication. With the ability to move up, down, left, and right, Helios will give you a remote controlled presence that will allow you a full range of vision wherever the robot is. It adds a whole new layer to virtual communications. A $100 pledge will get you your very open robot. That’s a pretty solid sales pitch.
This project ends Sunday October 28, 2012 at 9:20 a.m. EST.
Jorno (iOS and Android)
How many times do you make at least a little spelling error typing on the virtual keyboard of your mobile device? Did you answer, “every time?” Then you’re like most people. Jorno sets out to cure the disease of spelling and grammar errors by giving you a full sized keyboard that connects via Bluetooth to your device. When you’re not using it, though, it folds up into an easy to carry, 3.5inch self-contained case. $79 will get you your own Jorno keyboard before it’s released, a significant discount from its planned $119 retail cost.
This project ends Wednesday October 17, 2012 at 3:17AM EST.
