We are back again with more tech picks from Kickstarter, the premier crowdfunding service, for the month of September. This month’s batch features a variety of gadgets from a camera enhancement for the iPhone, a mobile DIY kit, and solar panels by two guys from the Philippines. It goes to show that people are willing to push the envelope on new ideas and inventions that can change the world of technology for a better future.


First up is the Public Lab DIY Spectrometry Kit by Jeffrey Yoo Warren, who is from Somerville, MA. Pictured above is a spectrometer prototype as the kit intends to analyze materials and condiments. For those who don’t know what a spectrometer is, Warren’s definition is that it is a tool to to measure colors absorbed by a material. Warren also mentioned in the Kickstarter description, which also has video demonstrations of the device in action, that spectrometers tend to cost in the thousand dollar range. He wants to build a kit that it is both cheaper and simpler to use. In terms of how cheaper, the kit only costs $35 with a range up to 900 nanometers and a peak resolution at 3 nm. Open source software has also been created to collect and analyze spectral data, but the main purpose Warren made this Kickstarter is to hopefully make a Wikipedia-like library of open source spectra. He wants this platform to be the “Shazam” for materials as it can analyze various coffee and beer as examples. This DIY kit has already met its goal, but if this interests you, there is still 25 days to pledge for it.

Next up is the iZZi Orbit & iZZi Solo by Jayson Guzman from Irvine, CA. They are camera attachments and protective cases for the iPhone 4, 4S, and the upcoming 5 that will be finally announced on Wednesday. The Orbit has three high quality lenses thanks to peripheral motion lock technology with a 180 degree fish eye, 2x telephoto, and a 67x wide angle. The Kickstarter link has comparison shots of the three lenses along with video demonstrations of both the Orbit and Solo’s functionalities. The iZZi Solo, on the other hand, has only one fish eye lens. Guzman’s main purpose for kickstarting these two gadgets is to invest in more machinery, inventory parts, and tooling to continue production of the two, In addition, the pledges will go to research and development for future products too. Especially in the world that loves to share photos on Instagram and other social media sites, the iZZi Orbit and iZZi Solo dramatically improves mobile shots as Guzman hopes to reach his $25,000 goal by early October.


Finally, we have the Solar Pocket Factory by two guys from the Philippines named Shawn Frayne and Alex Hornstein. Their main goal together has been trying to achieve the dream of clean energy everywhere for everyone. They have been diving into the microsolar realm for a while figuring out an effective way to make it cheaper and better. Their solution is the Solar Pocket Kit with their own version of microsolar. To compare with traditional microsolar, Frayne and Hornstein’s take is made with longer lasting solar polyurethane, laminated glass, and has a minimum of a ten year lifetime, which is eight more than your average microsolar kit. They were to reach their current $50,000 goal in Kickstarter allowing them to produce more Solar Pocket Kits, but if they are to reach $100,000, then they will have enough to make a laser cutter for the kit and even open source it. For more on the Solar Pocket Factory and videos of it in action, the Kickstarter link is here.

Out of the three, which one impresses you the most? Personally, the Solar Pocket Factory has lots of potential to change the world of solar energy into something completely different and better. The iZZi Orbit and iZZi Solo are also great for those that love to take photos from their phones on a regular basis and share them on various social media sites. We will be back next month for more Kickstarter tech picks.